The 10 largest publicly traded for-profit higher-education companies saw a sharp increase in their enrollments during the past fiscal year. Below is a list of those companies based on fall 2009 enrollment estimates. One notable omission from this list is Kaplan Higher Education, which this past fall enrolled 103,800 students -- 28 percent more than the previous year. But Kaplan is owned by the Washington Post Company and is not separately traded.
| Company | Fall ’09 enrollment* | Growth over ’08 | Beyond the numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo Group (U. of Phoenix) | 443,000 | 22.3% | New orientation program could lead to slower growth for its U. of Phoenix, the largest private university in the country. |
| Education Management | 136,000 | 22.7% | Best known for Argosy U. and Art Institutes brands, it believes national focus on health care could now be a boon to its Brown Mackie College and South U. |
| Career Education | 113,900 | 18.6% | Even after selling some unprofitable brands, its colleges and programs run the gamut from culinary at Le Cordon Bleu in the United States and Canada to master’s programs offered online at American InterContinental University. |
| DeVry | 101,648 | 37.1% | Known for programs in information technology and business, and a Caribbean medical school, it has recently expanded, with nursing offerings and an acquisition in Brazil. |
| Corinthian Colleges | 93,493 | 25.9% | Its focus on students enrolled for certificates (64 percent) and associate-degree programs (31 percent) will be reinforced by its recent purchase of Heald College. |
| ITT Educational Services | 79,208 | 28.7% | Known historically for the information-technology emphasis of its sole college, ITT Technical Institute, it is diversifying with the purchase of the formerly nonprofit Daniel Webster College, in New Hampshire. |
| American Public Education | 55,300 | 42.2% | Its flagship, all-online American Military University draws 67 percent of its students from the ranks of the military but is now looking to diversify its enrollment base. |
| Bridgepoint Education | 54,894 | 79.7% | Its biggest arm, Ashford University, uses its online offerings and liberal transfer policy to cater to students seeking to complete their degrees. |
| Strayer Education | 54,317 | 21.9% | Founded in 1892 and known for its slow and steady growth in the mid-Atlantic and South, and more recently online, Strayer‚Äôs largely adult enrollment is focused on bachelor’s (56 percent) and master‚Äôs programs (27 percent). |
| Grand Canyon Education | 34,218 | 55.8% | This six-year-old company considers the Christian focus and online offerings of its namesake university as crucial pieces of its enrollment draw, which includes 62 percent in pursuit of master’s degrees. |
| * Company estimates. | |||
| SOURCE: Stifel Nicolaus Equity Research; Chronicle reporting. | |||
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