Goodwill And Other Intangible Assets	9 Months Ended
Goodwill And Other Intangible Assets	Sep. 30, 2011
Goodwill And Other Intangible Assets [Abstract]
Goodwill And Other Intangible Assets	7. GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS As a result of the organization restructure which occurred in the first quarter 2011, we reassigned the goodwill balances to each reporting unit in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 350—Intangibles—Goodwill and Other. Of the $87.6 million goodwill balance previously reported for the University reporting unit, $46.2 million was assigned to CTU and $41.4 million was assigned to AIU. In addition, in accordance with FASB ASC Paragraph 350-20-35-30, we performed an analysis and concluded there was no goodwill impairment for either CTU or AIU following the reallocation. There were no changes to Art & Design's goodwill balance, as it was and remains a stand-alone reporting unit for goodwill impairment testing purposes. During the second quarter of 2011, we made the decision to simplify our structure and consolidate many of our institutions under one institution for purposes of Title IV funding. Accordingly, we determined that the accreditation rights associated with several of our institutions should no longer be classified as indefinite-lived, and were reclassified to definite-lived. We assigned remaining useful lives of up to six months based upon the timing of when the accreditation rights for these institutions are expected to cease to exist. Due to our decision and in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 350, we performed an impairment test for each of these accreditation rights as of June 30, 2011. Fair value of the accreditation rights was determined by using the lost income approach. As a result, we recorded a non-cash $2.5 million asset impairment charge in the second quarter 2011 related to several of our institutions. Of the $2.5 million impairment charge, $2.0 million was recorded within Health Education and $0.5 million was recorded within Art & Design. The remaining net book value of $3.1 million related to these accreditation rights will be amortized on a straight-line basis through December 31, 2011. During the second quarter of 2011, we made the decision to teach out one of our campuses within the CTU segment. In accordance with FASB ASC Topic 350, we calculated the amount of goodwill attributable to this school and recorded the related impairment of this goodwill as a result of the decision to cease operations. A non-cash impairment charge of $0.2 million was recorded in the second quarter 2011.

The entire disclosure for the aggregate amount of goodwill and a description of intangible assets, which may include (a) for amortizable intangible assets (also referred to as finite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, the amount of any significant residual value, and the weighted-average amortization period, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization (also referred to as indefinite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, and (c) the amount of research and development assets acquired and written off in the period, including the line item in the income statement in which the amounts written off are aggregated, if not readily apparent from the income statement. Also discloses (a) for amortizable intangibles assets in total and by major class, the gross carrying amount and accumulated amortization, the total amortization expense for the period, and the estimated aggregate amortization expense for each of the five succeeding fiscal years, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization the carrying amount in total and by major class, and (c) for goodwill, in total and for each reportable segment, the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill during the period (including the aggregate amount of goodwill acquired, the aggregate amount of impairment losses recognized, and the amount of goodwill included in the gain (loss) on disposal of a reporting unit). If any part of goodwill has not been allocated to a reportable segment, discloses the unallocated amount and the reasons for not allocating. For each impairment loss recognized related to an intangible asset (excluding goodwill), discloses: (a) a description of the impaired intangible asset and the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method for determining fair value, (c) the caption in the income statement or the statement of activities in which the impairment loss is aggregated, and (d) the segment in which the impaired intangible asset is reported. For each goodwill impairment loss recognized, discloses: (a) a description of the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method of determining the fair value of the associated reporting unit, and (c) if a recognized impairment loss is an estimate not finalized and the reasons why the estimate is not final. May also disclose the nature and amount of any significant adjustments made to a previous estimate of an impairment loss.