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A class action lawsuit recently removed to federal court claims that Grand Canyon University requires its online doctoral students to take continuous courses that have no value.
Plaintiffs Eileen Carr, Clayton Kolb, Samuel Stanton, and three unnamed plaintiffs filed the class action lawsuit against Grand Canyon University. The six plaintiffs say they were online doctoral students at GCU.
The Grand Canyon University class action states that GCU is a for-profit university, and has mostly online students.
Allegedly, the university uses numerous tactics to get as much money as it can out of its students, including requiring them to take classes that provide no value to them.
Allegedly, GCU represents that an online doctoral program can be completed in 60 credit hours, which include three dissertation courses worth three credit hours each. However, the university allegedly does not provide the resources needed to complete the dissertation courses.
The students claim that the result of this is that GCU doctoral students must then enroll in additional courses to complete their dissertation.
According to the students, the university has designed its dissertation program and requirements so that it is highly unlikely that a student could complete the program within the advertised 60 credit hours.
The GCU class action goes on to claim that the dissertation courses are not actual academic courses, but are mechanisms by which students receive individualized support in their “dissertation journeys.”
Allegedly, if a student does not satisfactorily complete the dissertation at the end of the dissertation courses, they are then required to take what is referred to as “research continuation” courses.
The students and their attorneys claim that in reality, the programs are designed so almost all students are required to take “research continuation” courses, though this is not advertised to students.
The GCU doctoral program class action lawsuit argues that though students receive credits for the continuation courses, these classes are basically worthless because by the time a student has to take a continuation course, they have already completed the required 60 credit hours to complete the doctorate, though they cannot receive the doctorate until they have completed the continuation courses if they are deemed necessary.
Allegedly, these courses are designed to enable the university to maximize the profits it can gain from students, because doctoral students are charged $650 for each credit towards the first five continuation courses, for a total of $1,950 per research continuation courses.
So, if a student took all five continuation courses, they would have allegedly received 15 unnecessary course credits, for which they paid the university a total of $9,750.
The students claim that the university knowns that these courses provide no value to students and only uses them to maximize profits.
The students are represented by E. Adam Webb, Matthew C. Klase, G. Franklin Lemond Jr., and D. Grant Coyle of Webb Klase & Lemond LLC.
The GCU Continuation Courses Class Action Lawsuit is Eileen Carr, et al. v. Grand Canyon University Inc., et al., Case No. 1:19-cv-01707-MLB, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division.
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45 thoughts onGCU Class Action Says Doctoral Students Must Take Worthless Courses
Is there any way to still join this?
I too would love to join this class action lawsuit. Many of the aforementioned complaints are the same as mine!!
My first chair approved my proposal, then I was notified that I now had a new chair, who decided that the proposal was no good. Not fair! But pressed on! In my first two days of DIS-970E my chair advised me to withdraw as the new guidelines for incoming doctoral learners are unfair for older students and we need to spend time getting caught up. So I withdrew and was then informed that it still counted as one attempt. I protested this, but never received a response. After an unsuccessful attempt the next time around, my chair informed me that I was done and that there was no way I could complete the program even though I still had another attempt remaining. I’ve pretty much made straight “A’s” and never had to repeat a course. I would very much like to join in this suit! Thank you.
GCU’s parasitic engagement of my desire and vanity to accomplish the PhD degree led to my mis-placed ambition and the formation of open heartedly believing whatever they told me. I even got an F in one of my 2nd year residencies in Orlando because the professor told me to change my topic or not to show up that Wednesday. I got an F and retook the residency a few months later an got a B+. I c was never able to get a content expert and failed the first dissertation class and finally gave up. The government should withdraw their recognition of GCU and remove past student loans from the large number of Doctoral learners that seem unable to complete their program.
I was paying to complete a continuation class for years . The same thing. Basically just paying to write. 8 months into my final stage of finishing up chapters 1-3. I was told I had to do an appeal to continue because they felt I would not complete in time. I was never given the opportunity to do so. My appeal was rejected. I was paying out of pocket.
I am in the same boat after 6 years of taking research continuation courses with an incompetent dissertation chairperson. He was fired and then they told me I had less than 1 year to finish all of my deliverables-which was humanly impossible. I do understand why they denied me-but I am someone who worked very hard for 9 years with nothing to show for it. I thought my world would end when they said no, but I am going to legally pursue some type of recourse for all of the monies they received for “stringing me along”.
I am in the dissertation slog. More than likely will fail this first dissertation course because the input is minimal from the chair. I have filed a complaint and can see that short of hiring “a coach” I won’t get out of this program in the 60 credit promise. My favorite thing is the 3rd residency they have instituted. That should be fun. Let me join this suit now or start another one.
I had 4 dissertation chairs, 6 methodologist, and multiple advisors. How can I join the GCU class action lawsuit?
If you find out how to join I need to pursue this due to GCU delaying and adding “continuation courses” and this is to get more money. It is a sham. I would also like to join this lawsuit. I am 200,000 dollars in debt due to GCU, the promise of 60 hours was just to get money they drag it on and on, getting money with no real result.
The fraud, dishonesty, and lack of transparency still continues!
Hello everyone, has anyone figured out how to join this class action lawsuit? I would like to join as well.
Me too!!
It has my attention as well.
I would also like to ask how do I get on board with this case. I too have been through this money making process by GCU. I took out loans to pay for my PhD. program and I have had 4 different chairs. Now, my appeal was denied.