For-profit online university serving working adults with flexible, career-focused degrees since 1976.
University of Phoenix offers certificates, associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees across nine major fields: behavioral sciences, business, criminal justice, education, healthcare, information technology, liberal arts, nursing, and psychology. The university emphasizes career-relevant skills through abbreviated courses (20–24 instructor hours per course) with mandatory collaborative learning team projects. Students can transfer up to 87 credits from over 5,000 accredited institutions, with more than 40% of undergraduates using transfer credits to save an average of $11,000. The university maintains an open admissions policy for most undergraduate programs, requiring only a high school diploma or GED.
UoPX holds regional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) since 1978 and maintains 18 programs with specialized accreditation in business (ACBSP), nursing (CCNE), education (TEAC), counseling (CACREP), and healthcare management (CAHME). However, business programs lack AACSB accreditation, which some employers require for tuition reimbursement. The university has faced criticism for academic rigor and abbreviated course formats, though it continues to invest in adaptive learning technologies and competency-based assessment options.
The student body is predominantly working adults: 78% are employed while studying, and the average student-to-faculty ratio is 132:1. Faculty average 29+ years of professional experience, with 100 serving as CEOs and 929 as directors. The university offers flexible online learning with classes starting every 5–6 weeks, career services, transfer credit evaluation, employer tuition benefits, and scholarships. Students access class-specific online resources including electronic libraries and course materials.
Founded in 1976, UoPX expanded rapidly through the 1990s–2000s, peaking at 470,000 students in 2010. Following controversies over recruitment practices and federal scrutiny, enrollment declined 70% between 2010–2016. In 2016, Apollo Group sold the university to Apollo Global Management, Vistria Group, and Najafi Companies for $1 billion. On August 29, 2025, the parent company (AP VIII Queso Holdings LP) filed for IPO under the name Phoenix Education Partners Inc., raising $136 million and valuing the university at $1.48 billion.