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Is Grand Canyon University worth it?
A first pass affordability and outcome read for Grand Canyon, using national average inputs. Run your own numbers for a personalized score.
Worth-It Score
Stretch
Grand Canyon sits in the stretch band for a typical family. The long-run earnings picture at $50,609 helps, but median debt of $24,000 plus yearly net price of $21,509 creates a tighter path. For context, Grand Canyon's net price is about 13% below the typical 4-year, private for-profit school. It can work, but the financing plan has to be deliberate.
Is the price fair?
Compared to 186 similar 4-year, private for-profit schools
This school
$22,239
/yrAverage school like this
$25,582
/yrThis helps your Worth-It Score
You'd pay about $3,343 less per year than the typical student at a similar school. Over 4 years that's roughly $13,000 in savings.
Score breakdown
The public version of the score weighs affordability, after graduation outcomes, and repayment burden.
Affordability
40% weight
The yearly net price is manageable, but it makes the aid offer matter a lot.
Outcome
40% weight
The outcome data does not create enough margin to fully offset the cost.
Repayment
20% weight
Median debt stays in a more comfortable repayment range for a typical graduate.
The numbers behind the score
Median net price per year
$21,509
Median earnings 10 years out
$50,609
Median debt at graduation
$24,000
Graduation rate
51%
At Grand Canyon, a typical graduate carries about $24,000 in student debt and earns roughly $50,609 ten years after enrolling. On a standard 10-year repayment plan, that works out to about $273 per month, or 6% of pre-tax income. That sits inside a borrower comfort range for many graduates.
How earnings compare to a high school diploma
Graduates earn $18,325 more than the typical working high school graduate in Arizona ($32,284) ten years after entering this school. A federal rule finalized in July 2026 ties each undergraduate program's federal loan eligibility to a comparison like this one, with the first calculations expected in 2027.
The national figure is $31,269. The Department of Education uses it instead of the state figure when fewer than half of a school's students come from its state.
68% of former students here earned more than the typical high school graduate ten years after entry, by College Scorecard's own measure.
Context, not a federal determination. The benchmarks are the Department of Education's published thresholds (2024 notice, based on 2022 Census data); thresholds under the 2026 rule have not been released yet. The official test looks at each program's graduates four years after completion; our figure is College Scorecard's median for the whole school, ten years after entry. How this works
Program earnings vs. the federal benchmark
Median earnings of working graduates four years after finishing each undergraduate program, next to the benchmark the federal earnings test uses: the typical working high school graduate aged 25–34 in Arizona ($32,284).
Literature
Bachelor's degree · 31 working graduates counted
$36,986
$4,702 above the benchmark
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor's degree · 23 working graduates counted
$37,142
$4,858 above the benchmark
Visual and Performing Arts, General
Bachelor's degree · 52 working graduates counted
$42,219
$9,935 above the benchmark
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Bachelor's degree · 80 working graduates counted
$43,469
$11,185 above the benchmark
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
Bachelor's degree · 21 working graduates counted
$44,335
$12,051 above the benchmark
Religious Education
Bachelor's degree · 311 working graduates counted
$45,165
$12,881 above the benchmark
Community Organization and Advocacy
Bachelor's degree · 375 working graduates counted
$46,973
$14,689 above the benchmark
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management
Bachelor's degree · 35 working graduates counted
$47,821
$15,537 above the benchmark
Human Services, General
Bachelor's degree · 745 working graduates counted
$48,766
$16,482 above the benchmark
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor's degree · 1,219 working graduates counted
$49,531
$17,247 above the benchmark
29 other undergraduate programs here have no four-year earnings figure, usually because too few graduates were counted to publish one. That says nothing about how those programs do. See every program on College Scorecard
An estimate, not an official determination. Under a federal rule taking effect July 1, 2027, programs below this benchmark in official results may face limits on federal student loans; Pell Grants are not affected. The official test uses finer program categories, different graduating classes and the Department's own records; its first results are expected in 2027. Programs that train for tipped jobs, such as cosmetology and massage, won't be rated on 2025 earnings, and the Department decides which programs qualify. Earnings: College Scorecard field-of-study data (released Oct 15, 2026). Benchmark: Department of Education published thresholds (2024 notice).
Represent Grand Canyon University and think a figure here is wrong? Request a correction and we'll check it against the latest College Scorecard release.
What this means for your family
Grand Canyon is a private nonprofit four year school in Phoenix, AZ. Private pricing can swing more dramatically based on aid, so your personalized score matters more here than the national average view alone.
Similar schools worth comparing
These schools share a similar sector, geography, or price range.
Private nonprofit 4-year
Prescott
Prescott, AZ
Worth-It Score: 40/100
Median net price: $24,724
Private nonprofit 4-year
Arizona Christian
Glendale, AZ
Worth-It Score: 27/100
Median net price: $36,720
Private nonprofit 4-year
Wingate
Wingate, NC
Worth-It Score: 54/100
Median net price: $21,511
Private nonprofit 4-year
Roosevelt
Chicago, IL
Worth-It Score: 51/100
Median net price: $21,512
Private nonprofit 4-year
University of Providence
Great Falls, MT
Worth-It Score: 47/100
Median net price: $21,492
Common questions about Grand Canyon
The median net price at Grand Canyon is $21,509 per year. That is the average yearly price after typical grant aid for students in the public federal data, not the published sticker price.
Get your personalized Worth-It score
National averages are a starting point. Plug in your actual aid offer, intended major, and family situation to get a score that reflects your specific picture.
Looking at for-profit colleges options in Arizona? See the most affordable for-profit colleges in Arizona →
The Worth-It Score weighs affordability (40%), after graduation outcomes (40%), and repayment burden (20%). Underlying data points come from publicly available federal higher education reporting. See full methodology →
What families actually paid
The published price is rarely what anyone pays. Pick a household income range to see what students at Grand Canyon in that range paid on average, after grants and scholarships.
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All students who received aid
$21,509a year, on average
Average for first-time, full-time students who received federal financial aid, 2024-25. It does not include transfer or part-time students, and it is an average rather than a quote — what you pay depends on your own circumstances and the aid this school offers you. Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS.
Now work out how to pay for it, cheapest money first.
A Worth-It Score tells you whether the price is justified. The 2026-27 funding guide covers the borrowing order, what changed on July 1, 2026, and the current limits.
Open the 2026-27 funding guide →