The U.S. Department of Education has recognized Grand Canyon University as a nonprofit institution, ending a multiyear legal fight that began with the department labeling GCU a for-profit in 2019. A Ninth Circuit ruling earlier this year found the Education Department applied the wrong legal standard; the department’s latest action formalizes the university’s nonprofit designation. GCU said the change will expand eligibility for private scholarships, grant access to federal relief funds, and ease partnerships with school districts and donors. The ruling removes a major regulatory overhang for the institution and clarifies Title IV and grant eligibility questions that had complicated GCU’s relationships with its service-provider partner, Grand Canyon Education.