The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) has rescinded a massive fine against Grand Canyon University (GCU), the biggest Christian university in the nation, that was applied under former President Joe Biden’s (D) administration in 2023.
The $37.7 million fine, the largest ever proposed against a university, was revoked on Friday, the Daily Caller reported on Monday.
The outlet said the initial fine “sparked allegations that the Biden administration was targeting and harshly punishing Christian universities.” The case was dismissed with prejudice which means the suit cannot be brought a second time.
The dismissal of the suit and revoking of the fine occurred under the Trump administration.
In its statement on Friday, GCU said it had been cleared of any wrongdoing:
In a Joint Stipulation of Dismissal order issued by ED’s Office of Hearings and Appeals, the Department dismissed the case with no findings, fines, liabilities or penalties of any kind. ED confirmed it has not established that GCU violated any Title IV requirements, including the claim that GCU “substantially misrepresented” the cost of its doctoral programs that was alleged by ED officials under the Biden Administration. The Dismissal stated unequivocally that “there are no findings against GCU, or any of its employees, officers, agents, or contractors, and no fine is imposed.”
When Grand Canyon University was initially hit with the fine, its leadership said the allegations were “lies and deceptive statements,” per the Associated Press (AP):
“Grand Canyon University categorically denies every accusation in the Department of Education’s statement and will take all measures necessary to defend itself from these false accusations,” the school said in a five-page statement.
An Education Department investigation found that Grand Canyon lied to more than 7,500 current and former students about the cost of its doctoral programs.
In a statement to the Daily Caller DOE Spokesman Ellen Keast compared the previous and current administrations:
Unlike the previous Administration, we will not persecute and prosecute colleges and universities based on their religious affiliation. The Trump Administration will continue to ensure every institution of higher education is held accountable based on facts – but Department enforcement will be for the purpose of serving students, not political bias.
In 2024, a study found the Biden-Harris administration targeted faith-based colleges while ignoring Ivy League schools, Breitbart News reported.
In his statement after the fine was rescinded, GCU President Brian Mueller said, “The facts clearly support our contention that we were wrongly accused of misleading our Doctoral students, and we appreciate the recognition that those accusations were without merit,” according to Fox News.
