| Significant Accounting Policies (Policies) | 12 Months Ended |
| Dec. 31, 2019 |
| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |
| Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation | 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. |
| Use of Estimates | 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. Significant estimates and assumptions are inherent in the analysis and the measurement of acquired intangible assets, the recoverability of goodwill and deferred tax assets. 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. |
| Revenue Recognition, Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts | Revenue Recognition, Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“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 are 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 December 31, 2018 on the consolidated balance sheets and the results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2018 reported on the 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 offerings. 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 transaction price is determined based on the consideration to which the Company will be entitled in exchange for transferring services to the customer. To the extent the transaction price includes variable consideration, the Company estimates the amount of variable consideration that should be included in the transaction price utilizing the expected value method. Variable consideration is included in the transaction price if, in the Company’s judgment, it is probable that a significant future reversal of cumulative revenue under the contract will not occur. Any estimates, including the effect of the constraint on variable consideration, are evaluated at each reporting period, and if necessary, the Company adjusts its estimate of the overall transaction price. Revenue is then recognized over the remaining estimated period of performance using the cumulative catch-up method. 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 degree programs for tuition and fees, less credit card fees and other specified charges the Company has agreed to exclude in certain university contracts. The Company’s contracts with university clients in this segment typically have terms of 10 to 15 years and have a single performance obligation, as the promises to provide a platform of tightly integrated technology and services that 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. Revenue is recognized net of an allowance, which is established for the Company’s expected obligation to refund tuition and fees to university clients. The Alternative Credential Segment derives revenue primarily from contracts with students for the tuition and fees paid to enroll in, and progress through, the Company’s short courses and boot camps. The Company’s short courses run between six and 16 weeks, while boot camps run between 12 and 24 weeks. In this segment, the Company’s contracts with students include the delivery of the educational and related student support services and are treated as either a single performance obligation or multiple performance obligations, depending upon the offering being delivered. All performance obligations are satisfied ratably over the same presentation period, which is defined as the period beginning on the first day of the course through the last. The Company recognizes the proceeds received, net of any applicable pricing concessions, from the students enrolled and shares contractually specified amounts received from students with the associated university client, in exchange for licenses to use the university brand name and other university trademarks. These amounts are recognized as curriculum and teaching costs on the Company’s 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 Alternative Credential Segment because the performance obligations are part of contracts that have original durations 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 Alternative Credential 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 at either execution of a contract or at the extension of a contract in exchange for 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 consolidated balance sheets. Included in accounts receivable, net are trade accounts receivable, which are comprised of billed and 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. Unbilled accounts receivable is recognized in the Alternative Credential segment once the presentation period commences for amounts to be invoiced to students under installment plans that are paid over the same presentation period. The Company’s unbilled revenue and accounts receivable represent contract assets. Deferred revenue represents the excess of amounts billed or received as compared to amounts recognized in revenue on 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 generally receives payments for its share of tuition and fees from degree program university clients early in each academic term and from short course and boot camp 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. Marketing and Sales Costs The majority of the marketing and sales costs incurred by the Company are directly related to recruiting students for its university clients’ degree programs, with lesser amounts related to recruiting students for its short courses and boot camps and marketing and advertising efforts related to the Company’s own brand. For the years ended December 31, 2019 , 2018 and 2017 , costs related to the Company’s marketing and advertising efforts 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 consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. |
| Stock-Based Compensation | Stock-Based Compensation The Company provides stock-based compensation awards consisting of restricted stock units (“RSUs”), performance restricted stock units (“PRSUs”) and stock options to employees, independent contractors and directors. The Company measures all stock-based compensation awards at fair value as of the grant date. The fair values of RSUs and PRSUs containing performance-based vesting conditions are based on the fair value of the Company’s stock. The Company uses a Monte Carlo model to estimate the fair value of PRSUs containing market-based vesting conditions and uses a Black-Scholes option pricing model to measure the fair value of stock option grants. The Company also provides for an employee stock purchase plan (“ESPP”) and estimates the fair value of each purchase right thereunder as of the grant date using a Black-Scholes option pricing model. For awards subject only to service-based vesting conditions, the Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the awards’ requisite service period. For awards subject to both service and performance-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. For awards subject to both service and market-based vesting conditions, the Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense using an accelerated recognition method over the requisite service period beginning with the date of the grant and ending upon completion of the service period, with stock-based compensation expense being recognized irrespective of the achievement of the market condition. For shares subject to the ESPP, the Company uses the straight-line method to record stock-based compensation expense over the respective offering period. Prior to April 1, 2017, the Company estimated expected volatility based on the historical volatilities of comparable publicly-traded companies over the expected life of the award. Effective April 1, 2017, the Company began to estimate expected volatility based on the historical volatilities of the Company’s common stock. Refer to Note 12 for further information about the Company’s stock-based compensation awards. |
| Income Taxes | 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 on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. |
| Cash and Cash Equivalents | Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and cash equivalents consist of bank checking accounts, money market accounts, investments in certificates of deposit that have an original maturity of three months or less and highly liquid marketable securities with maturities at the time of purchase of three months or less. |
| Restricted Cash | Restricted Cash The Company maintains restricted cash as collateral for standby letters of credit for the Company’s leased facilities and in connection with the deferred government grant obligations. |
| Fair Value Measurements | Fair Value Measurements The carrying amounts of certain assets and liabilities, including cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, advances to university clients, 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. Generally, assets are recorded at fair value on a non-recurring basis as a result of impairment charges. The Company remeasures non-financial assets such as goodwill, intangible assets and other long-lived assets at fair value when there is an indicator of impairment, and records them at fair value only when recognizing an impairment loss. 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. Refer to Notes 4 and 5 for further discussion of assets measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis. 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. The Company has financial instruments, including cash deposits, accounts receivable, accounts payable and a senior secured term loan facility. The carrying values for such financial instruments, other than the senior secured term loan facility, each approximated their fair values as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 . |
| Investments | Investments The Company’s investments within current assets on the consolidated balance sheets relate to certificates of deposit with original maturities between three months and one year. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had a $25.0 million certificate of deposit included in investments that qualified as a Level 1 fair value measurement asset and was stated at cost, which approximated fair value. This certificate of deposit matured in the first quarter of 2019. |
| Advances to University Clients | Advances to University Clients The Company may periodically become 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 on the consolidated balance sheets, with the current portion recorded within prepaid expenses and other assets, and the non-current portion recorded within university payments and other assets, non-current. 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 the related amount of imputed interest is deemed significant. For the years ended December 31, 2019 , 2018 and 2017 , the Company did not incur a material amount of imputed interest income. |
| Property and Equipment | 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 | 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. Capitalized technology includes certain purchased software and technology licenses, direct third-party costs, and internal payroll and payroll-related costs used in the creation of our internal-use 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 using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the software, which is generally three to five years . Capitalized Content Development. The Company develops content for each offering on a course-by-course basis in collaboration with university client faculty and industry experts. Depending upon the offering, the Company may use materials provided by university clients and their faculty, including curricula, case studies, presentations and other reading materials. The Company is responsible for the creation of materials suitable for delivery through the Company’s learning platform, including all expenses associated with this effort. With respect 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 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. |
| Evaluation of Long-Lived Assets | 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. In order to assess the recoverability of the capitalized technology and content development costs, the costs are grouped by the lowest level of independent cash flows. 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. The Company’s impairment analysis is based upon cumulative results and forecasted performance. |
| Non-Cash Long-Lived Asset Additions | Non-Cash Long-Lived Asset Additions During the year ended December 31, 2019 , the Company had capital asset additions of $81.4 million in property and equipment and capitalized technology and content development, of which $3.1 million consisted of non-cash capital expenditures, primarily related to landlord funded leasehold improvements. Due to extended payment terms associated with the timing of cash capital expenditures made more than 90 days after the date of purchase, an additional $2.2 million was classified as cash flows from financing activities in the consolidated statement of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2019 . During the year ended December 31, 2018 , the Company had capital asset additions of $87.4 million in property and equipment and capitalized technology and content development, of which $5.3 million consisted of non-cash capital expenditures, primarily related to the acquisition of certain long-lived assets for which a liability was accrued. Due to extended payment terms associated with the timing of cash capital expenditures made more than 90 days after the date of purchase, an additional $4.9 million was classified as cash flows from financing activities in the consolidated statement of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2018 . |
| Goodwill | Goodwill Goodwill is the excess of purchase price over the fair value of identified net assets of businesses acquired. The Company’s goodwill balance relates to its acquisitions of GetSmarter in July 2017 and Trilogy in May 2019. The Company reviews goodwill at least annually, as of October 1. 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 a reporting unit below its carrying value. The Company tests goodwill at the reporting unit level, which is an operating segment or one level below an operating segment. The Company initially assesses qualitative factors to determine if it is necessary to perform a quantitative goodwill impairment review. The Company reviews goodwill for impairment using a quantitative approach 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 completion of a quantitative assessment, the Company may be required to recognize an impairment based on the difference between the carrying value and the fair value of the reporting unit. The Company determines the fair value of a reporting unit by utilizing a weighted combination of the income-based and market-based approaches. The income-based approach requires the Company to make significant assumptions and estimates. These assumptions and estimates primarily include, but are not limited to, the selection of appropriate peer group companies, discount rates, terminal growth rates, and forecasts of revenue, operating income, depreciation and amortization expense, capital expenditures and future working capital requirements. When determining these assumptions and preparing these estimates, the Company considers each reporting unit’s historical results and current operating trends, revenue, profitability, cash flow results and forecasts, and industry trends. These estimates can be affected by a number of factors including, but not limited to, general economic and regulatory conditions, market capitalization, the continued efforts of competitors to gain market share and prospective student enrollment patterns. In addition, the value of a reporting unit using the market-based approach is estimated by comparing the reporting unit to other publicly-traded companies and/or to publicly-disclosed business mergers and acquisitions in similar lines of business. The value of a reporting unit is based on pricing multiples of certain financial parameters observed in the comparable companies. The Company also makes estimates and assumptions for market values to determine a reporting unit’s estimated fair value. In the third quarter of 2019, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $70.4 million on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss (see Note 5 ). Other than the reporting unit impaired in the third quarter of 2019, the Company had no reporting units whose estimated fair value exceeded their carrying value by less than 10% as of October 1, 2019, the date of the annual goodwill impairment assessment. It is possible that future changes in the Company’s circumstances, or in the variables associated with the judgments, assumptions and estimates used in assessing the fair value of our reporting units, could require the Company to record additional impairment charges in the future. |
| Equity Interests | Equity Interests As of December 31, 2019 , the Company had a $10.0 million |
| Employee Benefits | Employee Benefits The Company offers a variety of benefits to its employees (e.g., health care, gym memberships and tuition reimbursement). The Company accounts for costs related to providing employee benefits as incurred, unless there is a service requirement, in which case, such costs are recognized over the service commitment period. |
| Deferred Government Grants | Deferred Government Grant Obligations 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. |
| Debt Issuance Costs | Debt Issuance Costs Debt issuance costs are incurred as a result of entering into certain borrowing transactions and are presented as a reduction from the carrying amount of the debt liability on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. Debt issuance costs are amortized over the term of the associated debt instrument. The amortization of debt issuance costs is included as a component of interest expense on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. If the Company extinguishes debt prior to the end of the underlying instrument’s full term, some or all of the unamortized debt issuance costs may need to be written off, and a loss on extinguishment may need to be recognized. Refer to Note 9 for further information about the Company’s debt. |
| Leases | Leases For the Company’s operating leases, an assessment is performed to determine if an arrangement is a lease at inception. Right-of-use (“ROU”) assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent the Company’s obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating lease ROU assets and lease liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As the information necessary to determine the rate implicit in the Company’s leases is not readily available, the Company determines its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the lease commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The operating lease ROU asset also includes any prepaid lease payments made, less lease incentives. The Company’s lease terms include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option. Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company does not have any finance leases for any periods presented. The Company has elected, as an accounting policy for its leases of real estate, to account for lease and non-lease components in a contract as a single lease component. In addition, the recognition requirements are not applied to leases with a term of 12 months or less. Rather, the lease payments for short-term leases are recognized on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Variable payments that depend on an index or a rate are initially measured using the index or rate at the lease commencement date. Such variable payments are included in the total lease payments when measuring the lease liabilities and ROU assets. The Company will only remeasure variable payments that depend on an index or a rate when the Company is remeasuring the lease liabilities due to any of the following occurring: (i) the lease is modified and the modification is not accounted for as a separate contract; (ii) a contingency, upon which some or all of the variable lease payments that will be paid over the remainder of the lease term are based, is resolved; (iii) there is a change in lease term; (iv) there is a change in the probability of exercising a purchase option; or (v) there is a change in the amount probable of being owed under residual value guarantees. Until the lease liabilities are remeasured due to one of the aforementioned events, additional payments for an increase in the index or rate will be recognized in the period in which they are incurred. Variable payments that do not depend on an index or a rate are excluded from the measurement of the lease liabilities and recognized in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the period in which the obligation for those payments is incurred. |
| Business Combinations | 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, 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 on the Company’s consolidated financial statements from the acquisition date. |
| Foreign Currency Translation | 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 on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. |
| Concentration of Credit Risk | 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. The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts, if needed, based on collection history. |
| Recent Accounting Pronouncements | Recent Accounting Pronouncements In December 2019, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes , as part of its initiative to reduce complexity in the accounting standards. The amendments in the ASU include removal of certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 related to recognizing deferred taxes for investments, performing intraperiod tax allocation and calculating income taxes in an interim period. The ASU also clarifies and simplifies other aspects of the accounting for income taxes, including the recognition of deferred tax liabilities for outside basis differences. The amendments in this ASU are effective for annual and interim periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact that this ASU will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In April 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-04, Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses, Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging, and Topic 825, Financial Instruments. ASU No. 2019-04 provides corrections, updates and clarifications to the previously issued updates of ASU No. 2016-01, ASU No. 2016-13 and ASU No. 2017-12. Various areas of the Accounting Standards Codification were impacted by the update. This standard follows the effective dates of the previously issued ASUs, unless an entity has already early adopted the previous ASUs, in which case the effective date will vary according to each specific ASU adoption. As the Company has adopted ASU No. 2016-01, the amendments related to ASU No. 2016-01 are effective for annual and interim periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. As the Company has not yet adopted ASU No. 2016-13, the amendments related to ASU No. 2016-13 are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Refer below for further discussion of ASU No. 2016-13. The Company does not anticipate a significant impact on its consolidated financial statements upon the adoption of the amendments related to ASU Nos. 2016-13 and 2016-01. The amendments to ASU No. 2017-12 are not applicable to the Company. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other—Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract , which requires customers in cloud computing arrangements that are service contracts to follow the internal-use software guidance in ASC 350-40 to determine which implementation costs to capitalize as assets or expense as incurred. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company early adopted this ASU on July 1, 2018 under the prospective method. As a result of adopting this standard, as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 , the Company had balances of $3.1 million and $0.4 million , respectively, of capitalized implementation costs incurred to integrate the software associated with its cloud computing arrangements, within university payments and other assets, non-current on the consolidated balance sheets. Such capitalized costs are subject to amortization over the remaining contractual term of the associated cloud computing arrangement, with a useful life of between three to five years. The Company incurred $0.3 million of such amortization for the year ended December 31, 2019 and did not incur a material amount of such amortization for the year ended December 31, 2018 . In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-09, Codification Improvements , which clarifies and corrects unintended applications of guidance, and makes improvements to several Accounting Standards Codification topics. The applicable amendments in this ASU are effective for the Company in annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company adopted this ASU on January 1, 2019. Adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements or related disclosures. In June 2018, the FASB issued 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 adopted this ASU on January 1, 2019. Adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements 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 early adopted this ASU on January 1, 2019. 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 were effective for fiscal years 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 consolidated statements of cash flows or related disclosures. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments . Subsequently, the FASB has issued the following standards related to ASU No. 2016-13: ASU No. 2019-11, Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses , ASU No. 2019-05, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Targeted Transition Relief ; ASU No. 2019-04, Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses, Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging, and Topic 825, Financial Instruments ; and ASU No. 2018-19, Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses . ASU No. 2016-13 requires entities to measure all expected credit losses for most financial assets held at the reporting date based on an expected loss model, which includes historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. Entities will now use forward-looking information to better form their credit loss estimates. ASU No. 2016-13 also requires enhanced disclosures to help financial statement users better understand assumptions used in estimating expected credit losses. The amendments in these ASUs are effective for annual and interim periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact that the new guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. The Company does not anticipate a significant impact on its consolidated financial statements based on the instruments currently held and its historical trend of bad debt expense relating to trade accounts receivable. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) , which supersedes ASC 840, Leases (Topic 840) . The ASU introduces a model for lessees requiring most leases to be reported on the balance sheet. The Company adopted this ASU and the related amendments on January 1, 2019 under the modified retrospective transition method, which resulted in no cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings. The Company’s financial results for periods ending after January 1, 2019 are presented in accordance with the requirements of Topic 842, while prior period amounts are not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with Topic 840. Upon adoption, the Company elected to not recognize ROU assets or lease liabilities for leases with a term of 12 months or less, as permitted by the short-term lease practical expedient. In transition, the Company also applied the package of practical expedients that permit entities to not reassess (i) whether expired or existing contracts contain a lease under the new standard, (ii) the lease classification for expired or existing leases, or (iii) whether previously capitalized initial direct costs would qualify for capitalization under the new standard. The Company also applied the practical expedient that permits a lessee to account for lease and non-lease components in a contract as a single lease component. In addition, the Company did not use hindsight during transition. Upon adoption, the Company recorded ROU assets of approximately $34 million , which have been reduced for accrued rent, and the remaining balance of any lease incentives upon transition, and also recorded corresponding current and non-current lease liabilities for its operating leases of approximately $5 million and $58 million , respectively, on the consolidated balance sheets. Adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, the consolidated statements of changes in stockholders’ equity or the consolidated statements of cash flows. Refer to Note 8 for more information about the Company’s lease-related obligations. |
