STATEMENT on Department of Education Fining Grand Canyon University $37M for Misrepresenting Online Graduate Programs
“It is an important signal from the administration to the entire higher education sector that deceptive and misleading behaviors will not be tolerated and violators will be held accountable.”
BOSTON – Today, the Department of Education announced a $37.7 million fine against Grand Canyon University (GCU) for lying to more than 7,500 former and current students over several years about the cost of its doctoral programs. The school falsely advertised a lower cost than what 98% of students ended up paying to complete certain doctoral programs.
The Project on Predatory Student Lending represents several clients who attended Grand Canyon University and experienced the misrepresentations detailed by the Department.
Statement from Eileen Connor, President and Director of the Project on Predatory Student Lending:
“We commend the Department of Education for fining Grand Canyon University after finding that the school misled borrowers about its graduate programs. It is an important signal from the administration to the entire higher education sector that deceptive and misleading behaviors will not be tolerated and violators will be held accountable.
Unfortunately, these predatory behaviors are becoming increasingly pervasive in higher education at large. At PPSL, we consistently hear from students who enrolled in online graduate courses and ended up trapped in overpriced programs that don’t deliver what was promised.
It is the Department’s responsibility to uphold the law, and the law clearly states that borrowers whose schools engaged in misconduct are owed debt cancellation. We urge the Department to take the next step given these findings and cancel federal student loans for all borrowers who attended GCU’s misleading programs.”
Statements from student borrowers about their experiences at Grand Canyon University:
"I left my program because I could not afford it. After having already been working on my dissertation for three years I was told, for the first time, that my topic was not a viable option. This was frustrating because I was promised, upon enrolling, that I would have faculty advisors working with me throughout my dissertation-writing process, but I never had meaningful interactions, nor did I receive helpful feedback, until being told that the topic I had been working on for years was not a good one. This news devastated me as I had thought I was on track for the on-time completion of my program. This would have forced me to enroll in additional, expensive continuing education courses that I did not find out about until I was well into the program. The cost of these classes would have caused the overall price of my program to skyrocket, well above the tuition that was advertised. This ultimately made me leave the program. If I had been told about these continuing education classes in the first place, I never would have enrolled." – Logan Brade from Arizona
“GCU advertised my doctoral program as a 3-year program. They did not mention that students would have to take multiple continuation classes until well into the program. I have had over 6 continuation courses added to my program of study and due to the structure of the program, classes do not help with program progression. The instructor-to-student ratio is too high to effectively help students progress, so I've had no choice but to continue to take continuation courses. I have spent too much money and time on my research and do not want to waste it due to misrepresentation.” – Christina from Alabama
“At the beginning I felt rushed by daily phone calls to complete all the paperwork and get things turned in so I could make the next cohort. From there, I was bounced around through countless student success counselors until finally I was forgotten about and had no support whatsoever. I feel like I was taken advantage of and it's humiliating. My mounting debt feels like it is going to crush me.” – John from Florida
About the Project on Predatory Student Lending
The Project on Predatory Student Lending (PPSL) is the leading legal organization representing student borrowers against predatory for-profit colleges and the policies that enable institutions to exploit and cheat students. PPSL uses bold, strategic litigation and advocacy to demand accountability in the higher education space and influence policy solutions to create a more just and affordable education system. PPSL represents more than one million student borrowers and its work has resulted in cancellation of more than $16 billion of fraudulent student loan debt.
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