Student Receivables

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Student Receivables [Abstract]

Student Receivables

7. STUDENT RECEIVABLES

Student receivables represent funds owed to us in exchange for the educational services that have been provided to a student. Student receivables are reflected net of an allowance for doubtful accounts and net of deferred tuition revenue. Student receivables, net are reflected on our consolidated balance sheets as components of both current and non-current assets.

Generally, a student receivable balance is written off once it reaches greater than 90 days past due. Although we analyze past due receivables, it is not practical to provide an aging of our non-current student receivable balances as a result of the methodology utilized in determining our earned student receivable balances. Student receivables are recognized on our consolidated balance sheets as they are deemed earned over the course of a student's program and/or term, and therefore cash collections are not applied against specifically dated transactions.

We do not accrue interest on past due student receivables; interest is recorded only upon collection. Interest rates are determined at the time a payment plan is extended to a student.

Our standard student receivable allowance estimation methodology considers a number of factors that, based on our collection experience, we believe have an impact on our repayment risk and ability to collect student receivables. Changes in the trends in any of these factors may impact our estimate of the allowance for doubtful accounts. These factors include, but are not limited to: internal repayment history, repayment practices of previous extended payment programs and information provided by a third-party institution who previously offered similar extended payment programs, changes in the current economic, legislative or regulatory environments and credit worthiness of our students. These factors are monitored and assessed on a regular basis. Overall, our allowance estimation process for student receivables is validated by trending analysis and comparing estimated and actual performance. The repayment risk associated with student receivables under extended payment plans is generally higher than those not related to extended payment plans; as such, the allowance for doubtful accounts for these student receivables as a percentage of outstanding student receivables is higher.

Student Receivables Under Extended Payment Plans

We had previously provided extended payment plans to certain students to help ensure that they could complete their educational programs. We have discontinued providing extended payment plans to new students. As of December 31, 2011, the amount of non-current student receivables under student extended payment plans, net of allowance for doubtful accounts and net of deferred tuition revenue, was $6.1 million.

Recourse Loan Agreements

Previously, we had recourse loan agreements with Sallie Mae and Stillwater National Bank and Trust Company ("Stillwater") which required us to repurchase loans originated by them to our students after a certain period of time. Our recourse loan agreement with Stillwater was terminated on April 29, 2007. Our recourse loan agreement with Sallie Mae ended on March 31, 2008.

Outstanding net recourse loan receivable balances for continuing operations as of December 31, 2011 and 2010 were $3.2 million and $3.5 million, respectively. These receivables are reported under non-current assets as a component of student receivables, net within the consolidated balance sheets.

Student Receivables Valuation Allowance

Changes in our current and non-current receivables allowance for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 were as follows:

	Balance, Beginning of Period		Charges to Expense (1)		Amounts Written-off			Balance, End of Period
	(Dollars in thousands)
For the twelve months ended December 31, 2011	$	90,939	$	55,741	$	(81,727	)	$	64,953
For the twelve months ended December 31, 2010 (2)	$	53,334	$	106,925	$	(69,320	)	$	90,939
For the twelve months ended December 31, 2009	$	47,792	$	57,024	$	(51,482	)	$	53,334

(1) Charges to expense include an offset for recoveries of amounts previously written off of $10.0 million, $9.7 million, and $10.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

(2) In the first and third quarters 2010, we increased the reserve rates applied to outstanding student receivables balances attributed to our student extended payment plans and our previously terminated recourse loan programs. The increases resulted from lower repayment history experienced on these programs. In the fourth quarter 2010, we recorded additional bad debt expense of $5.9 million for the correction of an error related to the allowance for doubtful accounts associated with our extended payment plan programs. The bad debt reserve rates are continually reviewed for appropriateness based upon historical repayment data as it becomes available.

 Fair Value Measurements

The carrying amount reported in our consolidated balance sheets for the current portion of student receivables approximates fair value because of the nature of these financial instruments as they generally have short maturity periods. It is not practicable to estimate the fair value of the non-current portion of student receivables, since observable market data is not readily available, and no reasonable estimation methodology exists.