Financial Aid

Traditional undergraduate students must be enrolled in at least 12 credits per semester to be considered full time and receive full financial aid benefits. Enrollment in fewer than 12 credits may result in a prorated portion of some financial aid programs.

To receive full financial aid benefits in the online modality, undergraduate students must be enrolled in a minimum of 24 credits in an academic year. Graduate students must be enrolled in a minimum of 16 credits and doctoral students in a minimum of 12 credits. Financial aid is not available for enrollment in any zero-credit coursework. Financial aid is adjusted for periods of less than a full academic year.

To receive any institutional scholarships (i.e., academic, departmental, endowed and/or merit), you must maintain the required enrollment status. Courses taken at other colleges do not count as enrollment at Grand Canyon University for financial aid or scholarship purposes.

If you receive additional outside assistance, you must report these amounts to GCU via the Additional Funding Sources document available for you to complete electronically through your Student Portal.

If you have received any Title IV Federal Financial Aid from a prior school, or if you are currently receiving Title IV aid at another institution while attending GCU, you must notify the Office of Financial Aid through your assigned university counselor or student services counselor. This other source of funding may affect your eligibility to receive maximum Title IV aid with GCU.

You must do the following:

• Accurately complete and return all applications, additional documentation, verification forms, corrections and/or new information that are requested by any GCU department or any other agency providing financial assistance. Errors or omissions may delay the disbursement of eligible funds.
• Read and understand all documentation and/or agreements that are signed and submitted to any department and/or agency.
• Review financial aid offer and all other notices issued regarding the responsibilities and conditions that must be adhered to by receiving financial aid.
• Understand what portion of the financial aid package is grants and scholarships (aid that does not have to be repaid) and what portion is student loans (aid that must be repaid or earned). If any portion of the aid is in the form of a student loan, understand the total amount of the loan, the interest rate assessed to the amount borrowed, the repayment schedule, the timeframe of the repayment schedule and the start date for the repayment schedule.
• Notify your loan servicer of any changes to personal name, address and enrollment status. To find out what company services your loans, log into nslds.ed.gov
• Review and understand the amounts pertaining to the cost of attendance and the refund policy for GCU as stated in the University Policy Handbook (UPH).
• Review and comply with all rules and regulations pertaining to academic, financial aid and university conduct policies. These policies can be found in the UPH.
• Understand that any intentional misrepresentation of information on applications and/or documentations submitted for federal financial aid is a violation of law and is considered a criminal offense subject to penalties under the U.S. Criminal Code.
• Be aware of the appeal process and procedures, which can be found in the UPH.