Consolidated Statements of Income - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Statements of Income [Abstract]
Revenues	$ 116,469	$ 114,912
Costs and expenses:
Instruction and educational support	63,776	61,416
Marketing	20,124	18,718
Admissions advisory	4,676	4,716
General and administration	11,218	11,619
Merger costs	5,347
Total costs and expenses	105,141	96,469
Income from operations	11,328	18,443
Investment income	448	181
Interest expense	159	159
Income before income taxes	11,617	18,465
Provision for income taxes	2,150	7,887
Net income	$ 9,467	$ 10,578
Earnings per share:
Basic	$ 0.88	$ 1.00
Diluted	$ 0.84	$ 0.95
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic	10,745	10,630
Diluted	11,311	11,121