Summary of Goodwill Balances by Reporting Unit (Detail) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	$ 517,655	$ 508,937	$ 564,841
Devry University
Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	22,196
Becker Professional Review
Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	32,936
Ross University
Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	237,174
Chamberlain College of Nursing
Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	4,716
Carrington Colleges Group Inc
Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	98,784
American University Of Caribbean
Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	68,321
DeVry Brasil
Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	$ 53,528