Segment Reporting (Summary Financial Information By Reportable Segment) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended						3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended						3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended						3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended					3 Months Ended					9 Months Ended						3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended					3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended					3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011		Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2011		Sep. 30, 2010	Mar. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010		Sep. 30, 2011 CTU [Member]		Sep. 30, 2010 CTU [Member]		Sep. 30, 2011 CTU [Member]		Sep. 30, 2010 CTU [Member]		Dec. 31, 2010 CTU [Member]		Sep. 30, 2011 AIU [Member]		Sep. 30, 2010 AIU [Member]		Sep. 30, 2011 AIU [Member]		Sep. 30, 2010 AIU [Member]		Dec. 31, 2010 AIU [Member]		Sep. 30, 2011 Health Education [Member]		Sep. 30, 2010 Health Education [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Health Education [Member]		Sep. 30, 2010 Health Education [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Health Education [Member]		Sep. 30, 2011 Culinary Arts [Member]		Sep. 30, 2010 Culinary Arts [Member]		Mar. 31, 2010 Culinary Arts [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Culinary Arts [Member]		Sep. 30, 2010 Culinary Arts [Member]		Dec. 31, 2010 Culinary Arts [Member]		Sep. 30, 2011 Art & Design [Member]		Sep. 30, 2010 Art & Design [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Art & Design [Member]		Sep. 30, 2010 Art & Design [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Art & Design [Member]		Sep. 30, 2011 International [Member]		Sep. 30, 2010 International [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 International [Member]		Sep. 30, 2010 International [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 International [Member]		Sep. 30, 2011 Corporate And Other [Member]		Sep. 30, 2010 Corporate And Other [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Corporate And Other [Member]		Sep. 30, 2010 Corporate And Other [Member]		Dec. 31, 2010 Corporate And Other [Member]		Sep. 30, 2011 Discontinued Operations [Member]		Dec. 31, 2010 Discontinued Operations [Member]
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Revenue	$ 431,314,000		$ 524,142,000	$ 1,471,868,000		$ 1,581,307,000				$ 100,477,000	[1]	$ 116,311,000	[1]	$ 330,603,000	[1]	$ 342,079,000	[1]			$ 85,787,000	[2]	$ 113,119,000	[2]	$ 288,092,000	[2]	$ 349,934,000	[2]			$ 102,195,000		$ 110,421,000	$ 328,329,000		$ 322,256,000			$ 73,686,000	[3]	$ 108,305,000	[3]		$ 248,718,000	[3]	$ 293,881,000	[3]			$ 49,686,000		$ 61,082,000	$ 170,962,000		$ 186,270,000			$ 19,567,000		$ 15,061,000	$ 105,509,000		$ 87,378,000			$ (84,000)		$ (157,000)	$ (345,000)	[4]	$ (491,000)	[4]
Operating Income (Loss)	15,794,000		39,507,000	211,709,000		225,705,000				16,755,000	[1]	32,414,000	[1]	87,016,000	[1]	94,278,000	[1]			12,430,000	[2]	23,252,000	[2]	66,384,000	[2]	96,054,000	[2]			(3,632,000)		12,820,000	11,379,000		35,434,000			3,800,000	[3]	(23,867,000)	[3]		30,741,000	[3]	(3,267,000)	[3]			2,557,000		9,158,000	20,627,000		22,663,000			(7,151,000)		(6,740,000)	12,371,000		9,689,000			(8,965,000)		(7,530,000)	(16,809,000)	[4]	(29,146,000)	[4]
Total Assets	1,532,336,000	[5]		1,532,336,000	[5]			1,571,879,000	[5]	74,992,000	[5],[6]			74,992,000	[5],[6]			52,566,000	[5],[6]	78,524,000	[5],[6]			78,524,000	[5],[6]			112,159,000	[5],[6]	251,770,000	[5]		251,770,000	[5]		283,558,000	[5]	324,051,000	[5]				324,051,000	[5]			339,848,000	[5]	80,170,000	[5]		80,170,000	[5]		91,514,000	[5]	281,105,000	[5]		281,105,000	[5]		269,723,000	[5]	418,012,000	[5]		418,012,000	[5]			396,714,000	[5]	23,712,000	[5]	25,797,000	[5]
Administrative expense for an estimate for potential reimbursements of government funds	5,000,000
Legal expense related to the settlements of legal matters																						7,000,000																		40,000,000
Additional bad debt expense for increases in reserve rates related to our extended payment plan programs																																								7,300,000		3,200,000
Insurance recovery				7,000,000
Lease termination charge						2,400,000
Charge for increase in allowance for doubtful accounts						4,100,000
Goodwill reclassified between segments							$ 27,900,000

[1] During the third quarter 2011, CTU recorded an accrual of $5.0 million within administrative expense for an estimate for potential reimbursements of government funds.

[2] During the third quarter 2010, AIU recorded $7.0 million of legal expense related to the settlements of legal matters.

[3] During the third quarter 2010, Culinary Arts recorded a $40.0 million charge related to the settlement of a legal matter. For the first and third quarters 2010, Culinary Arts recorded $3.2 million and $7.3 million, respectively, of additional bad debt expense for increases in reserve rates related to our extended payment plan programs.

[4] Year to date September 30, 2011 includes a $7.0 million insurance recovery related to previously settled legal matters. The prior year to date included a $2.4 million lease termination charge related to our former corporate headquarters and a $4.1 million charge for an increase in the allowance for doubtful accounts related to our previously terminated recourse loan program.

[5] Total assets do not include the following intercompany activity: receivable or payable activity between schools and corporate and investments in subsidiaries.

[6] During the first quarter of 2011 in conjunction with the segment reorganization, $27.9 million of the goodwill balance attributable to the former University reporting unit was reclassified from AIU to CTU, in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 350—Intangibles—Goodwill and Other.