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Significant Accounting Policies | 6 Months Ended
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Jun. 30, 2018
Significant Accounting Policies |
Significant Accounting Policies | 2. Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with: (i) generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information; (ii) the instructions to Form 10-Q; and (iii) the guidance of Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, for financial statements required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). They include the assets, liabilities, results of operations and cash flows of the Company, including its wholly owned subsidiaries. As permitted under such rules, certain notes and other financial information normally required by U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted. The Company believes the condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all normal and recurring adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the Company’s financial position, results of operations, and cash flows as of and for the periods presented herein. The Company’s results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017 may not be indicative of the Company’s future results. These condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited and should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The year-end condensed consolidated balance sheet data was derived from the audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by U.S. GAAP. Reclassifications The Company has reclassified capitalized technology and content development, as well as other amortizable intangible assets, into amortizable intangible assets on the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the six months ended June 30, 2017. In addition, certain other prior period amounts on the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows have been reclassified to conform to the current period’s presentation. These reclassifications had no impact on cash flows from operating, investing or financing activities previously reported for any periods presented. Use of Estimates The preparation of the condensed 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. Restricted Cash As of June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Company held restricted cash balances of $0.1 million and zero dollars, respectively. As of June 30, 2017, the Company held a restricted cash balance of $101.0 million in connection with the Company’s acquisition of GetSmarter on July 1, 2017. Revenue Recognition, Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) and the related amendments using the modified retrospective transition method and has concluded that doing so did not have a material impact on the amount and timing of either its revenue or costs. As part of its assessment, the Company completed reviews of its contracts and evaluated its costs, including 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. The adoption of ASU 2014-09 did not have a material impact as of January 1, 2018, and no cumulative adjustment was recorded. Further, the amounts reported as of June 30, 2018 on the condensed consolidated balance sheets and the results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 reported on the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss would not have been materially different than under legacy U.S. GAAP (i.e., Topic 605). The Company generates substantially all of its revenue from contractual arrangements with either its university clients or students to provide a comprehensive platform of tightly integrated technology and technology-enabled services that support its graduate programs and short courses. Performance Obligations A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer. A contract’s transaction price is allocated to each distinct performance obligation and recognized as revenue when, or as, the performance obligation is satisfied. The Graduate Program Segment derives revenue primarily from contractually specified percentages of the amounts the Company’s university clients receive from their students in 2U-enabled graduate programs for tuition and fees, less credit card fees and other specified charges the Company has agreed to exclude in certain university client contracts. The Company’s contracts with university clients in this segment have 10 to 15 year initial terms and have a single performance obligation, as the promises to provide a platform of tightly integrated technology and services university clients need to attract, enroll, educate and support students are not distinct within the context of the contracts. The single performance obligation is delivered as the university clients receive and consume benefits, which occurs ratably over a series of academic terms. The amounts received from university clients over the term of the arrangement are variable in nature in that they are dependent upon the number of students that are enrolled in the program within each academic term. These amounts are allocated to and are recognized ratably over the related academic term, defined as the period beginning on the first day of classes through the last. A refund allowance is established for the Company’s share of tuition and fees ultimately uncollected by university clients. The Short Course Segment derives revenue directly from contracts with students for the tuition and fees paid to enroll in and progress through the Company’s short courses which run between six and 16 weeks. The Company’s contracts with students in this segment have multiple performance obligations as the delivery of the short course and student support services are each considered distinct performance obligations. These performance obligations are each satisfied ratably over the same short course presentation period, which is defined as the period beginning on the first day of the course through the last. The Company recognizes the gross proceeds received from the students and shares contractually specified percentages with its university clients, for providing short course content and certification, in the form of a royalty recognized as curriculum and teaching costs on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. The Company’s contracts with university clients in this segment are typically shorter and less restrictive than the Company’s contracts with university clients in the Graduate Program Segment. The Company does not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for the Graduate Program Segment because the variable consideration is allocated entirely to a wholly unsatisfied promise to transfer a service that forms part of a single performance obligation. The Company does not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for the Short Course Segment because the performance obligation is part of a contract that has an original duration of less than one year. Contract Acquisition Costs The Company pays commissions to certain of its employees to obtain contracts with university clients in the Graduate Program Segment. These costs are capitalized and recorded on a contract-by-contract basis and amortized using the straight-line method over the expected life, which is generally the length of the contract. With respect to contract acquisition costs in the Short Course Segment, the Company has elected to apply the practical expedient in ASC Topic 606 to expense these costs as incurred, as the terms of contracts with students in this segment are less than one year. Payments to University Clients Pursuant to certain of the Company’s contracts in the Graduate Program Segment, the Company has made, or is obligated to make, payments to university clients in exchange for contract extensions and various marketing and other rights. Generally, these amounts are capitalized and amortized as contra revenue over the life of the contract, commencing on the later of when payment is due or when contract revenue recognition begins. Accounts Receivable, Contract Assets and Liabilities Balance sheet items related to contracts consist of accounts receivable, net and deferred revenue on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets. The Company’s accounts receivable, net also includes unbilled revenue. Accounts receivable, net is stated at net realizable value, and the Company utilizes the allowance method to provide for doubtful accounts based on management’s evaluation of the collectability of the amounts due. The Company’s estimates are reviewed and revised periodically based on historical collection experience and a review of the current status of accounts receivable, net. Historically, actual write-offs for uncollectible accounts have not significantly differed from prior estimates. The Company recognizes unbilled revenue when revenue recognition occurs in advance of billings. Unbilled revenue is recognized in the Graduate Program Segment because billings to university clients do not occur until after the academic term has commenced and final enrollment information is available. Deferred revenue as of each balance sheet date represents the excess of amounts billed or received as compared to amounts recognized in revenue on the condensed 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 condensed consolidated balance sheets. The Company generally receives payments for its share of tuition and fees from graduate program university clients early in each academic term and from short course students, either in full upon registration for the course or in full before the end of the course based on a payment plan, prior to completion of the service period. These payments are recorded as deferred revenue until the services are delivered or until the Company’s obligations are otherwise met, at which time revenue is recognized. Capitalized Content Development The Company develops content for each offering on a course-by-course basis in conjunction with the faculty for each graduate program and short course. University clients and their faculty generally provide materials used for the course in an on-campus setting, including curricula, case studies and other reading materials, and presentations. The Company is responsible for the conversion of the materials into a format suitable for delivery through its online learning platform, including all expenses associated with this effort. With regard to the Graduate Program Segment, the development of content is part of the Company’s single performance obligation and is considered a contract fulfillment cost. 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’ offerings for delivery via the Company’s online learning platform. 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 begins. The capitalized costs for each offering are recorded on a course-by-course basis and included in capitalized content costs in amortizable intangible assets, net on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets. These costs are amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the respective course, which is generally four to 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 faculty members for similar on-campus offerings. 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. 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’ graduate programs, with lesser amounts related to acquiring students for its short courses and marketing and advertising efforts related to the Company’s own brand. For the six months ended June 30, 2018, costs related to the Company’s marketing and advertising of its own brand were not material. All such costs are expensed as incurred and reported in marketing and sales expense on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. As of June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Company had $12.3 million and $11.7 million, respectively, of accrued marketing costs included in accounts payable and accrued expenses on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets. Non-Cash Long-Lived Asset Additions During the six months ended June 30, 2018, the Company had capital asset additions of $55.2 million in property and equipment and capitalized technology and content development, of which $10.0 million consisted of non-cash capital expenditures, primarily related to the acquisition of certain long-lived assets for which a liability was accrued. During the six months ended June 30, 2017, the Company had capital asset additions of $31.6 million in property and equipment and capitalized technology and content development, of which $5.3 million consisted of non-cash capital expenditures. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In June 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2018-07, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which simplifies the accounting for share-based payments to nonemployees. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, 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. 2017-04, 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 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 adopted this ASU on January 1, 2018. Adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of cash flows or related disclosures. 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. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and the Company will adopt this ASU in the first quarter of 2019. The Company is currently evaluating the effect that this ASU will have on its consolidated financial position and related disclosures and is in the process of considering changes to its systems and processes in conjunction with the review of its lease agreements. The Company 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, however, the standard is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations or cash flows.

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