Summary of Goodwill Balances by Reporting Unit (Detail) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	$ 514,757	$ 508,937	$ 566,199
Devry University
Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	22,196
Becker Professional Review
Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	33,056
Ross University
Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	237,174
Chamberlain College of Nursing
Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	4,716
Carrington Colleges Group
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	$ 50,510