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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2012

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES [Abstract]

Comparability of Prior Year Financial Data, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications of fiscal 2011 and 2010 data have been made to conform to the fiscal 2012 presentation. These reclassifications did not materially change any of the previously reported amounts.

Basis of presentation

Basis of Presentation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All inter-company transactions and balances have been eliminated. Unless otherwise specified, any reference to a “year” is to a fiscal year ended June 30.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Management bases its estimates on assumptions that management believes to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form a basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily available from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Management believes that its estimates are reasonable.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash

Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash

The Company considers all highly liquid instruments purchased with a maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. These investments are stated at cost, which, based upon the scheduled maturities, approximates fair value.

The Company’s institutions hold funds from the United States government under various student aid grant and loan programs in separate bank accounts, and serve as trustee for the U.S. Department of Education or respective lender, guaranty agency or student borrower, as applicable. The funds held in these bank accounts are not shown as cash or restricted cash on the consolidated balance sheet until the authorization and disbursement process has occurred. Once the authorization and disbursement process to the student has been completed, the funds are transferred to unrestricted accounts and become available for use in current operations. This transfer generally occurs for the period of the academic term for which such funds were authorized with no term being more than 16 weeks in length.

U.S. Department of Education regulations require Title IV program funds received by the Company’s educational institutions in excess of the charges applied to the relevant students at that time to be, with these students’ permission, maintained and classified as restricted. In addition, some states have similar requirements. During fiscal 2011, the Company began transitioning certain students from a term-based academic structure, under which all students begin programs and are eligible to receive financial aid at periodic start dates pursuant to a calendar-based term system, to a non-term academic structure, under which each student may begin a program and be eligible to receive financial aid at any time throughout the year. The non-term academic structure provides greater ease and flexibility for students by providing rolling and flexible start dates. In addition to assisting to ensure a student does not over borrow in the early years of a program, which could result in aggregate loan limits being exceeded prior to graduation, this approach also results in the Company receiving more federal funds in advance of a student’s class start. Such funds received for courses that have not yet begun are recorded as restricted cash due to legal restrictions on the use of the funds and as advance payments on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet.

Student receivables

Student Receivables

The Company records student receivables at cost less an estimated allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company determines its allowance for doubtful accounts by categorizing gross receivables based upon the enrollment status of the student. The reserve is established based on the likelihood of collection considering the Company’s historical experience, which is updated on a frequent basis. The reserve methodology results in a higher reserve rate for out-of-school students compared to in-school students. Student accounts are monitored through an aging process whereby past due accounts are pursued. When certain criteria are met, which is generally when receivables age past the due date by more than four months, and internal collection measures have been taken without success, the accounts of former students are placed with an outside collection agency. Student accounts that are in collection are reserved for at a high rate and are written off after repeated collection attempts have been unsuccessful.

Inventories

Inventories consist mainly of textbooks and supplies held for sale to students enrolled in the Company’s educational programs. Cost is determined using the average cost method and inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment is recorded at its cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation policies for such assets are as follows:


•	Buildings are depreciated over an estimated useful life of 30 years using the straight-line method;


•	Leasehold improvements are amortized using the straight-line method over the shorter of the original lease term, exclusive of any renewal periods, or their estimated useful lives, which is generally 7 to 15 years; and


•	The remainder of the Company’s property and equipment is depreciated over estimated useful lives ranging from 3 to 10 years using the straight-line method, depending on the asset.

Accelerated depreciation methods are generally used for income tax purposes.

The Company records impairment losses on property and equipment and finite-lived intangible assets when events and circumstances indicate the assets are impaired and the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than their carrying amounts. Events and circumstances that could trigger an impairment review include changes in the regulatory environment, deteriorating economic conditions or poor operating performance at individual locations. Any resulting impairment loss would be measured by comparing the fair value of the assets to their carrying amounts using a traditional discounted cash flow model, and the loss would be recorded as an operating expense in the consolidated statement of operations in the period in which carrying value exceeds fair value. The Company did not record any impair

Leases of Lessee [Policy Text Block] [Policy Text Block]

Leases

The Company leases certain classroom, dormitory and office space as well as equipment and automobiles under operating leases. Before entering into a lease, an analysis is performed to determine whether a lease should be classified as a capital lease or an operating lease.

Certain of the Company’s lease agreements include tenant improvement allowances. Once the lease agreement is signed, these tenant improvement allowances are recorded as other current assets with the offset to deferred rent liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets. As spending occurs, the Company records increases to leasehold improvement assets in property and equipment. Other current assets are reduced once the landlord reimburses the Company. The deferred rent liabilities related to tenant improvements are amortized over the term of the lease as a reduction to rent expense upon possession of the lease space.

Certain of the Company’s lease agreements include rent escalation clauses, which if fixed and determinable, are recognized on a straight-line basis over the life of the lease, which generally range from five to fifteen years with one or more renewal options. For leases with renewal options, the Company records rent expense and amortizes the leasehold improvements on a straight-line basis over the original lease term, exclusive of the renewal period. When a renewal occurs, the Company records rent expense over the new lease term.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets

Goodwill consists of the cost in excess of the fair value of the identifiable net assets of entities acquired in purchase business combinations. Goodwill is evaluated annually on April 1 for impairment and on an interim basis if events or changes in circumstances between annual tests indicate that goodwill might be impaired. A significant amount of judgment is involved in determining whether an indicator of impairment has occurred between annual impairment tests. These indicators include, but are not limited to, adverse changes in recent forecasts of operating results or market capitalization, updated business plans and regulatory and legal developments.

Goodwill is impaired when the carrying amount of a reporting unit’s goodwill exceeds its implied fair value, as determined under a two-step approach. In the first step, the Company determines the fair value of each reporting unit and compares that fair value to each reporting unit’s carrying value. The Company estimates the fair value of its reporting units using a combination of the traditional discounted cash flow approach and the guideline public company approach, which takes into account the relative price and associated earnings multiples of publicly-traded peer companies. If the results of the first step indicate the carrying amount of a reporting unit is higher than its fair value, a second step must be performed, which requires the Company to determine the implied fair value of goodwill in the same manner as if it had acquired the reporting unit in an arm’s length transaction as of the testing date. This is performed by deducting the estimated fair value of all tangible and identifiable intangible net assets of the reporting unit from the estimated fair value of the reporting unit. If the recorded amount of goodwill exceeds this implied fair value, an impairment charge is recorded for the excess. Each of the four education systems that the Company operates is a reporting unit for purposes of the impairment tests.

Indefinite-lived intangible assets, consisting of the licensing, accreditation and Title IV program participation assets and The Art Institute tradename, are also evaluated annually on April 1 for impairment and on an interim basis if events or changes in circumstances between annual tests indicate that the asset might be impaired. Tradenames are valued by the “relief from royalty” method, estimating the amount of royalty income that would be generated if the assets were licensed in an arms length transaction to a third party. The Company uses a combination of the cost and income approaches to establish the asset value of licenses, accreditation and Title IV program participation assets. On the impairment testing date, if the fair value of the intangible asset is less than its carrying value, an impairment loss is recognized for an amount equal to the difference. The intangible asset is then carried at its new fair value.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities result from (i) temporary differences in the recognition of income and expense for financial and income tax reporting requirements, and (ii) differences between the recorded value of assets acquired in business combinations accounted for as purchases for financial reporting purposes and their corresponding tax bases. Deferred income tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance if it is more-likely-than-not that some portion of the deferred income tax asset will not be realized.

The Company recognizes the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is at least more-likely-than-not that the tax position will be sustained upon examination by the taxing authorities based on the technical merits of the position. The amount of the tax benefit that is recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is more-likely-than-not to be realized upon effective settlement. The Company classifies interest and penalties accrued in connection with unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense in its consolidated statement of operations.

Derivative Financial Instruments

EM LLC utilizes interest rate swap agreements, which are contractual agreements to exchange payments based on underlying interest rates, to manage a portion of its floating rate term debt. The swaps are accounted for as an asset or a liability in the consolidated balance sheets at fair value. If interest rate swap agreements are deemed highly effective for accounting purposes and are designated as cash flow hedges, the changes in their fair values are recorded in other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax benefit or expense. If they are not deemed highly effective, the changes in their fair values are recorded in interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations. The fair values of swap agreements are estimated by the counterparty based on current settlement prices and quoted market prices of comparable contracts. At June 30, 2012, two of the Company's three interest rate swap agreements qualified for cash flow hedge accounting. Refer to Note 9, "Derivative Instruments," for more information.

The Company does not use derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.

Foreign Currency Translation

The financial position and results of operations of the Company’s foreign subsidiary are initially measured at its functional currency, which is the Canadian dollar. Accordingly, the assets and liabilities of the foreign subsidiary are translated to U.S. dollars using the exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date. Revenues and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars using average monthly exchange rates. Translation adjustments resulting from this process are recorded as a separate component of equity designated as accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in the consolidated balance sheets.

Revenue Recognition

The Company’s net revenues consist primarily of tuition and fees, student housing fees, bookstore sales, restaurant sales in connection with culinary programs, workshop fees, and sales of related study materials. Net revenues are reduced for student refunds and scholarships. The Company derived approximately 93.1% of its net revenues from tuition and fees in fiscal 2012 compared to approximately 92.5% in fiscal 2011 and 2010.

The Company bills tuition and housing revenues at the beginning of an academic term and recognizes the revenue on a pro rata basis over the term of instruction or occupancy. Some of the Company’s academic terms have starting and ending dates that differ from the Company’s fiscal quarters. Therefore, at the end of each fiscal quarter, the Company has tuition from academic terms with respect to which the associated revenue has not yet been earned. Such amounts are recorded as unearned tuition in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Advance payments represent that portion of payments received but not earned and are also recorded as a current liability in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. These payments are typically related to future academic periods and generally are refundable.

If a student withdraws from one of the Company’s schools, the extent of his or her obligation for tuition and fees depends on when that student withdraws during an academic term. Student refunds are regulated by the standards of the U.S. Department of Education, most state education authorities that regulate the Company’s schools, the accrediting commissions that accredit the Company’s schools and the Company’s institutional policies (collectively, “Refund Policies”). Refund Policies vary by state, and the limitations imposed by the Refund Policies are generally based on the portion of the academic term that has elapsed at the time the student withdraws. The greater the portion of the academic term that has elapsed at the time the student withdraws, the greater the student’s obligation is to the school for the tuition and fees related to that academic term. The Company records revenue net of any refunds that result from any applicable Refund Policy.

Costs and Expenses

Educational services expense consists primarily of costs related to the development, delivery and administration of the Company’s education programs. Major cost components are faculty compensation, administrative salaries, costs of educational materials, facility occupancy costs, information systems costs and bad debt expense.

General and administrative expense consists of marketing and student admissions expenses and certain central staff costs such as executive management, finance and accounting, legal, corporate development and other departments that do not provide direct services to the Company’s education programs.

Marketing costs are expensed in the fiscal year incurred and are classified as general and administrative expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Black-Scholes option pricing model is used to determine the fair value of all of the Company’s stock options at the grant date. The Company recognizes compensation costs on time-based options and restricted stock on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is the vesting term.

Contingencies

The Company accrues for contingent obligations when it is probable that a liability is incurred and the amount is reasonably estimable. As facts concerning contingencies become known, management reassesses its position and makes appropriate adjustments to its financial statements. Estimates that are particularly sensitive to future changes include tax liabilities, bad debt expense, legal expenses, and regulatory matters, which are subject to change as events evolve, and as additional information becomes available during the administrative and litigation process.