U. of Phoenix Will Try to Enroll Younger Students

The University of Phoenix, which has grown to be the country’s largest college by enrolling only adult students, announced last week that it would begin admitting students as young as 18.

Todd Nelson, president of the university’s parent company, the Apollo Group, said the new move was prompted by demand. Phoenix has been turning away “tens of thousands” of younger students over the past few years, he said, adding that the university will be “aggressive in marketing” its programs.

Phoenix also reported that its total enrollment of degree-seeking students exceeded 239,000 as of May 31, an increase of nearly 28 percent from a year ago. Most of the increase was attributable to enrollment at the University of Phoenix Online, which increased by 52 percent, to 109,800. More details can be found under the June 25 updates at http://chronicle.com/daily/newsarch.htm.

http://chronicle.com Section: Money & Management Volume 50, Issue 43, Page A27