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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
Heavy lift
Grand Canyon lands in the heavy lift band for a typical family. The combination of $22,472 in yearly net price and $22,114 in median debt asks a lot relative to median earnings of $42,186. For context, Grand Canyon's net price is about 13% below the typical 4-year, private for-profit school. This does not make the school wrong for every student, but it does mean the price deserves a closer test.
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 doing real work against the score and raises the financing burden quickly.
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
$22,472
Median earnings 10 years out
$42,186
Median debt at graduation
$22,114
Graduation rate
43%
At Grand Canyon, a typical graduate carries about $22,114 in student debt and earns roughly $42,186 ten years after enrolling. On a standard 10-year repayment plan, that works out to about $251 per month, or 7% of pre-tax income. That sits inside a borrower comfort range for many graduates.
How earnings compare to a high school diploma
Graduates earn $386 more than the typical high school graduate ($41,800) ten years after entering this school. A federal rule finalized in July 2026 ties undergraduate student-loan eligibility to a comparison like this one, with the first calculations expected in 2027.
65% of former students here out-earned that benchmark ten years after entry, per College Scorecard.
Context, not a federal determination: the official test will use earnings measured four years after completion and thresholds the Department of Education has not yet published, which may vary by state. Our figure is College Scorecard median earnings ten years after entry. How this works
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: 39/100
Median net price: $22,583
Private nonprofit 4-year
Arizona Christian
Glendale, AZ
Worth-It Score: 29/100
Median net price: $32,839
Private nonprofit 4-year
Goucher
Baltimore, MD
Worth-It Score: 55/100
Median net price: $22,470
Private nonprofit 4-year
Meredith
Raleigh, NC
Worth-It Score: 58/100
Median net price: $22,488
Private nonprofit 4-year
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Milwaukee, WI
Worth-It Score: 82/100
Median net price: $22,453
Common questions about Grand Canyon
The median net price at Grand Canyon is $22,472 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 →
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 →