Grand Canyon University Reviews


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GCU is not for U

Accounting
Reviewer: dpw9d (Degree In Progress) on November 17, 2009

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I have attended what I consider a real university..brick and mortal, well-established university, University of Missouri.  There International business program is ranked number 4 in the country.  NO doubt a well established university.  I graduated with honors just a few short years ago.  I don't know if that is enough to establish that I am among the many intelligent individuals who attended GCU, but I do know this, attending this school for a graduate business school, is akin to attending Mickey Mouse university.  There is just no real substance to it.  The tuition is cheap, but the academia was not even as challenging as my undergraduate degree.  I agree with the comments earlier that the professor gives you bogus feedback.  I notice this early on, when I read the feedback and it seemed to consist of jumbled sentences that didn't make sense, like the professor was cutting and pasting comments.  
Next no one other than the enrollment counselors will answer their phone, and you have to leave three or four times, before you can get someone to return your call.  Once you are in,the finance counselors, do not contact you.  In addition, if I had not worked in student finance at my present job, I would've been totally screwed when it came to my financial aid.  I had to navigate the financial aid process as my counselor did not know what to do, no could he remember from one phone call to the next what my issues where.  I constantly had to tell him what was going on, and also he would say he would look into that.  A week later, I would start my series of calls again, and after  the fourth message, he would finally call me back..and be totally oblivious as to where!  I would have to explain all over again!  This really makes me feel like you are working on it.
I could go on and on with the problems with this university.  I was looking for challenging coursework that would prepare me for my CPA exam, all I got was fluff!
Moving on...I would rather take the GMAT and get quality.

MAT at GCU

M.A.T
Reviewer: kathryn.bott (Graduate) on November 7, 2009

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I decided to get a MAT for two reasons: review changes in educational practice and theory since I got my BA and of course for the pay raise. I and several co-workers decided on GCU because of the $1,000 scholarship offered to us. I completed the degree in 16 months after doubling up last summer. I now have the master's and the pay raise to go with it.

However...

This degree experience was nothing but frustrating. Out of ten classes, only TWO of my professors seemed to actually read the assignments I submitted. In one class, my co-worker received the EXACT comments on his paper as I did on mine. One of my co-workers accidentally turned in a template paper provided by GCU in a completely different course instead of the paper she wrote and still received full credit on it! The assignments, especially the group assignments, had very little bearing on what a teacher actually needs to do, with the exception of the Reading in the Content Area course, which I found very useful. But that was one class out of 10! Many of the assignments were so vague and often based on outdated information that even the professors had difficulty interpreting them. On several occasions, GCU made changes to the order of the modules without reading its own documents, which made references to other documents. The Tech class text was out of date, citing "emergent technology" resources that are already passe.

And don't try to contact anyone in finan aid or advising! My "scholarship" was not applied until AFTER I had graduated. They entered the wrong amount on my loan app so my final semester wasn't paid for until early August (it started in May). And I only learned of this when I got a bill two months after the semester began. Everytime I called, I was told "I'm not sure why that is happening, but I'll look into it and get back to you." No one would ever get back to me. My co-worker, who finished at the same time I did and had met or exceeded all requirements (according to their online MyGCU site) still has NOT received his degree, so his pay raise is in jeopardy. When he calls everyone says "I'm not sure why that happened, but I'll look into it and get back to you." He still has not heard back from any of the three people he has spoken to.

So, if you want an easy degree just to get a pay raise and don't mind struggling with an institution to get paperwork done correctly or the frustrations with assignments that have little to no real-world application to your life, Grand Canyon University is for you! If you want to spend your money wisely, avoid GCU as if you life depends on it!

Just finished my BS in Psychology

B.S. Psychology
Reviewer: deligurl73 (Graduate) on October 29, 2009

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I just finished my BS in Psychology at GCU. This is a great school, and getting better. Many here have made complaints about being charged for classes they did not attend. I had the same problem, but they have changed their policy on that, so no one should have that problem again. This is a rigorous program, and many complain about "devoting your life to studies", but I think that is how it is at any university. It does take time and dedication, but it is so worth it. I highly recommend this university. GCU is not like UOP when it comes to financial aid, as they actually send your rebate checks in a timely manner. UOP was always questionable about financial aid, but has been reliable, and I've always known how much, and when I would receive my checks. Great school, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is self-motivated.

Great University for High Achievers

ED in TESOL
Reviewer: Anonymous (Graduate) on October 2, 2009

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GCU is a great university! My experiences have been nothing but positive. It is a bit upsetting to read these "bad reviews" from a few people that apparently cannot read and understand the drop date and refund policies of the university. If you really check the reviews you find 81.5% of them (22 out of 27 reviews)to be outstanding! The approximately 18% have complaints about things that are of their own making. I get a kick out of reading two of the "bad reviews" especially. One is complaining about the school being "too Christian" the other that the school "is not acting Christian". During my 20 month masters program, I never heard a professor mention a word about religion.....not a word! What really counts are the academics. Almost 82% of the successful people that attended GCU will tell you (read for yourself) that the programs there are simply great! Of course not everyone will make it. It is a difficult road. So those that don't point the finger at the university and not at themselves.

OVER COST SEMESTER

Business Administration
Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on September 28, 2009

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DO NOT GO TO THIS SCHOOL UNLESS YOU PLAN ON WASITING MONEY!!! Especially if you are a online student they will OVERCHARGE YOU on classes and say you signed up and didn't cancel until after the cutoff date ( WHICH FOR ME WAS LESS THAN 24 hrs FROM ORIGINAL REQUEST) WHICH NOW IS GOING TO COST ME MORE THAN $ 3,000.00 !!!   I DIDNT KNOW LESS THAN 24 HRS COSTS  $3,000!!!

Great School!!!!!!

Organizational Leadership
Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on September 22, 2009

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I first would like to say GCU is a good school. Unlike many other people, I spent days looking at every online school, I could find. I compared alot of schools to each other and was trying to find out what school was the best for the money. I am in the army, therefore, I went to the E-ARMYU website and looked at what schools they had on their website as well. I choose GCU, because I am interested in getting a masters in a leadership field. The school was not the cheapest that I found, but accreditation was a key factor and GCU is not only accredited by the North Central Association, but their business department is also accrediated by the ACBSP, whereas, other online schools have no business accreditation. Also, another factor is that GCU is also a brick and mortar school. They have an actual campus in Phoenix, Az. and is not just an online college. I am in my 5th class and it has been wonderful. It is alot of work and I have to find time to do it, but its great. I have only had one professor who I had a problem with. She was highly qualified to teach the class, but she was very lazy in grading and that was her downfall. If anyone is wanting to go to good online college, I would choose GCU. Please dont make a mistake in going to another college and always look at every accreditation before you choose one. Dont make price the only factor as to what school to go to...

Great program, but Lousy Support.

Business Administration
Reviewer: cblucky59 (Degree In Progress) on August 28, 2009

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Prior to actually being enrolled at GCU; whenever I call, I always get a voice mail. It has gotten to the point that I don't leave voice messages any longer. I send an e-mail for two reasons; so I know how many times I've attempted to get a response on that particular question and because it takes so long to get in contact with anyone, that more questions arise.

The program is great and courses are very mind stimulating, but it is the lack of support. Aside from your "team" consisting of 1 enrollment counselor, 1 academics counselor and 1 finance counselor, nobody can answer your questions.

Did It!!!

Masters of Education in Elementary Education
Reviewer: Anonymous (Graduate) on August 19, 2009

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It wasn't easy but I did it. I made it through two years of weekends and weekday nights of working online for my masters degree. It is a great university that cares about their students. I am not surprised by the infrequent  bad reviews by those who did not or could not see it through. It is a university that requires a lot from their students and some just can't make it. That's life I guess. If you are willing to work hard and put in the time, you will get a great education at GCU!!!

NOT A GOOD SCHOOL

B.S. Psychology
Reviewer: cockrell0878 (Degree In Progress) on August 15, 2009

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GRAND CANYON has took a turn for the worst, I went there 16 months and the last 5 months has been a nighmare. They decided they were going to run a university without the student being able to make contact by phone. That is wrong and no body in their right mind is going for that. Grand Canyon right now is not resprensting a Christ like university. Grand Canyon do not care about the students, they are forgetting that the students is the reason they are in business. Save your self a lot of pain by run as fast as you can. There are some better schools out there.

Great Mind Expansion!

Business Administration
Reviewer: mcbop (Degree In Progress) on August 10, 2009

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I stumbled upon GCU. At first I wondered if the cyber expereince would be challenging. Well I can tell you it is! Some have written that there is a lot of work. I would say there is work to do, but what do you want? Do you want a piece of paper that has no meaning, or do you want to gain knowledge that will help you in your career and in life? I can say that my like both personally and professionally has changed a great deal. I have never worked harder in school and I have never felt so rewarded. Yes there is a religious studies component, but that is only a couple of classes and there are options other than pure Christianity. This has been agreat experience for me.

I speak from experience

Organizational Leadership
Reviewer: Anonymous (Graduate) on August 6, 2009

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Hey all, I am about to change jobs from UoP, where I earned my B.S in Business/Management. I will pursue my MBA at GCU and after reading all these posts, I can firmly verify that all these negative posts are most likely those that could not handle the requirements of a rigorous college education.  Having experience at ASU and also UoP, I have seen over and over again - students fail out or are dropped due to lack of attendance, and the first thing they do is put the blame on somebody else.  I am very excited to start my graduate education at GCU!  I think the reviews of those that have excelled at the university seem passionate and honest about the amount of hard work that went into attaining their degrees.

Doing Great

M.A.T
Reviewer: Anonymous (Graduate) on August 6, 2009

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I am extremely happy with my educaiton at GCU. It has done essentially three very big things for me:
1. Made me a better teacher.
2. Advanced my salary.
3. Allowed me to teach on the college level in addition to my secondary education position. 
The teachers were great. The staff was helpful. The application process could have gone a bit smoother but nothing too bad. The financial aid went smoothly as well. Some individuals have written that they had problems. You will not as long as you follow the drop date rules spelled out by the university. Overall, I give it an A+!

Same Situation As Scammer Post

Organizational Leadership
Reviewer: ziccardi06 (Degree In Progress) on August 2, 2009

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PLEASE thinkg twice about attending GCU!! I had a situation exactly as the post "Scammers" explained. I was also automatically registered for classes. Work prevented me from taking a class and I asked to be dropped on the first day of class. I was told I had to drop withing the first weeks of the semester and not the class. Their 2009 Academic Handbook states refunds are class based but the school is holding students accountable to semester based refund policies. I was sent a letter without previous contact from the GCU stating they were going to send my account to collections and I too was not allowed to appeal the charge. The person contacting me about the situation was nice but as a whole it is very clear that GCU is focused on the money and not the student. PLEASE research other schools before attending GCU.

Loved it!

Masters of Education in Elementary Education
Reviewer: Anonymous (Graduate) on July 21, 2009

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This has turned out to be a wonderful program. My classes were excellent and the professors were great (expectations were high) I noticed complaints about the work load. I won't lie to you. It is very demanding so be prepared to do a lot of work.

SCAMMERS

Bachelor Communications
Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on July 16, 2009

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I was attending GCU for a semester, and the school signed me up for more classes and now I owe over $2000 for classes I never attended and NEVER wanted.  I am stuck paying for them and I have argued it to death with GCU advisors with no avail.  I am not allowed to appeal the charges and I had to pay $75 just to withdraw from the school after all of this mess!! I am so disappointed.  The classes themselves were not to my liking and I didn't learn very much even though I had to do tons of work!

Good School

Masters of Business Administration with an Emphasis in Accounting
Reviewer: Anonymous (Graduate) on July 13, 2009

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I am on my last class for an MBA in Accounting and Finance. I had a great time getting my MBA through GCU and would recommend it to everyone. While there is a good deal of weekly reading, the majority of assignments are pretty simple. As long as you put the effort into doing your work, you will excell. My only issue is that it can be hard to makie contact with your academic counselor.

Update

ED in TESOL
Reviewer: Anonymous (Graduate) on July 1, 2009

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A bit more than a year ago I finished my MEd at GCU. My intention was to better serve my current students as well as open new doors to teaching college level classes. Well, I am happy to say that I have achieved both. I recently received a position to teach college level classes. It is very satisfying to know that my program at GCU has done so much for me. Without hesitation, I have recommended GCU all of my colleagues and friends in the field of education. If you do your research on B & M universities with online programs, you will find GCU to have an outstanding program as well as reasonable tuition. After looking at numerous universities in my field of study, I found GCU to be $5,000-$9,000 less as far as tuition costs go. Take a close look at GCU. You will be glad you did.

Great Program! Heavy Work Load

ED in TESOL
Reviewer: Anonymous (Graduate) on May 17, 2009

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I loved the program and learned a great deal. I will also say this; if you are looking for an "easy degree", this is not it. You will find yourself putting in a great deal of time (15-20 hours a week). Overall, the instructors were wonderful, support (technical) was good and the office staff helpful. I can recommend the program; just get ready to work!

Decent Education - Not convenient

Accounting
Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on May 15, 2009

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GCU is a decent place to earn your degree. I would not recommend signing up unless you plan to devote your life to the schoolwork. In order to maximize profit, courses are 8 weeks long with heavy reading assignments and a weekly assignment. 

The material is thrown at the student so quickly that there is little time for questions or to re-read or review. You spend your time reading and then flipping through what you've read for the answer to the questions.

Some of the Professors take their job way too seriously, in an introductory religions class you are expected to submit a weekly paper in a very stringent APA publication format (even though there is no chance your paper will get published anywhere). 

This is also a strongly Christian university, if they tell you that religion will play no part in your education, you are being misled.

Great Challenging Proram

Masters of Education in Elementary Education
Reviewer: Anonymous (Graduate) on March 18, 2009

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This is a great program for education.  It is very rigorous and challenging.  I learned a lot from the course work and student teaching.  This program gives you the skills needed to teach and manage a classroom.  Curriculum is advanced and professionalism is incorporated to enhance you as an educator.

Masters in Education

M.A.T
Reviewer: Anonymous (Graduate) on December 20, 2008

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I was in the situation of not being able to attend a traditional university for my graduate program (as I did for my B.A. and teaching credential programs). After searching for quite some time, looking for a university that had a distance education program that would meet the needs of my demanding schedule and that would be challenging and rewarding I decided on Grand Canyon University. During my 20 months of study, I found the staff to be very professional and personable. The instructors as well as the support staff (from office staff to tech support) were all very helpful. They always went the extra mile which made me feel that I made the correct decision. In fact, I never once wished that I had picked another school. The work load was heavy. I had to really time manage. I teach 45 hours per week so the 15-20 hours per week I had to devote to my graduate work stretched me to the extreme. Reflecting on that time I sometimes wonder how I was able to do it. However, the bottom line is I highly recommend GCU. I cannot speak for other areas outside of education, but I do feel that the Masters program in Education at GCU is top notch.

Challenging and Practical

Masters of Business Administration with an Emphasis in Accounting
Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on December 20, 2008

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I am a little more than half-way through the MBA program (w/an emphasis in accounting), and have found that most courses have required rigorous assignments that offer practical knowledge.  The instructors are well-educated professionals, many of them PhDs, that really put the time and effort into helping students through their courses.  I find that the education Grand Canyon delivers far exceeds the cost.  I'll write another review when I am through with the program to comment on the marketability of the degree.

Final Thoughts

ED in TESOL
Reviewer: Anonymous (Graduate) on December 17, 2008

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Reflecting on the program that I have recently finished through GCU, I would say that it was a "win, win" situation. I can only see "upside" all the away around. I was able to complete my Masters (something I have wanted to do for over twenty years), found a very reasonably priced program (great value), was able to increase my salary by over $10,000 annually and feel that I received a quality education (great instructors) as well.

Outstanding!!!

ED in TESOL
Reviewer: Anonymous (Graduate) on November 6, 2008

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I can't say enough about this program. It was the only way that I could have finished a master in education given my busy schedule. Everything about the program was great from the classes to the technical help. The professors were easily reached and responded very quickly. The level and quality of the program was high. This program gets "two thumbs up" from me!

Shopped Around

ED in TESOL
Reviewer: Anonymous (Graduate) on October 28, 2008

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I shopped around for almost an entire year and found GCU to offer the best program for the money. The average tuition for my particular online program (MEd) was around $20,500. My total tuition came to approximately $14,500. In addition, the quality of the program itself was great! I believe it was a great educational value.

Just finished!

ED in TESOL
Reviewer: donalddds (Graduate) on September 30, 2008

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I am updating a previous review since I just finished my Master's at GCU. Overall, I am very pleased. It was a great experience. I have taken Master's classes before (at Penn State University in a different major)with great success. However, I must say that these classes at GCU were more challenging and required more work than my previous master's program. It is intense; make no mistake about it. You take one course at a time and you'll work hard (15-20 hours per week). The level of training I received is very high and the professors were outstanding. They responded quickly and professionally. I would highly recommend the program to any teacher thinking of completing a master's.

So Glad I Tried It

ED in TESOL
Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on September 19, 2008

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I only have two more classes and the internship to go, and I'm so glad I decided to try this program.  I compared the curriculum to brick and mortar schools nearby, and it was so much better. I really wanted a program that focused more on second language theory rather than simply educational theory, though I did learn a little of that here, plus I found the foundational class reviewing the history of second language instruction in the US really interesting and enlightening. 

The classes require a paper a week with a few discussion questions to answer and talk over with the other students, and two of the papers every class are group papers. Surprisingly, group projects with other students across the globe works better than you might think. Classes also require a journal discussion of the readings, some of which can be really heavy.  I took some in person classes at a local university about 5 years ago, and I did so much more work at GCU in comparison. The textbooks were superb, and classes gave lots of other resources we could use for further reading on the subject. 

The class website was really great, though tech support wasn't too hot.  I also had trouble getting email responses to my questions to the advising department, but calling worked better.  Registration is streamlined so students don't have to do anything except check the start date and the reading list.  Definitely a great deal for the price and the future of online education.

Great Program!

M.A.T
Reviewer: Anonymous (Graduate) on September 10, 2008

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I found the program (M.Ed.) to be outstanding and challenging. Typically, the readings were 80-100 pages per week, a weekly lecture and discussion online, a weekly journal summarizing the readings and classroom applications (2-3 typed pages) and a weekly paper (10-15 typed pages). This is what I found the workload to be. The instructors are great. The sessions are 8 weeks (one class per session)and the program typically takes approximately 22 months. Again, I would recommend the program to anyone in education and found it to be wonderful.

Happy to Have Gone to GCU

M.A.T
Reviewer: donalddds (Degree In Progress) on July 29, 2008

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I had a great experience at this university. It was a great of work (more than I had expected) but well worth the time and money. When pricing other universities, this one fell within my budget and is in my opinion, an excellent educational value. I am a very busy person so the format of 8 wek sessions was great. The professors were very good (9 out of 10). For individuals in my profession, I would recommend this university for the master's. I too am a bit sad not to be able to continue with a PhD program at GCU.

Excellent MAT

M.A.T
Reviewer: Anonymous (Graduate) on April 2, 2008

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This university really pays attention to students' concerns and ensures that faculty follow the guidelines. They have a requirement for faculty to respond in 48 hours, I think. But I know that if faculty do not respond within the time frame, then the student can complain. Students have an item that specifically asks for faculty responses in the time frame set by the university.

They have problems with posting degrees in the National Clearinghouse where other institutions and potential employers can go and check if the prospective employee actually got the claimed degree.

Other than that, this is an excellent institution where you feel free to discuss religiuos issues without the hesitant concern of offending others or of being censured.

I would recommend this university to anyone. I am sad though that they are not able to offer a doctorate program where I can further my education. The wonderful thing about this university is that they have on-campus and online classes. So the on-campus expertise is transferred to the online environment.

You are required to submit your assignments on time and without delay. Of course, it is up to each instructor to enforce this requirement as it happens at any B&M university. However, I had instructors who were not very patient and made us submit our work on time. They took points off if we did.

Sound Education

B.S. Psychology
Reviewer: Anonymous (Degree In Progress) on September 21, 2007

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This school is for those who are self starters, and can do it alone, however I have loved some of the teachers and I think the education is top notch. You will work harder here than at some brick and mortar schools but your education will be top notch. I am three classes from graduation and have been two years at GCU.

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Looking for more information about Grand Canyon University? Complete an information request form and their admissions office will contact you to answer any questions you may have.