The Freedom From Religion Foundation is condemning the Department of Education’s recent decision to let Grand Canyon University off the hook after it misled thousands of students about the true cost of its doctoral programs. The decision reeks of religious favoritism and political interference.
In 2023, the Department of Education under the Biden administration fined Grand Canyon University a record $37.7 million after a federal student aid investigation found that the school had intentionally misrepresented the cost of its doctoral programs. The university advertised degrees as costing roughly $40,000–$49,000, when, in reality, most students were forced to pay substantially more due to required but undisclosed “continuation courses,” often bringing their total bill up by $10,000–$12,000. Internal communications revealed that the university leadership was aware of the misleading cost disclosures as far back as 2017.
Grand Canyon University, the country’s largest Christian university with more than 100,000 students (mostly in online programs), boasts a “Christian identity and mission,” advising would-be students to “find your purpose at a Christian university,” and to “live out your faith while studying at GCU.” The mission is centered on “following Jesus Christ in word and in deed.”
On Friday, the Department of Education — now under the control of Linda McMahon — quietly dismissed the case, imposing no fines or penalties and stating that there were “no findings” against Grand Canyon University. This reversal comes despite the overwhelming evidence of financial deception that harmed more than 7,500 students and siphoned over $122 million in federal aid into the university’s coffers.
This latest move follows the creation of the Trump administration’s dubious “anti-Christian bias” task force. This body reportedly discussed the penalty as a supposed example of discrimination, even though the original fine had nothing to do with religion and everything to do with consumer fraud.
The Grand Canyon University fine was dismissed not because the facts changed, but because the administration did. While the university is touting the decision as vindication, a federal class-action lawsuit for defrauded students is still moving forward — a reminder that the facts don’t disappear just because the government refuses to act on them.
“This was a clear-cut case of a university deceiving students and defrauding taxpayers,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “But under the Trump administration, it seems Christian privilege trumps accountability.”
“Grand Canyon University didn’t get a free pass because it was innocent — it got a free pass because it’s Christian,” she adds. “This is a textbook example of how religious favoritism in government leads to real harm: to students, to taxpayers, and to the integrity of federal oversight.”
FFRF warns that this decision sets a dangerous precedent. If religious institutions know they can violate laws and mislead students without consequence under a sympathetic administration, more fraud will surely follow.
“It’s not anti-Christian bias to expect religious schools to follow the law,” says FFRF Legal Director Patrick Elliott. “What’s truly un-American is giving them a special exemption from accountability.”
FFRF will continue fighting for a government that treats all institutions — religious or not — equally under the law.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters of nontheism. With more than 42,000 members, FFRF advocates for freethinkers’ rights. For more information, visit ffrf.org.
Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash
