The FTC filed the complaint in a federal court against Grand Canyon Education Inc, its CEO Brian Mueller and Grand Canyon University, according to a statement from the Commission.

The FTC accuses them of "deceiving prospective doctoral students about the cost and course requirements of its doctoral programs and about being a nonprofit, while also engaging in deceptive and abusive telemarketing practices."

(Reporting by Caitlin Webber and Ismail Shakil; editing by Dan Whitcomb)