(Rightallegiance.com) – The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on Wednesday that it has initiated legal action against Grand Canyon University (GCU), marking the second instance under the Biden administration where a federal agency has taken measures against the largest Christian school in the nation. The university claims that this is part of a coordinated effort by multiple agencies to target the institution.
According to an FTC press release, the lawsuit was filed in federal court against GCU, its marketing entity Grand Canyon Education, Inc., and its president and CEO, Brian Mueller. The allegations include the use of deceptive advertising and involvement in illegal telemarketing practices. The complaint asserts that the Arizona-based institution provided misleading information to prospective doctoral students regarding the duration of its accelerated program, falsely portrayed itself as a nonprofit, and unlawfully contacted individuals who had requested not to be contacted after submitting their information on the school’s website.
Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, commented on the matter, stating, “Grand Canyon deceived students by holding itself out as a non-profit institution and misrepresenting the costs and number of courses required to earn doctoral degrees. We will continue to aggressively pursue those who seek to take advantage of students.”
The complaint alleges violations of the FTC Act and the Telemarketing Sale Rules. It seeks redress for consumers affected by the purported violations and requests a court order preventing the university from further breaches of the law.
While a spokesperson for GCU did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment on the lawsuit, Mueller, in a statement to Fox News Digital in late October, expressed the belief that the university is unfairly targeted by the Biden administration. He claimed that multiple federal agencies were involved in a coordinated attack against the school.
Earlier, on October 31, the Department of Education (DOE) imposed a $37.7 million fine on GCU, alleging that the university “lied” to over 7,500 former and current students about the costs of its doctoral programs over several years. The DOE asserted that GCU “falsely advertised” a lower cost for its doctoral programs, with approximately 98% of students ultimately paying more than the advertised cost. Mueller argued that these federal investigations are connected to the DOE’s denial of GCU’s attempt to convert into a nonprofit institution in 2018, which resulted in the department classifying the school as a for-profit entity for federal student financial aid purposes.
In a press conference the previous month, Mueller pledged that GCU would appeal the DOE’s record-breaking fine, emphasizing that the school does not engage in misleading or deceptive practices towards its students.