Grand Canyon University (GCU), Phoenix

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 accredited in 1968 by the Commission on Institutions of dited 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 bachelor’s programs in education. Programs expanded to include the sciences, nursing, business, music and fine arts. It was during this time when the college started to develop a reputation for producing effective teachers, nurses and healthcare professionals in the Southwest. 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, establishing the Grand Canyon University Foundation and the generosity of those who pledged or gave unrestricted gifts valued at $1 million dollars or more. In May of 1984, college trustees voted to prepare for transition to university status on the school’s 40th anniversary. Then GCU moved from being owned and operated by the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention to being self-owned by the Board of Trustees. By the early 2000s, GCU struggled with maintaining its operations in light of dwindling financial support. The university faced a critical juncture in September 2003, teetering on the verge of insolvency and facing the prospect of bankruptcy. A small group of investors acquired the university and refocused on online education for working adults. With an improving financial structure, the university recruited a new leadership team in 2008 to envision a future that centered around a hybrid campus strategy—combining traditional students with non-traditional students (primarily working adults studying at the graduate level). The university completed an initial public offering in 2008 to generate the capital necessary to improve its online infrastructure and expand its campus. The university grew its campus student body from fewer than 1,000 students in 2009 to over 25,300 campus students in 2022. GCU’s non-traditional student body increased from approximately 22,000 students at the start of 2009 to over 86,000 online and evening cohort students in Fall 2022. In Fall 2023, GCU had over 77,000 bachelor's-level students, over 35,700 master's-level students and over 5,400 doctoral-level students.1 Between 2009 and June 2022, the university had invested over $1.7 billion dollars — and today, continues to invest in full-time faculty, improved technology infrastructure, new facilities and programmatic expansion in areas such as engineering, computer science and IT. The university has been able to self-fund these investments with only nominal increases in tuition for non-traditional students, while not increasing campus tuition in 15 years. GCU is a missional, Christ-centered university with an innovative and adaptive spirit. The university addresses the world’s deep needs by cultivating compassionate Christian community, empowering free and virtuous action and serving others in ways that promote human flourishing. West Phoenix is where GCU calls home. That's why GCU stands committed to transforming the surrounding neighborhoods into a safe, thriving place for those in the community. Along with providing academic excellence and a vibrant campus life, GCU believes its purpose is to partner together to implement initiatives in the area that open educational opportunities for all, create jobs, restore housing and reduce crime. GCU calls this United by Purpose. Throughout the past 75 years, we have taken measurable strides to transform into the university we are today and continue to look to the future to keep growing. From the first steps of developing our university and pioneering our online programs to the establishment of our athletics, college facilities and life-changing community programs, we have created a campus culture that can provide a place of joy, faith and acceptance for all our students. For more than 75 years, our Phoenix campus has been an academic destination for countless scholars and industry leaders. See why GCU ranked #21 best college campus in America for 2025, according to Niche.com.1 At GCU, you'll find everything you need to enjoy a full college experience and become immersed in the campus culture. Campus, online and evening students are equally valued members of our community and receive access to GCU events, academic support and learning resources. This is the college experience I dreamed about. I'm in the program helping me work toward my dream career, and I am surrounded by people who are caring and very open within a Christian campus. I would recommend Grand Canyon University to my friends because of the quality of the programs, scholarships and how family oriented this university is. Every year, GCU offers exciting events for our students to show off their Lope pride and discover why these annual traditions are an important part of our campus culture. Prepare for the school year ahead, share your favorite parts of GCU with your family and friends, attend one of the most electric competitions of the year and demonstrate your college pride by attending our annual events. GCU is home to 21 NCAA Division I athletics teams and had over 440 student-athletes in basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, track and field, golf, volleyball and more during the 2023-24 academic year. Our mission is to develop good Christian role models who embody the highest standards of excellence in all aspects of their lives. In addition to our Division I teams, we offer other athletics programs, including intramural sports as well as dance and cheer. Since 2008, Thunder has been GCU’s official mascot. This friendly antelope contributes to all the excitement that takes place at GCU. You’ll be sure to see him around at athletic competitions and other events on and off campus. The GCU Havocs are the epitome of school pride — attending all athletic events while creating an energetic, positive, spirited environment for sports fans, students and players. This extraordinary lively student section comes together to heighten the already exciting experience of attending GCU sporting events. GCU prides itself on providing sports facilities for our students, athletes and visitors. Global Credit Union Arena is a 7,000-seat, nearly 135,000-square-foot sports and entertainment venue, used to host numerous events for students and the community. GCU’s stadium is a modern 6,000-seat, 41,852-square-foot soccer stadium of natural turf that also accommodates the GCU Student-Athlete Academic Center. Browse through some commonly asked questions and answers about our university and learn more about what makes being a Lope so special. ...view more