Phoenix's Grand Canyon University receives big recognition from Town & Country Magazine

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Grand Canyon University in Phoenix is getting some pretty big recognition.

The Christian university is ranked by Town & Country Magazine as one of the top 10 college campuses in the United States, beating out other universities like Stanford and Yale.

The magazine complied the list by looking at data from the U.S. Department of Education, college statistics, and student reviews. Students were surveyed on different things, such as dorm life, food and recreational activities

GCU was the only university in Arizona to make it to the top ten, ranking eight.

"It was unbelievably gratifying," said Brian Mueller, President of GCU. "The community on campus is very overwhelming. We have over 19,000 students that will be here, but the campus has a small campus feel. Our class size is less than 25."

Mueller said the university's inner-city location has its advantages, and said a big part of campus life is giving back, and revitalizing the surrounding neighborhoods.

"Housing prices are going up, crime is going down, jobs are being created," said Mueller. "We want our students in the middle of inner-city transformation, because it demonstrates to them it can happen, so it can become part of the educational experience for students."

As for the rest of the list, the top school was Washington University in St. Louis, followed by Virginia Tech, Liberty University, Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, and UCLA in Los Angeles.