Business and Geographic Segment Information - Additional Information (Details) $ in Thousands	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017 segment	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) licensed_institution segment	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($) campus educational_institution state
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of operating segments (segment) | segment		6
Number of additional operating segments created (segment) | segment	3
Assets | $		$ 6,769,636	$ 7,391,285
Brazil
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of postsecondary educational institutions (educational institution) | educational_institution			13
Number of states in which entity operates (state) | state			8
Mexico
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of postsecondary educational institutions (educational institution) | educational_institution			2
Number of campuses of postsecondary educational institutions (campus) | campus			40
Saudi Arabia
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of licensed institutions managed through joint venture arrangements (licensed institution) | licensed_institution		8
China
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of licensed institutions managed through joint venture arrangements (licensed institution) | licensed_institution		1
Discontinued Operations, Held-for-sale
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Assets | $		$ 1,276,876	$ 1,549,340