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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2021

Basis of Presentation and AccountingThe accompanying unaudited interim Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, or GAAP.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying unaudited interim Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of APEI and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All material intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

In preparing financial statements in conformity with GAAP, the Company is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. The Company evaluates these estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis and bases its estimates on experience, current and expected future conditions, and various other assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions, and the impact of such differences may be material to the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.

Restricted Cash

Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash includes funds held for students for unbilled educational services that were received from Title IV programs and, as of September 30, 2021, amounts to secure letters of credit, including $24.2 million in a restricted certificate of deposit account to secure a letter of credit for the benefit of the ED on behalf of RU in connection with RU’s 2020 composite score, which is used by ED for determining compliance with financial responsibility standards, being below the minimum required, and a $0.6 million restricted certificate of deposit to secure a letter of credit in lieu of a security deposit for an RU leased campus. The Company is required to maintain funds from Title IV programs and restrict these funds pursuant to the terms of the applicable institution’s program participation agreement with ED.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company measures certain financial assets at fair value for disclosure purposes, as well as on a nonrecurring basis when they are deemed to be other-than-temporary impairments.

Fair value represents the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that is determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset. Assets recorded at fair value are measured and classified in accordance with a three-tier fair value hierarchy based on the observability of the inputs available in the market used to measure fair value:

Level 1 - inputs to the valuation techniques that are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;

Level 2 - inputs to the valuation techniques that are other than quoted prices but are observable for the assets or liabilities, either directly or indirectly; or

Level 3 - inputs to the valuation techniques that are unobservable for the assets or liabilities.

The fair value hierarchy requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value.

The Company’s cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities are all short-term in nature. As such, their carrying amounts approximate fair value and fall within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. The carrying value of long-term debt approximates fair value as it is based on variable rate index.

Investments

The Company periodically evaluates its equity method investment for indicators of an other-than-temporary impairment. Factors the Company considers when evaluating for an other-than-temporary impairment include the duration and severity of the impairment, the reasons for the decline in value, and the potential recovery period. For an investee with impairment indicators, the Company measures fair value on the basis of discounted cash flows or other appropriate valuation methods. If it is probable that the Company will not recover the carrying amount of the investment, the impairment is considered other-than-temporary and recorded in equity investment loss, and the equity investment balance is reduced to its fair value.

For each reporting period, the Company evaluates its cost method investments for observable price changes. Factors the Company may consider when evaluating an observable price may include significant changes in the regulatory, economic or technological environment, changes in the general market condition, bona fide offers to purchase or sell similar investments, and other criteria.

Management must exercise significant judgment in evaluating the potential impairment of its equity and cost method investments.

Self-Insured Liabilities

Self-Insured LiabilitiesRU has a partially self-insured health plan (the Plan) for employee health benefits and records self-insurance liabilities based on claims filed and an estimate of claims incurred but not yet reported.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of an acquired business over the amount assigned to the tangible and intangible assets and liabilities assumed. Intangible assets are recorded at their estimated fair value as of the acquisition date, and are classified as either indefinite-lived or definite-lived. Indefinite-lived intangible assets are trade name and accreditation, licensing and Title IV. Definite-lived intangible assets are student roster, curricula, and lead conversions. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are assessed at least annually for impairment or more frequently if circumstances indicate potential impairment.

Definite-lived intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the asset.

Stock-based Compensation

Stock-based payments may include incentive stock options or non-qualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, dividend equivalent rights, performance shares, performance units, cash-based awards, other stock-based awards, including unrestricted shares, or any combination of the foregoing. Stock-based compensation cost is recognized as an expense, generally over a three-year vesting period, using the straight-line method for employees and the graded-vesting method for members of the Board of Directors, and is measured using the Company’s closing stock price on the date of the grant. An accelerated one-year period is used to recognize stock-based compensation cost for employees who have reached certain service and retirement eligibility criteria on the date of grant. The fair value of each option award is estimated at the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model that uses certain assumptions, including assumptions with respect to expected stock price volatility and the risk-free interest rate.

Judgment is required in estimating the percentage of share-based awards that are expected to vest, and in the case of performance stock units, or PSUs, the level of performance that will be achieved and the number of shares that will be earned. The Company estimates forfeitures of share-based awards at the time of grant and revises such estimates in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from original estimates. The forfeiture assumption is ultimately adjusted to the actual forfeiture rate. If actual results differ significantly from these estimates, stock-based compensation expense could be higher and have a material impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements. Estimates are subjective and are not intended to predict actual future events, and subsequent events are not indicative of the reasonableness of the original estimates of fair value.

Stock-based compensation expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 was as follows (in thousands):


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2021		2020		2021		2020
	(Unaudited)				(Unaudited)
Instructional costs and services	$	274	$	343	$	1,129	$	1,223
Selling and promotional	142		252		706		729
General and administrative	1,388		1,347		4,134		3,313
Stock-based compensation expense in operating income	$	1,804	$	1,942	$	5,969	$	5,265

Incentive-based Compensation

The Company provides incentive-based compensation opportunities to certain employees through cash incentive and equity awards. The expense associated with these awards is reflected within the Company’s operating expenses. For the years ending December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Management Development and Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors approved an annual incentive arrangement for senior management employees. The aggregate amount of any awards payable is dependent upon the achievement of certain Company financial and operational goals, as well as individual performance goals. Given that the awards are generally contingent upon achieving annual objectives, final determination of the current year incentive awards cannot be made until after the results for the year are finalized. The Company recognizes the estimated fair value of performance-based restricted stock units by assuming the satisfaction of any performance-based objectives at the “target” level, which is the most probable outcome determined for accounting purposes at the time of grant, and multiplying the corresponding number of shares earned based upon such achievement by the closing price of the Company’s stock on the date of grant. To the extent performance goals are not met, compensation cost is not ultimately recognized against the goals and, to the extent previously recognized, compensation cost is reversed. Amounts accrued are subject to change in future interim periods if actual future financial results or operational performance are better or worse than expected.

Income Taxes

The Company determines its interim tax provision by applying the estimated income tax rate expected for the full calendar year to income before income taxes for the period adjusted for discrete items.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

The Company considers the applicability and impact of all Accounting Standards Updates, or ASUs, issued by FASB. All ASUs issued subsequent to the filing of the Annual Report on March 9, 2021 were assessed and determined to be either inapplicable or not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position and/or results of operations.

Commitments and Contingencies

The Company accrues for costs associated with contingencies including, but not limited to, regulatory compliance and legal matters when such costs are probable and can be reasonably estimated. Liabilities established to provide for contingencies are adjusted as further information develops, circumstances change, or contingencies are resolved. The Company bases these accruals on management’s estimate of such costs, which may vary from the ultimate costs and expenses, associated with any such contingency.