ED Rescinds $37.7M Fine Against Grand Canyon University

The U.S. Department of Education revoked a $37.7 million fine against Grand Canyon University, according to an announcement from the university Friday.

Under the Biden administration, the department fined the private Christian university for allegedly misleading doctoral students about the costs of degrees and breaking federal law—a decision the university appealed. The controversy came after it had already been locked in a years-long battle with the department over whether the university was independent enough from its for-profit owner to regain its nonprofit status.

But the Education Department has now dismissed its case against Grand Canyon in a Joint Stipulation of Dismissal order issued by the department’s Office of Hearings and Appeals. The university’s news release said the department “confirmed it has not established that GCU violated any Title IV requirements” and that there were no findings against the university. Court documents show the university withdrew its appeal, Arizona Central reported.

“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,” Brian Mueller, president of Grand Canyon University, said in the university’s news release.