Colleges / Grand Canyon University
College · Private for-profit · Phoenix, AZ · City
GCU

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

Address3300 W Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85017
Websitewww.gcu.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate79%
6-yr median pay$47k
Net price / yr$22k
Undergrad size73,371
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $22k/yr for a shot at a $47k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 79% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1077.

If you get in

73,371 undergrads. Big. You will have to make it feel small yourself.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $33k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $22k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$131k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$90k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$41k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.9x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$17.9k
Room & board
$11.7k
Books & supplies
$1,000

How students pay for it.

Pell grants46%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans53%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$22k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $7k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention70%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr43%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$47k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$42k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Private for-profit
Undergrad size
73,371
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Region
Southwest (AZ, NM, OK, TX)
Carnegie class
Doctoral/Professional Universities
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily nonresidential
Undergrad program
Four-year · higher part-time
Accreditor
Higher Learning Commission
Also known as
GCU
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White46%
  • Hispanic25%
  • Black17%
  • Two or more races5%
  • Asian3%
  • Unknown2%
  • International1%
  • American Indian / Alaska Native1%
  • Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander1%
First-gen students47%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time66%
Many students enroll part-time — often working.
Veterans1%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$30k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 63

What you can study.

Colleges / Grand Canyon University
College · Private for-profit · Phoenix, AZ · City
GCU

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

Address3300 W Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85017
Websitewww.gcu.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate79%
6-yr median pay$47k
Net price / yr$22k
Undergrad size73,371
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $22k/yr for a shot at a $47k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 79% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1077.

If you get in

73,371 undergrads. Big. You will have to make it feel small yourself.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $33k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $22k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$131k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$90k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$41k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.9x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$17.9k
Room & board
$11.7k
Books & supplies
$1,000

How students pay for it.

Pell grants46%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans53%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$22k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $7k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention70%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr43%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$47k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$42k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Private for-profit
Undergrad size
73,371
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Region
Southwest (AZ, NM, OK, TX)
Carnegie class
Doctoral/Professional Universities
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily nonresidential
Undergrad program
Four-year · higher part-time
Accreditor
Higher Learning Commission
Also known as
GCU
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White46%
  • Hispanic25%
  • Black17%
  • Two or more races5%
  • Asian3%
  • Unknown2%
  • International1%
  • American Indian / Alaska Native1%
  • Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander1%
First-gen students47%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time66%
Many students enroll part-time — often working.
Veterans1%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$30k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 63

What you can study.