The U.S. Department of Education has recognized Grand Canyon University as a nonprofit after a yearslong legal dispute that included a unanimous Ninth Circuit decision in 2024. The designation reverses the department’s 2019 determination and ends a high‑stakes fight that blocked certain funding, grants, and partnerships. University leaders said the ruling clears the way for more private scholarships, expanded district and donor partnerships, eligibility for federal relief funds and NCAA participation; the institution and its affiliated service provider Grand Canyon Education retain a complex commercial relationship that regulators and critics have scrutinized.