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Significant Accounting Policies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2017
Significant Accounting Policies |
Significant Accounting Policies | 2. Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries and have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP") and include the assets, liabilities, results of operations and cash flows of the Company. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Reclassifications The Company has reclassified capitalized technology and content development, as well as other amortizable intangible assets, into amortizable intangible assets, net on the consolidated balance sheets and consolidated statements of cash flows. In addition, certain other prior period amounts in the consolidated balance sheets and consolidated statements of cash flows have been reclassified to conform to the current period's presentation. These reclassifications had no impact on total assets, total liabilities, cash flows from operating activities or cash flows from investing activities previously reported for any periods presented. Use of Estimates The preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported herein. The Company bases its estimates and assumptions on historical experience and on various other factors that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. Due to the inherent uncertainty involved in making estimates, actual results reported in future periods may be affected by changes in those estimates. The Company evaluates its estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Business Combinations The purchase price of an acquisition is allocated to the assets acquired, including intangible assets, and liabilities assumed, based on their respective fair values at the acquisition date. Acquisition-related costs are expensed as incurred. The excess of the cost of an acquired entity of the net of the amounts assigned to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed is recognized as goodwill. The net assets and results of operations of an acquired entity are included in the Company's consolidated financial statements from the acquisition date. Concentration of Credit Risk Financial instruments that subject the Company to significant concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents and accounts receivable. All of the Company's cash is held at financial institutions that management believes to be of high credit quality. The Company's bank accounts exceed federally insured limits at times. The Company has not experienced any losses on cash to date. To manage accounts receivable risk, the Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts, if needed. Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and cash equivalents consist of bank checking accounts, money market accounts, investments in certificates of deposit that mature in less than three months and highly liquid marketable securities with maturities at the time of purchase of three months or less. Fair Value Measurements The carrying amounts of certain assets and liabilities, including cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses and other current liabilities, approximate their respective fair values due to their short-term nature. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date, based on the Company's principal or, in the absence of a principal, most advantageous, market for the specific asset or liability. U.S. GAAP provides for a three-tier fair value hierarchy to classify and disclose all assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis, as well as assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis, in periods subsequent to their initial measurement. The fair value hierarchy requires the Company to use observable inputs when available, and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs when determining fair value. The three tiers are defined as follows:
| • | Level 1—Observable inputs that reflect quoted market prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets;
| • | Level 2—Observable inputs, other than quoted prices in active markets, that are observable either directly or indirectly in the marketplace for identical or similar assets and liabilities; and
| • | Level 3—Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market data, which require the Company to develop its own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best information available in the circumstances.
Advances to University Clients The Company is contractually obligated to pay advances to certain of its university clients in order to fund start-up expenses of the program on behalf of the university client. Advances to university clients are stated at realizable value. Advances are repaid to the Company on terms as required in the respective agreements. The Company recognizes imputed interest income on these advance payments when there is a significant amount of imputed interest. Long-Lived Assets Property and Equipment Property and equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Expenditures for major additions, construction and improvements are capitalized. Depreciation and amortization is expensed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related assets, which range from three to five years for computer hardware and five to seven years for furniture and office equipment. Leasehold improvements are depreciated on a straight-line basis over the lesser of the remaining term of the leased facility or the estimated useful life of the improvement, which generally ranges from four to approximately 11 years. Useful lives of significant assets are periodically reviewed and adjusted prospectively to reflect the Company's current estimates of the respective assets' expected utility. Repair and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred. Amortizable Intangible Assets Acquired Intangible Assets. The Company capitalizes purchased intangible assets such as software, websites and domains and amortizes them on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful life. Historically, the Company has assessed the useful lives of these acquired intangible assets to be between three and ten years. Capitalized Technology. The Company capitalizes certain costs related to internal-use software, primarily consisting of direct labor associated with creating the software. Software development projects generally include three stages: the preliminary project stage (all costs are expensed as incurred), the application development stage (certain costs are capitalized and certain costs are expensed as incurred) and the post-implementation/operation stage (all costs are expensed as incurred). Costs capitalized in the application development stage include costs of designing the application, coding, integrating the Company's and the university's networks and systems, and the testing of the software. Capitalization of costs requires judgment in determining when a project has reached the application development stage and the period over which the Company expects to benefit from the use of that software. Once the software is placed in service, these costs are amortized on the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the software, which is generally three years. Capitalized Content Development. The Company develops content on a course-by-course basis in conjunction with the faculty for each university client program. The university clients and their faculty generally provide course outlines in the form of the curriculum, required textbooks, case studies and other reading materials, as well as presentations that are typically used in the on-campus setting. The Company is then responsible for, and incurs all of the expenses related to, the conversion of the materials provided by each university client into a format suitable for delivery through our online learning platform. The content development costs that qualify for capitalization are third-party direct costs, such as videography, editing and other services associated with creating digital content. Additionally, the Company capitalizes internal payroll and payroll-related costs incurred to create and produce videos and other digital content utilized in the university clients' programs for delivery via Online Campus. Capitalization ends when content has been fully developed by both the Company and the university client, at which time amortization of the capitalized content development costs begin. The capitalized costs are recorded on a course-by-course basis and included in capitalized content costs on the consolidated balance sheets. These costs are amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the respective capitalized content program, which is generally five years. The estimated useful life corresponds with the planned curriculum refresh rate. This refresh rate is consistent with expected curriculum refresh rates as cited by program faculty members for similar on-campus programs. It is reasonably possible that developed content could be refreshed before the estimated useful lives are complete or be expensed immediately in the event that the development of a course is discontinued prior to launch. Evaluation of Long-Lived Assets The Company reviews long-lived assets, which consist of property and equipment, capitalized technology costs, capitalized content development costs and acquired finite-lived intangible assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of a long-lived asset is measured by a comparison of the carrying value of an asset or asset group to the future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by that asset or asset group. If such assets are not recoverable, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying value of an asset exceeds the estimated fair value (discounted cash flow) of the asset or asset group. In order to assess the recoverability of the capitalized technology and content development costs, the costs are grouped by degree vertical, which is the lowest level of independent cash flows. The Company's impairment analysis is based upon cumulative results and forecasted performance. The actual results could vary from the Company's forecasts, especially in relation to recently launched programs. Non-Cash Long-Lived Asset Additions During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company had capital asset additions of $62.3 million in property and equipment and capitalized technology and content development, of which $11.2 million consisted of non-cash capital expenditures, primarily related to landlord funded leasehold improvements. During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company had capital asset additions of $30.8 million in property and equipment and capitalized technology and content development, of which $6.4 million consisted of non-cash capital expenditures, primarily related to landlord funded leasehold improvements. Goodwill Goodwill is the excess of purchase price over the fair value of identified net assets of the business acquired. The Company's goodwill balance was established in connection with the acquisition of GetSmarter in 2017. The Company will review goodwill at least annually, as of October 1, for possible impairment, beginning in 2018. Between annual tests, goodwill is reviewed for possible impairment if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of the reporting unit below its carrying value. The Company will test goodwill at the reporting unit level, which is an operating segment or one level below an operating segment. The Company initially will assess qualitative factors to determine if it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment review. The Company will review goodwill for impairment using the two-step process if it decides to bypass the qualitative assessment or determines that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value based on a qualitative assessment. Upon the completion of the two-step process, the Company may be required to recognize an impairment based on the difference between the carrying value and the fair value of the goodwill recorded. Government Grants Government grants awarded to the Company in the form of forgivable loans are recorded as deferred government grant obligations within long-term liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets until all contingencies are resolved and the grant is determined to be realized. Income Taxes Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that are included in the financial statements. Under this method, the deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the differences between the financial statement and tax bases of the assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on the deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in earnings in the period when the new rate is enacted. Deferred tax assets are subject to periodic recoverability assessments. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount that more likely than not will be realized. The Company considers all positive and negative evidence relating to the realization of the deferred tax assets in assessing the need for a valuation allowance. The Company currently maintains a full valuation allowance against deferred tax assets in the U.S and certain entities in the foreign jurisdictions. The Company records a liability for unrecognized tax benefits resulting from uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. The Company accounts for uncertainty in income taxes using a two-step approach for evaluating tax positions. Step one, recognition, occurs when the Company concludes that a tax position, based solely on its technical merits, is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination. Step two, measurement, determines the amount of benefit that is more likely than not to be realized upon ultimate settlement with a taxing authority that has full knowledge of all relevant information. De-recognition of a tax position that was previously recognized would occur if the Company subsequently determines that a tax position no longer meets the more likely than not threshold of being sustained. The Company recognizes interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Revenue Recognition, Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts The Company recognizes revenue when all of the following conditions are met: (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (ii) rendering of services is complete, (iii) fees are fixed or determinable and (iv) collection of fees is reasonably assured. Revenue for both of our segments is recognized ratably over the service period, which the Company defines as the first through the last day of the graduate program class or short course. The Company establishes a refund allowance, if necessary, for its share of tuition and fees ultimately uncollected either by its university clients within the Graduate Program Segment or by the Company within the Short Course Segment. Payments to university clients that are not for distinct goods or services are recognized as a reduction of revenue over the contractual term or the period to which they relate. The Graduate Program Segment derives revenue primarily from a contractually specified percentage of the amounts the Company's university clients receive from their students in the 2U-enabled graduate program for tuition and fees, less credit card fees and other specified charges that the Company has agreed to exclude in certain of our university client contracts. Most of our contracts with university clients within this segment have 10 to 15 year initial terms. The Short Course Segment derives revenue directly from students for the tuition and fees paid to enroll in and progress through our short courses. A contractually specified percentage of the gross proceeds from students is shared with the university clients, in the form of a royalty recognized within the Company's consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss as curriculum and teaching costs, for providing the content and certifying the course. Our university client contracts within this segment are typically shorter and less restrictive than our contracts within our Graduate Program Segment. The Company generally receives payments for revenue from graduate program university clients early in each academic term and from short course students, either in full upon registration of the course or in full before the end of the course based on a payment plan, prior to completion of the service period. The Company records these payments as deferred revenue until the services are delivered or until the obligations are otherwise met, at which time revenue is recognized. Deferred revenue as of a particular balance sheet date represents the excess of amounts billed or received as compared to amounts recognized in revenue in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss as of the end of the reporting period, and such amounts are reflected as a current liability on the Company's consolidated balance sheets. The Company generates substantially all of its revenue from multiple-deliverable contractual arrangements, and provide a combination of access to the platform of technology and technology-enabled services that support the complete lifecycle of a graduate program or short course, including attracting students, advising prospective students through the admissions application process, providing technical, success coaching and other support, facilitating accessibility to individuals with disabilities and in some cases, facilitating in-program field placements. The Company has determined that no individual deliverable has standalone value upon delivery and, therefore, the multiple deliverables within its arrangements do not qualify for treatment as separate units of accounting. Accordingly, the Company considers all deliverables to be a single unit of accounting and recognizes revenue from the entire arrangement over the term of the service period. The Company's accounts receivable are stated at net realizable value. The Company utilizes the allowance method to provide for doubtful accounts based on management's evaluation of the collectability of the amounts due. The estimate is based on historical collection experience and a review of the current status of accounts receivable. Historically, actual write-offs for uncollectible accounts have not significantly differed from estimates. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the allowance for doubtful accounts was $0.3 million and zero, respectively, and relates to amounts from the Short Course Segment. Marketing and Sales Costs The majority of the marketing and sales costs incurred by the Company are directly related to acquiring students for its university clients' programs, with lesser amounts related to the Company's own marketing and advertising efforts. For the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, costs related to the Company's own marketing and advertising efforts were not material. All such costs are expensed as incurred and reported in marketing and sales expense in the Company's consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company had $11.7 million and $5.6 million, respectively, of accrued marketing costs included in accounts payable and accrued expenses on the consolidated balance sheets. Leases The Company leases all of its office facilities and enters into various other lease agreements in conducting its business. At the inception of each lease, the Company evaluates the lease agreement to determine whether the lease is an operating or capital lease. Additionally, many of the Company's lease agreements contain renewal options, tenant improvement allowances, rent holiday and/or rent escalation clauses. The Company defers tenant improvement allowances and amortizes such balances as a reduction of rent expense over the term of the lease. When rent holidays or rent escalations are included in a lease agreement, the Company records a deferred rent asset or liability in the consolidated financial statements, and records these items in rent expense evenly over the term of the lease. The Company is also required to make additional payments under operating lease terms for taxes, insurance and other operating expenses incurred during the operating lease period; such items are expensed as incurred. Rental deposits are included as other assets in the consolidated financial statements for lease agreements the require payments in advance or deposits held for security that are refundable, less any damages, at the end of the respective lease. Stock-Based Compensation The Company accounts for stock-based compensation awards based on the fair value of the award as of the grant date. For awards subject to service-based vesting conditions, the Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the awards' requisite service period. Effective April 1, 2017, expected volatility is based on the historical volatilities of the Company's common stock. Prior to January 1, 2017, the Company adjusted stock-based compensation expense for estimated forfeitures of stock-based awards. As described in the "Recent Accounting Pronouncements" section of this Note, beginning on January 1, 2017, the Company accounts for forfeitures (and the impact on stock-based compensation expense) as they occur. For awards subject to both performance and service-based vesting conditions, the Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense using an accelerated recognition method when it is probable that the performance condition will be achieved. Foreign Currency Translation For the portion of the Company's non-U.S. business where the local currency is the functional currency, operating results are translated into U.S. dollars using the average rate of exchange for the period, and assets and liabilities are converted at the closing rates on the period end date. Gains and losses on translation of these accounts are accumulated and reported as a separate component of stockholder's equity and comprehensive loss. For any transaction that is in a currency different from the entity's functional currency, the Company records a gain or loss based on the difference between the exchange rate at the transaction date and the exchange rate at the transaction settlement date (or rate at period end, if unsettled) as other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In January 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2017-04, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, which eliminates step two from the goodwill impairment test and requires an entity to recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, up to the amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact that this standard will have on its consolidated financial position or related disclosures. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business, which revises the definition of a business and provides new guidance in evaluating when a set of transferred assets and activities is a business. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The Company early adopted this ASU in the third quarter of 2017, in connection with the acquisition of GetSmarter. In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash, a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force. The ASU requires companies to explain the changes in the combined total of restricted and unrestricted cash balances in the statement of cash flows. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. Adoption of the ASU is retrospective to each prior period presented. The Company early adopted this ASU in the second quarter of 2017. Adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the presentation of prior periods. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. The ASU addresses eight specific cash flow issues with the objective of reducing the existing diversity in practice surrounding how certain transactions are classified in the statement of cash flows. The amendments in this ASU are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company is currently evaluating the effect that this standard will have on its consolidated statements of cash flows and related disclosures. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The ASU simplifies various aspects related to the accounting and presentation of share-based payments. The guidance also allows employers to withhold shares to satisfy minimum statutory withholding requirements up to the employees' maximum individual tax rate without causing the award to be classified as a liability. Additionally, the guidance stipulates that cash paid by an employer to a taxing authority when directly withholding shares for tax withholding purposes should be classified as a financing activity on the statement of cash flows, and allows companies to elect an accounting policy to either estimate the share-based award forfeitures (and expense) or account for forfeitures (and expense) as they occur. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company adopted this ASU on January 1, 2017. In connection with the adoption of this standard, the Company elected to no longer apply an estimated forfeiture rate and will instead account for forfeitures as they occur. Accordingly, the Company applied the modified retrospective adoption approach, which resulted in a $0.1 million cumulative-effect reduction to retained earnings with an offset to additional paid-in-capital. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The ASU introduces a model for lessees requiring most leases to be reported on the balance sheet. Lessor accounting remains substantially similar to current U.S. GAAP. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company is currently evaluating the effect that this ASU will have on its consolidated financial position and related disclosures, and believes that this standard may materially increase its other non-current assets and non-current liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets in order to record right-of-use assets and related liabilities for its existing operating leases. In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-15, Presentation of Financial Statements—Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40): Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity's Ability to Continue as a Going Concern. The ASU requires that an entity's management evaluate whether there are conditions or events that raise substantial doubt about the entity's ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. The amendments in this ASU are effective for annual reporting periods ending after December 15, 2016. The Company adopted this ASU on January 1, 2017. Adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company's financial reporting process. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The ASU will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective. In July 2015, the FASB deferred the mandatory effective date of this ASU by one year from January 1, 2017 to January 1, 2018. Early application is permitted, but not prior to the original effective date of January 1, 2017. Subsequently, the FASB has issued the following standards related to ASU No. 2014-09: ASU No. 2016-08, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations; ASU No. 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing; ASU No. 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients; and ASU No. 2016-20, Technical Corrections and Improvements to Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The Company must adopt ASU No. 2016-08, ASU No. 2016-10, ASU No. 2016-12 and ASU No. 2016-20 with ASU No. 2014-09 (collectively, the "new revenue standard"). The new revenue standard may be applied retrospectively to each prior period presented or retrospectively with the cumulative effect recognized as of the date of adoption. The Company has finalized its assessment of the new standard, and will adopt the new revenue standard effective January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method. As part of its assessment, the Company completed reviews of its contracts and evaluated its costs, particularly costs of obtaining contracts with its university clients and costs associated with content development. Certain of these contract and content costs will be capitalized under the new standard. However, the Company has concluded that, upon adoption, the new revenue standard will not have a material impact on the amount and timing of either its revenue or costs.

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