Segment Reporting (Summary Financial Information By Reporting Segment) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended																12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011		Sep. 30, 2011		Jun. 30, 2011		Mar. 31, 2011		Dec. 31, 2010		Sep. 30, 2010		Jun. 30, 2010		Mar. 31, 2010		Dec. 31, 2011		Dec. 31, 2010		Dec. 31, 2009
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Revenue	$ 439,516,000	[1],[2]	$ 428,411,000	[1],[3]	$ 484,878,000	[1],[4]	$ 531,700,000	[1],[5]	$ 531,568,000	[1],[2]	$ 521,612,000	[1],[3]	$ 517,737,000	[1],[4]	$ 518,256,000	[1],[5]	$ 1,884,505,000	[1]	$ 2,089,173,000	[1]	$ 1,802,401,000
Operating income (loss)	(168,905,000)	[1],[2]	19,881,000	[1],[3]	79,311,000	[1],[4]	108,875,000	[1],[5]	18,172,000	[1],[2]	42,997,000	[1],[3]	94,053,000	[1],[4]	85,677,000	[1],[5]	39,162,000	[1]	240,899,000	[1]	225,214,000
Depreciation and amortization																	84,512,000		70,043,000		64,574,000
Capital Expenditures																	78,333,000		127,283,000		74,087,000
Total Assets	1,316,120,000	[6]							1,572,960,000	[6]							1,316,120,000	[6]	1,572,960,000	[6]
Administrative expense for an estimate for potential reimbursements of government funds																	5,000,000
Goodwill reclassified between segments							27,900,000
Goodwill impairment charges																	168,697,000		1,400,000
Goodwill and trade name impairment charges	188,800,000				2,700,000				71,500,000								191,524,000		71,829,000		2,500,000
Insurance recovery							7,000,000
Legal expense related to the settlements of legal matters											47,300,000
Charge for increase in allowance for doubtful accounts																			4,100,000
Additional bad debt expense for increases in reserve rates related to extended payment plan programs											8,300,000				8,100,000
CTU [Member]
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Revenue																	431,588,000	[7],[8]	465,315,000		368,621,000
Operating income (loss)																	112,626,000	[7],[8]	133,881,000		79,889,000
Depreciation and amortization																	4,044,000	[7],[8]	4,592,000		3,804,000
Capital Expenditures																	5,067,000	[7],[8]	1,748,000		2,426,000
Total Assets	74,648,000	[6],[7],[8]							52,566,000	[6]							74,648,000	[6],[7],[8]	52,566,000	[6]
Administrative expense for an estimate for potential reimbursements of government funds																	5,000,000
Goodwill impairment charges					200,000												210,000
AIU [Member]
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Revenue																	365,203,000	[7]	448,581,000	[9]	409,043,000
Operating income (loss)																	72,738,000	[7]	118,959,000	[9]	90,127,000
Depreciation and amortization																	4,830,000	[7]	4,216,000	[9]	5,482,000
Capital Expenditures																	3,208,000	[7]	9,616,000	[9]	8,355,000
Total Assets	73,090,000	[6],[7]							112,159,000	[6],[9]							73,090,000	[6],[7]	112,159,000	[6],[9]
Goodwill impairment charges																	0
Legal expense related to the settlements of legal matters																			7,000,000
Health Education [Member]
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Revenue																	428,987,000	[10]	441,608,000		362,692,000
Operating income (loss)																	(89,633,000)	[10]	52,028,000		42,072,000
Depreciation and amortization																	20,260,000	[10]	13,789,000		10,462,000
Capital Expenditures																	29,731,000	[10]	28,380,000		24,930,000
Total Assets	149,444,000	[10],[6]							283,558,000	[6]							149,444,000	[10],[6]	283,558,000	[6]
Goodwill impairment charges																	94,739,000
Culinary Arts [Member]
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Revenue																	314,272,000	[11]	387,884,000	[12]	332,236,000
Operating income (loss)																	(64,984,000)	[11]	(66,813,000)	[12]	14,873,000
Depreciation and amortization																	21,520,000	[11]	18,763,000	[12]	18,441,000
Capital Expenditures																	3,646,000	[11]	23,406,000	[12]	4,452,000
Total Assets	215,318,000	[11],[6]							339,848,000	[12],[6]							215,318,000	[11],[6]	339,848,000	[12],[6]
Goodwill impairment charges																	73,748,000		1,400,000
Goodwill and trade name impairment charges																	94,100,000		69,200,000
Legal expense related to the settlements of legal matters																			40,800,000
Art & Design [Member]
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Revenue																	218,967,000	[13]	245,395,000		240,530,000
Operating income (loss)																	15,043,000	[13]	29,173,000		25,065,000
Depreciation and amortization																	9,406,000	[13]	9,989,000		10,432,000
Capital Expenditures																	3,808,000	[13]	6,292,000		7,511,000
Total Assets	88,869,000	[13],[6]							91,514,000	[6]							88,869,000	[13],[6]	91,514,000	[6]
Goodwill impairment charges
Legal expense related to the settlements of legal matters																	6,000,000
International [Member]
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Revenue																	125,887,000		101,013,000		89,793,000
Operating income (loss)																	24,746,000		16,334,000		15,107,000
Depreciation and amortization																	4,716,000		4,748,000		2,728,000
Capital Expenditures																	3,727,000		2,664,000		17,170,000
Total Assets	277,140,000	[6]							215,667,000	[6]							277,140,000	[6]	215,667,000	[6]
Goodwill impairment charges
Corporate And Other [Member]
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Revenue																	(399,000)	[14]	(623,000)	[15]	(514,000)
Operating income (loss)																	(31,374,000)	[14]	(42,663,000)	[15]	(41,919,000)
Depreciation and amortization																	19,736,000	[14]	13,946,000	[15]	13,225,000
Capital Expenditures																	28,643,000	[14]	54,429,000	[15]	6,990,000
Total Assets	417,182,000	[14],[6]							397,794,000	[15],[6]							417,182,000	[14],[6]	397,794,000	[15],[6]
Insurance recovery																	7,000,000
Lease termination charge																			2,400,000
Discontinued Operations [Member]
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Capital Expenditures																	503,000		748,000		2,253,000
Total Assets	$ 20,429,000	[6]							$ 79,854,000	[6]							$ 20,429,000	[6]	$ 79,854,000	[6]

[1] As of December 31, 2011, the results of operations for Istituto Marangoni along with our campuses that had previously ceased operations or were sold are presented within discontinued operations for all periods presented.

[2] Fourth quarter 2011 net income includes $188.8 million in goodwill and asset impairment charges, a $27.1 million pretax gain from the sale of Istituto Marangoni and a $6.0 million charge related to the potential settlement of a legal matter. Fourth quarter 2010 net income includes expense of $71.5 million related to goodwill and asset impairments, including $67.8 million related to trade name impairment within Culinary Arts, $1.4 million related to goodwill impairment within Culinary Arts and $2.3 million related to an asset impairment charge recorded within Corporate and Other. In addition, approximately $5.5 million and $7.7 million of severance expense was recorded during the fourth quarter 2011 and fourth quarter 2010, respectively. Fourth quarter 2010 net income also included $5.9 million of additional bad debt expense related to the correction of an error associated with the allowance for doubtful accounts for our extended payment plan programs.

[3] Third quarter 2011 net income includes $11.4 million of legal costs related to various regulatory matters. Third quarter 2010 net income includes expense of $47.3 million associated with the settlements of legal matters, as well as additional expense of $8.3 million for the increase in allowance for doubtful accounts related to our extended payment plan programs.

[4] Second quarter 2011 net income includes $2.7 million in goodwill and asset impairment charges. Second quarter 2010 net income includes a $4.2 million income tax benefit resulting from credits associated with curriculum development.

[5] First quarter 2011 net income includes a $7.0 million insurance recovery related to previously settled legal matters. First quarter 2010 net income includes additional expense of $8.1 million for the increase in allowance for doubtful accounts related to our extended payment plan programs.

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

[7] 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.

[8] CTU recorded a $5.0 million charge for legal expense related to the potential reimbursements of government funds.

[9] AIU recorded $7.0 million of legal expense related to the settlements of legal matters.

[10] Health Education recorded a $94.7 million goodwill impairment charge.

[11] Culinary Arts recorded $94.1 million of goodwill and trade name impairment charges.

[12] Culinary Arts recorded a $40.8 million charge related to the settlement of a legal matter. In addition, Culinary Arts recorded $69.2 million of goodwill and asset impairment charges, as well as $10.5 million of additional bad debt expense for increases in reserve rates related to our extended payment plan programs.

[13] Art & Design recorded $6.0 million of legal expense related to the potential settlement of a legal matter.

[14] Corporate and Other recorded 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.

[15] Corporate and Other recorded a $7.0 million insurance recovery related to previously settled legal matters.