Grand Canyon University Misled Students: FTC Suit

Grand Canyon University again is facing a federal complaint accusing the school of deceptive practices. A lawsuit filed Wednesday by the Federal Trade Commission calls out advertising practices and illegal telemarketing, the Hill reports. An FTC statement said Grand Canyon misrepresented “the costs and number of courses required to earn doctoral degrees,” in addition to billing itself as a nonprofit—despite the fact that Grand Canyon Education Inc. and its investors did take profits. The corporation and Brian Mueller, its chief executive officer and the school’s president, are named as defendants.

The lawsuit also says that consumers listed on the National Do Not Call Registry received “abusive telemarketing calls,” per USA Today. Grand Canyon, the largest Christian university in the US, said it filed an appeal last month after being hit with a $37.7 million fine by the Education Department. The FTC filing says that fewer than 2% of doctoral graduates at the school completed their program within the cost advertised, per the Hill. (Read more Federal Trade Commission stories.)