User:APEI Alex/APUS Draft
American university company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American Public University System (APUS) is a private, for-profit, online university system comprising American Military University and American Public University. It is a subsidiary of American Public Education, Inc. (APEI) and is based in Charles Town, West Virginia. APUS was founded in 1991 as American Military University (AMU) by retired United States Marine Corps officer James P. Etter as a correspondence school for military personnel. In 2002, the organization became American Public University System and opened American Public University as a sister school to AMU.
| Motto | Educating those who serve |
|---|---|
| Type | Private for-profit online university system |
| Established | 1991 |
| Founder | James P. Etter |
Parent institution | American Public Education Inc. |
| Accreditation | |
| President | Nuno S. Fernandes |
| Provost | Elizabeth Johnson |
Academic staff | 1,775 (Fall 2024) |
| Students | 50,715 (Fall 2024) |
| Undergraduates | 41,620 (Fall 2024) |
| Postgraduates | 9,095 (Fall 2024) |
| Location | , , United States 39°17′16″N 77°51′36″W |
| Campus | Online |
| Colors | Navy blue, gold, white |
| Website | apus |
 | |
 | |
| [1][2][3] | |
APUS schools are fully online institutions that enroll approximately 50,000 students. They offer approximately 230 degree and certificate programs, from pre-baccalaureate certificates through doctoral degrees.
History
Founding and early history
American Public University System (APUS) was founded as American Military University (AMU), a private for-profit corporation. The school was created in 1991 by retired United States Marine Corps officer James P. Etter, who operated it from his home.[4][5][6] Etter founded the school with less than US$250,000 and received assistance from the Small Business Administration to launch it.[7] The school prioritized active duty military members who could not attend a singular school due to the constraints of their military service and focused its coursework on military history.[5][7] It launched its first master's program in 1993.[8]
Accreditation and growth
By 1996, the school had 11 staff members and had moved to a warehouse in Manassas, Virginia.[7] It launched its first bachelor's programs that year.[8] Students engaged with faculty via mail and phone in correspondence courses.[7] AMU became a fully online school in 1998.[8] It applied for accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools the same year and was denied in 1999. It moved its headquarters to West Virginia, allowing it to seek accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission, which it received in 2006.[9]
The organization changed its name to American Public University System and founded American Public University alongside AMU in 2002 in an effort to reach a wider student base.[5][8] APUS comprised three schools by 2002: American Public University, American Military University, and American Community College. It had approximately 5,000 students enrolled pursuing associate, bachelor, and master's degrees. The organization received US$10 million in venture capital funding from ABS Capital Partners that year.[4]
APUS's parent company, American Public Education, Inc. (APEI) went public via initial public offering in 2007.[10] APUS charged US$250 per credit in 2009, the maximum amount paid by the G.I. Bill at the time without requiring servicemembers to pay out of pocket. AMU had approximately 37,000 military enrollees and 160 faculty members in 2009.[9]
In 2010, 61 percent of APUS's revenue came from active duty military members and military veterans.[11] The same year, APUS partnered with Walmart to be the latter's educational provider. The partnership gave Walmart employees credits for prior learning based on their work experience in up to ten knowledge areas, upon completion of a 16-week course and the passage of an assessment in each area. Inside Higher Ed noted that prior learning credits are viewed skeptically by some due to a lack of clarity in the assessment process.[12][13] APUS had approximately 70,000 students in 100 countries across its institutions that year.[13]
For-profit educational institutions catering to military personnel in the U.S. came under Congressional scrutiny in 2010, including APUS schools, following a federal government investigation which found educational companies were encouraging prospective students to lie to receive student aid.[14] The United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions noted in its investigation of for-profit institutions that APEI had "significantly better" withdrawal and retention rates than comparably sized education companies.[15][16]
APUS began offering a bachelor's degree in sports management in 2013.[17] The school system had the highest rate of student loan default in West Virginia in 2016, with 5,500 students failing to make loan payments.[18] APEI spent US$1.1 million lobbying Congress in 2016 and 2017.[19]
In 2017, APUS began offering direct-assessment bachelor's degrees, which require students to prove they are proficient in a degree program's coursework and allow them to bypass formal coursework if they have an associate's degree.[20] The school system paid US$270,000 to eligible students in Massachusetts following an investigation by the state's attorney general which found APUS failed to disclose required information to prospective students and engaged in false advertising and high-pressure sales tactics.[21][22] APUS launched its first doctoral degree programs in 2018.[8]
2020–present
APEI acquired Rasmussen University in 2020 for US$329 million. With the acquisition, the school system had approximately 88,000 students and offered 220 degree and certificate programs.[23] The New York Times reported APUS had an 8-year graduation rate of 22 percent in 2021.[24] The company received approximately US$96 million of the US$488 million spent on United States Department of Defense tuition assistance programs that year.[25] APEI acquired Graduate School USA in 2021.[26] California Community Colleges entered a transfer partnership with APUS in October 2021; it ended 3 months later following pressure by student advocates, who claimed that APUS engaged in deceptive marketing tactics.[22]
The university system launched an esports management degree program in 2022.[27] APUS began piloting a 3-year bachelor's degree in cybersecurity in 2023. The program is 90 credit-hours and cuts 30 hours of elective requirements.[28] In 2024, it sold its finance building to Jefferson County, West Virginia for US$16.6 million.[29] It sold Graduate School USA the following year.[30]
Organization and administration
Governance
 | |
| Nasdaq: APEI | |
| Industry | Education |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Founder | James P. Etter |
| Headquarters | Charles Town, West Virginia , United States |
Key people | |
| Revenue |  US$624.6 million (2024) |
| US$16.1 million (2024) | |
| Total assets | US$570.1 million (2024) |
| Total equity | US$303.9 million (2024) |
Number of employees | 6,117 (2024) |
| Subsidiaries |
|
| Website | apei |
| Footnotes / references [1] | |
APUS is governed as a private, for-profit organization by a board of trustees.[31] It is a subsidiary of American Public Education, Inc.[1] Nuno Fernandes is president; Elizabeth Johnson is provost.[32][2]
APEI
American Public Education, Inc. (APEI) is the parent company of APUS. APEI has four schools in its system: American Public University, American Military University, Rasmussen University, and Hondros College of Nursing. It is led by Chief Executive Officer Angela K. Selden and board chair Eric. C. Andersen. Richard W. Sunderland is executive vice president and chief financial officer.
APEI is headquartered in Charles Town, West Virginia. It had revenues of approximately US$625 million and a net income of approximately US$16.1 million in 2024. APEI employed approximately 6,100 people that year.[1]
Academic profile
APUS offers associate, bachelor, master's, and doctoral degrees; additionally, it offers certificates, both pre- and post-bacculaureate.[3] APUS has approximately 230 degree and certificate programs.[33] The organization is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and Distance Education Accrediting Commission. Its undergraduate and graduate nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education; its graduate public health program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health.[34] Its schools awarded approximately 15,000 degrees at the conclusion of the 2023–2024 academic year. APUS has an overall graduation rate of 57 percent and 6-year graduation rate of 55.2 percent.[3]
APUS has 1,775 faculty members, of which 327 are full-time.[3] The organization publishes six scholarly journals: Security and Intelligence, The International Journal of Online Educational Resources, Journal of Online Learning Research and Practice, Saber and Scroll, Military History Chronicles, and Space Education and Strategic Applications.[35]
Admissions and financial aid
- White/Caucasian (45.0%)
- Hispanic or Latino (18.9%)
- Black or African American (17.7%)
- Multiple (4.70%)
- Asian (3.10%)
- American Indian or Alaska Native (0.50%)
- Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (1.00%)
- International (1.20%)
- Unknown (7.90%)
APUS has open admissions.[34] For the 2024–2025 academic year, APUS charged tuition and fees of US$8,400, with anticipated total annual costs of US$20,384. In 2023–2024, 81 percent of undergraduates received grants or scholarships, averaging US$2,119 per student; 13 percent of undergraduates received student loans, averaging US$8,895 per student.[3]
Student body
APUS had a fall 2024 enrollment of 50,715 students. Of those, 41,620 were undergraduate students and 9,095 were graduate students. Approximately 64 percent of undergraduate students identified as male and approximately 91 percent of undergraduates were part-time students; approximately 90 percent of graduate students were part-time.[3]
As of 2025, APUS had 88,502 students enrolled with an average age of 34. Approximately 91 percent of students are current or former military members.[33]
Notable alumni
| Alumnus | Notable for | School | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib | Activist, blogger | American Military University | [36] |
| Dan Caine | U.S. Air Force general | American Military University | [37] |
| Monique Marie Chouraeshkenazi | Scholar | American Military University | [38] |
| Mike Giallombardo | Politician | American Military University | [39] |
| Yasser Harrak | Writer | American Military University | [40] |
| Nicole Malachowski | First female Thunderbirds pilot | American Military University | [41] |
| Cory Mills | Politician | American Military University | [42] |