On behalf of Adtalem Global Education and as part of my work at Beutler Ink, I am submitting a series of COI edit requests in an attempt to improve this entry from a Wikipedia perspective. As evidenced by the two warning banners at the top of the article, which have flagged the presence of problematic sources and text for over a decade, this article is in much need of improvement. There are entirely unsourced paragraphs, some inaccurate and outdated details, and information that is more applicable to subsidiary entries. The article uses multiple press releases and multiple primary sources as citations. There are also instances in which the parent company and subsidiaries are conflated.
For these reasons, I have worked to draft an expanded and updated entry, which is focused on the subject and based on Wikipedia-appropriate sources. I will be submitting requests seeking to replace the current article's content appropriately bit by bit, but wanted to share the full draft for transparency.
Removal requests
 | This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered. |
First, I'd like to propose the removal of select problematic content in an attempt to clean the slate:
- In the History section, please remove the following text, which is mostly unsourced and also focused on DeVry University, not Adtalem Global Education: Adtalem Global Education was a successor to two separate entities: DeVry Institutes and the Keller-Taylor Corporation, doing business as Keller Graduate School of Management. DeVry Technical Institute was acquired by the Bell & Howell company in 1966, and became part of its Education Group division. The school was renamed to DeVry Institute of Technology in 1968.[1] In 1984, the education division was renamed DeVry, Inc. ("Old DeVry"), and became publicly traded on the American Stock Exchange.
- In the same section, please remove the second paragraph, which is entirely unsourced: The Keller-Taylor Corporation was formed in 1973 by Dennis Keller and Ronald Taylor. Keller-Taylor was the holding company of CBA Institute in Chicago, which later became Keller Graduate School of Management. In 1987 Keller-Taylor acquired the DeVry Institutes from Bell & Howell and merged it with Keller Graduate School of Management. The holding company's name changed to DeVry, Inc.
- In the same section, please remove the following paragraph, which is not based on original journalistic reporting and is specific to Ross University School of Medicine (not Adtalem Global Education): In 2019, Adtalem partnered with Dillard University, Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, and Tuskegee University to increase physician diversity and entered into the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Partnership Challenge, created by the Bipartisan Congressional HBCU Caucus, to increase diversity in key workforce sectors.[2]
- In the Controversies section, please remove the following sentence, which uses a citation that does not even mention Adtalem Global Education or any of its current or former subsidiaries in any capacity: The Department of Education decided to forgive $6 billion in debt to students who claimed they were misled by schools, including American University of the Caribbean and Ross University owned by Adtalem.[3]
I will be proposing text additions related to the company's origins and evolution, based on the draft I've shared above, but for now removing these pieces of text would help clear some confusion about the company's early history. I generally avoid editing the main space and ask editors to review and implement proposed changes on my behalf. Thanks in advance for any assistance, Inkian Jason (talk) 22:27, 11 August 2025 (UTC)
Done Encoded Talk 💬 17:55, 29 September 2025 (UTC)
- Thank you for reviewing this request. Inkian Jason (talk) 18:07, 29 September 2025 (UTC)
History: Origins
| This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered. |
Hi again! I had hoped to get some of the problematic text in the History section removed in the above request, but I'll go ahead and move forward with a proposal to improve the part of the section focused on Adtalem's origins.
Currently, the Adtalem Global Education entry has some information about the history of DeVry University, which is a former subsidiary of Adtalem. The text is confusing because it conflates Adtalem and DeVry University, despite there being a standalone entry for DeVry University. Some of the text is entirely unsourced. I've supplied replacement text further below.
First, here's a copy of the current section's first four paragraphs:
More information Extended content ...
- Adtalem Global Education was a successor to two separate entities: DeVry Institutes and the Keller-Taylor Corporation, doing business as Keller Graduate School of Management. DeVry Technical Institute was acquired by the Bell & Howell company in 1966, and became part of its Education Group division. The school was renamed to DeVry Institute of Technology in 1968.[1] In 1984, the education division was renamed DeVry, Inc. ("Old DeVry"), and became publicly traded on the American Stock Exchange.
- The Keller-Taylor Corporation was formed in 1973 by Dennis Keller and Ronald Taylor. Keller-Taylor was the holding company of CBA Institute in Chicago, which later became Keller Graduate School of Management. In 1987 Keller-Taylor acquired the DeVry Institutes from Bell & Howell and merged it with Keller Graduate School of Management. The holding company's name changed to DeVry, Inc.
- In 1991, DeVry became the first publicly traded education provider with an initial public offering on the NASDAQ stock exchange. In 1995, DeVry moved to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and began trading under the symbol DV (NYSE: DV). In 2017, the company changed its ticker symbol to ATGE (NYSE: ATGE).[1] In 1996 DeVry acquired Becker CPA Review, now Becker Professional Education. In 2002 DeVry Institute of Technology and Keller Graduate School of Management became DeVry University. The company diversified into healthcare in 2003 with the acquisition of Ross University and added Chamberlain College of Nursing (then Deaconess College of Nursing) in 2005.[1]
- In 2007, DeVry expanded its reach into online education with the addition of Advanced Academics, an online secondary education that partners with schools and school districts across the United States. Carrington College, formerly known as Apollo College and Western Career College, joined DeVry in 2008. In 2009, DeVry acquired a majority stake in Fanor, later known as DeVry Brasil, a provider of post-secondary education with campuses located in northeastern Brazil. In June 2009, Standard and Poor's added Devry Inc. to its index of stocks, replacing newly-bankrupt General Motors.[1]
|
Close
Generally speaking, this text is poorly sourced (the first two paragraphs are almost entirely unsourced, hence why I submitted a text removal request above). There is some appropriate information about acquisitions, but I will be submitting a draft section specifically focused on acquisitions and divestitures (and based on better sources) in the near future.
In terms of improving coverage of Adtalem's origins, I suggest replacing the red-colored text above with the following, which is based on reliable news sources and is specifically focused on DeVry Inc. / DeVry Education Group (not DeVry University):
Origins
- DeVry Inc. was created in 1987 with the merger of DeVry Institute of Technology (DIT) and the Keller Graduate School of Management.[1] DIT was established in Chicago as the DeForest Training School in 1931 and was acquired by Bell & Howell in 1967. Keller was started by two DIT teachers in 1973; the company acquired DIT from Bell & Howell in 1987. DeVry Inc. went public in 1991,[2] moved to the New York Stock Exchange in 1995,[3] and became known as DeVry Education Group in 2013.[4] The company was previously based in Downers Grove, Illinois.[5]
- In 2012, the company moved 150 jobs from its campus in Roscoe Village to a new office in Chicago's West Loop. The company had additional offices in Oak Brook, as of 2013.[4] In 2015, the company opened another office in the West Loop, after the city approved a $1 million subsidy for the company in the form of tax increment financing in 2012.[6]
I propose using this replacement text to create an Origins subsection of History. I intend to propose replacement text for Adtalem's later history separately. Reviewing editors can see the big picture of what I'm hoping to accomplish for this section at User:Inkian_Jason/Adtalem_Global_Education#History. I would like to think this is a clear improvement over the existing text, but I generally avoid editing the main space and seek help from other editors to review and update the article appropriately on my behalf. Again, my overall goal with this request is to improve sourcing and keep the content focused on the parent company Adtalem, not the former subsidiary DeVry University. I'm happy to address any questions and thanks for any assistance with reviewing the request and improving the article. Inkian Jason (talk) 17:27, 25 August 2025 (UTC)
- Done Encoded Talk 💬 17:57, 29 September 2025 (UTC)
- Thanks again! Inkian Jason (talk) 18:07, 29 September 2025 (UTC)
Leadership
| This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered. |
I'd like to propose another text improvement and update focused on the company's executive leadership. Currently, the Infobox mentions Stephen Beard, but without any sources and with no confirmation in the article body. The History section briefly mentions the resignation of Daniel Hamburger and the appointment of Lisa Wardell, who is no longer the president and CEO. To bring this article more up to date, I suggest removing the following two sentences from the History section:
- Daniel Hamburger resigned in 2016 as CEO of DeVry with a payout of 5.3 million dollars. Eight-year board member, Lisa Wardell was appointed president and CEO of DeVry Education Group.[1]
I propose replacing this sentence with the following standalone section:
More information Extended content ...
Close
This section is focused on current and former president/CEOs and board chairs, based on Wikipedia-appropriate sources. I've also included a claim about board composition I thought was noteworthy. I generally avoid editing articles directly, so I'm asking reviewing editors to update the article appropriately on my behalf. As always, I am happy to address any questions and concerns about this request. Thanks again! Inkian Jason (talk) 17:47, 25 August 2025 (UTC)
- Done Encoded Talk 💬 17:59, 29 September 2025 (UTC)
- @Encoded Thank you for reviewing these requests. Your assistance is much appreciated. May I ask, did you mean to leave out the first paragraph here re: current CEO and board chair Stephen Beard? Inkian Jason (talk) 18:07, 29 September 2025 (UTC)
- Apologies I did not mean to leave it out, thanks for flagging! Encoded Talk 💬 18:09, 29 September 2025 (UTC)
- @Encoded Thank you for taking another look! I appreciate your help and fast reply here. Inkian Jason (talk) 18:10, 29 September 2025 (UTC)
Acquisitions and divestitures
| This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered. |
Much thanks to User:Encoded for reviewing the above requests. Next, I'd like to focus on the second half of the History section, which is mostly about acquisitions and divestitures but based on press releases and Adtalem's website.
Specifically, the following claims are poorly sourced:
- In December 2018, Adtalem completed transferral of DeVry University and Keller Graduate School of Management properties to Cogswell Education LLC.[1] This was completed just days after the transfer of Carrington College to San Joaquin Valley College.[2]
- In September 2020, Adtalem Global Education Inc announced that it began the process of purchasing Walden University for US$1.48 billion in cash.[3] According to Higher Education Dive "Two investment firms, Engine Capital and Hawk Ridge Partners, wrote in an open letter...that they were "severely disappointed" with the board's decision to purchase Walden, calling the college a 'substantially inferior asset.'"[4]
- In August 2021, Adtalem Global Education Inc completed its acquisition of Walden University.[5]
- In 2022, Adtalem sold the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists, Becker Professional Education and OnCourse Learning to Wendel Group and Colibri Group, respectively.[6]
These are all press releases, with the exception of Higher Ed Dive, which I'm not sure editors would consider a reliable source (not to mention, it is used to source a claim about two non-notable companies). I propose removing these red-highlighted claims and replacing with the following an Acquisitions and divestitures section based on reputable journalistic sources. As seen in the draft I've shared previously, here's a copy of the proposed text for this section:
Acquisitions and divestitures
Adtalem acquired Becker CPA Review (now known as Becker Professional Education), which prepared students for the Certified Public Accountant exam, in 1996.[1] Adtalem acquired Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2003,[2] Chamberlain University (then Deaconess School of Nursing) in 2005,[3] and American University of the Caribbean in 2011.[4][5] Adtalem agreed to purchase Walden University for approximately $1.5 billion in September 2020.[6][7] The agreement required approval by the U.S. Department of Education and the Higher Learning Commission.[8] When the deal closed in August 2021, Adtalem became the largest provider of graduate and undergraduate degrees in nursing.[9]
Adtalem began selling business units unrelated to healthcare education in 2017 and consolidated focus on the industry during 2019–2020, when there was a shortage of health professionals.[10] In 2018, the company sold Carrington College to San Joaquin Valley College,[11] as well as DeVry University to Cogswell Education.[12][13][14] In 2019, Kaplan, Inc. acquired Becker's healthcare test preparation assets. Kaplan also agreed to provide Adtalem with U.S. Medical Licensing Examination review programs to Ross University School of Medicine and American University of the Caribbean.[15] In 2022, Colibri Group acquired Becker and OnCourse Learning from Adtalem. Adtalem also sold the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists to the French investment company Wendel. The specific purchase terms were not disclosed, but Adtalem confirmed that its financial services segment, which included ACAMLS, Becker, and OnCourse, sold for $1 billion.[16] Since selling its financial services education business, Adtalem has focused primarily on healthcare education.[17]
This replacement text covers the same topics but is more complete and uses better sources. I don't think any of the claims are particularly contentious but given my conflict of interest I am asking other editors to review and update the article appropriately. Again, you can view how this text fits into the draft at large here. Thanks in advance to any editors who are able to help. Happy to address questions or concerns here or on my user Talk page. Inkian Jason (talk) 21:49, 29 September 2025 (UTC)
- Done Encoded Talk 💬 17:42, 21 December 2025 (UTC)
- @Encoded: Thank you for reviewing this request and updating the article, Inkian Jason (talk) 15:51, 22 December 2025 (UTC)
History: Adtalem Global Education
| This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered. |
Related to the above request, I would like to continue addressing the article's History section. If all of the red-colored text in the above request were removed, then only the following text would be left of the second half of History:
- In 2011, DeVry continued its international reach with the acquisition of ATC International (a subsidiary of Becker Professional Education), which provides professional finance and accounting training in Central and Eastern Europe as well as Central Asia; and American University of the Caribbean, a medical school located in St. Maarten.[1] In November 2013, DeVry Inc. was renamed DeVry Education Group.[2]
The Business Week source indeed verifies the acquisition of American University of the Caribbean, but this is already mentioned in the proposed Acquisitions and divestitures section above. For this reason, I propose removal to avoid redundancy. The claim about the name change is accurate, and I've included it in the following proposed replacement text for the second half of the History section:
Adtalem Global Education
DeVry Education Group sold DeVry University and Keller Graduate School of Management in 2017, and became known as Adtalem Global Education that same year.[1][2] The company underwent a rebrand and the ticker symbol was changed to "ATGE".[3] Of the 225,000 students enrolled in its schools at the time, approximately half were based in Brazil and approximately one fifth were studying healthcare.[4] Inside Higher Ed said, "Even before the new name change, the company has sought to differentiate itself publicly from the rest of the for-profit sector. It has responded to increased regulatory scrutiny -- and negative headlines -- for the sector by announcing self-imposed reforms such as voluntarily limiting the amount of revenue it takes in from federal aid."[4]
The company's headquarters were later relocated from Downers Grove to 500 West Monroe Street in the West Loop Gate.[5] In 2024, Crain's Chicago Business said Adtalem had become "the largest health care educator in the nation during a post-COVID period in which the health care sector has faced severe labor shortages".[6] In November 2024, Adtalem announced plans to expand office capacity by moving to an 84,000-square-foot space in Willis Tower in early 2025.[5][6] In late 2024, Adtalem partnered with Hippocratic AI to train health care professionals on using artificial intelligence.[7] In 2025, Adtalem and Google Cloud partnered to develop a credentials program preparing students and healthcare workers to use artificial intelligence in the clinical environment, starting in 2026.[8]
My goal for this request is to expand and update the History section with information about the company as a whole outside of acquisitions and divestitures. You can see how I've organized text about Origins, Adtalem Global Education (post-name change), and Acquisitions and divestitures in the full draft I've published here, though I understand editors may decide to group details differently. Given my conflict of interest, I'm asking editors to review and implement the replacement text appropriately. Thanks in advance for any help and please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Inkian Jason (talk) 22:15, 29 September 2025 (UTC)
- Done Encoded Talk 💬 17:46, 21 December 2025 (UTC)
- Thanks again for your help here, Inkian Jason (talk) 15:51, 22 December 2025 (UTC)
Campuses and enrollment
| This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered. |
For my next request, I'd like to propose adding a Campuses and enrollment section with an overview of Adtalem's campuses and enrollment figures (as a whole, not individual institutions). The following summary describes the number of campuses and locations, plus a few student body statistics, based on Wikipedia-appropriate sources:
Campuses and enrollment
Adtalem's institutions operated approximately 130 campuses globally in 2018. Twelve of the 90 U.S. campuses were located in Illinois.
[1] In 2020, Adtalem's businesses operated 26 campuses in four countries and fifteen U.S. states. Approximately 90,000 students attended schools with a combined 6,100 faculty members. According to Adtalem, 34 percent of the students were Black. The company also claimed to be the largest provider of
Master's,
doctorate, and
nursing degrees for African Americans.
[2] As of 2021, approximately 82 percent of the 140,000 students enrolled at Adtalem schools learned via
distance education.
[3] In 2022, Adtalem operated 27 campuses and offered courses in 209 countries and territories.
[4]This information is lacking in the current article. As always, I generally avoid editing directly and seek assistance from others to review and update the article appropriately. You can view how this section fits into the larger draft I've shared here, if helpful.
Thanks again, Inkian Jason (talk) 14:59, 21 October 2025 (UTC)
- Done Folded into new "Operations" section for readability. Encoded Talk 💬 17:50, 21 December 2025 (UTC)
- Thanks for reviewing and updating the article, Inkian Jason (talk) 15:51, 22 December 2025 (UTC)
Finances
| This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered. |
Since this article is lacking information about the company's finances, I have drafted the following text for editor consideration, which is based on Wikipedia-appropriate sources:
Finances
In 2017, Adtalem lost approximately $4.6 million from the impacts of
Hurricane Irma and
Hurricane Maria.
[1] The company made a profit of $95.6 million in 2019 and lost $85.8 million in 2020,
[1] suffering from enrollment declines during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
[2] In early 2024, Adtalem was targeted by a short seller
[3] and the company announced a $300 million repurchase program.
[4] In late 2024,
Investor's Business Daily said Adtalem saw an average sales growth of fourteen percent over the last three years.
[5] For the 2024 fiscal year, Adtalem repurchased 5.446 million shares for approximately $261 million. In May 2025, the repurchase was completed and a new stock buyback program of up to $150 million through May 2028 was launched.
[4]Same as above, I'm seeking help from others to review and update the article appropriately. You can view how this section fits into the larger draft I've shared here, if helpful. Happy to address any questions or concerns.
Thanks! Inkian Jason (talk) 15:08, 21 October 2025 (UTC)
- Done Folded into new "Operations" section for readability. Encoded Talk 💬 17:50, 21 December 2025 (UTC)
- Thanks again for your help here! Inkian Jason (talk) 15:51, 22 December 2025 (UTC)
Let's be careful with these COI edits
I made some recent edits to the article to try to better reflect the history of the firm as I found it in the sources. I just now saw this draft article and am concerned. This firm was found to have harmed a large number of consumers, paid a very large settlement. It then renamed itself and shifted to a new sector of the industry. The details selected/left out in Inkian Jason's draft put the company in substantially better light than an article reflecting WP:RS weights on the firm's history. Chris vLS (talk) 16:45, 5 January 2026 (UTC)
