Kaplan University

Kaplan University
TypePrivate online for-profit university subsidiary
Active1937–2018
Parent institution
Kaplan Higher Education Corporation, Graham Holdings Company
PresidentBetty Vandenbosch
Academic staff
Nearly 3,600
Students30,000 online and campus-based students[1]
Location
Davenport
,
Iowa
,
United States (with main administrative building in Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
Campus14 campuses in Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, and Wisconsin and 1 Kaplan University Learning Center in Maryland[2]
WebsiteKaplanUniversity.edu
A Kaplan University campus in Maine

Kaplan University (KU) was a private online for-profit university owned by Kaplan, Inc., a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company. It was predominantly a distance learning institution, maintaining 14 ground locations across the United States. The university was named in honor of Stanley H. Kaplan,[3] who founded Kaplan Test Prep.[4] It was regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of seven major accrediting bodies in the U.S.,[5] but some programs did not have the field-specific accreditation needed for graduates to obtain certification.[6]

In 2017, Graham sold Kaplan University to Purdue University for $1, with the aim of changing it into a nonprofit online institution now known as Purdue University Global.[7][8][9] The acquisition, announced in April 2017, was completed in March 2018.[10]

  1. ^ "Graham Holdings Company Reports Second Quarter Earnings | Graham Holdings Company". www.ghco.com. Archived from the original on 2020-08-14. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  2. ^ "Campus Experience". Archived from the original on 2016-04-20. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  3. ^ "Kaplan Inc. - SHK". Kaplan.com. Archived from the original on 2013-11-27. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  4. ^ "Test Prep Pioneer Stanley Kaplan Dead At 90". NY1. 2009-08-24. Archived from the original on 2009-09-29. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  5. ^ "Accreditation". Kaplan University. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012.
  6. ^ "Former Students Accuse Kaplan of Misleading Them About Accreditation". www.chronicle.com. 2011. Archived from the original on 2021-03-09. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  7. ^ "Purdue Buys Kaplan University, Will Create New Nonprofit Chain | Inside Higher Ed". Archived from the original on 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  8. ^ "Regulatory Hurdle for Purdue-Kaplan Deal - Inside Higher Ed". Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  9. ^ Purdue University (March 5, 2018). "Purdue University receives HLC approval for Purdue Global". Archived from the original on March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  10. ^ "Kaplan Closes Transaction with Purdue for the Assets of Kaplan University" (Press release). 22 March 2018. Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.