(TheRedWire.com) – Grand Canyon University, the country’s largest Christian university, will be facing a large fine from the Department of Education over having allegedly deceived thousands of students over the doctoral program tuition fees.
On Tuesday, the Education Department announced that they would be fining the university $37.7 million. They further alleged that the university had lied to over 7,500 former and current students over the program’s pricing, resulting in 0.98 percent of students paying a higher cost than advertised.
The Federal Student Aid (FSA) office stated that the university started lying about the price of the program around 2017 when it informed students that the program ranged between $40,000 and $49,000. However, according to the department, the school’s data showed that 78 percent of students had paid around $10,000 to $12,000 more.
FSA Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray pointed out that the institution lied about the program’s cost to draw in more students. He added that the FSA took its oversight responsibilities seriously and that the lies told by the institution had led to a high level of student debt and had broken the students’ trust.
He added that they would hold the university accountable for its actions and ensure that taxpayers and students remained protected.
According to the office, GCU has defended its actions, noting that students were informed that the programs could cost more because of continuation classes.
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