Document and Entity Information - USD ($) $ in Billions	12 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information - USD ($) $ in Billions	Dec. 31, 2018	Feb. 15, 2019	Jun. 29, 2018
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2018
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	LOPE
Entity Registrant Name	Grand Canyon Education, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0001434588
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		48,238,418
Entity Public Float			$ 5.3
Entity Shell Company	false

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 120,346	$ 153,474
Restricted cash and cash equivalents	61,667	94,534
Investments	69,002	89,271
Accounts receivable, net	46,830	10,908
Interest receivable on secured note	4,650
Income tax receivable	8	2,086
Other current assets	6,963	24,589
Total current assets	309,466	374,862
Property and equipment, net	111,039	922,284
Note receivable	900,093
Prepaid royalties		2,763
Goodwill	2,941	2,941
Other assets	478	723
Total assets	1,324,017	1,303,573
Current liabilities
Accounts payable	14,274	29,139
Accrued compensation and benefits	15,427	23,173
Accrued liabilities	8,907	20,757
Income taxes payable	5,442	16,182
Student deposits		95,298
Deferred revenue		46,895
Current portion of notes payable	36,468	6,691
Total current liabilities	80,518	238,135
Other noncurrent liabilities		1,200
Deferred income taxes, noncurrent	6,465	18,362
Notes payable, less current portion	23,437	59,925
Total liabilities	110,420	317,622
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders' equity
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 10,000 shares authorized; 0 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2018 and 2017
Common stock, $0.01 par value, 100,000 shares authorized; 52,690 and 52,277 shares issued and 48,201 and 48,125 shares outstanding at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively	527	523
Treasury stock, at cost, 4,489 and 4,152 shares of common stock at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively	(125,452)	(100,694)
Additional paid-in capital	256,806	232,670
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(453)	(724)
Retained earnings	1,082,169	854,176
Total stockholders' equity	1,213,597	985,951
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$ 1,324,017	$ 1,303,573

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - $ / shares shares in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Preferred stock, par value	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Preferred stock authorized but unissued and undesignated	10,000	10,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	0	0
Common stock, par value	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	100,000	100,000
Common stock, shares issued	52,690	52,277
Common stock, shares outstanding	48,201	48,125
Treasury stock, shares	4,489	4,152

Consolidated Income Statements - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Net revenue	$ 177,548	$ 155,454	$ 236,818	$ 275,681	$ 271,418	$ 236,209	$ 218,301	$ 248,206	$ 512,499	$ 845,501	$ 974,134	$ 873,344
Costs and expenses:
Technology and academic services	11,098	11,101	10,678	10,697	10,739	10,494	10,220	10,381		43,574	41,834	39,101
Counseling services and support	51,989	51,116	50,838	50,747	50,213	46,100	45,970	46,312		204,690	188,595	175,045
Marketing and communication	27,252	31,546	30,095	28,527	26,227	28,130	27,426	27,309		117,420	109,092	98,592
General and administrative	6,695	10,092	5,762	7,419	5,975	8,343	5,806	7,033		29,968	27,157	28,079
University related expenses	(405)	6,569	79,517	87,649	86,356	83,450	73,791	80,543		173,330	324,140	294,188
Loss on Transaction	770	15,610	1,440	550	562					18,370	562	1,136
Total costs and expenses	97,399	126,034	178,330	185,589	180,072	176,517	163,213	171,578		587,352	691,380	636,141
Operating income	80,149	29,420	58,488	90,092	91,346	59,692	55,088	76,628		258,149	282,754	237,203
Interest income on Secured Note	13,699	13,248								26,947
Interest expense	(575)	(558)	(57)	(346)	(527)	(567)	(495)	(580)		(1,536)	(2,169)	(1,328)
Investment interest and other	521	371	1,567	981	757	1,445	739	2		3,440	2,943	249
Income before income taxes	93,794	42,481	59,998	90,727	91,576	60,570	55,332	76,050		287,000	283,528	236,124
Income tax expense	18,263	8,720	13,960	17,046	23,320	21,266	15,485	20,138		57,989	80,209	87,610
Net income	$ 75,531	$ 33,761	$ 46,038	$ 73,681	$ 68,256	$ 39,304	$ 39,847	$ 55,912		$ 229,011	$ 203,319	$ 148,514
Earnings per share:
Basic income per share	$ 1.58	$ 0.71	$ 0.97	$ 1.55	$ 1.44	$ 0.83	$ 0.85	$ 1.20		$ 4.81	$ 4.31	$ 3.22
Diluted income per share	$ 1.56	$ 0.70	$ 0.95	$ 1.52	$ 1.41	$ 0.81	$ 0.83	$ 1.16		$ 4.73	$ 4.22	$ 3.15
Basic weighted average shares outstanding	47,708	47,682	47,604	47,432	47,342	47,316	47,151	46,748		47,608	47,140	46,083
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding	48,422	48,422	48,411	48,397	48,382	48,292	48,192	48,070		48,414	48,235	47,121
Service [Member]
Net revenue	$ 177,548	$ 155,454								$ 333,002
University Related Revenue [Member]
Net revenue			$ 236,818	$ 275,681	$ 271,418	$ 236,209	$ 218,301	$ 248,206		$ 512,499	$ 974,134	$ 873,344

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income	$ 229,011	$ 203,319	$ 148,514
Other comprehensive income, net of tax:
Unrealized gains (losses) on hedging derivatives, net of taxes of $39, $6, and $94 for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively	118	11	(151)
Unrealized gains (losses) on available for sale securities, net of taxes of $103, $108 and $168 for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively	309	175	(270)
Comprehensive income	$ 229,438	$ 203,505	$ 148,093

- Definition

The portion of profit or loss for the period, net of income taxes, which is attributable to the parent.

+ References + Details

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Unrealized gains (losses) on hedging derivatives, taxes	$ 39	$ 6	$ 94
Unrealized gains (losses) on available for sale securities, taxes	$ 103	$ 108	$ 168

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	Common Stock [Member]	Treasury Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-in Capital [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member]	Total
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2015	$ 503	$ (69,332)	$ 177,167	$ (489)	$ 502,402	$ 610,251
Beginning Balance, Shares at Dec. 31, 2015	50,288	3,411
Comprehensive income				(421)	148,514	148,093
Common stock purchased for treasury		$ (15,367)				(15,367)
Common stock acquired, shares		416
Restricted shares forfeited, Shares		9
Share-based compensation	$ 3	$ (4,695)	12,273			7,581
Share-based compensation, Shares	275	114
Exercise of stock options	$ 9		13,198			13,207
Exercise of stock options, Shares	946
Excess tax benefits			9,921			9,921
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2016	$ 515	$ (89,394)	212,559	(910)	650,916	773,686
Ending Balance, Shares at Dec. 31, 2016	51,509	3,950
Comprehensive income				186	203,319	203,505
Common stock purchased for treasury		$ (1,510)				(1,510)
Common stock acquired, shares		17
Restricted shares forfeited, Shares		34
Share-based compensation	$ 2	$ (9,790)	12,686			2,898
Share-based compensation, Shares	192	151
Exercise of stock options	$ 6		7,366			7,372
Exercise of stock options, Shares	576
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2017	$ 523	$ (100,694)	232,670	(724)	854,176	985,951
Ending Balance, Shares at Dec. 31, 2017	52,277	4,152
Cumulative effect from the adoption of accounting pronouncements, net of taxes			59		(59)
Comprehensive income				427	229,011	229,438
Adoption impact - ASU 2018-02 \| Accounting Standards Update 2018-02 [Member]				(156)	156
Common stock purchased for treasury		$ (9,606)				$ (9,606)
Common stock acquired, shares		91				91
Restricted shares forfeited, Shares		95
Share-based compensation	$ 2	$ (15,152)	19,506			$ 4,356
Share-based compensation, Shares	163	151
Exercise of stock options	$ 2		4,630			4,632
Exercise of stock options, Shares	250
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2018	$ 527	$ (125,452)	$ 256,806	$ (453)	1,082,169	1,213,597
Ending Balance, Shares at Dec. 31, 2018	52,690	4,489
Cumulative effect from the adoption of accounting pronouncements, net of taxes					$ (1,174)	$ (1,174)

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Cash flows provided by operating activities:
Net income	$ 229,011	$ 203,319	$ 148,514
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Share-based compensation	19,508	12,688	12,276
Provision for bad debts	8,669	18,478	18,639
Depreciation and amortization	35,673	54,228	45,683
Deferred income taxes	(11,507)	(5,160)	8,432
Loss on transaction, net of costs and asset impairment	12,605
Other, including fixed asset impairments	2,101	3,883	1,161
Changes in assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable from GCU	(51,480)
Accounts receivable	(7,784)	(19,848)	(20,598)
Prepaid expenses and other	1,553	(2,399)	(1,715)
Accounts payable	(14,306)	5,378	(4,793)
Accrued liabilities	(15,700)	3,079	6,743
Income taxes receivable/payable	(8,662)	16,048	11,892
Deferred rent	(189)	(369)	(475)
Deferred revenue	6,881	6,156	2,863
Student deposits	(7,288)	9,417	9,139
Net cash provided by operating activities	199,085	304,898	237,761
Cash flows used in investing activities:
Capital expenditures	(94,527)	(113,586)	(178,292)
Purchases of land and building improvements related to off-site development	(330)	(10,368)	(60,727)
Disposition	(131,550)
Funding to GCU at closing in excess of required capital	(7,377)
Repayment of excess funds by GCU	7,377
Funding to GCU for capital expenditures	(29,996)
Proceeds received from note receivable			501
Return of equity method investment		685	1,749
Purchases of investments	(46,948)	(94,054)	(49,157)
Proceeds from sale or maturity of investments	65,116	65,259	69,925
Net cash used in investing activities	(238,235)	(152,064)	(216,001)
Cash flows used in financing activities:
Principal payments on notes payable and capital lease obligations	(6,719)	(6,805)	(7,224)
Debt issuance costs			(194)
Net borrowings from revolving line of credit		(25,000)	25,000
Repurchase of common shares including shares withheld in lieu of income taxes	(24,758)	(11,300)	(20,062)
Net proceeds from exercise of stock options	4,632	7,372	13,207
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities	(26,845)	(35,733)	10,727
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash	(65,995)	117,101	32,487
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period	248,008	130,907	98,420
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period	182,013	248,008	130,907
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information
Cash paid for interest	1,511	2,252	1,220
Cash paid for income taxes	78,195	69,606	66,206
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities
Sale transaction to GCU through Secured Note financing	870,097
Purchases of property and equipment included in accounts payable	1,121	$ 6,682	$ 7,746
Reclassification of capitalized costs - adoption of ASC 606	9,015
Reclassification of deferred revenue - adoption of ASC 606	7,451
Reclassification of tax effect within accumulated other comprehensive income	$ 156

Nature of Business	12 Months Ended
Nature of Business	Dec. 31, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Nature of Business	1. Nature of Business Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, the “Company” or “GCE”) is a publicly traded education services company. GCE provides a full array of support services in the post-secondary education sector and has developed significant technological solutions, infrastructure and operational processes to provide service in these areas on a large scale. GCE currently provides services to Grand Canyon University, an Arizona non-profit corporation (“GCU”), its client, that include technology and academic services, counseling services and support, marketing and communication services, and several back office services such as accounting, reporting, tax, human resources, and procurement services. On July 1, 2018 the Company consummated a transaction that impacted the nature of our business. See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements for a full description of this transaction. The Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries were historically used to facilitate expansion of the university campus prior to the transaction. GCU owns and operates a comprehensive regionally accredited university (the “University”) that offers over 240 graduate and undergraduate degree programs, emphases and certificates across nine colleges both online and on ground at its over 262 acre campus in Phoenix, Arizona, at leased facilities and at facilities owned by third party employers. GCE was formed in Delaware in November 2003 as a limited liability company, under the name Significant Education, LLC, for the purchase of acquiring the assets of the University from a non-profit foundation on February 2, 2004. On August 24, 2005, the Company converted from a limited liability company to a corporation and changed its name to Significant Education, Inc. On May 9, 2008, the Company changed its name to Grand Canyon Education, Inc.

The Transaction

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

The Transaction

2. The Transaction

Asset Purchase Agreement and Related Agreements

On July 1, 2018, the Company consummated an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Asset Purchase Agreement”) with GCU (formerly known as Gazelle University). Prior to the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Transaction”), the Company operated the University.

Pursuant to the Asset Purchase Agreement:

The Company transferred to GCU the real property and improvements comprising the University campus as well as tangible and intangible academic and related operations and assets related to the University (the “Transferred Assets”), and GCU assumed liabilities related to the Transferred Assets. Accordingly, GCU now owns and operates the University. The Asset Purchase Agreement contains customary representations, warranties, covenants, agreements and indemnities.

The final purchase price that GCU paid for the Transferred Assets at closing (and after giving effect to a post-closing adjustment as provided in the Asset Purchase Agreement) was $870,097. The final purchase price was equal to the book value of the tangible Transferred Assets as of July 1, 2018, plus $1.00 for the intangible Transferred Assets.

GCU paid the purchase price for the Transferred Assets by issuing to the Company a senior secured note (the “Secured Note”) that is governed by a credit agreement between the Company and GCU (the “Credit Agreement”). The Credit Agreement contains customary commercial credit terms, including affirmative and negative covenants applicable to GCU, and provides that the Secured Note bears interest at an annual rate of 6.0%, has a maturity date of June 30, 2025, and is secured by all of the assets of GCU. The Secured Note provides for GCU to make interest only payments during the term, with all principal and accrued and unpaid interest due at maturity and also provides that the Company will loan additional amounts to GCU to fund approved capital expenditures during the first three years of the term on the terms set forth therein.

In connection with the closing of the Asset Purchase Agreement, the Company and GCU entered into a long-term master services agreement (the “Master Services Agreement”) pursuant to which the Company provides identified technology and academic services, counseling services and support, marketing and communication services, and several back office services to GCU in return for 60% of GCU’s tuition and fee revenue. The Master Services Agreement has an initial term of fifteen (15) years, subject to renewal options, although GCU has the right to terminate the Master Services Agreement early after the later of seven (7) years or the payment in full of the Secured Note. If GCU were to terminate the Master Services Agreement early, then GCU would be required to pay the Company a termination fee equal to one-hundred percent (100%) of the fees paid in the trailing twelve (12) month period. If the Master Services Agreement were not renewed after the initial fifteen (15) year term, GCU would be required to pay the Company a non-renewal fee equal to fifty percent (50%) of the fees paid in the trailing twelve (12) month period.

As a result of the Transaction, effective July 1, 2018, various aspects of the Company’s operations changed in important ways. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Change in the Structure of Our Operations.”

Disposed Assets, previously Assets and Liabilities Held for Sale

The Company received Board approval to consummate the Transaction on June 28, 2018, and completed the Transaction on July 1, 2018. As a result, the Company determined that it had met the accounting requirements to classify the assets and liabilities to be transferred in the Transaction as assets and liabilities held for sale as of June 30, 2018. The assets and liabilities held for sale were sold as part of the Transaction on July 1, 2018. Accordingly, the following balances were transferred to GCU as of July 1, 2018:


Restricted cash and cash equivalents	$	97,443
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $6,093		9,780
Other assets		7,677
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $166,066		870,097
Total assets held for sale, current	$	984,997

Accrued and other liabilities	$	5,025
Student deposits		88,010
Deferred revenue		46,325
Note payable		79
Total liabilities held for sale, current	$	139,439

The Company received a Secured Note for the Transferred Assets. The Company also transferred cash equal to $34,107 representing a working capital adjustment as part of the closing. Except for identified liabilities assumed by GCU, GCE retained responsibility for all liabilities of the business arising from pre-closing operations. For the year ended December 31, 2018 the Company had a loss of $18,370, included in Loss on Transaction due to transaction costs of $5,765, which includes both disposition and acquisition related transaction costs, and an asset impairment of $3,037. In addition, the Company transferred to GCU cash of $9,568 to fund a deferred compensation plan for GCU employees that were formerly GCE employees (the “Transferred Employees”) and that held unvested restricted stock of GCE that was forfeited upon the Transaction. Included in the university related expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2018 is $7,880 of share-based compensation expense resulting from the modification and vesting of previously issued restricted stock grants held by Transferred Employees, employer tax expense of $191 related to the share-based compensation modification, net of reversals of employee related liabilities that were not part of the Transferred Assets for the Transaction of $1,502.

Variable Interest Entity and Related Party Considerations

ASC 810‑10‑15‑17 provides scope exceptions to the variable interest entity analysis that include a not-for profit entity carve out. GCU is not a related party to the Company in accordance with ASC Topic 850. The following factors were considered:

Since GCU is a non-profit corporation, the Company has no ownership interest or voting rights in GCU.

GCU is a separate non-profit entity under the control of an independent board of trustees, none of whose members have ever served in a management or corporate board role at the Company. GCU’s board of trustees has adopted bylaws and a related conflict of interest policy that, among other things, (i) prevents any trustee of GCU from attending any meeting, or voting on any matter, as to which such trustee has a conflict of interest, (ii) establishes a special committee of independent trustees to oversee on behalf of GCU all matters related to the Master Services Agreement and GCU’s relationship with the Company, and (iii) prohibits any trustee from having any financial interest in, or role with, the Company. Accordingly, the Company’s relationship with GCU, both pursuant to the Master Services Agreement and operationally, is no longer as owner and operator, but as a third party service provider to an independent customer. While the Company believes that its relationship with GCU will remain strong, GCU’s board of trustees and management will have fiduciary and other duties that will require them to focus on the best interests of GCU and over time those interests could diverge from those of the Company.

Mr. Brian E. Mueller has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company since 2008 and the Chairman of the Board of the Company since 2017 and has also served as the President of the University since 2012. In connection with the Transaction, the Board of Directors of the Company and the board of trustees of GCU each independently determined that Mr. Mueller should retain those roles. Accordingly, Mr. Mueller remains the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and continues to serve as the President of GCU. As noted above, however, Mr. Mueller is prohibited from serving on the board of trustees of GCU. Aside from Mr. Mueller, no other employee of GCU or GCE has a dual role in both organizations. A structure has been put in place that prevents Mr. Mueller from participating in operational matters involving the Company and GCU, including with respect to the Master Services Agreement.

The terms of the Master Services Agreement vest in GCU and its board of trustees full authority over decision making related to the day-to-day operations of GCU, including, without limitation, (i) selecting, hiring and firing its personnel, (ii) selecting and adopting academic programs and courses, (iii) establishing admission standards and admitting students, (iv) overseeing instruction, (v) setting credit and student performance requirements, (vi) determining graduation requirements, and (vii) conferring degrees. Per the terms of the MSA, GCE has no authority over GCU’s day-to-day operations.

If GCU were to default under the Credit Agreement, the Company would be able to pursue assets of GCU, which are pledged as collateral for the Secured Note. However, the Company would not become the owner or operator of GCU.

There is no parent entity and subsidiary relationship between the Company and GCU.

The Company and GCU both engaged their own outside corporate counsel, outside regulatory counsel, and financial advisors to represent each party’s interest during the Transaction.

Second Amendment to Credit Agreement

The Company is a party to a credit agreement with Bank of America, N.A. as Administrative Agent, and other lenders, dated December 21, 2012 and amended as of January 15, 2016. Effective July 1, 2018, the Company and the lenders amended the credit agreement (the “Amendment”). Under the terms of the Amendment, (a) the lenders released the collateral securing the Company’s obligations under the credit agreement in order to enable the Company to consummate the Asset Purchase Agreement described above and modified certain financial and regulatory covenants to reflect the transactions described above, including the fact that the Company no longer operates a regulated educational institution, and (b) the Company (i) provided to the Administrative Agent cash collateral securing its remaining obligations under the credit agreement until such time as the Transaction has been approved by the ED (the “ED”), and (ii) agreed to collaterally assign its rights under the Asset Purchase Agreement, the Secured Note and the Master Services Agreement. The amount that is considered cash collateral is included as restricted cash on the consolidated balance sheet. The credit agreement, as amended by the Amendment, contains standard covenants, including covenants that, among other things, restrict the Company’s ability to incur additional debt or make certain investments and that require the Company to maintain a certain financial condition. Refer to Note 14 for subsequent event related to the credit agreement.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

3. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. Intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company invests a portion of its cash in excess of current operating requirements in short term certificates of deposit and money market instruments. The Company considers all highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less at the time of purchase to be cash equivalents.

Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents

A significant portion of the Company’s university related revenue was received from students who participated in government financial aid and assistance programs. Prior to July 1, 2018, restricted cash and cash equivalents represented amounts received from the federal and state governments under various student aid grant and loan programs, such as Title IV. The Company received these funds subsequent to the completion of the authorization and disbursement process and held them for the benefit of the student. ED requires Title IV funds collected in advance of student billings to be restricted until the course begins. Prior to the Transaction, the Company recorded all of these amounts as a current asset in restricted cash and cash equivalents. The majority of these funds remained as restricted for an average of 60 to 90 days from the date of receipt. At the closing of the Transaction all restricted cash and cash equivalents were transferred to GCU. Restricted cash and cash equivalents at December 31, 2018 represents the cash collateral on the credit agreement.

Investments

The Company considers its investments in municipal bonds, mutual funds, municipal securities, certificates of deposit and commercial paper as available-for-sale securities. Available-for-sale securities are carried at fair value, determined using Level 1 and Level 2 of the hierarchy of valuation inputs, with the use of quoted market prices and inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the assets, with unrealized gains and losses, net of tax, reported as a separate component of other comprehensive income. Unrealized losses considered to be other-than-temporary are recognized currently in earnings. Amortization of premiums, accretion of discounts, interest and dividend income and realized gains and losses are included in interest and other income. At December 31, 2018, the Company transferred its investments from available-for-sale to trading, due to the Company's decision to liquidate all investments to fund a significant business combination, that occurred in the first quarter of 2019. See Note 14 for further discussion on the subsequent event. As a result of the transfer to trading, the Company recorded a loss of $372 in investment interest and other for the year ended December 31, 2018.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are recorded at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method. Normal repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred. Expenditures that materially extend the useful life of an asset are capitalized. Construction in progress represents items not yet placed in service and are not depreciated. The Company capitalizes interest using its interest rates on the specific borrowings used to finance the improvements, which approximated 3.7% in 2018, 2.8% in 2017, and 2.2% in 2016. Interest cost capitalized and incurred in the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, and 2016 are as follows:


	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017		2016
Interest incurred	$	2,292	$	2,656	$	2,538
Interest capitalized		756		487		1,210
Interest expense	$	1,536	$	2,169	$	1,328

Depreciation is provided using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Furniture and fixtures, computer equipment, and vehicles generally have estimated useful lives of ten, four, and five years, respectively. Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the shorter of their lease term or their useful life. Land improvements and buildings are depreciated over lives ranging from 10 to 40 years.

Internally Developed Technology

The Company capitalizes certain costs related to internal-use software, primarily consisting of direct labor associated with creating the software. Software development projects generally include three stages: the preliminary project stage (all costs are expensed as incurred), the application development stage (certain costs are capitalized and certain costs are expensed as incurred) and the post-implementation or operation stage (all costs are expensed as incurred). Costs capitalized in the application development stage include costs of design, coding, integration, and testing of the software developed. Capitalization of costs requires judgment in determining when a project has reached the application development stage and the period over which we expect to benefit from the use of that software. Once the software is placed in service, these costs are amortized over the estimated useful life of the software, which is generally three years. These assets are a component of our property and equipment, net in our consolidated balance sheet.

Leases

The Company enters into various lease agreements in conducting its business. At the inception of each lease, the Company evaluates the lease agreement to determine whether the lease is an operating or capital lease. In addition, many of the lease agreements contain renewal options and tenant improvement allowances. When such items are included in a lease agreement, the Company records a deferred liability on the consolidated balance sheet and records the rent expense evenly over the term of the lease. Leasehold improvements are included as investing activities and are included as additions to property, plant and equipment. For leases with renewal options, the Company records rent expense and amortizes the leasehold improvement on a straight-line basis over the initial non-cancelable lease term unless it intends to exercise the renewal option. Once it extends the renewal option, the Company amortizes any tenant improvement allowances over the extended lease period as well as the leasehold improvement asset (unless the extended lease term is longer than the economic life of the asset). The Company expenses any additional payments under its operating leases for taxes, insurance or other operating expenses as incurred.

Other Assets

The Company developed our online delivery platform with an affiliated entity and put this platform into full production in 2011. The Company has prepaid perpetual license fees and source code rights for the software developed, and has prepaid maintenance and service fees. Included in current other assets is the amount that will be amortized in the next twelve month cycle for maintenance and service fees and included in property and equipment is the amount that will be amortized over fifteen years for the perpetual licenses.

Long-Lived Assets

The Company evaluates the recoverability of its long-lived assets for impairment, other than goodwill, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to undiscounted future net cash flows expected to be generated by the assets. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets.

Prepaid Royalty

In connection with its February 2004 acquisition of the assets of the University from a non-profit foundation, the Company recorded a future royalty payment obligation that was included in the Prepaid Royalty in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet, which was being amortized over a 20 year period. This asset was to be expensed over the periods that online education revenues were earned. At the completion of the Transaction on July 1, 2018, the remaining prepaid royalty assets were deemed impaired and $3,037 was expensed and included in Loss on Transaction in the consolidated income statement.

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of the cost over the fair market value of net assets acquired, including identified intangible assets. Goodwill is tested annually or more frequently if circumstances indicate potential impairment. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) has issued guidance that permits an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform the two-step quantitative goodwill impairment test. The Company performed its annual goodwill impairment test, by performing a qualitative assessment. Following this assessment, the Company determined that it is more likely than not that its fair value exceeds its carrying amount.

Share-Based Compensation

The Company measures and recognizes compensation expense for share-based payment awards made to employees and directors. The fair value of the Company’s restricted stock awards is based on the market price of its common stock on the date of grant. Stock-based compensation expense related to restricted stock grants is expensed over the vesting period using the straight-line method for Company employees and the Company’s board of directors. Starting January 1, 2017 with the adoption of the share-based compensation accounting standard, the Company made an accounting policy election to account for forfeitures as they occur, prior to 2017 these forfeitures were estimated and reported net of the expense.

Derivatives and Hedging

Derivative financial instruments are recorded on the consolidated balance sheet as assets or liabilities and re-measured at fair value at each reporting date. For derivatives designated as cash flow hedges, the effective portion of the gain or loss on the derivative is reported as a component of other comprehensive income and reclassified into earnings in the same period or period during which the hedged transaction affects earnings. Gains and losses on the derivative representing either hedge ineffectiveness or hedge components excluded from the assessment of effectiveness are recognized in current earnings.

Derivative financial instruments enable the Company to manage its exposure to interest rate risk. The Company does not engage in any derivative instrument trading activity. Credit risk associated with the Company’s derivatives is limited to the risk that a derivative counterparty will not perform in accordance with the terms of the contract. Exposure to counterparty credit risk is considered low because these agreements have been entered into with institutions with Aa or higher credit ratings, and they are expected to perform fully under the terms of the agreements.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The carrying value of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued compensation and benefits and accrued liabilities approximate their fair value based on the liquidity or the short-term maturities of these instruments. The carrying value of Secured Note receivable, non-current approximates fair value as the Secured Note resulted from the Transaction and was negotiated at fair market value. The carrying value of notes payable approximate fair value based on its variable rate index. Derivative financial instruments are carried at fair value, determined using Level 2 of the hierarchy of valuation inputs as defined in the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“Codification”), with the use of inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability. See Note 9, Derivative Instruments.

The fair value of investments, primarily municipal securities, were determined using Level 2 of the hierarchy of valuation inputs, with the use of inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the assets. The unit of account used for valuation is the individual underlying security. The municipal securities are comprised of city and county bonds related to schools, water and sewer, utilities, transportation, healthcare and housing.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes payable or refundable for the current year and deferred tax assets and liabilities for future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in the Company’s consolidated financial statements or tax returns. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the temporary differences are expected to be realized.

The Company applies a more-likely-than-not threshold for financial statement recognition and measurement of an uncertain tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in income tax expense. As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company has reserved approximately $1,960 and $2,008, respectively, for uncertain tax positions, including interest and penalties, which is classified within accrued liabilities on the accompanying consolidated balance sheet.

The Company has deferred tax assets, which are subject to periodic recoverability assessments. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount that more likely than not will be realized. Realization of the deferred tax assets is principally dependent upon achievement of projected future taxable income.

Commitments and Contingencies

The Company accrues for a contingent obligation when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount is reasonably estimable. When the Company becomes aware of a claim or potential claim, the likelihood of any loss exposure is assessed. If it is probable that a loss will result and the amount of the loss is estimable, the Company records a liability for the estimated loss. If the loss is not probable or the amount of the potential loss is not estimable, the Company will disclose the claim if the likelihood of a potential loss is reasonably possible and the amount of the potential loss could be material. Estimates that are particularly sensitive to future changes include tax, legal, and other regulatory matters, which are subject to change as events evolve, and as additional information becomes available during the administrative and litigation process. The Company expenses legal fees as incurred.

Revenue Recognition

University related revenue – prior to July 1, 2018

On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” using the modified retrospective method applied to all contracts. Prior to the Transaction on July 1, 2018, net revenues consisted primarily of tuition, net of scholarships, and fees derived from courses taught by the University online, on ground, and at facilities it leased or those of employers, as well as from related educational resources that the University provided to its students, such as access to online materials. Tuition revenue was recognized pro-rata over the applicable period of instruction. A contract was entered into with a student and covered a course or semester. Revenue recognition occurred once a student started attending a course. The University also charged online students an upfront learning management fee, which was deferred and recognized over the initial course. The University had no costs that were capitalized to obtain or to fulfill a contract with a customer. Ancillary revenues included housing and fee revenues that were recognized over the period the services were provided and also included revenues from sales and services such as food and beverage, merchandise, hotel, golf and arena events that were recognized as sales occurred or services were performed as these services were transferred at a point in time. For the six months ended June 30, 2018 and the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company’s revenue was reduced by approximately $101,176, $196,334 and $179,230, respectively, as a result of scholarships that the Company offered to students. Sales tax collected from students is excluded from net revenues. Collected but unremitted sales tax is included as an accrued liability in our consolidated balance sheet.

The following table presents our revenues disaggregated by the nature of transfer of services for the six months ended June 30, 2018:


Tuition revenues	$	522,430
Ancillary revenues (housing, meals, fees, golf, hotel, arena, other)		91,245
Total revenues		613,675
Scholarships		(101,176)
Net Revenues	$	512,499

The Company’s receivables represented unconditional rights to consideration from its contracts with students; accordingly, students were not billed until they started attending a course and the revenue recognition process had commenced. Once a student had been invoiced, payment was due immediately. Included in each invoice to the student were all educational related items including tuition, net of scholarships, housing, educational materials, fees, etc. The Company did not have any contract assets. The Company’s contract liabilities were reported as deferred revenue and student deposits in the consolidated balance sheets. Deferred revenue and student deposits in any period represented the excess of tuition, fees, and other student payments received as compared to amounts recognized as revenue on the consolidated income statement and were reflected as current liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The Company’s education programs had starting and ending dates that differ from its fiscal quarters. Therefore, at the end of each fiscal quarter, a portion of revenue from these programs was not yet earned. The majority of the University’s traditional ground students did not attend courses during the summer months (May through August), which affected our results for our second and third fiscal quarters.

The Company had identified a performance obligation associated with the provision of its educational instruction and other educational services, housing services, and other academic related services and used the output measure for recognition as the period of time over which the services were provided to our students. The Company had identified performance obligations related to its hotel, golf course, restaurants, sale of branded promotional items and other ancillary activities and recognized revenue at the point in time goods or services were provided to its customers. The Company maintained an institutional tuition refund policy, which provided for all or a portion of tuition to be refunded if a student withdrew during stated refund periods. Certain states in which students reside impose separate, mandatory refund policies, which overrode the Company’s policy to the extent in conflict. If a student withdrew at a time when only a portion, or none of the tuition was refundable, then in accordance with its revenue recognition policy, the Company continued to recognize the tuition that was not refunded pro-rata over the applicable period of instruction. The Company did not record revenue on amounts that may be refunded. However, for students that had taken out financial aid to pay their tuition and for which a return of such money to ED under Title IV was required as a result of his or her withdrawal, the Company reassessed collectability for these students each quarter for the estimated revenue that will be returned and recognized the revenue in future periods when payment was received. The Company had elected the short-term contract exemption with respect to its performance obligations under its contracts with students as all such contracts had original terms of less than one year.

Service revenue commenced July 1, 2018

Starting July 1, 2018, the Company generates all of its revenue through the Master Services Agreement, pursuant to which the Company provides identified technology and academic services, counseling services and support, marketing and communication services, and several back office services to GCU in return for 60% of GCU’s tuition and fee revenue. Effective July 1, 2018, the Company applied “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” applied to our Master Service Agreement, our only revenue-producing contract, as an education service provider.

The Company’s contract with GCU has an initial 15 year term, subject to renewal options, although GCU has the right to terminate the Master Services Agreement early after the later of seven (7) years or the payment in full of the Secured Note. Refer to Note 2 for further discussion on the fees associated with early termination or non-renewal by GCU. The Company’s contract has a single performance obligation, as the promises to provide the identified services are not distinct within the context of the Master Services Agreement. The single performance obligation is delivered as our client receives and consumes benefits, which occurs ratably over the service period. Service revenue is recognized over time using the output method of measuring progress towards complete satisfaction of the single performance obligation. The output method provides a faithful depiction of the performance toward complete satisfaction of the performance obligation and can be tied to the time elapsed which is consumed evenly over the month and is a direct measurement of the value provided to our client. The service fees received from our client over the term of the agreement are variable in nature in that they are dependent upon the number of students attending the University and revenues generated from those students during the service period. Due to the variable nature of the consideration over the life of the service arrangement, the Company considered forming an expectation of the variable consideration to be received over the service life of this one performance obligation. However, since the performance obligation represents a series of distinct services, the Company will recognize the variable consideration that becomes known and billable each month because these fees relate to the distinct service period (month) in which the fees are earned. The Company meets the criteria in the standard and will exercise the practical expedient and not disclose the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to the single performance obligation that is unsatisfied as of the end of the reporting period. The Company does not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations because the directly allocable variable consideration is allocated entirely to a wholly unsatisfied promise to transfer a service that forms part of a single performance obligation. The service fees are calculated and settled monthly with GCU, resulting in a settlement duration of less than one year. There are no refunds or return rights under the Master Services Agreement.

The Company’s receivables represent unconditional rights to consideration from our contract with GCU. Accounts receivable, net is stated at net realizable value, and the Company utilizes the allowance method to provide for doubtful accounts based on its evaluation of the collectability of the amounts due. There are no unbilled revenue amounts included in our accounts receivable. There have been no amounts written off and no reserves established as of December 31, 2018. The Company receives service revenue payments monthly. The Company will continue to review and revise its allowance methodology based on historical collection experience and other information relevant to collectability.

The Company does not have any contract assets or contract liabilities as the Company calculates the service fee and bills its client on the last day of each month. The Company has no costs that are capitalized to obtain or to fulfill a contract with a customer.

Financial Statement Presentation

On July 1, 2018 the Company consummated the Transaction, which impacted the nature of its business. See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements for a full description of the Transaction. GCE now provides services to GCU, its client, that include technology and academic services, counseling services and support, marketing and communication services, and several back office services such as accounting, reporting, tax, human resources, and procurement services. The Company made changes in its presentation of operating expenses and reclassified prior periods to conform to the current presentation. The Company determined that these changes would provide more meaningful information as this new presentation provides transparency for costs that will be incurred as a service provider and costs that will not reoccur in the future as they are related to university expenses that were transferred to GCU in the Transaction.

Technical and Academic Services

Technical and academic services (previously primarily a component of instructional costs and services) consist primarily of costs related to ongoing maintenance of educational infrastructure, including online course delivery and management, student records, assessment, customer relations management and other internal administrative systems. This also includes costs to provide support for curriculum and new program development, support for faculty training and development, technical support and assistance with state compliance. This expense category includes salaries, benefits and share-based compensation, information technology costs, curriculum and new program development costs (which are expensed as incurred) and other costs associated with these support services. This category also includes an allocation of depreciation, amortization, rent, and occupancy costs attributable to the provision of these services, primarily at the Company’s Phoenix, Arizona location.

Counseling Services and Support

Counseling services and support (previously primarily components of instructional costs and services and admissions advisory related expenses) consist primarily of costs including team-based counseling and other support to prospective and current students as well as financial aid processing. This expense category includes salaries, benefits and share-based compensation, and other costs such as dues, fees and subscriptions and travel costs. This category also includes an allocation of depreciation, amortization, rent, and occupancy costs attributable to the provision of these services, primarily at the Company’s Phoenix, Arizona location.

Marketing and Communication

Marketing and communication includes lead acquisition, digital communication strategies, brand identity advertising, media planning and strategy, video, data science and analysis, marketing to potential students and other promotional and communication services. This category was primarily from our historical captions of advertising and marketing and promotional. This expense category includes salaries, benefits and share-based compensation for marketing and communication personnel, brand advertising, marketing leads and other promotional and communication expenses. This category also includes an allocation of depreciation, amortization, rent, and occupancy costs attributable to the provision of these services, primarily at the Company’s Phoenix, Arizona location. Advertising costs are expensed as incurred.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses include salaries, benefits and share-based compensation of employees engaged in corporate management, finance, human resources, compliance, and other corporate functions. This category also includes an allocation of depreciation, amortization, rent, and occupancy costs attributable to the provision of these services, primarily at the Company’s Phoenix, Arizona location.

University related expenses

University related expenses (previously primarily instructional costs and services) represent the costs that were transferred to GCU in the Transaction and that are no longer incurred by the Company.

We have reclassified our operating expenses for prior periods to conform to the above disaggregation and revisions to our presentation. There were no changes to total operating expenses or operating income as a result of these reclassifications.

The following table presents our operating expenses as previously reported and as reclassified on our consolidated income statement for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016.


	For the year ended December 31,
	2017	2017	2016	2016
	As Reported	As Reclassified	As Reported	As Reclassified
Costs and expenses:
Technology and academic services	—	41,834	—	39,101
Counseling services and support	—	188,595	—	175,045
Marketing and communication	—	109,092	—	98,592
General and administrative	43,759	27,157	43,219	28,079
University related expenses	—	324,140	—	294,188
Loss on transaction	—	562	—	1,136
Instructional costs and services	410,840	—	373,101	—
Admissions advisory and related	128,544	—	119,286	—
Advertising	98,608	—	88,152	—
Marketing and promotional	9,629	—	8,860	—
Lease termination costs	—	—	3,523	—
Total costs and expenses	691,380	691,380	636,141	636,141

Lease termination costs

In July 2016, the Company notified a current landlord of its intent to vacate leased space by the end of the fourth quarter of 2016. As part of that notification, the Company was required to pay a termination fee to its landlord of $3,363 which was recorded as an expense in the third quarter of 2016. As of December 31, 2016, the Company had vacated the space, and expensed an additional $160 in the fourth quarter of 2016 related to the remaining amounts due under the lease net of remaining deferred rent. These amounts are included in university related expenses in our reclassified consolidated income statement.

Insurance/Self-Insurance

The Company uses a combination of insurance and self-insurance for a number of risks, including claims related to employee health care, workers’ compensation, general liability, and business interruption. Liabilities associated with these risks are estimated based on, among other things, historical claims experience, severity factors, and other actuarial assumptions. The Company’s loss exposure related to self-insurance is limited by stop loss coverage on a per occurrence and aggregate basis. The Company regularly analyzes its reserves for incurred but not reported claims, and for reported but not paid claims related to self-funded insurance programs. While the Company believes reserves are adequate, significant judgment is involved in assessing these reserves such as assessing historical paid claims, average lags between the claims’ incurred date, reported dates and paid dates, and the frequency and severity of claims. There may be differences between actual settlement amounts and recorded reserves and any resulting adjustments are included in expense once a probable amount is known.

Concentration of Credit Risk

The Company believes the credit risk related to cash equivalents and investments is limited due to its adherence to an investment policy that required investments to have a minimum BBB rating, depending on the type of security, by one major rating agency at the time of purchase. All of the Company’s cash equivalents and investments as of December 31, 2018 and 2017 consist of investments rated BBB or higher by at least one rating agency. Additionally, the Company utilizes more than one financial institution to conduct initial and ongoing credit analysis on its investment portfolio to monitor and lower the potential impact of market risk associated with its cash equivalents and investment portfolio. The Company is also subject to credit risk for its accounts receivable balance. The Company has not experienced any losses on receivables to date. To manage accounts receivable risk, the Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts, if needed. Our dependence on one customer subjects us to the risk that declines in our customer’s operations would result in a sustained reduction in revenues and interest income on Secured Note for the Company.

Segment Information

The Company operates as a single educational services company using a core infrastructure that serves the curriculum and educational delivery needs of its client, GCU. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer manages the Company’s operations as a whole and no expense or operating income information is generated or evaluated on any component level.

Accounting Pronouncements Adopted in 2018

In May 2014, the FASB issued “Revenue from Contracts with Customers, as amended.” The standard is a comprehensive new revenue recognition model that requires revenue to be recognized in a manner to depict the transfer of goods or services to a customer at an amount that reflects the consideration expected to be received in exchange for those goods or services. The accounting guidance also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgements and changes in judgements and assets recognized from costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a contract. The Company adopted this new standard on January 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective method applied to all contracts. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or statement of cash flows. The Company elected the short-term contract exemption with respect to disclosures associated with its performance obligations as all performance obligations as of the end of any reporting period have original terms of less than a year. The cumulative effect for the Company upon adoption of this new standard was $1,174, net of tax. The adoption impact resulted from the removal of $9,015 of costs that were direct and incremental previously capitalized for online students, and the removal of deferred revenue from an upfront learning fee of $7,451. These fees are no longer capitalized and amortized over the average expected term of a student. The fee is now amortized over the first course for the online student.

In January 2016, the FASB issued “Financial Instruments – Overall: Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities.” The standard addresses certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure of financial instruments. Most prominent among the amendments is the requirement for changes in the fair value of equity investments, with certain exceptions, to be recognized through net income rather than other comprehensive income (“OCI”). This standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2017, and early adoption is not permitted. Accordingly, the standard was effective for us as of January 1, 2018. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or statement of cash flows.

In May 2017, the FASB issued “Compensation – Stock Compensation – Scope of Modification Accounting.” This standard provides guidance about which changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award require an entity to apply modification accounting. This standard was effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption was permitted, including adoption in any interim period. Accordingly, the standard was adopted by us as of July 1, 2018. The vesting conditions for approximately 100 former GCE employees who became GCU employees upon the closing of the Transaction, were accelerated contingent upon the closing of the Transaction. As a result, the incremental share-based compensation expense from the modification on 82,027 restricted stock awards for the accelerated vesting date was $7,880 and is included in the university related expenses in the consolidated income statement.

In February 2018, the FASB issued “Income Statement – Reporting Comprehensive Income.” This standard allows a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Elimination of the stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will improve the usefulness of information reported to financial statement users. This standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in any interim period. Accordingly, the standard was adopted by us as of April 1, 2018. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or statement of cash flows.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2016, the FASB issued “Leases.” The standard establishes a right-of-use (“ROU”) model that requires a lessee to recognize a ROU asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with lease terms longer than 12 months. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. This standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2018, and early adoption is permitted. Accordingly, the standard is effective for us on January 1, 2019 using a modified retrospective transition approach. A modified retrospective transition approach is required for lessees for capital and operating leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements, with certain practical expedients available. The Company continues to evaluate the impact that the future adoption of this standard will have on our consolidated financial statements and we believe the adoption will slightly increase our assets and liabilities, and will increase our financial statement disclosures.

In August 2017, the FASB issued “Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities.” This standard targets improvements in the hedge relationship documentation, testing and disclosures for derivatives. This standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted for fiscal years and interim period within those years, beginning in August 2017. Accordingly, the standard is effective for us on January 1, 2019. The adoption of this guidance will not have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or statement of cash flows.

The Company has determined that no other recent accounting pronouncements apply to its operations or could otherwise have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

Investments

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]

Investments

4. Investments

The following is a summary of investments as of December 31, 2018 and 2017. At December 31, 2018, the Company transferred its investments from available-for-sale classification to trading, due to the Company's decision to liquidate all investments to complete a significant business combination, that occurred in the first quarter of 2019. See Note 14 for further discussion on the subsequent event. As a result of the transfer to trading, the Company recorded a loss of $372 in investment interest and other for the year ended December 31, 2018 and there was no unrealized gain or loss as of December 31, 2018. Prior to December 2018, the Company considered all investments as available for sale.


	As of December 31, 2018
			Gross		Gross		Estimated
	Adjusted		Unrealized		Unrealized		Fair
	Cost		Gains		(Losses)		Value
Municipal securities	$	69,002	$	—	$	—	$	69,002

Total investments	$	69,002	$	—	$	—	$	69,002


	As of December 31, 2017
			Gross		Gross
	Adjusted		Unrealized		Unrealized		Estimated
	Cost		Gains		(Losses)		Fair Value
Municipal securities	$	84,768	$	—	$	(409)	$	84,359
Certificates of Deposit	$	4,915	$	—	$	(3)	$	4,912

Total investments	$	89,683	$	—	$	(412)	$	89,271

The cash flows of municipal securities are backed by the issuing municipality’s credit worthiness. All municipal securities and certificates of deposit are due in one year or less as of December 31, 2018. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the net unrealized losses on available-for-sale securities were $0 and $255, net of taxes, respectively.

Valuation and Qualifying Accounts

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Valuation and Qualifying Accounts [Abstract]

Valuation and Qualifying Accounts

5. Valuation and Qualifying Accounts


	Balance at				Balance at
	Beginning of		Charged to	Deductions/	End of
	Period		Expense	Transfers(1)(2)	Period
Allowance for doubtful accounts receivable
Year ended December 31, 2018	$	5,907	8,669	(14,576)	$	—
Year ended December 31, 2017	$	5,918	18,478	(18,489)	$	5,907
Year ended December 31, 2016	$	5,137	18,639	(17,858)	$	5,918

(1)

Deductions represent accounts written off, net of recoveries.

(2)

$6,093 included in the deductions column for the year ended December 31, 2018, represents the allowance that was transferred to GCU with other educational assets and liabilities on July 1, 2018. See Note 2.

Property and Equipment

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Property and Equipment

Property and Equipment

6. Property and Equipment

Property and equipment consist of the following:


	As of December 31,
	2018		2017
Land	$	5,579	$	160,126
Land improvements		2,242		25,630
Buildings		51,409		595,384
Buildings and leasehold improvements		9,581		117,460
Equipment under capital leases		—		5,937
Computer equipment		85,316		116,477
Furniture, fixtures and equipment		4,955		63,470
Internally developed software		39,270		36,173
Other		—		1,176
Construction in progress		2,376		32,390
		200,728		1,154,223
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization		(89,689)		(231,939)
Property and equipment, net	$	111,039	$	922,284

Depreciation and amortization expense associated with property and equipment, including assets under capital lease, totaled $ 35,525, $53,607, and $44,829 for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, and 2016, respectively.

Notes Payable and Other Noncurrent Liabilities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Payables and Accruals [Abstract]

Notes Payable and Other Noncurrent Liabilities

7. Notes Payable and Other Noncurrent Liabilities

In 2012, we entered into a new credit agreement, which increased our term loan to $100,000 with a maturity date of December 2019. Additionally, this facility, as amended in January 2016, provided a revolving line of credit in the amount of $150,000 through December 2017 to be utilized for working capital, capital expenditures, share repurchases and other general corporate purposes. The amendment to this facility increased the revolving line of credit from $50,000 to $150,000. The revolver expired on December 31, 2017. On July 1, 2018, we amended our credit agreement, which resulted in no change to our term loan maturity date of December 2019. Indebtedness under the credit facility is now secured by our remaining assets after giving effect to the Transaction, as well as cash collateral until such time as the Transaction has been approved by ED, and we agreed to collaterally assign our rights under the Asset Purchase Agreement, the Secured Note and the Master Services Agreement. Our lenders released their lien on the real estate collateral previously securing our obligations under the credit agreement in order to enable us to consummate the Asset Purchase Agreement. The credit agreement contains standard covenants that, among other things, restrict the Company’s ability to incur additional debt or make certain investments, and require the Company to achieve certain financial ratios and maintain certain financial condition. As of December 31, 2018, the Company is in compliance with its debt covenants. As a result of the refinancing of our credit agreement, that occurred in the first quarter of 2019, we have reclassified our current debt to reflect the principal payments due in 2019, and the remainder of our term loan balance would be repaid in 2020. See Note 14 for further discussion on the subsequent event.


	As of December 31,
	2018		2017
Notes Payable
Note payable, monthly payment of $556; interest at 30 day LIBOR plus 1.75% (4.10% at December 31, 2018) through December 31, 2019	$	59,905	$	66,477
Annuities; quarterly payments of $34; interest at 10%		—		139
		59,905		66,616
Less: Current portion		36,468		6,691
	$	23,437	$	59,925

The annuities were transferred to GCU with other educational assets and liabilities on July 1, 2018. See Note 2. Long-term deferred rent included in other noncurrent liabilities as of December 31, 2017 was $460.

Commitments and Contingencies	12 Months Ended
Commitments and Contingencies	Dec. 31, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	8. Commitments and Contingencies Leases Total rent expense and related taxes and operating expenses under operating leases for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 was $ 827, $1,545, and $6,694, respectively. The majority of the Company’s leases were included in the educational assets and liabilities transferred to GCU on July 1, 2018. See Note 2. Legal Matters From time to time, the Company is party to various lawsuits, claims, and other legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business, some of which are covered by insurance. When the Company is aware of a claim or potential claim, it assesses the likelihood of any loss or exposure. If it is probable that a loss will result and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated, the Company records a liability for the loss. If the loss is not probable or the amount of the loss cannot be reasonably estimated, the Company discloses the nature of the specific claim if the likelihood of a potential loss is reasonably possible and the amount involved is material. With respect to the majority of pending litigation matters, the Company’s ultimate legal and financial responsibility, if any, cannot be estimated with certainty and, in most cases, any potential losses related to those matters are not considered probable. Upon resolution of any pending legal matters, the Company may incur charges in excess of presently established reserves. Management does not believe that any such charges would, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Tax Reserves, Non-Income Tax Related From time to time the Company has exposure to various non-income tax related matters that arise in the ordinary course of business. At both December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company has no reserve for tax matters where its ultimate exposure is considered probable and the potential loss can be reasonably estimated.

Derivative Instruments	12 Months Ended
Derivative Instruments	Dec. 31, 2018
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative Instruments	9. Derivative Instruments On February 27, 2013, the Company entered into an interest rate corridor to manage its 30 Day LIBOR interest exposure related to its variable rate debt. This instrument did not contain financing elements. The contractual terms of the Company’s derivative instrument have not been structured such that net payments made by one party in the earlier periods are to be subsequently returned by the counterparty in later periods of the derivative’s term. The Company’s derivative instrument has not been amended or modified since inception. The fair value of the interest rate corridor instrument as of December 31, 2018 and 2017 was $600 and $509, respectively, which is included in other assets. The fair value of the derivative instrument was determined using a hypothetical derivative transaction and Level 2 of the hierarchy of valuation inputs. This derivative instrument was originally designated as a cash flow hedge of variable rate debt obligations. The adjustments of $157, $17, and $245 for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively, for the effective portion of the gain/loss on the derivative is included as a component of other comprehensive income, net of taxes. The interest rate corridor instrument reduces variable interest rate risk starting March 1, 2013 through December 20, 2019 with a notional amount of $60,000 as of December 31, 2018. The corridor instrument’s terms permit the Company to hedge its interest rate risk at several thresholds; the Company pays variable interest monthly based on the 30-day LIBOR rates until that index reaches 1.5%. If 30-day LIBOR is equal to 1.5% through 3.0%, the Company pays 1.5%. If 30-day LIBOR exceeds 3.0%, the Company pays actual 30-day LIBOR less 1.5%. Therefore, the Company has hedged its exposure to future variable rate cash flows through December 20, 2019. As of December 31, 2018 no derivative ineffectiveness was identified. Any ineffectiveness in the Company’s derivative instrument designated as a hedge would be reported in interest expense in the income statement. At December 31, 2018, the Company expects to reclassify any gains or losses on derivative instruments from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) into earnings during the next 12 months as the derivative instrument expires in December 2019.

Earnings Per Share

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Earnings Per Share

10. Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings per common share is calculated by dividing net income available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted earnings per common share reflects the assumed conversion of all potentially dilutive securities, consisting of stock options and restricted stock awards, for which the estimated fair value exceeds the exercise price, less shares which could have been purchased with the related proceeds, unless anti-dilutive. For employee equity awards, repurchased shares are also included for any unearned compensate ion adjusted for tax. The table below reflects the calculation of the weighted average number of common shares outstanding, on an as if converted basis, used in computing basic and diluted earnings per common share.


	Year Ended December 31,
	2018	2017	2016
Denominator:
Basic weighted average shares outstanding	47,608	47,140	46,083
Effect of dilutive stock options and restricted stock	806	1,095	1,038
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding	48,414	48,235	47,121

Diluted weighted average shares outstanding excludes the incremental effect of unvested restricted stock and shares that would be issued upon the assumed exercise of stock options in accordance with the treasury stock method. For each of the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, approximately 0, 2 and 344, respectively, of the Company’s stock options and restricted stock awards outstanding were excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share as their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive. These options and restricted stock awards could be dilutive in the future.

Equity Transactions	12 Months Ended
Equity Transactions	Dec. 31, 2018
Equity [Abstract]
Equity Transactions	11. Equity Transactions Preferred Stock As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company had 10,000 shares of authorized but unissued and undesignated preferred stock. The Company’s charter provides that the board of directors has authority to issue preferred stock, with voting powers, designations, preferences, and special rights, qualifications, limitation, or restrictions as permitted by law as determined by the board of directors, without stockholder approval. The board of directors may authorize the issuance of preferred stock with voting or conversion rights that could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of the common stock. Treasury Stock The Board of Directors has authorized the Company to repurchase up to $175,000 in aggregate of common stock, from time to time, depending on market conditions and other considerations. The expiration date on the repurchase authorization has been extended to December 31, 2019. Repurchases occur at the Company’s discretion. Repurchases may be made in the open market. or in privately negotiated transactions, pursuant to the applicable Securities and Exchange Commission rules. The amount and timing of future share repurchases, if any, will be made as market and business conditions warrant. Since its approval of the share repurchase plan, the Company has purchased 3,600 shares of common stock at an aggregate cost of $86,898, which are recorded at cost in the accompanying December 31, 2018 consolidated balance sheet and statement of stockholders’ equity. During the year ended December 31, 2018 the Company repurchased 91 shares of common stock at an aggregate costs of $9,606. At December 31, 2018, there remained $88,102 available under its current share repurchase authorization. Shares repurchase in lieu of taxes are not included in the repurchase plan totals as they were approved in conjunction with the restricted share awards

Income Taxes

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

12. Income Taxes

The Company has deferred tax assets and liabilities that reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. Deferred tax assets are subject to periodic recoverability assessments. Realization of the deferred tax assets, net of deferred tax liabilities is principally dependent upon achievement of projected future taxable income. Based upon the level of historical taxable income and projections for future taxable income over the periods in which the deferred tax assets are deductible, management believes it is more-likely-than-not that the Company will realize the benefits of these deductible differences. The Company has no valuation allowance at December 31, 2018 and 2017.

On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”) was signed into law. For businesses, the Act reduces the corporate federal tax rate from a maximum of 35% to a flat 21% rate. The rate reduction took effect on January 1, 2018. The Company concluded that the Act caused the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities to be revalued. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. As changes in tax laws or rates are enacted, deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted though income tax expense. The Company’s net deferred tax liability was revalued as of December 22, 2017. The Company recorded a $10.7 million income tax benefit related to the revaluation of its net deferred tax liabilities. Excluding this income tax benefit in 2017, our effective tax rate would have been 32.1%. Due to the enactment date and complexities of the new tax law, the regulations may have not been fully interpreted by the federal and state taxing authorities, thus there may be additional impacts to the tax provision that may not have been included herein.

The components of income tax expense (benefit) are as follows:


	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017		2016
Current:
Federal	$	60,764	$	76,966	$	64,006
State		8,732		8,589		4,831
		69,496		85,555		68,837
Deferred:
Federal		(10,708)		(6,189)		7,961
State		(799)		843		891
		(11,507)		(5,346)		8,852
Tax expense recorded as an increase of paid-in capital		—		—		9,921
	$	57,989	$	80,209	$	87,610

A reconciliation of income tax computed at the U.S. statutory rate to the effective income tax rate is as follows:


	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017		2016
Statutory U.S. federal income tax rate	21.0	%	35.0	%	35.0	%
State income taxes, net of federal tax benefit	4.0		3.2		3.2
State tax credits, net of federal effect	(1.0)		(0.7)		(1.5)
Excess tax benefits	(3.7)		(5.8)		—
Deferred tax revaluation (Federal Rate change)	—		(3.7)		—
Nondeductible expenses	0.4		—		0.2
Other	(0.5)		0.3		0.2
Effective income tax rate	20.2	%	28.3	%	37.1	%

Significant components of the Company’s deferred income tax assets and liabilities, included in Deferred income taxes, non-current on the consolidated balance sheets are as follows:


	As of December 31,
	2018		2017
Deferred tax assets:
Share-based compensation	$	3,030	$	4,201
Employee compensation		780		950
Allowance for doubtful accounts		—		1,685
Deferred tuition revenue		—		1,294
Deferred scholarship		—		618
Intangibles		—		590
State taxes		879		985
Other		386		526
Deferred tax assets		5,075		10,849

Deferred tax liability:
Property and equipment		(10,778)		(28,028)
Goodwill		(762)		(762)
Other		—		(421)
Deferred tax liability		(11,540)		(29,211)
Net deferred tax liability	$	(6,465)	$	(18,362)

The net deferred tax liability on the accompanying consolidated balance sheet is comprised of the following:


	As of December 31,
	2018		2017
Deferred income taxes, current	$	1,871	$	5,214
Deferred income taxes, non-current		(8,336)		(23,576)
Net deferred tax liability	$	(6,465)	$	(18,362)

The Company recognizes the impact of a tax position in its financial statements if that position is more-likely-than-not to be sustained on audit, based on the technical merits of the position. The Company discloses all unrecognized tax benefits, which includes the reserves recorded for uncertain tax positions on filed tax returns and the unrecognized portion of affirmative claims. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in income tax expense. Unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2018 and 2017 were not significant.

The Company is subject to taxation in the United States, in states with an income tax and in several local jurisdictions. The Company is currently under audit by various state taxing authorities. The Company does not anticipate any material adjustments as a result of these audits. As of December 31, 2018, the earliest tax year still subject to examination for federal and state purposes is 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Share-Based Compensation Plans

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Share-Based Compensation Plans

Share-Based Compensation Plans

13. Share-Based Compensation Plans

Incentive Plans

Prior to June 2017, the Company made grants of restricted stock and stock options under its 2008 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2008 Plan”). In January 2017, the Board of Directors of the Company approved, and at the Company’s 2017 annual meeting of stockholders held on June 14, 2017, the Company’s stockholders adopted a 2017 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2017 Plan”) under which a maximum of 3 million shares may be granted. As of December 31, 2018, 1,910 shares were available for grants under the 2017 Plan. All grants of equity incentives made after June 2017 have been made from the 2017 Plan.

Restricted Stock

During fiscal year 2018, 2017, and 2016, the Company granted 160, 188, and 264 shares of common stock, respectively, with a service vesting condition to certain of its executives, officers, faculty and employees. The restricted shares have voting rights and vest evenly at 20% over each of the next five years. Upon vesting, shares will be held in lieu of taxes equivalent to the statutory tax withholding required to be paid when the restricted stock vests. During the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, the Company withheld 151, 151, and 114 shares of common stock in lieu of taxes at a cost of $15,152, $9,790, and $4,695, on the restricted stock vesting dates, respectively. During 2018, 2017 and 2016, following the annual stockholders meeting, the Company granted 3, 4 and 11 shares of common stock to the non-employee members of the Company’s Board of Directors. The restricted shares granted to these directors have voting rights and vest on the earlier of (a) the one year anniversary of the date of grant or (b) immediately prior to the following year’s annual stockholders’ meeting. In conjunction with the Transaction, the Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors decided to modify the vesting condition for certain restricted stock awards for approximately 100 Transferred Employees who transferred employment from GCE to GCU, with the acceleration being contingent upon the closing of the Transaction on July 1, 2018. Refer to Note 2 for further discussion on the Transaction. As a result, the incremental share-based compensation expense from the modification on 82 restricted stock awards for the accelerated vesting date was $7,880 and is included in the university related expenses in the consolidated income statement. Additionally, the Company transferred cash to GCU totaling $9,568 to fund a deferred compensation plan in an amount equal to the value of the 86 shares forfeited by the Transferred Employees at the closing of the Transaction. This amount is included in the loss on transaction in the consolidated income statement.

A summary of the activity related to restricted stock granted under the Company’s Incentive Plan is as follows:


		Weighted Average
	Total	Grant Date
	Shares	Fair Value per Share
Outstanding as of December 31, 2015	1,056	$	34.30
Granted	275	$	44.46
Vested	(329)	$	30.56
Forfeited, canceled or expired	(9)	$	37.94

Outstanding as of December 31, 2016	993	$	38.32
Granted	192	$	70.44
Vested	(375)	$	32.46
Forfeited, canceled or expired	(34)	$	44.51

Outstanding as of December 31, 2017	776	$	49.16
Granted	163	$	92.34
Vested	(384)	$	65.57
Forfeited, canceled or expired	(95)	$	71.60

Outstanding as of December 31, 2018	460	$	63.28

As of December 31, 2018, there was approximately $20,376 of total unrecognized share-based compensation cost related to unvested restricted stock awards. These costs are expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.03 years.

Stock Options

No options were granted in 2018, 2017 and 2016. Prior to 2012, the Company granted time vested options to purchase shares of common stock with an exercise price equal to the fair market value on the date of grant to employees. These time vested options vest ratably over a period of five years and expire ten years from the date of grant. A summary of the activity related to stock options granted under the Company’s Incentive Plan is as follows:


	Summary of Stock Options Outstanding
		Weighted		Weighted
		Average		Average
		Exercise		Remaining	Aggregate
	Total	Price per		Contractual	Intrinsic
	Shares	Share		Term (Years)	Value ($)(1)
Outstanding as of December 31, 2015	2,220	$	14.71
Granted	—	$	—
Exercised	(946)	$	13.97
Forfeited, canceled or expired	(2)	$	19.23

Outstanding as of December 31, 2016	1,272	$	15.26
Granted	—	$	—
Exercised	(576)	$	12.79
Forfeited, canceled or expired	(2)	$	16.35

Outstanding as of December 31, 2017	694	$	17.31
Granted	—	$	—
Exercised	(250)	$	18.47
Forfeited, canceled or expired	—	$	—

Outstanding as of December 31, 2018	444	$	16.66	1.95	$	35,222
Exercisable as of December 31, 2018	444	$	16.66	1.95	$	35,222

(1)

Aggregate intrinsic value represents the value of the Company’s closing stock price on December 31, 2018 ($96.14) in excess of the exercise price multiplied by the number of options outstanding or exercisable.

Share-based Compensation

Share-based Compensation Expense Assumptions – Restricted Stock Awards

The table below outlines share-based compensation expense for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 related to restricted stock and stock options granted:


	2018		2017		2016
Technical and academic services	$	1,585	$	1,555	$	1,498
Counseling support and services		4,926		4,700		4,711
Marketing and communication		48		26		20
General and administrative		3,355		3,402		3,430
University related expenses		9,594		3,005		2,617
Share-based compensation expense included in operating expenses		19,508		12,688		12,276
Tax effect of share-based compensation		(4,877)		(5,075)		(4,910)
Share-based compensation expense, net of tax	$	14,631	$	7,613	$	7,366

401(k) Plan

The Company has established a 401(k) Defined Contribution Benefit Plan (the “Plan”). The Plan provides eligible employees, upon date of hire, with an opportunity to make tax-deferred contributions into a long-term investment and savings program. All employees over the age of 21 are eligible to participate in the plan. The Plan allows eligible employees to contribute to the Plan subject to Internal Revenue Code restrictions and the Plan allows the Company to make discretionary matching contributions. The Company plans to make a matching contribution to the Plan of approximately $1,625 for the year ended December 31, 2018. The Company made discretionary matching contributions to the Plan of $2,837 and $1,920 for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Subsequent Event	12 Months Ended
Subsequent Event	Dec. 31, 2018
Subsequent Event.
Subsequent Event	14. Subsequent Event On December 17, 2018, the Company entered into a definitive Agreement and Plan of Merger to acquire Orbis Education Services, LLC (“Orbis Education”). Orbis Education is an education services company that supports healthcare education programs for 17 universities across the United States. The closing of the Merger occurred on January 22, 2019 and, as a result of the Merger, GCE acquired all of the outstanding equity interests of Orbis Education for $365,834 in cash. The Company financed a portion of the purchase price through a consortium of banks led by our existing bank group, as described below. Senior Credit Facilities. Concurrently with the closing of the Merger, GCE entered into an amended and restated credit agreement, dated January 22, 2019, among GCE, Orbis Education, as guarantor, Bank of America, N.A. as administrative agent, swing line lender and letter of credit issuer, and the other lenders named therein (the “Credit Agreement”). The Credit Agreement provides for a $62,500 five-year senior secured revolving credit facility and a $187,500 five-year senior secured term loan facility (the “Senior Credit Facilities”). Concurrent with the amendment of the credit agreement and acquisition, the Company repaid its term loan of $60.0 million and its cash collateral of $61.7 million was released. The Senior Credit Facilities mature five years after the closing of the Senior Credit Facilities and the proceeds thereof were used to pay the consideration in connection with the Merger, to repay GCE’s and Orbis Education’s existing debt, and to pay the fees and expenses relating to the Merger and the financing transactions. The senior secured revolving credit facility is available for general corporate purposes, including permitted acquisitions, working capital and the issuance of letters of credit. All borrowings under the senior secured revolving credit facility will be subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions, including the absence of a default and compliance with representations and warranties. On January 31, 2019, GCE and the other parties to the Credit Agreement entered into a First Amendment (the “First Amendment”) to the Credit Agreement. Under Section 2.16 of the Credit Agreement, GCE had the right, during the period from January 22, 2019 to March 31, 2019 (or such later date as agreed by the administrative agent) to increase the principal amount of the term loan and the aggregate revolving commitments by up to $50,000, from an aggregate of $250,000 to up to an aggregate of $300,000 (subject to certain conditions). Per the terms of the First Amendment, GCE was granted the right to increase the principal amount of the term loan and the aggregate revolving commitments by up to $75,000, from an aggregate of $250,000 to up to an aggregate of $325,000 (subject to certain other conditions). On February 1, 2019, GCE and the parties to the Credit Agreement entered into a First Incremental Facility Amendment (the “First Incremental Facility Amendment”) to the Credit Agreement. Pursuant to the First Incremental Facility Amendment, GCE borrowed an incremental $56,250 principal amount of term loans and increased the aggregate revolving commitments by $18,750, thereby increasing the principal amount of the term loan borrowed to $243,750 and the principal amount of the aggregate revolving commitments to $81,250. No other changes were made to the Credit Agreement. Repayment of Loans. GCE is required to repay the aggregate principal amount of all revolving loans outstanding by the maturity date. The term facility is subject to quarterly amortization of principal, commencing with the fiscal quarter ending June 30, 2019, in equal installments of 5% of the original principal amount of the term facility, which represents $12,188 per quarter. Interest and Fees. The interest rate per annum applicable to loans under the Senior Credit Facilities is LIBOR plus an applicable margin of 2.0% per annum or, at GCE’s option, the base rate plus an applicable margin of 0.75% per annum. LIBOR will be reset at the beginning of each selected interest period based on the LIBOR rate then in effect. The base rate is a fluctuating interest rate equal to the highest of (i) the federal funds effective rate from time to time plus 0.50%, (ii) the prime lending rate announced from time to time by the administrative agent, and (iii) LIBOR (after taking account of any applicable floor) applicable for an interest period of one month plus 1.25%. If LIBOR or the base rate is below zero, then such rate will be equal to zero plus the applicable margin. Prepayments. Voluntary prepayments of the term loan and the revolving loans and voluntary reductions in the unused commitments are permitted in whole or in part, in minimum amounts as set forth in the Credit Agreement governing the Senior Credit Facilities, with prior notice but without premium or penalty. Collateral and Guarantees. The obligations under the Senior Credit Facilities are secured by substantially all of the present and after acquired assets of each of GCE and any subsidiary guarantors (excluding owned and leased real property and certain other assets) (the “Collateral”) including, (a) a perfected first priority pledge of all equity interests of each domestic direct, wholly owned material restricted subsidiary held by GCE, and (b) a perfected first priority security interest in substantially all other tangible and intangible assets of GCE and any subsidiary guarantors (excluding owned and leased real property and certain other assets but including accounts receivable, inventory, equipment, general intangibles, intellectual property and the proceeds of the foregoing). Subject to certain exceptions, the Senior Credit Facilities are unconditionally guaranteed by GCE and its material domestic subsidiaries. Covenants and Other Matters. The Credit Agreement governing the Senior Credit Facilities contains certain covenants that, among other things, limit GCE’s ability, and the ability of certain of its subsidiaries, to incur additional indebtedness; sell assets or consolidate or merge with or into other companies; pay dividends or repurchase or redeem capital stock; make certain investments; issue capital stock of subsidiaries; incur liens; prepay, redeem or repurchase subordinated debt; and enter into certain types of transactions with affiliates. The Credit Agreement governing the Senior Credit Facilities also requires GCE, together with its subsidiaries, to comply with certain financial covenants, including a consolidated leverage ratio, a consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio, and a consolidated tangible net worth test. Events of default under the Credit Agreement governing the Senior Credit Facilities include customary events such as a cross-default provision with respect to other material debt and upon a change of control (as defined therein). In addition, an event of default under the Credit Agreement occurs if there is an event of default under GCE’s loan agreement with GCU or if the services agreement between GCE and GCU is terminated. Security Agreement. In connection with the entry into the Credit Agreement governing the Senior Credit Facilities, GCE, the subsidiary guarantors and Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent, entered into an amended and restated security and pledge agreement, dated as of January 22, 2019 (the “Security Agreement”), pursuant to which GCE and the subsidiary guarantors party thereto granted a security interest in the Collateral to the administrative agent as collateral for the Senior Credit Facilities.

Quarterly Results of Operations (Unaudited)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]

Quarterly Results of Operations (Unaudited)

15. Quarterly Results of Operations (Unaudited)

The following table summarizes the unaudited quarterly results of operations for 2018 and 2017 and should be read in conjunction with other information included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.


	2018
	First Quarter		Second Quarter		Third Quarter		Fourth Quarter
Service revenue	$	—	$	—	$	155,454	$	177,548
University related revenue		275,681		236,818		—		—
Net revenue		275,681		236,818		155,454		177,548
Costs and expenses:
Technology and academic services		10,697		10,678		11,101		11,098
Counseling services and support		50,747		50,838		51,116		51,989
Marketing and communication		28,527		30,095		31,546		27,252
General and administrative		7,419		5,762		10,092		6,695
University related expenses		87,649		79,517		6,569		(405)
Loss on transaction		550		1,440		15,610		770
Total costs and expenses		185,589		178,330		126,034		97,399
Operating income		90,092		58,488		29,420		80,149
Interest income on Secured Note		—		—		13,248		13,699
Interest expense		(346)		(57)		(558)		(575)
Investment interest and other		981		1,567		371		521
Income before income taxes		90,727		59,998		42,481		93,794
Income tax expense		17,046		13,960		8,720		18,263
Net income	$	73,681	$	46,038	$	33,761	$	75,531
Earnings per share:
Basic income per share(1)	$	1.55	$	0.97	$	0.71	$	1.58
Diluted income per share(1)	$	1.52	$	0.95	$	0.70	$	1.56
Basic weighted average shares outstanding		47,432		47,604		47,682		47,708
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding		48,397		48,411		48,422		48,422

(1)

The sum of quarterly income per share may not equal annual income per share due to rounding.


	2017
	First Quarter		Second Quarter		Third Quarter		Fourth Quarter
Service revenue	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	—
University related revenue		248,206		218,301		236,209		271,418
Net revenue		248,206		218,301		236,209		271,418
Costs and expenses:
Technology and academic services		10,381		10,220		10,494		10,739
Counseling services and support		46,312		45,970		46,100		50,213
Marketing and communication		27,309		27,426		28,130		26,227
General and administrative		7,033		5,806		8,343		5,975
University related expenses		80,543		73,791		83,450		86,356
Loss on Transaction		—		—		—		562
Total costs and expenses		171,578		163,213		176,517		180,072
Operating income		76,628		55,088		59,692		91,346
Interest expense		(580)		(495)		(567)		(527)
Investment interest and other		2		739		1,445		757
Income before income taxes		76,050		55,332		60,570		91,576
Income tax expense		20,138		15,485		21,266		23,320
Net income	$	55,912	$	39,847	$	39,304	$	68,256
Earnings per share:
Basic income per share(1)	$	1.20	$	0.85	$	0.83	$	1.44
Diluted income per share(1)	$	1.16	$	0.83	$	0.81	$	1.41
Basic weighted average shares outstanding		46,748		47,151		47,316		47,342
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding		48,070		48,192		48,292		48,382

(1)

The sum of quarterly income per share may not equal annual income per share due to rounding.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. Intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents

Investments

Property and Equipment


	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017		2016
Interest incurred	$	2,292	$	2,656	$	2,538
Interest capitalized		756		487		1,210
Interest expense	$	1,536	$	2,169	$	1,328

Internally Developed Technology

Leases

Lease termination costs

Share-Based Compensation

Derivatives and Hedging

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Income Taxes

Commitments and Contingencies

Revenue Recognition

University related revenue – prior to July 1, 2018

The following table presents our revenues disaggregated by the nature of transfer of services for the six months ended June 30, 2018:


Tuition revenues	$	522,430
Ancillary revenues (housing, meals, fees, golf, hotel, arena, other)		91,245
Total revenues		613,675
Scholarships		(101,176)
Net Revenues	$	512,499

Service revenue commenced July 1, 2018

Financial Statement Presentation

Technical and Academic Services

Counseling Services and Support

Marketing and Communication

General and Administrative

University related expenses

University related expenses (previously primarily instructional costs and services) represent the costs that were transferred to GCU in the Transaction and that are no longer incurred by the Company.

The following table presents our operating expenses as previously reported and as reclassified on our consolidated income statement for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016.


	For the year ended December 31,
	2017	2017	2016	2016
	As Reported	As Reclassified	As Reported	As Reclassified
Costs and expenses:
Technology and academic services	—	41,834	—	39,101
Counseling services and support	—	188,595	—	175,045
Marketing and communication	—	109,092	—	98,592
General and administrative	43,759	27,157	43,219	28,079
University related expenses	—	324,140	—	294,188
Loss on transaction	—	562	—	1,136
Instructional costs and services	410,840	—	373,101	—
Admissions advisory and related	128,544	—	119,286	—
Advertising	98,608	—	88,152	—
Marketing and promotional	9,629	—	8,860	—
Lease termination costs	—	—	3,523	—
Total costs and expenses	691,380	691,380	636,141	636,141

Insurance/Self-Insurance

Concentration of Credit Risk

Segment Information

Accounting Pronouncements Adopted in 2018

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

The Company has determined that no other recent accounting pronouncements apply to its operations or could otherwise have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

The Transaction (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Summary of Disposed Assets, previously Assets and Liabilities Held for Sale Transferred to GCU

the following balances were transferred to GCU as of July 1, 2018:


Restricted cash and cash equivalents	$	97,443
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $6,093		9,780
Other assets		7,677
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $166,066		870,097
Total assets held for sale, current	$	984,997

Accrued and other liabilities	$	5,025
Student deposits		88,010
Deferred revenue		46,325
Note payable		79
Total liabilities held for sale, current	$	139,439

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Schedule of Interest cost capitalized and incurred


	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017		2016
Interest incurred	$	2,292	$	2,656	$	2,538
Interest capitalized		756		487		1,210
Interest expense	$	1,536	$	2,169	$	1,328

Schedule of Revenues Disaggregated by Nature of Transfer of Services

The following table presents our revenues disaggregated by the nature of transfer of services for the six months ended June 30, 2018:


Tuition revenues	$	522,430
Ancillary revenues (housing, meals, fees, golf, hotel, arena, other)		91,245
Total revenues		613,675
Scholarships		(101,176)
Net Revenues	$	512,499

Schedule of Restatements on Consolidated Income Statement


	For the year ended December 31,
	2017	2017	2016	2016
	As Reported	As Reclassified	As Reported	As Reclassified
Costs and expenses:
Technology and academic services	—	41,834	—	39,101
Counseling services and support	—	188,595	—	175,045
Marketing and communication	—	109,092	—	98,592
General and administrative	43,759	27,157	43,219	28,079
University related expenses	—	324,140	—	294,188
Loss on transaction	—	562	—	1,136
Instructional costs and services	410,840	—	373,101	—
Admissions advisory and related	128,544	—	119,286	—
Advertising	98,608	—	88,152	—
Marketing and promotional	9,629	—	8,860	—
Lease termination costs	—	—	3,523	—
Total costs and expenses	691,380	691,380	636,141	636,141

Investments (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]

Summary of Investments

	As of December 31, 2018
			Gross		Gross		Estimated
	Adjusted		Unrealized		Unrealized		Fair
	Cost		Gains		(Losses)		Value
Municipal securities	$	69,002	$	—	$	—	$	69,002

Total investments	$	69,002	$	—	$	—	$	69,002


	As of December 31, 2017
			Gross		Gross
	Adjusted		Unrealized		Unrealized		Estimated
	Cost		Gains		(Losses)		Fair Value
Municipal securities	$	84,768	$	—	$	(409)	$	84,359
Certificates of Deposit	$	4,915	$	—	$	(3)	$	4,912

Total investments	$	89,683	$	—	$	(412)	$	89,271

Valuation and Qualifying Accounts (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Valuation and Qualifying Accounts [Abstract]

Schedule of Valuation and Qualifying Accounts

	Balance at				Balance at
	Beginning of		Charged to	Deductions/	End of
	Period		Expense	Transfers(1)(2)	Period
Allowance for doubtful accounts receivable
Year ended December 31, 2018	$	5,907	8,669	(14,576)	$	—
Year ended December 31, 2017	$	5,918	18,478	(18,489)	$	5,907
Year ended December 31, 2016	$	5,137	18,639	(17,858)	$	5,918

(1)

Deductions represent accounts written off, net of recoveries.

(2)

Property and Equipment (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Property and Equipment

Schedule of Property and Equipment


	As of December 31,
	2018		2017
Land	$	5,579	$	160,126
Land improvements		2,242		25,630
Buildings		51,409		595,384
Buildings and leasehold improvements		9,581		117,460
Equipment under capital leases		—		5,937
Computer equipment		85,316		116,477
Furniture, fixtures and equipment		4,955		63,470
Internally developed software		39,270		36,173
Other		—		1,176
Construction in progress		2,376		32,390
		200,728		1,154,223
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization		(89,689)		(231,939)
Property and equipment, net	$	111,039	$	922,284

Notes Payable and Other Noncurrent Liabilities (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Payables and Accruals [Abstract]

Schedule of Notes Payable


	As of December 31,
	2018		2017
Notes Payable
Note payable, monthly payment of $556; interest at 30 day LIBOR plus 1.75% (4.10% at December 31, 2018) through December 31, 2019	$	59,905	$	66,477
Annuities; quarterly payments of $34; interest at 10%		—		139
		59,905		66,616
Less: Current portion		36,468		6,691
	$	23,437	$	59,925

Earnings Per Share (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Schedule of Weighted Average Number of Common Shares Outstanding


	Year Ended December 31,
	2018	2017	2016
Denominator:
Basic weighted average shares outstanding	47,608	47,140	46,083
Effect of dilutive stock options and restricted stock	806	1,095	1,038
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding	48,414	48,235	47,121

Income Taxes (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Components of Income Tax Expense (Benefit)


	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017		2016
Current:
Federal	$	60,764	$	76,966	$	64,006
State		8,732		8,589		4,831
		69,496		85,555		68,837
Deferred:
Federal		(10,708)		(6,189)		7,961
State		(799)		843		891
		(11,507)		(5,346)		8,852
Tax expense recorded as an increase of paid-in capital		—		—		9,921
	$	57,989	$	80,209	$	87,610

Schedule of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation


	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017		2016
Statutory U.S. federal income tax rate	21.0	%	35.0	%	35.0	%
State income taxes, net of federal tax benefit	4.0		3.2		3.2
State tax credits, net of federal effect	(1.0)		(0.7)		(1.5)
Excess tax benefits	(3.7)		(5.8)		—
Deferred tax revaluation (Federal Rate change)	—		(3.7)		—
Nondeductible expenses	0.4		—		0.2
Other	(0.5)		0.3		0.2
Effective income tax rate	20.2	%	28.3	%	37.1	%

Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities

Significant components of the Company’s deferred income tax assets and liabilities, included in Deferred income taxes, non-current on the consolidated balance sheets are as follows:


	As of December 31,
	2018		2017
Deferred tax assets:
Share-based compensation	$	3,030	$	4,201
Employee compensation		780		950
Allowance for doubtful accounts		—		1,685
Deferred tuition revenue		—		1,294
Deferred scholarship		—		618
Intangibles		—		590
State taxes		879		985
Other		386		526
Deferred tax assets		5,075		10,849

Deferred tax liability:
Property and equipment		(10,778)		(28,028)
Goodwill		(762)		(762)
Other		—		(421)
Deferred tax liability		(11,540)		(29,211)
Net deferred tax liability	$	(6,465)	$	(18,362)

The net deferred tax liability on the accompanying consolidated balance sheet is comprised of the following:


	As of December 31,
	2018		2017
Deferred income taxes, current	$	1,871	$	5,214
Deferred income taxes, non-current		(8,336)		(23,576)
Net deferred tax liability	$	(6,465)	$	(18,362)

Share-Based Compensation Plans (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Share-Based Compensation Plans

Schedule of Activity Related to Restricted Stock Granted under Company's Incentive Plan


		Weighted Average
	Total	Grant Date
	Shares	Fair Value per Share
Outstanding as of December 31, 2015	1,056	$	34.30
Granted	275	$	44.46
Vested	(329)	$	30.56
Forfeited, canceled or expired	(9)	$	37.94

Outstanding as of December 31, 2016	993	$	38.32
Granted	192	$	70.44
Vested	(375)	$	32.46
Forfeited, canceled or expired	(34)	$	44.51

Outstanding as of December 31, 2017	776	$	49.16
Granted	163	$	92.34
Vested	(384)	$	65.57
Forfeited, canceled or expired	(95)	$	71.60

Outstanding as of December 31, 2018	460	$	63.28

Schedule of Activity Related to Stock Options Granted under Company's Incentive Plan

	Summary of Stock Options Outstanding
		Weighted		Weighted
		Average		Average
		Exercise		Remaining	Aggregate
	Total	Price per		Contractual	Intrinsic
	Shares	Share		Term (Years)	Value ($)(1)
Outstanding as of December 31, 2015	2,220	$	14.71
Granted	—	$	—
Exercised	(946)	$	13.97
Forfeited, canceled or expired	(2)	$	19.23

Outstanding as of December 31, 2016	1,272	$	15.26
Granted	—	$	—
Exercised	(576)	$	12.79
Forfeited, canceled or expired	(2)	$	16.35

Outstanding as of December 31, 2017	694	$	17.31
Granted	—	$	—
Exercised	(250)	$	18.47
Forfeited, canceled or expired	—	$	—

Outstanding as of December 31, 2018	444	$	16.66	1.95	$	35,222
Exercisable as of December 31, 2018	444	$	16.66	1.95	$	35,222

(1)

Schedule of Share-Based Compensation Expense


	2018		2017		2016
Technical and academic services	$	1,585	$	1,555	$	1,498
Counseling support and services		4,926		4,700		4,711
Marketing and communication		48		26		20
General and administrative		3,355		3,402		3,430
University related expenses		9,594		3,005		2,617
Share-based compensation expense included in operating expenses		19,508		12,688		12,276
Tax effect of share-based compensation		(4,877)		(5,075)		(4,910)
Share-based compensation expense, net of tax	$	14,631	$	7,613	$	7,366

Quarterly Results of Operations (Unaudited) (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Summarizes the Unaudited Quarterly Results of Operations

	2018
	First Quarter		Second Quarter		Third Quarter		Fourth Quarter
Service revenue	$	—	$	—	$	155,454	$	177,548
University related revenue		275,681		236,818		—		—
Net revenue		275,681		236,818		155,454		177,548
Costs and expenses:
Technology and academic services		10,697		10,678		11,101		11,098
Counseling services and support		50,747		50,838		51,116		51,989
Marketing and communication		28,527		30,095		31,546		27,252
General and administrative		7,419		5,762		10,092		6,695
University related expenses		87,649		79,517		6,569		(405)
Loss on transaction		550		1,440		15,610		770
Total costs and expenses		185,589		178,330		126,034		97,399
Operating income		90,092		58,488		29,420		80,149
Interest income on Secured Note		—		—		13,248		13,699
Interest expense		(346)		(57)		(558)		(575)
Investment interest and other		981		1,567		371		521
Income before income taxes		90,727		59,998		42,481		93,794
Income tax expense		17,046		13,960		8,720		18,263
Net income	$	73,681	$	46,038	$	33,761	$	75,531
Earnings per share:
Basic income per share(1)	$	1.55	$	0.97	$	0.71	$	1.58
Diluted income per share(1)	$	1.52	$	0.95	$	0.70	$	1.56
Basic weighted average shares outstanding		47,432		47,604		47,682		47,708
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding		48,397		48,411		48,422		48,422

(1)

The sum of quarterly income per share may not equal annual income per share due to rounding.


	2017
	First Quarter		Second Quarter		Third Quarter		Fourth Quarter
Service revenue	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	—
University related revenue		248,206		218,301		236,209		271,418
Net revenue		248,206		218,301		236,209		271,418
Costs and expenses:
Technology and academic services		10,381		10,220		10,494		10,739
Counseling services and support		46,312		45,970		46,100		50,213
Marketing and communication		27,309		27,426		28,130		26,227
General and administrative		7,033		5,806		8,343		5,975
University related expenses		80,543		73,791		83,450		86,356
Loss on Transaction		—		—		—		562
Total costs and expenses		171,578		163,213		176,517		180,072
Operating income		76,628		55,088		59,692		91,346
Interest expense		(580)		(495)		(567)		(527)
Investment interest and other		2		739		1,445		757
Income before income taxes		76,050		55,332		60,570		91,576
Income tax expense		20,138		15,485		21,266		23,320
Net income	$	55,912	$	39,847	$	39,304	$	68,256
Earnings per share:
Basic income per share(1)	$	1.20	$	0.85	$	0.83	$	1.44
Diluted income per share(1)	$	1.16	$	0.83	$	0.81	$	1.41
Basic weighted average shares outstanding		46,748		47,151		47,316		47,342
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding		48,070		48,192		48,292		48,382

(1)

The sum of quarterly income per share may not equal annual income per share due to rounding.

The Transaction - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)		3 Months Ended					12 Months Ended
	Jul. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Loss on transaction		$ (770,000)	$ (15,610,000)	$ (1,440,000)	$ (550,000)	$ (562,000)	$ (18,370,000)	$ (562,000)	$ (1,136,000)
Asset impairment	$ 3,037,000
Grand Canyon University [Member]
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Cash transferred							34,107,000
Loss on transaction due to transaction costs							18,370,000
Loss on transaction							5,765,000
Asset impairment							3,037,000
Recognized deferred compensation plan expense for former GCE employees		$ 9,568,000					9,568,000
Share-based compensation expense							7,880,000
Employer tax expense related to share-based compensation							191,000
Share-based compensation modification, net of reversals of employee related liabilities							$ 1,502,000
Grand Canyon University [Member] \| Asset Purchase Agreement [Member]
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Purchase price of assets	870,097,000
Final purchase price adjustment amount	$ 1.00
Senior secured note bears interest	6.00%
Senior secured notes maturity date							Jun. 30, 2025
Grand Canyon University [Member] \| Master Services Agreement [Member]
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Percentage of tuition and fee revenue used for closing of purchase agreement							60.00%
Initial maturity period of agreement							15 years
Early termination period of agreement							7 years
Percentage of termination fee							100.00%
Termination fees payment period							12 years
Percentage of non-renewal fees payment							50.00%
Non-renewal fees payment period							12 months

The Transaction - Summary of Disposed Assets, previously Assets and Liabilities Held for Sale Transferred to GCU (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Jul. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Restricted cash and cash equivalents	$ 61,667		$ 94,534
Accounts receivable, net	46,830		10,908
Other assets	6,963		24,589
Property and equipment, net	111,039		922,284
Accrued and other liabilities	8,907		20,757
Student deposits			95,298
Deferred revenue			46,895
Note payable	$ 23,437		$ 59,925
Asset Held For Sale [Member]
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		$ 97,443
Accounts receivable, net		9,780
Other assets		7,677
Property and equipment, net		870,097
Total assets held for sale, current		984,997
Liabilities Held For Sale [Member]
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Accrued and other liabilities		5,025
Student deposits		88,010
Deferred revenue		46,325
Note payable		79
Total liabilities held for sale, current		$ 139,439

The Transaction - Summary of Disposed Assets, previously Assets and Liabilities Held for Sale Transferred to GCU (Parenthetical) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Jul. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Accumulated depreciation on property and equipment	$ 89,689		$ 231,939
Asset Held For Sale [Member]
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Allowance for doubtful accounts		$ 6,093
Accumulated depreciation on property and equipment		$ 166,066

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands		1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 01, 2018 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2018 USD ($) employee shares	May 31, 2017 USD ($) shares	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) project Agency	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Average days from the date of receipt in which funds remain as restricted cash and cash equivalents							60 to 90 days
Loss in investment interest and other							$ 372
Capitalized interest rate on borrowings to finance improvements							3.70%	2.80%	2.20%
Property and equipment, useful life							15 years
Royalty amortization period							20 years
Remaining prepaid royalty assets impaired	$ 3,037
Reserve for uncertain tax positions including interest and penalties							$ 1,960	$ 2,008
Reduction in revenue due to scholarships offered to students						$ 101,176		196,334	$ 179,230
Lease termination costs				$ 160	$ 3,363
Cumulative effect from the adoption of accounting pronouncements, net of taxes							$ 1,174
Deferred revenue								46,895
Amortization of other current assets							next twelve month
Period of LIBOR interest rate							30 days
Number of stages of software development projects \| project							3
Computer Software, Intangible Asset [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated useful life							3 years
Grand Canyon University [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Remaining prepaid royalty assets impaired							$ 3,037
Number of former employees hired		100	100
Share-based compensation expense for restricted stock awards							$ 7,880
Grand Canyon University [Member] \| Restricted Stock Grants [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Shares issued under plan \| shares		82	82,027
Share-based compensation expense for restricted stock awards		$ 7,880	$ 7,880
Grand Canyon University [Member] \| Master Services Agreement [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of tuition and fee revenue used for closing of purchase agreement							60.00%
Initial maturity period of agreement							15 years
Early termination period of agreement							7 years
Refund or return rights under agreement							$ 0
Interest Rate Corridor [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Notional amount of derivative instrument							$ 60,000
Description of interest rate risk hedge at several thresholds							the Company pays variable interest monthly based on the 30-day LIBOR rates until that index reaches 1.5%. If 30-day LIBOR is equal to 1.5% through 3.0%, the Company pays 1.5%. If 30-day LIBOR exceeds 3.0%, the Company pays actual 30-day LIBOR less 1.5%.
Interest Rate Corridor [Member] \| LIBOR
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Maximum percentage of variable interest rates based on LIBOR							1.50%
Percentage of amount paid by Company							1.50%
Percentage deducted from LIBOR for actual payment							1.50%
Other Assets [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Fair values of interest rate corridor instrument							$ 600	$ 509
Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful life							10 years
Computer Equipment [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful life							4 years
Vehicles [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful life							5 years
Minimum
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of days from the date of receipt in which funds remain as restricted cash and cash equivalents							60 days
Number of major rating agencies reporting credit ratings \| Agency							1
Minimum \| Interest Rate Corridor [Member] \| LIBOR
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of LIBOR							1.50%
Minimum \| Land Improvements and Buildings [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful life							10 years
Maximum
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of days from the date of receipt in which funds remain as restricted cash and cash equivalents							90 days
Maximum \| Interest Rate Corridor [Member] \| LIBOR
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of LIBOR							3.00%
Maximum \| Land Improvements and Buildings [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful life							40 years
Revenue from Contracts with Customers [Member] \| Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606 [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Direct and incremental capitalized costs							$ 9,015
Deferred revenue							$ 7,451

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Interest Cost Capitalized and Incurred (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Interest incurred									$ 2,292	$ 2,656	$ 2,538
Interest capitalized									756	487	1,210
Interest expense	$ 575	$ 558	$ 57	$ 346	$ 527	$ 567	$ 495	$ 580	$ 1,536	$ 2,169	$ 1,328

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Summary of Revenues Disaggregated by Nature of Transfer of Services (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenues									$ 613,675
Scholarships									(101,176)		$ (196,334)	$ (179,230)
Net Revenues	$ 177,548	$ 155,454	$ 236,818	$ 275,681	$ 271,418	$ 236,209	$ 218,301	$ 248,206	512,499	$ 845,501	$ 974,134	$ 873,344
Tuition Revenues [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenues									522,430
Ancillary Revenues [Member]
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenues									$ 91,245

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Schedule of Restatements on Consolidated Income Statement (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended										12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Costs and expenses:
Technology and academic services	$ 11,098	$ 11,101	$ 10,678	$ 10,697	$ 10,739	$ 10,494	$ 10,220	$ 10,381			$ 43,574	$ 41,834	$ 39,101
Counseling services and support	51,989	51,116	50,838	50,747	50,213	46,100	45,970	46,312			204,690	188,595	175,045
Marketing and communication	27,252	31,546	30,095	28,527	26,227	28,130	27,426	27,309			117,420	109,092	98,592
General and administrative	6,695	10,092	5,762	7,419	5,975	8,343	5,806	7,033			29,968	27,157	28,079
University related expenses	(405)	6,569	79,517	87,649	86,356	83,450	73,791	80,543			173,330	324,140	294,188
Lease termination costs									$ 160	$ 3,363
Total costs and expenses	$ 97,399	$ 126,034	$ 178,330	$ 185,589	$ 180,072	$ 176,517	$ 163,213	$ 171,578			$ 587,352	691,380	636,141
As Reported [Member]
Costs and expenses:
General and administrative												43,759	43,219
Instructional costs and services												410,840	373,101
Admissions advisory and related												128,544	119,286
Advertising												98,608	88,152
Marketing and promotional												9,629	8,860
Lease termination costs													3,523
Total costs and expenses												691,380	636,141
As Reclassified [Member]
Costs and expenses:
Technology and academic services												41,834	39,101
Counseling services and support												188,595	175,045
Marketing and communication												109,092	98,592
General and administrative												27,157	28,079
University related expenses												324,140	294,188
Loss on transaction												562	1,136
Total costs and expenses												$ 691,380	$ 636,141

Investments - Summary of Trading Investments (Detail) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Trading Investments
Adjusted Cost	$ 69,002
Estimated Fair Value	69,002
Municipal Securities [Member]
Trading Investments
Adjusted Cost	69,002
Estimated Fair Value	$ 69,002

Investments - Summary of Available-for-Sale Investments (Detail) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Adjusted Cost	$ 89,683
Gross Unrealized (Losses)	(412)
Estimated Fair Value	89,271
Certificates of Deposit [Member]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Adjusted Cost	4,915
Gross Unrealized (Losses)	(3)
Estimated Fair Value	4,912
Municipal Securities [Member]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Adjusted Cost	84,768
Gross Unrealized (Losses)	(409)
Estimated Fair Value	$ 84,359

Investments - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Loss in investment interest and other	$ 372
Unrealized gain or loss	0
Unrealized net (losses) gains on available-for-sale securities	$ 0	$ 255
Certificates of Deposit [Member]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Maturity period of investments	one year or less

Valuation and Qualifying Accounts - Schedule of Valuation and Qualifying Accounts (Detail) - Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable [Member] - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts Disclosure [Line Items]
Balance at Beginning of Year	$ 5,907	$ 5,918	$ 5,137
Charged to Expense	8,669	18,478	18,639
Deductions	(14,576)	(18,489)	(17,858)
Balance at End of Year		$ 5,907	$ 5,918
Grand Canyon University [Member]
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts Disclosure [Line Items]
Deductions	$ 6,093

Property and Equipment - Summary of Property and Equipment (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment	$ 200,728	$ 1,154,223
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization	(89,689)	(231,939)
Property and equipment, net	111,039	922,284
Depreciation and amortization expense	35,525	53,607	$ 44,829
Land
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment	5,579	160,126
Land Improvements
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment	2,242	25,630
Buildings
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment	51,409	595,384
Buildings and Leasehold Improvements
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment	9,581	117,460
Equipment under Capital Leases
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment		5,937
Computer Equipment [Member]
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment	85,316	116,477
Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment [Member]
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment	4,955	63,470
Internally Developed Software
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment	39,270	36,173
Other
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment		1,176
Construction in Progress
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment	$ 2,376	$ 32,390

Notes Payable and Other Noncurrent Liabilities - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Increase in Term Loan		$ 100,000
Revolving line of credit facility, expiration date	Dec. 01, 2017	Dec. 01, 2019
Amount withdrawn from line of credit	$ 0
Amount of senior credit facilities	$ 150,000	$ 50,000
Long-term deferred rent			$ 460

- Definition

The carrying value as of the balance sheet date of the current and noncurrent portions of long-term obligations drawn from a line of credit, which is a bank's commitment to make loans up to a specific amount. Examples of items that might be included in the application of this element may consist of letters of credit, standby letters of credit, and revolving credit arrangements, under which borrowings can be made up to a maximum amount as of any point in time conditional on satisfaction of specified terms before, as of and after the date of drawdowns on the line. Includes short-term obligations that would normally be classified as current liabilities but for which (a) postbalance sheet date issuance of a long term obligation to refinance the short term obligation on a long term basis, or (b) the enterprise has entered into a financing agreement that clearly permits the enterprise to refinance the short-term obligation on a long term basis and the following conditions are met (1) the agreement does not expire within 1 year and is not cancelable by the lender except for violation of an objectively determinable provision, (2) no violation exists at the BS date, and (3) the lender has entered into the financing agreement is expected to be financially capable of honoring the agreement.

+ References + Details

Notes Payable and Other Noncurrent Liabilities - Notes Payable (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving line of credit	$ 0
Notes payable, less current portion	23,437	$ 59,925
Less: Current portion	36,468	6,691
Notes payable	59,905	66,616
Notes Payable through December 2019 [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Notes payable	$ 59,905	66,477
Annuities Extending through 2019 [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Notes payable		$ 139

- Definition

+ References + Details

Notes Payable and Other Noncurrent Liabilities - Notes Payable (Parenthetical) (Detail) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Notes Payable through December 2019 [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Monthly payment of notes payable	$ 556
Interest rate of notes payable	4.10%
Number of days of bank operating rate to calculate interest on notes payable	30 days
Notes Payable through December 2019 [Member] \| LIBOR
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Interest rate of notes payable	1.75%
Annuities Extending through 2019 [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Quarterly payment of notes payable	$ 34
Interest rate of notes payable	10.00%

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Total rent expense and related taxes and operating expenses, under operating leases	$ 827	$ 1,545	$ 6,694
Tax reserves, non-income tax related	$ 0	$ 0

Derivative Instruments - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Derivative [Line Items]
Period of LIBOR interest rate	30 days
Effective portion of gain/loss on derivatives included as a component of other comprehensive income, net of taxes	$ 309	$ 175	$ (270)
Other Assets [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Fair values of interest rate corridor instrument	600	509
Interest Rate Corridor [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amount of derivative instrument	$ 60,000
Description of interest rate risk hedge at several thresholds	the Company pays variable interest monthly based on the 30-day LIBOR rates until that index reaches 1.5%. If 30-day LIBOR is equal to 1.5% through 3.0%, the Company pays 1.5%. If 30-day LIBOR exceeds 3.0%, the Company pays actual 30-day LIBOR less 1.5%.
Interest Rate Corridor [Member] \| LIBOR
Derivative [Line Items]
Maximum percentage of variable interest rates based on LIBOR	1.50%
Percentage of amount paid by Company	1.50%
Percentage deducted from LIBOR for actual payment	1.50%
Interest Rate Corridor [Member] \| LIBOR \| Minimum
Derivative [Line Items]
Percentage of LIBOR	1.50%
Interest Rate Corridor [Member] \| LIBOR \| Maximum
Derivative [Line Items]
Percentage of LIBOR	3.00%
Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Effective portion of gain/loss on derivatives included as a component of other comprehensive income, net of taxes	$ 157	$ 17	$ 245

Earnings Per Share - Summary of Weighted Average Number of Common Shares Outstanding (Detail) - shares shares in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Denominator:
Basic weighted average shares outstanding	47,708	47,682	47,604	47,432	47,342	47,316	47,151	46,748	47,608	47,140	46,083
Effect of dilutive stock options and restricted stock									806	1,095	1,038
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding	48,422	48,422	48,411	48,397	48,382	48,292	48,192	48,070	48,414	48,235	47,121

Equity Transactions - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Stockholders Equity [Line Items]
Preferred stock authorized but unissued and undesignated	10,000	10,000
Expiration date on repurchase authorizations	Dec. 31, 2019
Aggregate cost shares of common stock	$ 9,606	$ 1,510	$ 15,367
Common stock acquired, shares	91
Maximum
Stockholders Equity [Line Items]
Authorization amount for repurchase of common stock	$ 175,000
Common Stock [Member]
Stockholders Equity [Line Items]
Cumulative common stock acquired, shares	3,600
Since Initial Approval of Share Repurchase Plan in 2011 [Member]
Stockholders Equity [Line Items]
Aggregate cost shares of common stock	$ 86,898
Remaining authorized repurchase amount	$ 88,102

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Income Tax [Line Items]
Valuation allowance	$ 0	$ 0
Corporate federal tax rate	21.00%	35.00%	35.00%
Income tax benefit related to revaluation of net deferred tax liabilities	$ 10,700
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Percent, Total	20.20%	28.30%	37.10%
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act [Member]
Income Tax [Line Items]
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Percent, Total		32.10%

Income Taxes - Components of Income Tax Expense (Benefit) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Current:
Federal									$ 60,764	$ 76,966	$ 64,006
State									8,732	8,589	4,831
Current Income Tax Expense (Benefit), Total									69,496	85,555	68,837
Deferred:
Federal									(10,708)	(6,189)	7,961
State									(799)	843	891
Deferred Income Tax Expense (Benefit)									(11,507)	(5,346)	8,852
Tax expense recorded as an increase of paid-in capital											9,921
Income Tax Expense (Benefit), Total	$ 18,263	$ 8,720	$ 13,960	$ 17,046	$ 23,320	$ 21,266	$ 15,485	$ 20,138	$ 57,989	$ 80,209	$ 87,610

Income Taxes - Schedule of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Statutory U.S. federal income tax rate	21.00%	35.00%	35.00%
State income taxes, net of federal tax benefit	4.00%	3.20%	3.20%
State tax credits, net of federal effect	(1.00%)	(0.70%)	(1.50%)
Excess tax benefits	(3.70%)	(5.80%)
Deferred tax revaluation (Federal Rate change)		(3.70%)
Nondeductible expenses	0.40%		0.20%
Other	(0.50%)	0.30%	0.20%
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Percent, Total	20.20%	28.30%	37.10%

Income Taxes - Significant Components of Deferred Income Tax Assets and Liabilities (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Deferred tax assets:
Share-based compensation	$ 3,030	$ 4,201
Employee compensation	780	950
Allowance for doubtful accounts		1,685
Deferred tuition revenue		1,294
Deferred scholarship		618
Intangibles		590
State taxes	879	985
Other	386	526
Deferred tax assets	5,075	10,849
Deferred tax liability:
Property and equipment	(10,778)	(28,028)
Goodwill	(762)	(762)
Other		(421)
Deferred tax liability	(11,540)	(29,211)
Net deferred tax liability	$ (6,465)	$ (18,362)

Income Taxes - Significant Components of Deferred Income Tax Assets and Liabilities Classified (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Deferred income taxes, current	$ 1,871	$ 5,214
Deferred income taxes, non-current	(8,336)	(23,576)
Net deferred tax liability	$ (6,465)	$ (18,362)

Share-Based Compensation Plans - Additional Information (Detail) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018 USD ($) employee shares	May 31, 2017 USD ($) shares	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) shares	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($) shares	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) shares	Dec. 31, 2011
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares granted			163	192	275
Forfeiture of shares by transferred employees at closing of transaction			95	34	9
Minimum eligible age to participate in the plan			21 years
University made discretionary matching contributions \| $			$ 1,625	$ 2,837	$ 1,920
Grand Canyon University [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of former employees hired	100	100
Share-based compensation expense for restricted stock awards \| $			7,880
Recognized deferred compensation plan expense for former GCE employees \| $			$ 9,568
2017 Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares available for grant			1,910
Maximum \| 2017 Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares available for grant			3,000
Restricted Stock Grants [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares withheld for taxes			151	151	114
Common stock in lieu of taxes \| $			$ 15,152	$ 9,790	$ 4,695
Unrecognized share-based compensation cost \| $			$ 20,376
Costs are expected to be recognized over a weighted average period			2 years 11 days
Restricted Stock Grants [Member] \| Grand Canyon University [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares issued under plan	82	82,027
Share-based compensation expense for restricted stock awards \| $	$ 7,880	$ 7,880
Recognized deferred compensation plan expense for former GCE employees \| $	$ 9,568
Forfeiture of shares by transferred employees at closing of transaction	86
Restricted Stock Grants [Member] \| Non-employee [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares granted			3	4	11
Vesting period			1 year
Restricted Stock Grants [Member] \| 2008 Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares granted			160	188	264
Vesting period			5 years
Restricted Stock Grants [Member] \| Share-based Compensation Award, Tranche One [Member] \| 2008 Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting right percentage			20.00%
Restricted Stock Grants [Member] \| Share-based Compensation Award, Tranche Two [Member] \| 2008 Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting right percentage			20.00%
Restricted Stock Grants [Member] \| Share-based Compensation Award, Tranche Three [Member] \| 2008 Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting right percentage			20.00%
Restricted Stock Grants [Member] \| Share-based Compensation Award Tranche Four [Member] \| 2008 Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting right percentage			20.00%
Restricted Stock Grants [Member] \| Share-based Compensation Award Tranche Five [Member] \| 2008 Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting right percentage			20.00%
Employee Stock Option [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period						5 years
Expiration period of options						10 years
Options granted			0	0	0

Share-Based Compensation Plans - Summary of Activity Related to Restricted Stock Granted under Company's Incentive Plan (Detail) - $ / shares shares in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total Shares, Outstanding, Beginning Balance	776	993	1,056
Total Shares, Granted	163	192	275
Total Shares, Vested	(384)	(375)	(329)
Total Shares, Forfeited, canceled or expired	(95)	(34)	(9)
Total Shares, Outstanding, Ending Balance	460	776	993
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value, Beginning Balance	$ 49.16	$ 38.32	$ 34.30
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value, Granted	92.34	70.44	44.46
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value, Vested	65.57	32.46	30.56
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value, Forfeited, canceled or expired	71.60	44.51	37.94
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value, Ending Balance	$ 63.28	$ 49.16	$ 38.32

Share-Based Compensation Plans - Summary of Activity Related to Stock Options Granted under Company's Incentive Plan (Detail) - Employee Stock Option [Member] - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total Shares outstanding, Beginning balance	694	1,272	2,220
Total Shares, Granted	0	0	0
Total Shares, Exercised	(250)	(576)	(946)
Total Shares, Forfeited, canceled or expired		(2)	(2)
Total Shares outstanding, Ending balance	444	694	1,272
Total Shares, Exercisable	444
Weighted Average Exercise Price per Share Outstanding, Beginning balance	$ 17.31	$ 15.26	$ 14.71
Weighted Average Exercise Price per Share, Exercised	18.47	12.79	13.97
Weighted Average Exercise Price per Share, Forfeited, canceled or expired		16.35	19.23
Weighted Average Exercise Price per Share Outstanding, Ending balance	16.66	$ 17.31	$ 15.26
Weighted Average Exercise Price per Share, Exercisable	$ 16.66
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (Years), Outstanding	1 year 11 months 12 days
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (Years), Exercisable	1 year 11 months 12 days
Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Outstanding	$ 35,222
Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Exercisable	$ 35,222

Share-Based Compensation Plans - Share-Based Compensation Expense (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Compensation Cost [Line Items]
Share-based compensation expense	$ 19,508	$ 12,688	$ 12,276
Tax effect of share-based compensation	(4,877)	(5,075)	(4,910)
Share-based compensation expense, net of tax	14,631	7,613	7,366
Technical and Academic Services [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Compensation Cost [Line Items]
Share-based compensation expense	1,585	1,555	1,498
Counseling Support and Services [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Compensation Cost [Line Items]
Share-based compensation expense	4,926	4,700	4,711
Marketing and Communication [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Compensation Cost [Line Items]
Share-based compensation expense	48	26	20
General and Administrative [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Compensation Cost [Line Items]
Share-based compensation expense	3,355	3,402	3,430
University Related Expenses [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Compensation Cost [Line Items]
Share-based compensation expense	$ 9,594	$ 3,005	$ 2,617

Subsequent Event (Details) - Orbis Education $ in Thousands	Jan. 22, 2019 USD ($)	Dec. 17, 2018 Institution
Subsequent Event
Number of universities \| Institution		17
Subsequent Event
Subsequent Event
Cash paid to acquire business \| $	$ 365,834

Subsequent Event - Senior Credit Facilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands			12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2019	Jan. 22, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2012	Feb. 01, 2019
Subsequent Event
Amount of senior credit facilities			$ 150,000	$ 50,000
Increase to aggregate commitments				$ 100,000
Credit Agreement
Subsequent Event
Amount of senior credit facilities			250,000
Increase to aggregate commitments			50,000
Credit Agreement \| Maximum
Subsequent Event
Amount of senior credit facilities			$ 300,000
Subsequent Event \| LIBOR
Subsequent Event
Margin on interest rate		2.00%
Subsequent Event \| Base rate
Subsequent Event
Margin on interest rate		0.75%
Subsequent Event \| Federal funds effective rate
Subsequent Event
Margin on interest rate		0.50%
Subsequent Event \| One month LIBOR
Subsequent Event
Margin on interest rate		1.25%
Subsequent Event \| Senior secured revolving credit facility
Subsequent Event
Amount of senior credit facilities		$ 62,500
Term of senior credit facility		5 years
Increase in principal amount of the term loan and revolving commitments					$ 18,750
Principal amount of aggregate commitments					81,250
Subsequent Event \| First Amendment to the Credit Agreement
Subsequent Event
Amount of senior credit facilities	$ 250,000
Increase to aggregate commitments	75,000
Subsequent Event \| First Amendment to the Credit Agreement \| Maximum
Subsequent Event
Amount of senior credit facilities	$ 325,000
Subsequent Event \| Senior secured term loan facility
Subsequent Event
Amount of senior credit facilities		$ 187,500
Term of senior credit facility		5 years
Repayments of Secured Debt		$ 60,000
Cash collateral released on repayment of debt		$ 61,700
Increase in principal amount of the term loan and revolving commitments					56,250
Principal amount repayment instalment percentage (in percent)		5.00%
Quarterly repayment installments of principal amount of the term facility		$ 12,188
Principal amount of aggregate commitments					$ 243,750

Quarterly Results of Operations (Unaudited) - Summarizes the Unaudited Quarterly Results of Operations (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Net revenue	$ 177,548	$ 155,454	$ 236,818	$ 275,681	$ 271,418	$ 236,209	$ 218,301	$ 248,206	$ 512,499	$ 845,501	$ 974,134	$ 873,344
Costs and expenses:
Technology and academic services	11,098	11,101	10,678	10,697	10,739	10,494	10,220	10,381		43,574	41,834	39,101
Counseling services and support	51,989	51,116	50,838	50,747	50,213	46,100	45,970	46,312		204,690	188,595	175,045
Marketing and communication	27,252	31,546	30,095	28,527	26,227	28,130	27,426	27,309		117,420	109,092	98,592
General and administrative	6,695	10,092	5,762	7,419	5,975	8,343	5,806	7,033		29,968	27,157	28,079
University related expenses	(405)	6,569	79,517	87,649	86,356	83,450	73,791	80,543		173,330	324,140	294,188
Loss on Transaction	770	15,610	1,440	550	562					18,370	562	1,136
Total costs and expenses	97,399	126,034	178,330	185,589	180,072	176,517	163,213	171,578		587,352	691,380	636,141
Operating income	80,149	29,420	58,488	90,092	91,346	59,692	55,088	76,628		258,149	282,754	237,203
Interest income on Secured Note	13,699	13,248								26,947
Interest expense	(575)	(558)	(57)	(346)	(527)	(567)	(495)	(580)		(1,536)	(2,169)	(1,328)
Investment interest and other	521	371	1,567	981	757	1,445	739	2		3,440	2,943	249
Income before income taxes	93,794	42,481	59,998	90,727	91,576	60,570	55,332	76,050		287,000	283,528	236,124
Income tax expense	18,263	8,720	13,960	17,046	23,320	21,266	15,485	20,138		57,989	80,209	87,610
Net income	$ 75,531	$ 33,761	$ 46,038	$ 73,681	$ 68,256	$ 39,304	$ 39,847	$ 55,912		$ 229,011	$ 203,319	$ 148,514
Earnings per share:
Basic income per share	$ 1.58	$ 0.71	$ 0.97	$ 1.55	$ 1.44	$ 0.83	$ 0.85	$ 1.20		$ 4.81	$ 4.31	$ 3.22
Diluted income per share	$ 1.56	$ 0.70	$ 0.95	$ 1.52	$ 1.41	$ 0.81	$ 0.83	$ 1.16		$ 4.73	$ 4.22	$ 3.15
Basic weighted average shares outstanding	47,708	47,682	47,604	47,432	47,342	47,316	47,151	46,748		47,608	47,140	46,083
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding	48,422	48,422	48,411	48,397	48,382	48,292	48,192	48,070		48,414	48,235	47,121
Service [Member]
Net revenue	$ 177,548	$ 155,454								$ 333,002
University Related Revenue [Member]
Net revenue			$ 236,818	$ 275,681	$ 271,418	$ 236,209	$ 218,301	$ 248,206		$ 512,499	$ 974,134	$ 873,344

Nature of Business - Additional Information (Detail) - Grand Canyon University [Member]	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 item
Nature Of Operations [Line Items]
Description of area of campus in Phoenix, Arizona	262 acre campus
Number of colleges in Phoenix, Arizona	9
Number of degree programs and certificates	240

Share-Based Compensation Plans - Summary of Activity Related to Stock Options Granted under Company's Incentive Plan (Parenthetical) (Detail)	Dec. 31, 2018 $ / shares
Share-Based Compensation Plans
Value of closing stock price	$ 96.14

Notes Payable and Other Noncurrent Liabilities - Payments Due under Notes Payable (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Notes Payable, Total	$ 59,905	$ 66,616