Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus SMU on September 4, 2025 , Loss , 0, to, 1
M Soccer
vs SMU
L 0-1
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Grand Canyon University
Traditions » Grand Canyon University
From its humble beginnings in 1949, GCU has experienced a remarkable transformation in the past 10 years to become one of the fastest-growing and most innovative institutions in the country. It has accomplished this by 1) using a financial model that does not rely on state taxpayer money but instead used initial capital from the public markets to kick-start the extraordinary growth on both the ground and online campuses; 2) keeping high-quality private Christian education affordable for all the socioeconomic classes of Americans; 3) creating operational efficiencies through a hybrid financial model that serves both the ground and online campuses; and 4) ensuring complete financial transparency for all students.
This approach has allowed GCU to invest $1.2 billion into academic infrastructure since 2009 without passing these costs on to students through increases in tuition (which have been frozen on the Phoenix campus for 11 straight years). More importantly, it has benefited thousands of families who have sought private Christian education in a safe environment that is also affordable and doesn't lead to insurmountable amounts of debt.
These accomplishments are highlighted in the following metrics:
The Grand Canyon University story
From its humble beginnings in 1949, GCU has experienced a remarkable transformation in the past 10 years to become one of the fastest-growing and most innovative institutions in the country. It has accomplished this by 1) using a financial model that does not rely on state taxpayer money but instead used initial capital from the public markets to kick-start the extraordinary growth on both the ground and online campuses; 2) keeping high-quality private Christian education affordable for all the socioeconomic classes of Americans; 3) creating operational efficiencies through a hybrid financial model that serves both the ground and online campuses; and 4) ensuring complete financial transparency for all students.This approach has allowed GCU to invest $1.2 billion into academic infrastructure since 2009 without passing these costs on to students through increases in tuition (which have been frozen on the Phoenix campus for 11 straight years). More importantly, it has benefited thousands of families who have sought private Christian education in a safe environment that is also affordable and doesn't lead to insurmountable amounts of debt.
These accomplishments are highlighted in the following metrics:
- Tuition freeze: No tuition increases at Phoenix campus for 11 straight years at $16,500. After institutional discounts, students on traditional campus pay on average $8,700 per year in tuition.
- Room and board: Average rates of $7,950 are well below national averages for four-year public schools ($11,140) and private four-year universities ($12,680) according to the College Board. GCU now has 23 residence halls, which are rated No. 7 in country by niche.com.
- Student debt: GCU students graduate with less debt on average ($18,750 according to latest College Scorecard data) than at public and private nonprofit universities ($28,650 according to 2017 data from the Institute for College Access & Success).
- Graduation rate: 57% for 2014 cohort of traditional students1.
- Graduation rate (online): 65% for 2014 cohort of online students1..
- Total alumni: 158,089 at end of 2018.
- Diversity: By maintaining low tuition rates, GCU has attracted an incredibly diverse student body on its Phoenix campus (47% students of color, including 29% who are Hispanic and 7% who are African American).
- Nonprofit: In 2018, GCU reverted back to the historic nonprofit status it held from 1949-2004.
- Accreditation: GCU is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which has renewed the University’s accreditation for a full 10 years.
- Regulatory measures: GCU’s loan default rate of 5.6% (2016 cohort) is well below national average of 10.8% (Department of Education most recently published data from 2015). Also, none of GCU’s academic programs failed gainful employment regulations and the University is well below the 90/10 requirement at 71.5%.
- Economic impact: A study by economist Elliott Pollack found that GCU has had a $1.1 billion annual economic impact to the State of Arizona (2010-2019) and created 10,000 jobs generating $480 million in wages over a 10-year period.
- Community involvement: GCU has embarked on a five-point plan to revitalize its inner-city west Phoenix community and return it to its middle-class roots by 1) having GCU serve as an anchor institution with 10,000+ jobs on campus; 2) Creating jobs off campus by launching nine new business enterprises that employ 400 people; 3) making the surrounding neighborhood safer through an eight-year, $1.6 million partnership with Phoenix Police to pay for officers’ overtime; 4) increasing home values through the largest Habitat for Humanity partnership in the country with a goal of renovating 800 homes (240 have been completed thus far); and 5) supporting K-12 education through a free tutoring/mentoring Learning Lounge program that has impacted 150 schools, serving more than 3,000 K-12 students with over 40,000 visits and 100,000 hours of study since it opened in 2013.
Beginning as Grand Canyon College
Grand Canyon College was chartered on Aug. 1, 1949, with 16 faculty and approximately 100 students in Prescott, Arizona. In 1951, the college relocated to a 90-acre tract in west Phoenix and was fully accredited in 1968 by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education. Established as a Baptist-affiliated institution with an emphasis on religious studies, the school initially offered undergraduate programs in education. Programs expanded to include the sciences, nursing, business, music and fine arts. The college developed a reputation for producing effective teachers, nurses and health care professionals in the Southwest.Becoming Grand Canyon University
While planning to change in institutional organization and status to Grand Canyon University, Grand Canyon College identified several landmark events during this transition: organizing programs and departments into colleges, offering graduate degree programs and establishing the GCU Foundation. In May of 1984, college trustees voted to prepare for transition to university status on the school’s 40th anniversary. GCU then moved from being owned and operated by the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention to being self-owned by the Board of Trustees.
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