Grand Canyon University: Cost, Admission Odds And Payoff
- GCU is hard to rate because 67% of its undergraduates study online.
- Students receiving financial aid paid an average of $21,509 a year after grants, against a sticker price of $33,674.
- 54% of students take out federal student loans, and the typical borrower leaves owing $24,000.
Is GCU Worth It? The College Investor Rating
| Family | What They Pay | Compared With Other Colleges |
|---|---|---|
| Low-Income Families | Average $22,746 a year | Costs more than 83% of four-year colleges |
| Middle-Income Families | Average $13,488 a year | Cheaper than 76% of four-year colleges |
| High-Income Families | $33,674 a year | Cheaper than 56% of four-year colleges |
How Hard Is It To Get Into GCU?
GCU accepted 79% of applicants, according to federal data. GCU doesn't publish a Common Data Set, so test scores, deadlines and the factors it weighs in admissions aren't available here.
What Will GCU Actually Cost Your Family?
The average GCU student receiving financial aid paid $21,509 a year after grants.
That's against a sticker price of $33,674 a year. The difference between sticker price and net price comes down to why colleges can't just cut their prices.
| Total Borrowed Over Four Years | $0 |
| Within Federal Student Loan Limits | $0 |
| Beyond Federal Student Loan Limits | $0 |
| Monthly Student Loan Payment, 10-Year Plan | $0 |
| Expected Pay In Your Major | $0 |
Does A GCU Degree Pay Off?
It's hard to say. That's why GCU gets , instead of a letter grade.
GCU students earn a median of $50,609 ten years after starting college, and 68% out-earn a typical high school graduate. 54% take out federal student loans, and the typical borrower leaves owing $24,000, about 47% of one year's pay. Earnings still depend heavily on major: Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research And Clinical Nursing graduates earned a median of $103,884 four years after graduating, compared with $46,973 for Community Organization And Advocacy graduates.
How We Rated GCU
We don't grade GCU from A to F because most of its undergraduates study online. Federal graduation rates count only first-time, full-time students, and federal earnings and student loan figures blend online and campus students, so those numbers don't describe the typical GCU student fairly. Colleges where more than half of undergraduates study entirely online get an O for mostly online. GCU still serves a real purpose for many students, so we show how its price compares instead.
Grade Checks
Financial Aid Check
GCU doesn't publish a Common Data Set, so we can't check how it meets financial need.
Financial Health Check
No federal heightened cash monitoring and no closure, merger or financial exigency announcements.
Earnings Floor
68% of students out-earn a typical high school graduate. Schools where most don't are capped at a D.
Mostly Online
67% of GCU's undergraduates study entirely online. Federal earnings and student loan figures blend online and campus students, and the graduation rate counts only first-time, full-time students.
GCU In The News
We haven't covered GCU in the news yet. These stories help families weighing a school like it.
More For GCU Applicants
Compare GCU With Similar Schools
Sources And Methodology
The College Investor Rating scores every four-year college from 0 to 100 on payoff (30%), price (25%), graduation (20%) and student debt (25%) using U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data. An earnings floor and a financial health check can cap the grade at D, and a financial aid check flags concerns without changing it. Price is judged on its own, without earnings. The grade measures financial return for families, not teaching quality, campus life or a school's mission.
Notes On The Data
- Low-income families earn under $48,000. Middle-income families earn $48,000 to $110,000. Their prices are federal averages for first-time, full-time students who received financial aid.
- High-income families are those who get no grant aid, so they pay the sticker price (cost of attendance).
- Paying full price is the share of undergraduates who received no grant aid from any source in 2022-23, from the Education Department's IPEDS survey. The chance of merit aid divides merit scholarship recipients by full-time undergraduates without financial need, from the Common Data Set.
- Earnings by major are medians four years after graduation. Majors with too few graduates for the government to report earnings are left out. Debt by major is median federal student loan debt among borrowers.
- The calculator uses federal net price averages. Borrowing up to the $27,000 federal limit for dependent undergraduates uses the 2026-27 undergraduate rate of 6.52%, and anything above it uses the 9.07% Parent PLUS rate. Parent PLUS loans are capped at $20,000 a year and $65,000 per student. See all federal student loan interest rates. GCU's own net price calculator gives a personal figure, and College Aid Pro can compare costs across schools.
Data years: Earnings follow students who started college in 2011-12 and 2012-13, measured 10 years later. Net price and borrowing rates are for 2024-25. Graduation rates follow students who started in fall 2019. Median debt covers borrowers who left school in fiscal 2024 and 2025. Full-price shares are for 2022-23.
Work at GCU? If a figure looks wrong, send us the source and our editors will review it.
Sources: GCU doesn't publish a Common Data Set. U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, data updated November 2, 2026. News from The College Investor.