Online enrollment is rolling, with most classes starting weekly, so the distance from decision to first Topic is days, not semesters. Undergraduate admission runs on high school GPA with test-score alternatives at the margin. Graduate admission wants an accredited bachelor's with a 2.8 GPA, or a GMAT 500 or GRE 300 as the alternative route. Doctoral admission wants a master's at 3.4, with 3.0 to 3.39 accepted with specifications and below 3.0 declined, plus program gates like an RN license and statistics for the DNP. The biggest lever is the Lopes Credit Evaluation: up to 90 undergraduate transfer credits, three quarters of the bachelor's, priced at zero.
The gates, level by level
| Level | The gate | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate | HS GPA around the 3.0 line, or mid-2s with ACT or SAT support; confirm current thresholds with your counselor | RN-to-BSN adds the RN license, naturally |
| Master's | Accredited bachelor's, 2.8+ GPA; GMAT 500 or GRE 300 as alternates | The alternates rescue strong professionals with old transcripts |
| Doctoral | Master's at 3.4+; 3.0 to 3.39 with specifications; below 3.0 declined | DNP adds RN license + statistics; DBA wants quantitative coursework; EdD wants an education degree |
The enrollment sequence, optimized
Counselor first, application second
Every route runs through a university counselor, and they are genuinely useful here: current thresholds, program gates, and which weekly start your paperwork can actually make.
Feed the Lopes Credit Evaluation everything
Up to 90 undergraduate credits can transfer, with a cap on lower-division credit, and the evaluation is free. Old transcripts, certificates, military training, send it all before choosing courses.
Clear your program's specific gate early
DNP statistics prerequisites and license verification take longer than the general application; sequence them first so the admission decision arrives whole.
Pick a start week on purpose
Weekly starts make "when" a real choice. Start when your next five to eight weeks are livable, the one-class carousel makes the first class's rhythm your whole academic life.
What the weekly-start calendar changes
Two things, both underrated. Momentum is purchasable at any time: a student who decides in March is submitting week-one DQs in March, not waiting for fall. And recovery is built in: a class that goes sideways is over in weeks, and the next start is days later, so a stumble never has to become a lost semester. The discipline the calendar demands in exchange is respect for the accelerated clock, covered in the grading manual, and a plan for the writing load from day one, which is where the desks come in.
Enrolling for a start this month
Send your program and transcript situation. We map the transfer play and the first class's Topic plan, free.
Sources and verification
Facts on this page come from official and independent sources, and anything that matters is worth checking against the originals:
- www.gcu.edu/academics/calendar: GCU's official academic calendar, source for the weekly-start model
- www.gcu.edu/tuition-and-financial-aid: official tuition and aid figures published by GCU
- support.gcu.edu: GCU's official support center, source for Halo classroom and LopesWrite mechanics
- www.hlcommission.org: Higher Learning Commission, the institutional accreditor
- www.ccneaccreditation.org: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the nursing accreditor
- apastyle.apa.org: APA Style, the official style authority behind the formatting rules