Grand Canyon UniversityReviews of gcu.edu

GCU is the poorest choice for any degree and I am still battling personnel to get my hard earned degree conferred after an administrative error they made that is barring me from employment due to not being able to prove my graduation. My student service counselor, Nicole Donoso, was terrible from the start by pretending she wasn’t getting my emails and having multiple excuses for not returning my calls. I asked her supervisor, Jason, to re assign me to someone new and he refused. This was in my first few weeks with GCU. My educational experience with professors was abysmal. I had one professor respond to my question about an assignment with “WHAT DO THE INSTRUCTIONS SAY.” There was not one professor who took the time to read my assignments and submitted work. Absolutely no meaningful engagement. And I had a 4.0 the entire way through, so it’s not like I wasn’t applying myself. Now, after waiting for 8 weeks for my degree to be conferred, I was just informed that an error in financial aid processing led to an unknown balance that I was never contacted about. I am trying to compete for jobs in my field but can’t prove that I have the credentials because of this error and GCU has basically said they can’t help, even after I have paid the erroneous balance. Nicole Donoso, my counselor, has stopped responding to my calls and emails to rectify this. This university is trash in every way. Terrible course competency integrity, terrible culture, horrible instructors who echo the internal oppression and animosity at the organizational level, and absolutely abysmal support staff like Nicole Donoso and her supervisor Jason. Avoid this institution at all costs. I am supposed to be conferred a Master’s degree in Social Work, and the failures of this “university” is one of the the first initiatives I would pursue in terms of justice and fairness - ironic, considering they are unable to confer my degree so far due to complete and utter incompetence.

This online college is as expensive as attending a regular university but not worth the money. I spent $5,000 on two classes that never used a book. The instructors were non-existent in the classes, no feedback, no copies of papers returned to view whatever errors were made, and no chance to learn from whatever mistakes were made. Instructors did not return answers to questions in a timely manner, if at all. The only study materials were a few research articles and some were almost 20 years old and only a few pages long. When I discovered the degree path would not lead to an accreditation, I requested to move to a different degree path. However, I was kicked out of the program for 6 months because I did not answer the 2 questions in whatever the manner was that they wanted, despite telling them exactly what population and were I wanted to work and why I was so passionate about this particular work. I was disappointed in the first class but the second was even worse and now I have no program or school after having spent 4 months and $5,000 for nothing. Learn a lesson by my mistakes and choose a different college where you will actually learn something.

I would have given 0 stars if that were possible. My experience with Grand Canyon University was extremely frustrating and disappointing. I enrolled in the online Master of Education in Elementary Education program because I wanted to become a teacher and trusted the information I received during recruitment. One of my biggest concerns was student teaching. My recruiter told me I would be paid for student teaching. After enrolling, I was later told that payment depended on the school or district. If paid student teaching was not guaranteed, that should have been clearly explained before I committed to the program. I also received conflicting information about the Praxis requirements, including which exam I needed to take and how testing could affect my student-teaching timeline. I ultimately had to contact the state myself to determine what was actually required for Idaho certification. I experienced additional problems with my student status and accommodations, including difficulties getting my documentation accepted and understanding what steps I needed to take. I often received different answers depending on which GCU employee or department I contacted. The biggest issue was the lack of clear, consistent communication. I repeatedly had to research policies, make calls, send emails, and contact outside organizations just to figure out what I was supposed to do. I understand that some requirements are outside GCU's control, and I am not saying every employee intentionally misled me. However, I do feel that I was misled during the recruitment and enrollment process, particularly regarding student-teaching compensation and the requirements and timeline for completing the program. I invested significant time, money, and effort into this degree because I trusted the information I was given. Students deserve accurate and complete information before making such an important educational and financial commitment. My experience ultimately left me feeling misled, poorly advised, and left to figure out much of the process myself.

I was enrolled in their BSN program. After being out of school for 25 years, it was refreshing knowing that there were other nurses who were in the same stage of their lives. I was not advised specifically how their program works BEFORE I made my first payment. I paid $1800 out of pocket (I was not taking out a loan so I agreed to pay “7-10 days before the class started”), and after three days in the program, I received $950 refund. The recruiter that incorporates religion in the program classes DID NOT EVEN CALL ME to discuss. She and I spoke for over an hour when I originally inquired about the program. She sounded “older” as well and shared her own “personal experiences” that I could resonate with. I have been “grandfathered in” at work in terms of being mandated to have a BSN in the first place, though I wanted the advancement for my own personal reasons. Very disappointed. Very discouraged. Do not want to pay more money I do not have. No positive reviews here.

Worst school experience of my life! If I could give this university -100 stars, I would. The Student Services and Financial Aid staff made my life incredibly difficult throughout 2024. Prior to that, I loved attending GCU, which is why I returned to earn my second master’s degree. Unfortunately, my experience completely changed, and I would not recommend this university to anyone. The whole experience was stressful which made me complete my degree later when I could’ve completed it in 2025. Do NOT go here!! A lot have changed and it’s not for good!

I was a online student up until 3 days ago when I got a call from my GCU counselor telling me my financial aid had run out already I'm only 4 classes in and told that if I wanted to start my next class I would have to pay 2400 dollars to continue. Definitely money hungry school not worth the time now it sucks now I have to end up starting over somewhere else.

GCU is actively obstructing my academic progression. By failing to process my clinical paperwork in a timely manner and failing to provide adequate student support, they are causing me severe financial and academic harm through sheer administrative negligence. I have attended GCU since 2023 in the RN to BSN program and have successfully completed 30 credits. While I appreciate the online format and user-friendly interface, that is where the benefits of this institution completely end. I completed my second-to-last course in July of 2025. It is now April of 2026, and I am still trapped in administrative limbo, unable to start my final practicum. As a working level 2 Registered Nurse, I have aggressively done the legwork myself, reaching out to dozens of local institutions. Unfortunately, many facilities will not allow a GCU student in, do not accept the university's insurance, or are deterred by GCU's notoriously convoluted processes. When I finally secured a willing preceptor, GCU's administration completely dropped the ball. I have been waiting for my field experience counselor to simply 'review' my current lead since January. I am ready and willing to complete my shadowing any day of the week, yet GCU has spent three months failing to process a single preceptor review. My counselor's only response after weeks of silence is that he is "working on it." This is not the first time my file has been neglected, and I doubt it will be the last. GCU makes it infinitely more difficult than it needs to be for dedicated nurses to progress in their careers. I should have gone with any other school. My suggestion to anyone reading this: do not waste your time, money, or academic potential with GCU. Choose a university that actually supports its students across the finish line.

Between August of 2025 to present day, my assigned student service counselor Grand Canyon University and their lack of communication, has placed me in a position where I now have money owed being sent to collections. At first communication between her and I had been fine, but once I started Introduction to Statistics, I request to be withdrawn because of a family emergency that was taking up all my time. They did not withdraw me from the class at the beginning like I had requested, they withdrew me at week 8. I was using my G.I Bill and exhausted the benefits of that avenue for continuing my classes, I'm a veteran. I had sent emails and tried returning phone calls various times to try to withdraw, try to work out a payment plan after the class, and trying to complete FAFSA for 2026-2027, the lack of communication on her part and her supervisor has become a disaster for me in furthering my education. Between October, November and December of 2025, almost 2 full months, I did not hear back from my counselor. I sent emails and placed messages over voicemail to no avail. When in contact through emails I asked to request to schedule a time to discuss my issues with my counselor, they wouldn't work with me and they would contact me when I was as at work or dealing with my caregiving responsibility. My student service counselor dismissed my attempts at trying to discuss the debt owed before the beginning of January, she pushed for me to keep checking the IRS website. Between October and January, she never brought up payment plan options for me, she said I was eligible for a scholarship to help with the debt. She never applied a scholarship to help me, she would only help me if It was related to FAFSA and getting my 2023 tax refund transcript, the topic of debt settlement never came up from her end. I am disappointed and appalled how this college has gone about this situation, very unprofessional!