Grand Canyon University (GCU), the largest Christian university in the United States, has celebrated the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) dropping its lawsuit against the school, its marketer Grand Canyon Education, Inc., and its CEO Brian Mueller. The FTC, under the Biden administration, had filed a lawsuit in 2023 alleging deceptive advertising, illegal telemarketing, and misleading students about program durations. The university’s officials, including Mueller, called the case a result of years of coordinated ‘lawfare’ by government officials under the Biden administration, which has now ended following recent legal victories and the rescission of a $37.7 million fine by the Department of Education.
The case, which faced two dismissals in court, was also influenced by prior rulings in favor of GCU by the Department of Education and the Internal Revenue Service, which confirmed the university’s nonprofit status. FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said, “This case, which we inherited from the previous administration, was filed nearly two years ago and has suffered losses in two motions to dismiss. These losses are compounded by recent events: Grand Canyon secured a victory over the Department of Education in a related matter before the Ninth Circuit; the Department of Education rescinded a massive fine levied on related grounds; and the Internal Revenue Service confirmed that Grand Canyon University is properly claiming 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation designation.”
Brian Mueller, CEO of GCU, praised current FTC officials for taking what he called an objective look at the case and recognizing the numerous agencies and courts that have already ruled in GCU’s favor on the same allegations. “As we have stated from the beginning, not only were these accusations false, but the opposite is true. We go above and beyond what is required in our disclosures and are recognized as a leader in this area,” Mueller said. He previously told Fox News Digital that he believed the university was being unfairly targeted by the Biden administration, saying multiple federal agencies were involved in a coordinated attack against the school. “They threw everything they had at us for four years, and yet, despite every unjust accusation leveled against us, we have not only survived but have continued to thrive as a university,” he said in a press release.
The charges dropped by the FTC come after the U.S. Department of Education rescinded a $37.7 million fine in May 2025 against Grand Canyon for alleged deceptive practices. This decision followed a related lawsuit where GCU successfully challenged the Department of Education’s denial of its nonprofit status, which was later confirmed by the IRS. In a separate article, a Democrat professor broke ranks to challenge the ‘wokeness’ dominating American universities, while Chris Rufo outlined reforms to the Trump administration on how to ‘save’ higher education, suggesting a broader ideological battle over the direction of U.S. educational institutions.