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UPDATE:
- A judge dismissed this case Dec. 19, 2019.
A Grand Canyon University student has filed a class action lawsuit alleging that the private, for-profit school deceptively markets the value and nature of its professional programs by misleading its students to think it has accreditation that it does not.
Additionally, the students argue that the university further misrepresents itself to students by taking out loans for students without their knowledge or consent.
The Grand Canyon University accreditation class action lawsuit was filed by Katie Ogdon who signed up for Grand Canyon University Master of Science in Psychology with an emphasis in Health Psychology program.
Ogdon says she did this because she was told that the program was a suitable way to reach her intended career.
However, she claims to have later discovered that the school did not have the appropriate accreditation to allow her to qualify for licensure as a mental health therapist in California, as she had intended.
Allegedly, the school uses “advisors” who market unaccredited professional programs to students. Ogdon states that these advisors recommend that students take classes that will not allow them to quality for licensure.
According to Ogdon, the school enrolls thousands of students per year in unaccredited programs. She notes that primarily, these students aim to pursue careers in the healthcare and educational fields.
The Grand Canyon University accreditation class action lawsuit states that Ogdon and many other students are financially injured by this practice, because they are effectively tricked into paying for education that is useless.
She states that no student would knowingly enroll in a professional degree program only to obtain a degree that is not accepted.
The plaintiff further stresses that this scheme prohibits students from transferring their coursework to an other institution — one with an accredited program — because an accredited program will not accept Grand Canyon University course credits.
The Grand Canyon University accreditation class action lawsuit states that GCU systematically puts profits ahead of its students best interest.
She notes that the school is a for-profit university, but argues that the school tricks students into thinking it is non-profit because of how GCE, Grand Canyon’s educational services business, was strategically distanced from the school.
The Grand Canyon University accreditation class action lawsuit contests that the school’s profitability relies on the low quality of the education provided which prevents the school from proving the accredited programs sought by many professionals.
Ogdon explains that the school hires low-quality professors and pays them a low wage, often on a part-time basis.
She asserts that the school spends only 15 percent of its revenue on faculty salaries, whereas most four-year accredited universities spend around 70 percent of revenue on faculty salaries.
The school is allegedly lacking in training and support for these underpaid professors and doles out substandard educational materials to students.
Allegedly, these elements make the program profitable for the school, but prevent it from meeting the standards necessary for accreditation.
The Grand Canyon University tuition class action lawsuit then goes on to say that the school intentionally keeps students in the dark about the nature of their education in other ways. The also school perpetuates this scheme through information misleadingly presented by the school “advisors.”
Additionally, Ogden says that the school is mostly funded by the tuition of students gained through student loan programs.
She argues that this means that the federal government is “wasting hundreds of millions of dollars each year of unaccredited degree programs which do not advance students or their professional careers.”
Ogdon notes that many students at Grand Canyon are online students, explaining that the school gains a significant portion of its revenue from these students.
School representatives are reportedly told to recruit students by glossing over the school’s method for procuring student loans to pay for a Grand Canyon University tuition. Specifically, Ogden says that the representatives do not explain that the school takes out loans on their behalf, nor do they tell them the amount of the loans.
Allegedly, the school relies on the fact that that most student loan payments are not due until after a student has graduated, so many students at Grand Canyon University complete their studies before they realize that they are in thousands of dollars in debt without their previous knowledge.
These allegations are not the first launched against Grand Canyon University over misleading marketing tactics.
If you pursued higher education, how did you choose your educational institution? Share your experiences in the comments below.
Ogdon is represented by Annick Persinger, Hassan A. Zavareei, and Kristen G. Simplicio of Tycko & Zavareei LLP.
The Grand Canyon University Accreditation Class Action Lawsuit is Katie Ogdon v. Grand Canyon University Inc., et al., Case No. 1:20-at-00363, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.
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61 thoughts onGrand Canyon University Class Action Alleges Accreditation Scam
I would like to be included in this lawsuit. I received two master’s degrees one in early childhood and one in students with disabilities. None of which are recognized in New York state. Found out I am missing like a whole program of classes and I can not get certified. Now I am stuck with no pay raise and no license but I am in debt. This is not fair and please add me to this lawsuit. Grand canyon needs to get punished for all of their lies and theft to us students.
Ttanner348@gmail.com
It seems I am one of the many people who got scammed or lied by this institution. I got enrolled in a Master Teaching Program in 2019. During the first term I was sent a check from financial aid and had told me that I could use the money for whatever I needed so I did, a month later I was told I had to return the check because it was an error and I got confused because they had already told me to use it. At the end I left this school for non ethical practices. For the last almost two years GCU has been calling me to return this check. I am so disgusted about it because I have been contacted by a debt collector asking me to pay this debt which I feel is unfair! anyway I am not sure if I should pay or start legal actions against GCU for the harassment and the anxiety I am going through!
I am a current student, and I feel they lied to me about my degree that was suppose to transfer to teaching in California, and It will not. Also, I realized their student teaching would cost me my current job to take six months off my job to complete the program. I want to be included in this lawsuit. msshelleysalas@gmail.com
I am currently enrolled as an online doctoral student and having a difficult time now that I am two classes away from what would have been my doctoral degree in organizational leadership/Health care administration. They took out student loans that I was not aware of and then told me that I had no more financial aid left and withdrew me from the school only to send me a statement for payment. I would also like to be part of the class action suit.
I would be interested in someone contacting me about my experience as well. Completed my master’s degree after having been recruited at my place of employment only to find out after completing my program that the state of Washington won’t accept the program completion. GCU admitted giving me false information and offered to pay for me obtaining my certification through AZ which was no help.
Hi Melissa,
I am sorry to hear that! I live in Oregon and they told me the same thing that after graduating I was going to be licensed but that is not true as the state of Oregon will NOT recognize GCU licensure. In my case they financially screwed me while I was enrolled but luckily I was able to leave this institution that until today they are going after me for a check they want me to return! I think the more people we get the more chances we can get some justice by suing GCU
I too was misled about the cost and the accreditation!! I currently have a Master’s in Educational Leadership that my state will not accept unless I take more courses for more money to be certified in my state. I did all of that work graduating with a 4.0 for NOTHING!!! The school is very misleading and something should be done about it??♀️
I was 3 seconds away from graduating this year. Only to be told that after 2 years someone, not me, did not include 2 classes on my course schedule. Note, in the masters online program I am assigned classes. I do not select them. The advisor called me informed of the mixup and said that GCU would pay the bulk of the cost for the missing 2 classes, only to come back and state that they would stand the full cost. I am so depressed that I haven’t eaten since getting the news
I was about to use the degree to bargain for an increase and now I cannot. I emailed the president, the dean of the college and the enrollment counselor no response.i cannot stop crying because I worked hard, sacrificed a lot a d juggled family. work a d studies only for this college to defeat and deflate my accomplishments.
I am unfortunately just finding out about this. I’be been researching my experience at GCU and see that I’m not alone! I want to share my story and join this class action suit!
I would like to be a part of this lawsuit as well.. I was almost close to completing the course when I received a letter stating that I still owe a payment.. I could not have been possible because I had just received my refund check from them.. The refund money was spent and they were requesting the refund back. Being that I still owe I cannot complete the course. I was only three courses away from having my bachelors degree. I tried applying to another college and they stated that I had maxed out my undergrad funds..The school was super expensive.. We even had to take Bible classes that was not a part of the teaching program.. I cannot enroll into another college, I’m drowning in student loans from them and I still have no degree.
Same her I lacked 5 classes from completing my masters and was starting my practicum when they wanted me to complete 150 hours of internship in eight weeks while working so I asked if it would be better to switch to school counseling and they said you can and we can use the classes you have. Then came back and said you were in a discontinued program so we can only take 18 hours of your 54 then came back and said only 9 because of the dates the classes were taken and acted like the classes and curriculum were different. But after retaken several classes they were the exact same thing and they did not take any of my classes but more than happy to take my loans and my payment as I had to do both. So two and half years in and no degree!
I also was trik by GSU recruiter about the degree program and how they can help you land a job in your filed and they did no help me the way they alleged and now i have a student loan i have to pay back. Please let me know how can join he class action suit. Please contact me via email so i can be a part of this and hopefully know one else will be taken adavantage of by Grand Canyon University. Thank you.