Grand Canyon University Reviews

I am a GCU student and this school has changed my life for the good. GCU has great teachers, caring academic teams, and I will be getting my masters from this great school, also. I feel like I have my own personal cheerleading team helping and encouraging me along my journey.

Any student has to take responsibility for their own academics and work hard to achieve those goals. if the student is not ready to work then don't enroll. i look forward to hanging my GCU diploma in my classroom. Go 'Lopes.

I did the RN-to-BSN program because my hospital is phasing out ADN nurses, sadly. I only had one instructor that I felt was not helpful- well, actually two: the instructor for Statistics was clueless and could not understand my requests for clarification. I had to drop the class on the 3rd day, pay $250 for the privilage and wait 3 weeks for the next class to start with the instructor that came highly recommended for his ability to teach a difficult subject. The other instructor was very hostile and quite high-strung.

The group projects were a joke. for most of my classes I was the only student (4-14 in a group) who had English as a primary language so I ended up not only heading the group, doing all research but putting together the many papers/Power Points and following up. The one time I DID complain, I got a reduced grade for not displaying "a collaborative attitude"... SEE THE HIGH-STRUNG INSTRUCTOR COMMENT ABOVE. Are you KIDDING me!!??? Seriously, if I wasn't preJUDGIDICED before this class, I certainly was after: I find it hard to tolerate those who take advantage of the American Way but fail to buy in to the concept. Some of my councellors were great- some, I could never contact.

The weekly discussion questions were an exercize in repetition, redundancy and biting my tongue: how many ways can you say the SAME THING in the same day?? Quality comments were not appreciated (some instructors did not appreciate Dark Humor and some just didn't GET IT. When faced with students who have NEVER practiced as a nurse, espousing how wonderful Nursing is, they need a reality check from those of us who HAVE wiped butts for over 20 years!) and it appeared they wanted idealistic drivil comments about how inadequate my previous education was and how incredably professional my practice would be after I attained the BSN! REALLY? I can honestly say that the 16 month experience has not improved my OWN bottom line as a nurse and all it has done is put me further into debt and estranged me from my family (time constraint-wise).

Do it if you must: but know you will have NO time for family,if you care about making A's it will make you insane to deal with students who can't spell, much less speak the ENglish language and know that it is mearly a Paper Chase (Google that term-- it applies, implicitly!).

First and Foremost, the University switched programs to LOUD CLOUD. Every single student is struggling. I mean struggling, because the program will not allow you to submit several assignments throughout the course. I went from a (very hard earned) 3.9, had a tech issue, dropped to a 3.8, but still on the President's list....Then, LOUDCLOUD, the program will not accept my work, you spend 25 hours on a paper, and it does not get graded. And the system gives you an F then another and then another, until your GPA is at a 3.2...I am suppose to be able to appeal the grade, and they will "adjust it" but right now my record looks to horrible to even be able to transfer. The instructor cannot even do it, because--get this-- they do not grade the papers. YOUR INSTRUCTOR reads a computer generated grade, and adds a "nice work here" comment on the side lines...When I found that out I about croaked, because you do put extra effort in, out of respect for the teacher and because you want to sound intelligent to a double-doctorate...most instructors have two and three other jobs. One teacher was a teacher at 4 other online schools...she could have not cared any less about my class-my grades-my words. My last class looks like no assignments have been submitted, and I am scared to death. I worked night and day, a single mom, trying to better me, my kids, and my community, and thought a Christian Environment would enable me to do so.

Trust me, I was a high advocate of GCU, I even talked some friends into started this journey, and now I am ashamed, embarrassed, and they too, are doomed because of this new program...and there is no switching it-period.

For single moms the federal aid is fairly okay, I have received 2500 - 4000 but dont know heard many get 5500. They are expensive, though, and I have to pay a portion of it back,,,,single moms with no-income they put in utter debt...I just wanted to go to school so bad, that i didnot care-but I sure do now..you better think twice, because LOUD CLOUD will ruin you!

The fact that GCU offered a dual elementary and special education degree all online was just what I needed. At first The process was pretty easy and I was pretty happy with my professors.

However, in the last 2 years I have had many different financial aid and academic advisers that drop the ball consistently. They are near impossible to get a hold of and do not do their job without many phone calls and emails from me.

If you plan to go to this school, be ready to get the run around on a regular basis!

Both my 'teacher education specialist' and 'financial aid counselor' dropped the ball several times causing me numerous problems with completing my program. I am now in the very last week of my very last class and was looking forward to graduating.

But now I'm being told that I owe $985 because the school sent back money to my loan provider. The costs were posted in September, my loan was disbursed in October, I received my stipend in November, the school supposedly sent back $985 to my loan provider in December and now in January I'm told my financial account has this past due amount. Either the financial aid people can't properly subtract tuition costs from loan proceeds and send me the right stipend amount or the school is running some sort of scam to extort more money out of me in order to let me graduate.

In either case, this is another very bad showing from this school and I strongly suggest all potential students stay away from this poor excuse for an institution of higher learning.