The U.S. Department of Education has rescinded a $37.7 million fine, with prejudice, against Grand Canyon University for alleged deceptive practices, according to the university.

The proposed fine was the largest ever issued by the department against a university.

University President Brian Mueller welcomed the decision to rescind the fine.

“The facts clearly support our contention that we were wrongly accused of misleading our Doctoral students, and we appreciate the recognition that those accusations were without merit,” Mueller said in a statement.

The proposed fine was the largest ever issued by the Department of Education against a university. (STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

“It’s interesting, isn’t it, that the two largest Christian universities in the country, this one and Liberty University, are both being fined almost the identical amount at almost the identical time?” he said. “Now is there a cause and effect there? I don’t know. But it’s a fact.”

The Department of Education’s move to rescind the fine ends a yearslong legal battle for the university.