"Do not go to GCU, they do not care about your education, your career, or your “purpose,” they care about your money. They have great counselor that bring you in and get you set up then during your time with them you have about 10-12 different counselors who never respond to emails. They continually mess up grants and scholarships leading you to pay out of pocket or if unable to have to take out dreaded student loans. They advertise they haven’t raised their tuition in years but they sure know how to jack up other student fees so they can be “honest” in that statement. They try to cram “Christian worldviews” down everyone’s throat (as if Christians are the only people who can be kind and good hearted moral people) but the school’s real god is the almighty dollar. Let also not forget as you move closer to your graduation they tense to be more problems with getting into needed classes to graduate to prolong your time with them and continue to pay them. Lastly, when you are finally feed up with their games and ready to transfer many (and I mean many) of the credits will not transfer so it’s like starting your degree program all over again. The classes do not prepare future teachers for real world classrooms and I’m sure schools like this is yet another reason teacher turn over rates are continuing to climb. This school has been such a waste of money and time."

lon

Reviewed: 1/26/2021
Degree: Special Education
Graduation Year: 2020

"Dishonest! Everything that has been said in the reviews regarding the integrity of this school and their staff is true. They only care about making money and do not follow the "Christian" beliefs they shove down your throat. Do not waste your time with them."

Countrygirl8719

Reviewed: 2/13/2020
Degree: Special Education
Graduation Year: 2020

"I withdrew from GCU & my financial aid paid for all of what I took in school. GCU is trying to charge me for a course I never took nor logged into. I checked my financial aid & they paid everything there was owed to GCU. GCU is not a school I will recommend to anyone."

Halley Parker

Reviewed: 2/1/2020
Degree: Special Education
Graduation Year: 2021

"I’m not sure how this school gets so many negative reviews. I’m in my junior year and have had nothing but positive experiences. I think it really comes down to people not reading instructions and not wanting to do the work. Online classes can be very time consuming but my instructors have been so nice and helpful!"

Ivy

Reviewed: 2/20/2019
Degree: Special Education
Graduation Year: 2021

"When I first start this program I specifically express my concern about taking (English class) to help me better my grammar and language. I took Eng 101 and was lucky I pass the class. Call many times been frustrating with most of the class assignments due to my poor grammar, I end up failing in 2 different classes. I request support and they told me I could call for (tutor) the one offer only 15 minutes per call. For me to continue this program I had to pay $1,513 due to the class I didn't pass. I spoke to the counselor about repaying the recent class, I never disagree to pay, all I did was asking for a payment plan and that I was willing to pay $100 monthly towards the class, this counselor told me she couldn't accept that amount that I needed it to pay more. I just got a bill from the collection agency. You don't receive the support you need, and once you agreed to pay the class, they would accept the amount I was comfortable to pay monthly and instead send me to a collection agency. I wouldn't recommend this college."

Reviewed: 2/13/2018
Degree: Special Education
Graduation Year: 2069

"I found staff to be so inexperienced and disorganized, especially the financial team. Teachers were less than accessible. And for a university that claims to be "Christian" I found their attitudes much less than that. All the characteristics that I expected from a "Christian" institution were lacking, i.e. excellence, humility, grace, mercy, truth."

andi waddington

Reviewed: 2/16/2017
Degree: Special Education
Graduation Year: 2017

"In theory, using an on-line educational route can be convenient, but it can also be quite daunting. GCU offers a variety of degree and graduate programs that can meet almost any need. The classes are shorter than most traditional classes, and, depending on the student, this can be either helpful or can cause some issues if one is not understanding the material. The student that will fare best in this type of environment is one who is self-motivated and capable of going above and beyond in order to get the resources needed, which is not always easy. The professors are generally helpful, but, again, this can be subjective depending on the class (they are human, after all). The biggest issue I had with the degree program is that there were often assignments given that were unrelated to the course work, although they they were relevant to my degree. If I had a professor who was engaged then he or she would take the time to explain and give examples, but there were, quite frankly, times that I did not receive the help that I requested. The courses require a time commitment each week, and the time frame is not what one would find at a brick and mortar institution. For example, Christmas is the only real break that is granted throughout the school year, so that is something to take into consideration, as well. At this time, I maintain a 3.98 average and have finished all of the requirements for my degree, but this was a labor of love for me, so it was well worth the time and money (this is a private institution, as well, so it can be pricey, although my financial education specialist worked with me, especially since I am a military spouse. ASK QUESTIONS~ this will take you far). Overall, this was a positive experience for me, although it might not be the same for all. My recommendation is to research and read more reviews in order to see if this is the right fit."

Corrine

Reviewed: 10/11/2016
Degree: Special Education
Graduation Year: 2018

"I am currently in my second year at GCU and I have no complaints! My instructors and advisors are always available when I need help and the coursework is understandable and useful to my education! I am an online student and I have not had any trouble! I recommend GCU to anyone looking to pursue an online education!"

Pauli

Reviewed: 6/29/2016
Degree: Special Education
Graduation Year: 2015

"I choose GCU online because I wanted to be able to work more at my company and I thought it would allow the flexibility of me taking the classes and doing the course work when I had the time(weather that be at 6am before I went into the office or at 9pm at night) Boy was I wrong, the first class I took the teacher wanted us on during certain hours of the day, not only was I on the other side of the map and 4 hours a head of their time so that already complicated things with talking with the advisers and counselors when they were not busy, but the teacher took away participation points because I was not online during those times. I'm sorry this is the exact reason why I choose online, to do the coursework on my time , not during a set time, I would have choose a traditional class?? I talked with my counselor about this but they were no help. Then after about sticking it out a year with them which I should have left sooner I transferred to a different school and went back to traditional college classes, I still have reps from GCU calling my phone and texting me, Im sorry but texting a student is not professional in any matter, they were constantly blowing up my phone asking when I was returning for classes. I told them a thousand times to not bother me nor text me nor call me. I would highly highly not recommend anyone to this school."

Tammy

Reviewed: 3/17/2016
Degree: Special Education
Graduation Year: 2017

"I have been going to GCU a little over a year. I am doubling up on some classes so I can into my student teaching next year. There classes are achievable and my experience will all personnel has been great...no problems. This is my third college so I have found it is important to ask questions if you are not for sure of something. This is not a scam school but it is expensive. I have qualified for pell grants and teach grants to help off set the tuition. This is a very good school."

Brittny Harris

Reviewed: 10/23/2014
Degree: Special Education
Graduation Year: 2013

"I did a lot of research before deciding on this school. I was able to get a dual degree in Elementary Education and Special Education in the same time it would of take me to get one. I was hired as a Special Education teacher within three months of graduating. The principal that actually hired me graduated from Grand Canyon as well. I was able to easily get into a very reputable Masters program at the University of Nevada Reno with my degrees. My only issue was that the staff changed constantly which was a little frustrating. Overall, I would highly recommend this school."

Anonymous

Reviewed: 11/26/2013
Degree: Special Education
Graduation Year:

"I love the classes and I think most of the teachers come from a good place but like any other place it only takes one to spoil it for everyone. I have had to retake classes because the teacher and I did not see eye to eye so they would give your two point under a passing grade and you must retake the whole class to get a new teacher and get a A in the class. They play with your money they tell you that you owe or that it is their mistake but because you are the students you will have to pay. They take your money and try to talk fast and get you to act fast so that you will loose track of your money. I WILL NEVER EVER RETURN TO THIS SCHOOL FOR ANY PURPOSE. Lastly, they are not a Christian University no no no they need to stop they are a money making school that cares about their staff the ones that they no not let go and make them say they are moving up in the company JOKES."

Jason Robinson

Reviewed: 6/19/2013
Degree: Special Education
Graduation Year: 2014

"This review is based solely on my experience as a fully online student majoring in Elementary and Special Education. You should know right away that many of the teacher education courses require 15-20 practicum hours to be completed in an actual school setting. You will not be completing all of your course work online. My first two GCU classes were what I call “Welcome to College” and “Welcome to Online Courses” courses. They were extremely easy and redundant, especially since I had taken so many online courses before. You take one course at a time at 7 weeks a pop with GCU online, so that added 4 months to my completion time and $3600 to my debt load. I accepted this all things considered. I imagine there are people out there who are not tech savvy and/or have never taken a college course before that might benefit more from these courses. Anyway, after those first two mostly unnecessary courses, I took Critical Thinking. That course taught me a lot, and I have enjoyed every course since. I have taken them seriously and prepared for every assignment as if my life depended on it, since I am investing too much in this to take it less than very seriously. I have had classmates who are obviously phoning it in, and I have had serious students such as myself, and everything in between. Many of my instructors keep office hours at the Phoenix, AZ campus and were just a phone call away. Those same instructors would call me periodically and check on me or to follow up on a question I had posted in the course’s discussion forum. They have all been engaging and effective at the very least. Financial aid has been seamless for the most part, and I initially had some issues with eligibility that required an FA officer who loves a challenge. Needless to say she got the job done. There have been a handful of times where my FA adviser did not respond to my emails and/or voicemails right away, but she took care of the situations which prompted me to call or email in the first place and eventually got back to me to follow up. I get the impression that she is spread thin, and I totally get that since I am at my job, too. I received an $800 institutional scholarship after completing my third GCU course. I also received a smaller one for starting a class during the Christmas break. I transferred in all of my credits from three previous colleges. I am nearing the end of a dual major program, B.S. Elementary and Special Education. So far, so good, but if my experience changes I will definitely update this review accordingly. In terms of GCU’s credibility, I was offered a teaching position for when I complete my program by a principal who never heard of GCU. My point is that there a million private universities throughout this country that nobody’s heard of. If you deliver the goods in your interactions with people, particularly people in positions of granting opportunity, your best asset will always be yourself. Likewise, your worst asset can be yourself. Anybody that has a preexisting bias against for-profit schools or online degree programs is not somebody whose opinion or approval I am going to seek. I have spent 25 years working with and for the products of the traditional, not-for-profit university system, and I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly, the brilliant and the absolutely useless. Remember that you are the sum total of all of your experiences, educational and otherwise, and the name of the college printed on your diploma and transcripts alone does not have the ability, more often than not, to sell you. That is your job. This concludes my sermon for the day."

Anonymous

Reviewed: 4/23/2013
Degree: Special Education
Graduation Year: 2014

"Grand Canyon University's online education program allows me to work full time and earn my degree at the same time.My online experience has been wonderful!!! The instructor are awesome and the academic advisers are very helpful. I would recommend GCU to all of my friends."