XML 20 R9.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.19.1
Nature of Business
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2019
Nature of Business  
Nature of Business

1. Nature of Business

Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, the “Company” or “GCE”) is a publicly traded education services company. Prior to July 1, 2018, GCE owned and operated Grand Canyon University (the “University”), a comprehensive regionally accredited university that offers approximately 240 graduate and undergraduate degree programs, emphases and certificates across nine colleges both online and on ground at its campus in Phoenix, Arizona, at leased facilities and at facilities owned by third party employers of its students. On July 1, 2018, the Company sold the University to Grand Canyon University, an Arizona non-profit corporation formerly known as Gazelle University (“GCU”). As a result of this transaction (the “Transaction”), GCE became an educational services company focused on providing a full array of support services to institutions in the post-secondary education sector. GCE has developed significant technological solutions, infrastructure and operational processes to provide services to these institutions on a large scale.  See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements for a full description of the Transaction.

On December 17, 2018, the Company entered into a definitive Agreement and Plan of Merger to acquire Orbis Education Services, LLC (“Orbis Education”). Orbis Education is an education services company that supports healthcare education programs for 17 university partners across the United States. The closing of the merger occurred on January 22, 2019 and, as a result of the merger, GCE acquired all of the outstanding equity interests of Orbis Education for $361,184, net of cash acquired (the “Acquisition”). The Company financed a portion of the purchase price through a credit facility provided by a consortium of banks led by our existing bank group.  See Note 3 to our consolidated financial statement for a full description of the Acquisition.

As a result of the Transaction and Acquisition, the Company no longer owns and operates an institution of higher education, but instead provides a bundle of services in support of its 18 university partners.