GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY CELEBRATES GRADUATING CLASS OF 29,116 IN 2022-23

Commencement ceremonies scheduled in next two weeks for traditional and online students

PHOENIX, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Grand Canyon University will celebrate a 2022-23 graduating class of 29,116 during commencement ceremonies on April 27-28 for traditional students and May 3-5 for online students.

The graduating class includes those who completed their degrees in Summer 2022, Fall 2022 and projected graduates from Spring 2023.

Commencement ceremonies will also celebrate the accomplishments of the first class of participants who have completed coursework at the L.O.P.E.S. Academy at Cardon Center. Launched in 2021 with financial support from the Don Cardon family, L.O.P.E.S. Academy is a two-year non-degree program that provides students with moderate intellectual and developmental disabilities an opportunity – like many young adults -- to experience what life is like on a college campus, while taking courses designed to provide the knowledge and skills they need for more independent living. L.O.P.E.S. stands for "learning opportunities for participation and engagement in school." Participants take classes twice a week and complete an on-campus internship while experiencing normal college life events such as Chapel and Athletics events or simply going to lunch with friends.

Among the notable aspects of this year's graduating class of 29,116 students:

• 26.1% of graduates on the Phoenix campus identify as first-generation college students. Of those, 46% are Hispanic.
• Of all graduates, 15,287 completed their undergraduate degree and 13,829 were graduate students earning master's or doctoral degrees.
• 4,890 are traditional students taking classes on the Phoenix campus, while 24,226 studied online.
• The Honors College had 514 graduates, bringing the total to more than 2,000 since the college's inception in 2013.

"At a time in higher education when enrollments and graduation numbers are in decline, we continue to produce a significant number of graduates who are meeting the needs of today's workforce and making an impact across the world," said GCU President Brian Mueller. "That's a reflection of our outstanding students, the support services of our faculty and staff, and our ability to use innovative technologies to deliver education in a number of modalities that meet the needs of learners."

The 2022-23 academic year was filled with many other notable achievements:

• Enrollment reached a record 25,350 on the Phoenix campus, with nearly 90,000 students studying online.
• The GCU Speech team took second in the National Forensics Association National Championship, while the Debate team finished the season in the top 20 nationally in parliamentary debate.
• GCU's CityServe warehouse, which opened in September 2021, has distributed $8.5 million worth of household goods to more than 18,000 families in Arizona. The Christian campus is the only university in the country to serve as a CityServe hub, supplying beds, furniture, heaters, fans and other excess goods from major retailers such as Costco, Amazon, Home Depot and Lowe's to the surrounding community.
• The University extended its partnership with Habitat for Humanity, reaching 469 homes that have been renovated in its neighborhood. More than $5.1 million has been raised and 31,000 volunteer hours have been served by students, faculty and staff since the project began in 2014.
• GCU has now awarded 670 full-tuition Students Inspiring Students scholarships to high-achieving, low-income high school students in the Phoenix area. In addition, since 2013 the University has provided free tutoring to 5,500 K-12 students at 441 nearby schools, providing an additional 175,000 hours of study.
• Construction on two more six-story, apartment-style residence halls is nearing completion. GCU's on-campus housing is ranked No. 5 in the U.S. among 1,371 colleges by niche.com.

About Grand Canyon University: Grand Canyon University was founded in 1949 and is Arizona's premier private Christian university. GCU is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and offers nearly 312 academic programs, emphases and certificates for both traditional undergraduate students and working professionals. The University's curriculum emphasizes interaction with classmates, both in-person and online, and individual attention from instructors while fusing academic rigor with Christian values to help students find their purpose and become skilled, caring professionals. For more information, visit gcu.edu.

SOURCE Grand Canyon University