New student enrollment up 14% over last year;
total enrollment hits 118,000
PHOENIX, Aug. 28,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Grand Canyon University is
expecting another record-breaking class of new students in 2023-24
despite the continued downward trajectory of college enrollments
across the country.
GCU is projecting a more than 14% increase in new students from
last year, including a class of more than 11,000 incoming
traditional-age (21 and under) students attending both the
Phoenix campus and online. That
will increase total projected enrollment to more than 118,000 –
approximately 25,800 on the ground campus and more than 92,000
studying online.
GCU President Brian Mueller
attributed the continued enrollment growth to two primary
factors.
"First, during the pandemic, we resisted the temptation to make
cuts as many universities have done," Mueller said. "In fact, we
continued to hire additional faculty and staff, add new academic
programs and build out our campus infrastructure, and we continued
to freeze the cost of tuition on our ground campus, which we have
now done for 15 straight years. When the country started to open
back up after the pandemic, we were poised to continue the
remarkable growth we have been experiencing for the past 15
years.
"Second, given the high inflation rates that are affecting
middle- and lower-income families and the desire of people to now
both work and learn from home, we are seeing more traditional
college-age students who are choosing to save money and take
classes remotely. These students may come to campus eventually or
may decide to do the entire program from home. Either way, because
of our experience and expertise in online and hybrid learning
platforms, we are uniquely positioned to respond to this growing
trend."
In addition to a traditional on-campus learning environment and
fully online programs, GCU also offers hybrid learning modalities
and has worked with industry partners to launch its Center for
Workforce Development to provide pathways for skilled trades
training in careers that are experiencing workforce shortages.
Move-In for students begins Aug.
28 amidst an eventful week of Welcome Week activities that
culminates with the high-spirited Lope-A-Palooza pep rally on
Friday night following a GCU women's volleyball game vs. Long
Island. On Labor Day, Sept. 4, there
is a concert for students in GCU Arena by Jordy Searcy, a singer-songwriter who was a
contestant on "The Voice" in 2014. And on Tuesday, Sept. 5, the popular Ignite worship
service will take place on the Quad.
Classes begin Sept. 5.
Two new residence halls (Santa
Cruz and Copper) open for the 2023-24 school year, bringing
the total number of multi-story on-campus residence halls to 32.
Approximately 17,500 students will live on campus.
The new residence halls feature suites with four
single-occupancy bedrooms that share a common living area, kitchen
and two bathrooms. GCU's residence halls are rated No. 4 out of
1,363 schools in the country by niche.com based on student surveys,
affordability and safety.
At A Glance
Total enrollment: 118,000+
On-campus enrollment: approximately
25,800
Online enrollment: 92,000+
Incoming class of traditional-age (21 and under) new
students: 11,000+
Students Living on Campus: approximately
17,500 in 32 residence halls
2023 Average Incoming GPA: 3.6 for fully
admissible students on Phoenix
campus
Honors College Average Incoming GPA: 4.1
(Honors College now has more than 3,000 students)
Tuition Freeze: 15 straight years on ground
campus, with only nominal increases in online tuition during that
time
Best College Campuses in America: No. 24 out
of 1,387 in niche.com rankings
Best College Dorms in America: No. 4 out of
1,363 in niche.com rankings
Academic Offerings: 312 degrees, emphases and
certificates are offered in nine different colleges
About Grand Canyon University:
Grand Canyon
University was founded in 1949 and is Arizona's premier private Christian
university. GCU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and
offers 312 academic programs, emphases and certificates for both
traditional undergraduate students and working professionals. The
University's curriculum emphasizes interaction with classmates,
both in-person and online, and individual attention from
instructors while fusing academic rigor with Christian values to
help students find their purpose and become skilled, caring
professionals. For more information, visit gcu.edu.
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SOURCE Grand Canyon University