Grand Canyon University Files Lawsuit vs. U.S. Dept. of Education

Grand Canyon University has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education for refusing to acknowledge its nonprofit status.

It’s been more than 30 months since the private Christian university has reverted back to nonprofit status, and the Internal Revenue Service, the Higher Learning Commission and the Arizona Private Postsecondary Board have accepted the university’s nonprofit 501(c)3 status.

In November 2019, U.S. Department of Education officials told GCU it doesn’t satisfy its definition of a nonprofit entity.


Since then, GCU officials say they have jumped through hoops to satisfy the education department, which suddenly stopped communicating with university officials a few months ago, according to a GCU statement on its website.

Now university officials are taking the matter to court.

GCU filed a complaint Wednesday in the District Court of Arizona against the U.S. Department of Education and Phil Rosenfelt, in his official capacity as acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.