In a significant development for its athletic department, Grand Canyon University (GCU) has accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference. This decision was announced on Friday and represents a new chapter in GCU’s impressive evolution as an academic and athletic institution.
The university will officially become a member of the Mountain West Conference no later than July 1, 2026, with the possibility of joining as early as the second quarter of 2025, depending on conference bylaws. This move underscores GCU’s continued growth and transformation; it has become the largest private Division I university in the United States, located in the heart of Phoenix, which is also the fifth-largest city nationwide.
Over the past two decades, GCU has undergone substantial changes, growing from a university facing potential closure to one with an enrollment nearing 25,000 on-campus students and over 95,000 in online programs. The campus features 32 on-campus residence halls, accommodating approximately 16,600 students, making it the largest private residential university in the country.
GCU President Brian Mueller expressed gratitude towards the Mountain West Conference for recognizing the value GCU brings to the membership. He highlighted that the university’s growth, both academically and athletically, is the result of innovative strategies and creative delivery models that enhance academic program offerings across the country and directly contribute to the success of its athletic programs.
Mueller noted that various conferences had shown interest in GCU, but the decision to join the Mountain West was deemed to be in the university’s long-term best interests. The Lopes, GCU’s athletic teams, will join a competitive league, featuring institutions with established national brands, dedicated fan bases, and top-tier facilities.
Geographically, GCU’s inclusion places it among the six existing Western teams: Air Force, New Mexico, Nevada, San José State, UNLV, and Wyoming. Additional future members include Hawaii and UTEP, expanding the conference’s footprint further into the southwestern United States.
Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez welcomed GCU, stating, “Grand Canyon is a tremendous addition to the Mountain West.” She expressed enthusiasm about the expansion into Phoenix and Arizona, noting GCU’s impressive trajectory in both academics and athletics over the past decade. Nevarez emphasized the potential for enhanced competition within the conference, aiming for NCAA postseason bids and national championships.
As GCU enters the Mountain West, it will join an elite group of non-football universities competing in FBS conferences, sharing this distinction with Wichita State in the American Athletic Conference and Gonzaga in the Pac-12 Conference. This alignment underscores GCU’s ambitious goal of becoming nationally competitive and further establishes its reputation within college athletics.
Vice President of Athletics Jamie Boggs highlighted the rapid growth of GCU as both an academic institution and an athletics program. She conveyed the excitement surrounding the Mountain West, identifying it as a league with a strong legacy and financial positioning that will bolster GCU’s chances of competitive success amid changes within collegiate athletics.
The Mountain West has established itself as a formidable basketball conference, consistently ranking among the top seven in the nation. In recent years, it has earned significant NCAA tournament bids, peaking with six invitations in the latest season. Membership changes will still allow the conference to maintain a robust presence, including three men’s basketball teams ranked in the top 50 according to the final NET rankings for the 2023-24 season.
GCU’s athletic programs will also have access to premier venues while competing away from home. The Mountain West’s arenas are designed to accommodate more than 10,800 fans on average, including renowned locations like New Mexico’s “The Pit,” Nevada’s Lawlor Events Center, and UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center, which attract large crowds and create an exciting atmosphere for basketball games.
Beyond its on-field initiatives, GCU has made significant strides as an academic institution. Over the past three years, GCU has produced nearly 30,000 graduates annually and has tripled its academic programs, now offering close to 350 options. The university has also expanded its colleges from four to ten, with a curriculum that targets high-demand job fields and addresses workforce shortages in critical areas like education, nursing, and counseling.
The increase in enrollment coincides with enhanced admissions standards; recent incoming students at GCU have boasted GPAs around 3.6. The Honors College has also experienced growth, with over 2,900 students recording an average incoming weighted GPA of 4.1.
Additionally, GCU’s athletic achievements reflect its academic progress. In its last two years at the Division II level, GCU earned the Learfield Directors’ Cup for being the nation’s top athletics department. At the Division I level, the Lopes have secured 70 conference championships, with 41 of those coming in the past four years. The university has consistently won the WAC Commissioner’s Cup, which recognizes the conference’s highest-performing athletic department, for six academic years.
Furthermore, GCU has been postseason eligible since 2017-18, with 12 teams participating in the NCAA postseason and five additional participants qualifying for NCAA Championships in individual events. In the 2023-24 season, all eight NCAA Rating Percentage Index-utilizing sports at GCU finished within the nation’s top 100.
Of GCU’s 21 sports, 17 will transition to the Mountain West, while men’s volleyball will continue in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, and men’s swimming will join The Big West. GCU is actively seeking conference affiliations for its men’s soccer and beach volleyball teams.
In joining the Mountain West, GCU has declined an invitation from the West Coast Conference, which would have started on July 1, 2025. As GCU embarks on this new journey, the university’s commitment to academic excellence and athletic competitiveness remains steadfast.
About Grand Canyon University: Established in 1949, Grand Canyon University is Arizona’s leading private Christian university, offering a broad range of academic programs emphasized on student engagement, individual attention from instructors, and a commitment to Christian values. For more information, visit gcu.edu.
