Laureate Education (LAUR) 10-Q 9 May 18 2018 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018shares
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2018
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Trading Symbol	LAUR
Entity Registrant Name	LAUREATE EDUCATION, INC.
Entity Central Index Key	912,766
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Class A Common Stock
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	55,255,800
Class B Common Stock
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	132,442,619

Consolidated Statements of Oper

Consolidated Statements of Operations - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Income Statement [Abstract]
Revenues	$ 885,288	$ 855,933
Costs and expenses:
Direct costs	865,446	853,232
General and administrative expenses	47,301	65,567
Operating loss	(27,459)	(62,866)
Interest income	6,129	4,694
Interest expense	(69,465)	(102,633)
Loss on debt extinguishment	(7,481)	(1,515)
(Loss) gain on derivatives	(19,340)	12,147
Other income, net	2,406	436
Foreign currency exchange (loss) gain, net	(8,754)	2,290
Gain on sales of subsidiaries, net	298,041	0
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	174,077	(147,447)
Income tax (expense) benefit	(2,532)	27,094
Net income (loss)	171,545	(120,353)
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	(2,666)	(2,454)
Net income (loss) attributable to Laureate Education, Inc.	168,879	(122,807)
Accretion of Series A convertible redeemable preferred stock and other redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	(57,403)	(38,876)
Net income (loss) available to common stockholders	$ 111,476	$ (161,683)
Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share:
Basic earnings (loss) per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.59	$ (1.05)
Diluted earnings (loss) per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.59	$ (1.05)

Consolidated Statements of Comp

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income (loss)	$ 171,545	$ (120,353)
Other comprehensive income:
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of tax of $0 for both periods	83,369	103,396
Unrealized gain on derivative instruments, net of tax of $0 for both periods	2,210	2,592
Minimum pension liability adjustment, net of tax of $0	376	0
Total other comprehensive income	85,955	105,988
Comprehensive income (loss)	257,500	(14,365)
Net comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	(2,387)	(2,786)
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Laureate Education, Inc.	$ 255,113	$ (17,151)

Consolidated Statements of Com4

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Foreign currency translation adjustment, tax	$ 0	$ 0
Unrealized gain on derivative instruments, tax	0	0
Minimum pension liability adjustment, tax	$ 0	$ 0

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents (includes VIE amounts of $199,609 and $231,940, see Note 2)	$ 479,011	$ 468,733
Restricted cash	184,989	224,934
Receivables:
Accounts and notes receivable	786,145	535,176
Other receivables	21,474	21,551
Allowance for doubtful accounts	(196,159)	(198,802)
Receivables, net	611,460	357,925
Income tax receivable	25,150	41,178
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	134,615	93,461
Current assets held for sale	57,990	102,623
Total current assets (includes VIE amounts of $537,880 and $407,315, see Note 2)	1,493,215	1,288,854
Notes receivable, net	9,448	4,116
Property and equipment:
Land	402,781	397,153
Buildings	995,922	1,026,656
Furniture, equipment and software	1,238,810	1,188,211
Leasehold improvements	440,121	423,658
Construction in-progress	75,392	84,520
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(1,257,674)	(1,185,294)
Property and equipment, net	1,895,352	1,934,904
Land use rights, net	2,735	2,713
Goodwill	1,942,335	1,954,666
Other intangible assets:
Tradenames	1,280,617	1,295,614
Other intangible assets, net	34,095	35,927
Deferred costs, net	67,061	64,128
Deferred income taxes	177,601	156,006
Derivative instruments	41,341	48,186
Other assets	261,727	214,218
Long-term assets held for sale	311,231	392,391
Total assets (includes VIE amounts of $1,375,479 and $1,419,579, see Note 2)	7,516,758	7,391,723
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	82,825	79,568
Accrued expenses	310,362	291,216
Accrued compensation and benefits	191,755	247,575
Deferred revenue and student deposits	675,455	312,422
Current portion of long-term debt	131,738	154,234
Current portion of due to shareholders of acquired companies	35,431	40,140
Income taxes payable	18,636	29,857
Derivative instruments	123	4,458
Other current liabilities	42,101	38,560
Current liabilities held for sale	103,340	176,719
Total current liabilities (includes VIE amounts of $425,234 and $341,147, see Note 2)	1,591,766	1,374,749
Long-term debt, less current portion	2,852,334	3,207,064
Due to shareholders of acquired companies, less current portion	39,512	39,429
Deferred compensation	14,594	14,470
Income taxes payable	81,321	112,576
Deferred income taxes	293,957	278,215
Derivative instruments	14,772	9,390
Other long-term liabilities	312,001	260,144
Long-term liabilities held for sale	86,853	94,407
Total liabilities (includes VIE amounts of $496,419 and $449,561, see Note 2)	5,287,110	5,390,444
Stockholders' equity:
Preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share – 49,488 shares authorized, no shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017	0	0
Additional paid-in capital	3,383,778	3,446,206
Accumulated deficit	(772,283)	(946,236)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(839,322)	(925,556)
Total Laureate Education, Inc. stockholders' equity	1,772,924	1,575,164
Noncontrolling interests	(5,451)	12,118
Total stockholders' equity	1,767,473	1,587,282
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	7,516,758	7,391,723
Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock
Current liabilities:
Total redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	447,881	400,276
Redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity
Current liabilities:
Total redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	14,294	13,721
Class A Common Stock
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock	221	220
Class B Common Stock
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock	$ 530	$ 530

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 479,011	$ 468,733
Current assets	1,493,215	1,288,854
Assets	7,516,758	7,391,723
Current liabilities	1,591,766	1,374,749
Liabilities	$ 5,287,110	$ 5,390,444
Preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Preferred stock, shares authorized (in shares)	49,488,000	49,488,000
Preferred stock, shares issued (in shares)	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	0	0
Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock
Convertible redeemable preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Convertible redeemable preferred stock, shares authorized (in shares)	512,000	512,000
Convertible redeemable preferred stock, shares issued (in shares)	401,000	401,000
Convertible redeemable preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	401,000	401,000
Class A Common Stock
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.004	$ 0.004
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	700,000,000	700,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	55,256,000	55,052,000
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	55,256,000	55,052,000
Class B Common Stock
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.004	$ 0.004
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	175,000,000	175,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	132,443,000	132,443,000
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	132,443,000	132,443,000
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 199,609	$ 231,940
Current assets	537,880	407,315
Assets	1,375,479	1,419,579
Current liabilities	425,234	341,147
Liabilities	$ 496,419	$ 449,561

Consolidated Statements of Cash

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Cash flows from operating activities
Net income (loss)	$ 171,545	$ (120,353)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	67,762	64,514
(Gain) loss on sales of subsidiaries and disposal of property and equipment, net	(297,479)	345
Loss (gain) on derivative instruments	19,132	(12,267)
Loss on debt extinguishment	7,481	467
Non-cash interest expense	4,645	12,233
Non-cash share-based compensation expense	(3,756)	22,388
Bad debt expense	22,153	16,502
Deferred income taxes	(26,560)	(15,882)
Unrealized foreign currency exchange loss	1,082	1,079
Non-cash loss from non-income tax contingencies	2,121	4,037
Other, net	(315)	1,919
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Receivables	(268,434)	(267,480)
Prepaid expenses and other assets	(20,158)	(43,773)
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	(61,087)	(51,855)
Income tax receivable/payable, net	(14,810)	(8,907)
Deferred revenue and other liabilities	389,602	360,635
Net cash used in operating activities	(7,076)	(36,398)
Cash flows from investing activities
Purchase of property and equipment	(44,245)	(37,147)
Expenditures for deferred costs	(3,365)	(3,476)
Receipts from sales of subsidiaries and property and equipment, net of cash sold	359,510	126
Settlement of derivatives related to sale of subsidiaries	(9,960)	0
Property insurance recoveries	0	370
Payments from (to) related parties and affiliates	750	(347)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	302,690	(40,474)
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt, net of original issue discount	188,563	6,790
Payments on long-term debt	(541,812)	(50,335)
Payments of deferred purchase price for acquisitions	(5,534)	(5,315)
Payments to purchase noncontrolling interests	(127)	0
Proceeds from issuance of convertible redeemable preferred stock, net of issuance costs	0	55,290
Payment of dividends on Series A Preferred Stock	(9,719)	0
Proceeds from initial public offering, net of issuance costs	0	456,888
Withholding of shares to satisfy tax withholding for vested stock awards	(803)	0
Payments of debt issuance costs	(148)	(600)
Noncontrolling interest holder's loan to subsidiaries	0	943
Distributions from noncontrolling interest holders	581	454
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities	(368,999)	464,115
Effects of exchange rate changes on Cash and cash equivalents and Restricted cash	20,133	10,618
Change in cash included in current assets held for sale	23,585	0
Net change in Cash and cash equivalents and Restricted cash	(29,667)	397,861
Cash and cash equivalents and Restricted cash at beginning of period	693,667	654,284
Cash and cash equivalents and Restricted cash at end of period	$ 664,000	$ 1,052,145

Description of Business

Description of Business	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Description of Business	Description of Business Laureate Education, Inc. and subsidiaries (hereinafter Laureate, we, us, our, or the Company) provide higher education programs and services to students through an international network of licensed universities and higher education institutions (institutions). Laureate's programs are provided through institutions that are campus-based and internet-based, or through electronically distributed educational programs (online). On October 1, 2015, we redomiciled in Delaware as a public benefit corporation as a demonstration of our long-term commitment to our mission to benefit our students and society. The Company's shares are listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol ‘‘LAUR’’. In its initial public offering (IPO) on February 6, 2017 , the Company sold 35,000 shares of its Class A common stock in the IPO at a price of $14.00 per share, resulting in net proceeds to the Company during the first quarter of 2017, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by us, of $456,888 . As previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, (the 2017 Form 10-K) effective August 1, 2017, we changed our operating segments in order to realign our segments according to how our chief operating decision maker allocates resources and assesses performance. The segment changes resulted in Laureate increasing its number of operating segments from three to six , and is consistent with our goal of flattening our organizational structure to improve decision speed and operating effectiveness. As required, the segment information presented for comparative purposes for the three months ended March 31, 2017 has been revised to reflect this change. The accompanying unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In our opinion, these financial statements include all adjustments considered necessary to present a fair statement of our consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows. Operating results for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year. These unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with Laureate's audited Consolidated Financial Statements included in our 2017 Form 10-K.

Significant Accounting Policies

Significant Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Significant Accounting Policies	Significant Accounting Policies The Variable Interest Entity (VIE) Arrangements Laureate consolidates in its financial statements certain internationally based educational organizations that do not have shares or other equity ownership interests. Although these educational organizations may be considered not-for-profit entities in their home countries and they are operated in compliance with their respective not-for-profit legal regimes, we believe they do not meet the definition of a not-for-profit entity under GAAP, and therefore we treat them as "for-profit" entities for accounting purposes. These entities generally cannot declare dividends or distribute their net assets to the entities that control them. Under ASC 810-10, "Consolidation," we have determined that these institutions are VIEs and that Laureate is the primary beneficiary of these VIEs because we have, as further described herein: (1) the power to direct the activities of the VIEs that most significantly affect their educational and economic performance and (2) the right to receive economic benefits from contractual and other arrangements with the VIEs that could potentially be significant to the VIEs. We account for the acquisition of the right to control a VIE in accordance with ASC 805, "Business Combinations." As discussed further in Note 5 , Dispositions , the number of our VIE institutions was reduced by one in January 2018 following the sale of LEI Lie Ying Limited (LEILY). The VIEs in Brazil and Mexico comprise several not-for-profit foundations that have insignificant revenues and operating expenses. Selected Consolidated Statements of Operations information for VIEs was as follows, net of the charges related to the above-described contractual arrangements: For the three months ended March 31, 2018 2017 Selected Statements of Operations information: Revenues, by segment: Brazil $ — $ — Mexico — — Andean & Iberian 55,036 48,311 Central America & U.S. Campuses 15,140 15,375 EMEAA 61,196 66,213 Revenues 131,372 129,899 Depreciation and amortization 11,023 12,823 Operating (loss) income, by segment: Brazil (18 ) (21 ) Mexico (157 ) (191 ) Andean & Iberian (39,262 ) (41,923 ) Central America & U.S. Campuses (305 ) 1,055 EMEAA 12,771 11,887 Operating loss (26,971 ) (29,193 ) Net loss (22,468 ) (20,112 ) Net loss attributable to Laureate Education, Inc. (22,728 ) (20,936 ) The following table reconciles the Net income (loss) attributable to Laureate Education, Inc. as presented in the table above, to the amounts in our Consolidated Statements of Operations: For the three months ended March 31, 2018 2017 Net income (loss) attributable to Laureate Education, Inc.: Variable interest entities $ (22,728 ) $ (20,936 ) Other operations (30,590 ) 30,707 Corporate and eliminations 222,197 (132,578 ) Net income (loss) attributable to Laureate Education, Inc. $ 168,879 $ (122,807 ) The following table presents selected assets and liabilities of the consolidated VIEs. Except for Goodwill, the assets in the table below include the assets that can be used only to settle the obligations for the VIEs. The liabilities in the table are liabilities for which the creditors of the VIEs do not have recourse to the general credit of Laureate. Selected Consolidated Balance Sheet amounts for these VIEs were as follows: March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 VIE Consolidated VIE Consolidated Balance Sheets data: Cash and cash equivalents $ 199,609 $ 479,011 $ 231,940 $ 468,733 Current assets held for sale — 57,990 22,246 102,623 Other current assets 338,271 956,214 153,129 717,498 Total current assets 537,880 1,493,215 407,315 1,288,854 Goodwill 198,683 1,942,335 192,230 1,954,666 Tradenames 96,949 1,280,617 110,577 1,295,614 Other intangible assets, net — 34,095 — 35,927 Long-term assets held for sale — 311,231 185,139 392,391 Other long-term assets 541,967 2,455,265 524,318 2,424,271 Total assets 1,375,479 7,516,758 1,419,579 7,391,723 Current liabilities held for sale — 103,340 64,895 176,719 Other current liabilities 425,234 1,488,426 276,252 1,198,030 Long-term liabilities held for sale — 86,853 41,732 94,407 Long-term debt and other long-term liabilities 71,185 3,608,491 66,682 3,921,288 Total liabilities 496,419 5,287,110 449,561 5,390,444 Total stockholders' equity 879,060 1,767,473 970,018 1,587,282 Total stockholders' equity attributable to Laureate Education, Inc. 878,689 1,772,924 948,966 1,575,164 On January 24, 2018, a new Higher Education Law (the New Law) was passed by the Chilean Congress. On March 27, 2018, the Constitutional Court declared unconstitutional Article 63 of the New Law, which would have prohibited for-profit organizations such as Laureate from controlling the boards of universities in Chile. As the Constitutional Court did not release its opinion until April 26, 2018, signature and enactment of the New Law is expected to occur in the second quarter of 2018. Among other things left intact by the Constitutional Court, the New Law prohibits conflicts of interests and related party transactions with certain exceptions, including the provision of services that are educational in nature or essential for the university's purposes. The New Law provides for a transition period. The incoming Chilean presidential administration, which took office on March 11, 2018, has the responsibility to implement the new legislative mandates and compliance processes. The Company is currently reviewing the impact the New Law will have on its Chilean operations, including the extent to which it will affect existing contractual relationships that the Company maintains with the Chilean non-profit universities. As the New Law no longer contains provisions that prohibit Laureate from controlling the boards of the Chilean non-profit universities, but still requires the promulgation of new regulations and procedures that will be applicable to any commercial relationship that the Company has with the Chilean non-profit universities, the Company has determined that it will continue to consolidate the three Chilean non-profit universities, which are accounted for as variable interest entities, and its Chilean real estate subsidiary. While we believe that all of our institutions in Chile are operating in full compliance with Chilean law, we cannot predict the extent or outcome of any educational reforms that may be implemented in Chile. The Company does not believe the New Law will change its relationship with its two tech/voc institutions in Chile that are for-profit entities. However, it is possible that the Chilean government will adopt additional laws that affect for-profit tech/voc institutions and their relationships with their owners. Depending upon how these reforms are defined and implemented, there could be a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivables are deemed to be uncollectible when they have been outstanding for two years , or earlier when collection efforts have ceased, at which time they are written off. Prior to that, Laureate records an allowance for doubtful accounts to reduce our receivables to their net realizable value. Our allowance estimation methodology is based on the age of the receivables, the status of past-due amounts, historical collection trends, current economic conditions and student enrollment status. In the event that current collection trends differ from historical trends, an adjustment is made to the allowance account and bad debt expense. The reconciliations of the beginning and ending balances of the Allowance for doubtful accounts were as follows: For the three months ended March 31, 2018 2017 Balance at beginning of period $ 204,252 $ 196,270 Additions: charges to bad debt expense 22,153 16,502 Additions: charges to other accounts (a) — 503 Deductions (b) (24,883 ) (17,571 ) Balance at end of period $ 201,522 $ 195,704 (a) Charges to other accounts includes reclassifications. (b) Deductions includes accounts receivable written off against the allowance (net of recoveries), reclassifications, and foreign currency translation. The beginning and ending balances of the Allowance for doubtful accounts include the current portion, as shown on the face of Consolidated Balance Sheets, in addition to the noncurrent portion that is included in Notes receivable, net on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Recently Adopted Accounting Standards Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-09, (ASU 2014-09), Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) On May 28, 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU 2014-09, which, along with amendments issued in 2015 and 2016, supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 605, ‘‘Revenue Recognition’’ and most industry-specific guidance. The core principle of ASU 2014-09 is that a company will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. We adopted Topic 606 as of January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method and elected to apply the standard only to contracts that are not completed as of that date. We recorded a net increase to opening retained earnings of approximately $1,400 as of January 1, 2018 due to the cumulative impact of adopting Topic 606, with the impact primarily related to the deferral of costs to obtain a contract which were previously expensed as incurred. The impact to revenues as a result of applying Topic 606 was an increase of $ 6,633 for the three months ended March 31, 2018. In accordance with the requirements under Topic 606, the disclosure of the impact of adoption on our Consolidated Statement of Operations and Consolidated Balance Sheet was as follows: For the period ended March 31, 2018 As Reported Balances Without Adoption of ASC 606 Effect of Change Higher/(Lower) Statement of Operations data: Revenues $ 885,288 $ 878,655 $ 6,633 Costs and Expenses: Direct costs 865,446 868,561 (3,115 ) Income tax expense (2,532 ) (2,502 ) 30 Net income 171,545 161,827 9,718 As of March 31, 2018 As Reported Balances Without Adoption of ASC 606 Effect of Change Higher/(Lower) Balance Sheet data: Assets: Deferred costs, net 67,061 62,528 4,533 Liabilities: Deferred revenue and student deposits 675,455 682,088 (6,633 ) Deferred income taxes 293,957 293,927 30 Equity: Accumulated deficit (772,283 ) (783,419 ) 11,136 ASU No. 2016-15 (ASU 2016-15), Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15 in order to address the diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows under Topic 230, Statement of Cash Flows, and other Topics. This standard addresses the following eight specific cash flow issues: debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs; settlement of zero-coupon debt instruments or other debt instruments with coupon interest rates that are insignificant in relation to the effective interest rate of the borrowing; contingent consideration payments made after a business combination; proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims; proceeds from the settlement of corporate-owned life insurance policies (COLIs) (including bank-owned life insurance policies (BOLIs)); distributions received from equity method investees; beneficial interests in securitization transactions; and separately identifiable cash flows and application of the predominance principle. The amendments in this update apply to all entities, including both business entities and not-for-profit entities that are required to present a statement of cash flows under Topic 230. The Company adopted this standard beginning January 1, 2018, and it did not have a material effect on our Consolidated Financial Statements for the periods presented. ASU No. 2016-16 (ASU 2016-16), Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16 in order to improve the accounting for income tax consequences for intra-entity transfers of assets other than inventory. Prior to adopting this ASU, the recognition of current and deferred income taxes for an intra-entity transfer was prohibited until the asset was sold to a third party. The amendments in this ASU state that an entity should recognize income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer when the transfer occurs. This aligns the recognition of income tax consequences for intra-entity transfers of assets with International Financing Reporting Standards (IFRS). Laureate adopted ASU 2016-16 effective January 1, 2018 and recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings of approximately $3,700 . ASU No. 2016-18 (ASU 2016-18), Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18 in order to address the diversity that exists in the classification and presentation of changes in restricted cash on the statement of cash flows under Topic 230, Statement of Cash Flows. The amendments in this ASU require that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. Therefore, amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. The amendments in this ASU apply to all entities that have restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents and are required to present a statement of cash flows under Topic 230. This ASU was adopted by Laureate beginning January 1, 2018 and resulted in a change in presentation within the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. As required, Laureate retrospectively applied the guidance to the prior period presented, which resulted in an increase of $3,432 and $1,114 in operating and investing cash flows, respectively, on the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the three months ended March 31, 2017. As required by the ASU, we have provided a reconciliation from cash and cash equivalents as presented on our Consolidated Balance Sheets to cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash as reported on our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. See Note 20 , Supplemental Cash Flow Information , for this reconciliation, as well as a discussion of the nature of our restricted cash balances. ASU No. 2017-07 (ASU 2017-07), Compensation - Retirement Benefits (Topic 715) In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-07 in order to improve the presentation of net periodic pension cost and net periodic post retirement benefit cost. Prior to adoption of this ASU, these costs comprised several components that reflected different aspects of an employer's financial arrangements as well as the cost of benefits provided to employees, and were aggregated for reporting purposes. Under the amendments in this ASU, the service cost component of net periodic benefit cost is disaggregated and reported in the same line item(s) as other compensation costs arising from services rendered during the period, and the remaining components are presented on the income statement separately from the service cost component and outside a subtotal of income from operations, if presented. Laureate adopted ASU 2017-07 on January 1, 2018. Since the effect of ASU 2017-07 on prior periods presented was insignificant, we did not revise the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the three months ended March 31, 2017. For the three months ended March 31, 2018, the service cost component is included in Direct costs on our Consolidated Statement of Operations and the other components of net periodic benefit cost/(income), which totaled $237 for the three months ended March 31, 2018 , are included in Other income, net on our Consolidated Statement of Operations. Recently Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted ASU No. 2016-02 (ASU 2016-02), Leases (Topic 842) On February 25, 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02. Lessees will need to recognize on their balance sheet a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for virtually all of their leases (other than leases that meet the definition of a short-term lease). The liability will be equal to the present value of the lease payments. The asset will be based on the liability, subject to adjustment, such as for initial direct costs and uneven rent payments. For income statement purposes, the FASB retained a dual model, requiring leases to be classified as either operating or finance. Operating leases will result in straight-line expense (similar to current operating leases) while finance leases will result in a front-loaded expense pattern (similar to current capital leases). Classification will be based on criteria that are largely similar to those applied in current lease accounting, but without explicit bright lines. The standard is effective for Laureate beginning January 1, 2019. The new standard must be adopted using a modified retrospective transition and provides for certain practical expedients. Transition will require application of the new guidance at the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented. We have completed our diagnostic assessment and have established a cross-functional implementation team which is in the process of identifying changes to our accounting policies, business processes, systems and internal controls in preparation for the implementation. We anticipate that ASU 2016-02 will have a material impact on our Consolidated Balance Sheets, as we will record significant asset and liability balances in connection with our leased properties. We are still evaluating the impact to our Consolidated Statements of Operations. We do not currently plan to early adopt this ASU.

Revenue

Revenue	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenue	Revenue Revenue Recognition Laureate's revenues primarily consist of tuition and educational service revenues. We also generate other revenues from student fees, dormitory/residency fees and other education-related activities. These other revenues are less material to our overall financial results and have a tendency to trend with tuition revenues. Revenues are recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. These revenues are recognized net of scholarships and other discounts, refunds, waivers and the fair value of any guarantees made by Laureate related to student financing programs. Laureate's institutions have various billing and academic cycles. We determine revenue recognition through the five-step model prescribed by Topic 606 as follows: • Identification of the contract, or contracts, with a customer; • Identification of the performance obligations in the contract; • Determination of the transaction price; • Allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and • Recognition of revenue when, or as, we satisfy a performance obligation. We assess collectibility on a portfolio basis prior to recording revenue. Generally, students cannot re-enroll for the next academic session without satisfactory resolution of any past-due amounts. If a student withdraws from an institution, Laureate's obligation to issue a refund depends on the refund policy at that institution and the timing of the student's withdrawal. Generally, our refund obligations are reduced over the course of the academic term. We record refunds as a reduction of deferred revenue as applicable. The following table shows the components of Revenues by segment and as a percentage of total net revenue for the period ended March 31, 2018 : Brazil Mexico Andean & Iberian Central America & U.S. Campuses EMEAA Online & Partnerships Corporate (1) Total Tuition and educational services $ 202,103 $ 166,310 $ 208,769 $ 76,057 $ 171,058 $ 181,245 $ — $ 1,005,542 114 % Other 2,859 25,279 23,913 13,456 12,916 14,182 (3,725 ) 88,880 10 % Gross revenue 204,962 191,589 232,682 89,513 183,974 195,427 (3,725 ) 1,094,422 124 % Less: Discounts / waivers / scholarships (82,170 ) (35,690 ) (16,452 ) (10,486 ) (36,940 ) (27,396 ) — (209,134 ) (24 )% Total $ 122,792 $ 155,899 $ 216,230 $ 79,027 $ 147,034 $ 168,031 $ (3,725 ) $ 885,288 100 % (1) Includes the elimination of intersegment revenues. Performance Obligations A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer and is the unit of accounting in ASC Topic 606. A contract’s transaction price is allocated to each performance obligation identified in the arrangement based on the relative standalone selling price of each distinct good or service in the contract and recognized as revenue when, or as, the performance obligation is satisfied. The primary method used to estimate standalone selling price is the adjusted market assessment approach, under which we evaluate the market and estimate the price that a customer would be willing to pay for the goods and services we provide. Our performance obligations are primarily satisfied over time during the course of an academic semester or academic year. Laureate's transaction price is determined based on gross price, net of scholarships and other discounts, refunds, waivers and the fair value of any guarantees made by Laureate related to student financing programs. The majority of our revenue is derived from tuition and educational services agreements with students, and thus, is recognized over time on a weekly straight-line basis over each academic session. We view the knowledge gained by the student as the benefit which the student receives during the academic sessions. We use the output method to recognize tuition and educational services revenue as this method faithfully depicts our performance toward complete satisfaction of the performance obligation. Dormitory/residency revenues, which are included in the Other line item in the table above, are recognized over time throughout the occupancy period using the output method based on the proportional period of time elapsed which faithfully depicts our performance toward complete satisfaction of the performance obligation. We have elected the optional exemption to not disclose amounts where the performance obligation is part of a contract that has an original expected duration of one year or less. We expect to recognize substantially all revenue on these remaining performance obligations over the next 12 months . Contract Balances The timing of billings, cash collections and revenue recognition results in accounts receivable (contract assets) and deferred revenue and student deposits (contract liabilities) on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. We have various billing and academic cycles and recognize student receivables when an academic session begins, although students generally enroll in courses prior to the start of the academic session. Receivables are recognized only to the extent that it is probable that we will collect substantially all of the consideration to which we are entitled in exchange for the goods and services that will be transferred to the student. We receive advance payments or deposits from our students before revenue is recognized, which are recorded as contract liabilities in deferred revenue and student deposits. Payment terms vary by university with some universities requiring payment in advance of the academic session and other universities allowing students to pay in installments over the term of the academic session. All of our contract assets are considered accounts receivable and are included within the Accounts and notes receivable balance in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. Total accounts receivable from our contracts with students were $786,145 and $535,176 as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. In addition, as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, accounts receivable that were classified as assets held for sale were $15,434 and $34,744 , respectively. The increase in the contract assets balance for the period ended March 31, 2018 is primarily driven by our enrollment cycle. The first calendar quarter generally coincides with the primary intake for some of our larger institutions. All contract asset amounts are classified as current. Contract liabilities in the amount of $675,455 and $312,422 were included within the Deferred revenue and student deposits balance in the current liabilities section of the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. In addition, as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, contract liabilities that were classified as liabilities held for sale were $46,335 and $94,951 , respectively. The increase in the contract liability balance during the period ended March 31, 2018 is the result of semester billings and cash payments received in advance of satisfying performance obligations, offset by revenue recognized during that period. Revenue recognized for the three-month period ended March 31, 2018 that was included in the contract liability balance at the beginning of the year was approximately $217,000 . Costs to Obtain a Contract Certain commissions and bonuses earned by third party agents and our employees are considered incremental and recoverable costs of obtaining a contract with a customer. These costs are deferred and then amortized over the period of benefit which ranges from two to four years. We determined the expected period of benefit, by university, as the expected student enrollment period. As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the asset balances were $5,179 and $0 , respectively, and the accumulated amortization balances were $646 and $0 , respectively, both of which are included in Deferred costs, net , in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. The associated operating cost of $646 was recorded in Direct costs in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operations for the three months ended March 31, 2018 . We also pay certain commissions and bonuses where the period of benefit is one year or less. We have elected the practical expedient available in ASC 340-40 whereby any incremental costs of obtaining a contract are recognized as an expense when incurred if the amortization period of the asset that would have been recognized is one year or less. Practical Expedients and Optional Exemptions We elected to adopt this standard using the modified retrospective approach with the cumulative effect of adoption recognized at the initial date of application. We have elected to apply the standard only to contracts that are not completed at the initial date of application. As noted above, we recognize the incremental costs of obtaining a contract with a student as an expense when incurred in instances where the amortization period of the asset that we would have recognized is one year or less. We have made an accounting policy election to exclude from the measurement of the transaction price all taxes assessed by governmental authorities that are both imposed on and concurrent with specific revenue-producing transactions and collected by the entity from our customers (e.g., sales, use, value added, some excise taxes).

Assets Held for Sale

Assets Held for Sale	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Assets Held for Sale	Assets Held for Sale The Company has identified certain subsidiaries that may not reach a scale that will be meaningful for Laureate, or that represented a strategic sale opportunity, and has undertaken a process to sell these entities. As described in Note 5 , Dispositions , several of these sale transactions closed during the first quarter of 2018. Several other sale transactions closed during the second quarter of 2018, as described in Note 21 , Subsequent Events . As of March 31, 2018 , the subsidiaries in our EMEAA and Central America & U.S. Campuses segments that were classified as held for sale at December 31, 2017 in our 2017 Form 10-K and were not sold during the first quarter of 2018 continued to meet the criteria for classification as held for sale under ASC 360-10-45-9, "Long-Lived Assets Classified as Held for Sale." In addition, as described further below, during the first quarter of 2018, St. Augustine, a subsidiary in our Central America & U.S. Campuses segment that was not previously classified as held for sale, met the criteria for classification as held for sale. Accordingly, as of March 31, 2018 , the assets and liabilities of these disposal groups were classified as held for sale and recorded at the lower of their carrying values or their estimated 'fair values less costs to sell.' The amounts classified as held-for-sale assets and liabilities are subject to finalization. The carrying amounts of the major classes of long-lived assets and liabilities that were classified as held for sale as of March 31, 2018 are presented in the following tables: Property and equipment, net $ 195,770 Goodwill 68,459 Tradenames 32,312 Other long-term assets 14,690 Long-term assets held for sale $ 311,231 Deferred revenue and student deposits $ 46,335 Long-term debt, including current portion 78,289 Other liabilities 65,569 Total liabilities held for sale $ 190,193 In the aggregate, revenues of the disposal groups represented approximately $65,000 and $57,000 of Laureate's total revenues during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 , respectively. University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, LLC (St. Augustine) On April 24, 2018 , the Company and Exeter Street Holdings, LLC (the Seller) and St. Augustine, both of which are wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company, entered into a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement (the Purchase Agreement) with University of St. Augustine Acquisition Corp. (the Purchaser), an affiliate of Altas Partners LP. Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the Purchaser will purchase from the Seller all of the issued and outstanding membership interests of St. Augustine. As of March 31, 2018 , St. Augustine has been classified as held for sale on our Consolidated Balance Sheet. The transaction value under the Purchase Agreement is $400,000 , subject to customary closing adjustments, and the parties expect that the transaction will close in late 2018, subject to required regulatory approvals, including approvals by the U.S. Department of Education and the WASC Senior College and University Commission, and customary closing conditions. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, St. Augustine had $89,600 in revenue, $30,500 in operating income and $4,100 in depreciation and amortization, and as of March 31, 2018 had approximately 3,200 students. Dispositions Sale of Cyprus and Italy Operations As previously disclosed in our 2017 Form 10-K, on January 11, 2018 , we completed the sale of European University-Cyprus Ltd (EUC) and Laureate Italy S.r.L. (Laureate Italy). Upon closing, we received gross proceeds of approximately 232,000 Euros (EUR) (approximately US $275,500 , or approximately US $248,400 on the date of receipt net of cash sold), and recognized a total gain on sale for the three months ended March 31, 2018 of approximately $218,000 , which includes the working capital settlement between the Company and the buyer that was completed during the second quarter of 2018. The Company used the proceeds from this transaction, along with borrowings on our revolving credit facility that were subsequently repaid with the China sale proceeds discussed below, to repay $350,000 of principal balance on our syndicated term loan that matures in April 2024 (the 2024 Term Loan), as discussed in Note 9 , Debt . Sale of China Operations As previously disclosed in our 2017 Form 10-K, on January 25, 2018 , we completed the sale of LEILY. At closing, the Company received initial gross proceeds totaling approximately $128,800 (approximately $110,800 net of cash sold), net of banker transaction fees and certain taxes and duties totaling approximately $16,000 . Six months after the closing date, the buyer is required to pay to the Company the Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) equivalent of Chinese Renminbi (RMB) 120,000 (the First Holdback Payment, approximately US $19,100 at March 31, 2018 ). Twelve months after the closing date, the buyer is required to pay to the Company the HKD equivalent of RMB 60,000 (the Second Holdback Payment, approximately US $9,600 at March 31, 2018 ). Both the First Holdback Payment and the Second Holdback Payment are subject to deduction of any indemnifiable losses payable by the Company to the buyer pursuant to the sale purchase agreement. The remainder of the transaction value was paid into an escrow account and will be distributed to the Company pursuant to the terms and conditions of the escrow agreement. In addition to the initial proceeds received, as of March 31, 2018 , the Company has recorded a current receivable of approximately $28,700 for the First Holdback Payment and the Second Holdback Payment, as well as a long-term receivable of approximately $25,900 for the portion of the escrowed amount that the Company expects to receive. In addition, the Company has recorded a liability of approximately $16,500 related to loss contingencies for which we have indemnified the buyer. The Company recognized a gain on the sale of LEILY for the three months ended March 31, 2018 of approximately $80,000 .

Dispositions

Dispositions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Dispositions	Assets Held for Sale The Company has identified certain subsidiaries that may not reach a scale that will be meaningful for Laureate, or that represented a strategic sale opportunity, and has undertaken a process to sell these entities. As described in Note 5 , Dispositions , several of these sale transactions closed during the first quarter of 2018. Several other sale transactions closed during the second quarter of 2018, as described in Note 21 , Subsequent Events . As of March 31, 2018 , the subsidiaries in our EMEAA and Central America & U.S. Campuses segments that were classified as held for sale at December 31, 2017 in our 2017 Form 10-K and were not sold during the first quarter of 2018 continued to meet the criteria for classification as held for sale under ASC 360-10-45-9, "Long-Lived Assets Classified as Held for Sale." In addition, as described further below, during the first quarter of 2018, St. Augustine, a subsidiary in our Central America & U.S. Campuses segment that was not previously classified as held for sale, met the criteria for classification as held for sale. Accordingly, as of March 31, 2018 , the assets and liabilities of these disposal groups were classified as held for sale and recorded at the lower of their carrying values or their estimated 'fair values less costs to sell.' The amounts classified as held-for-sale assets and liabilities are subject to finalization. The carrying amounts of the major classes of long-lived assets and liabilities that were classified as held for sale as of March 31, 2018 are presented in the following tables: Property and equipment, net $ 195,770 Goodwill 68,459 Tradenames 32,312 Other long-term assets 14,690 Long-term assets held for sale $ 311,231 Deferred revenue and student deposits $ 46,335 Long-term debt, including current portion 78,289 Other liabilities 65,569 Total liabilities held for sale $ 190,193 In the aggregate, revenues of the disposal groups represented approximately $65,000 and $57,000 of Laureate's total revenues during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 , respectively. University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, LLC (St. Augustine) On April 24, 2018 , the Company and Exeter Street Holdings, LLC (the Seller) and St. Augustine, both of which are wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company, entered into a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement (the Purchase Agreement) with University of St. Augustine Acquisition Corp. (the Purchaser), an affiliate of Altas Partners LP. Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the Purchaser will purchase from the Seller all of the issued and outstanding membership interests of St. Augustine. As of March 31, 2018 , St. Augustine has been classified as held for sale on our Consolidated Balance Sheet. The transaction value under the Purchase Agreement is $400,000 , subject to customary closing adjustments, and the parties expect that the transaction will close in late 2018, subject to required regulatory approvals, including approvals by the U.S. Department of Education and the WASC Senior College and University Commission, and customary closing conditions. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, St. Augustine had $89,600 in revenue, $30,500 in operating income and $4,100 in depreciation and amortization, and as of March 31, 2018 had approximately 3,200 students. Dispositions Sale of Cyprus and Italy Operations As previously disclosed in our 2017 Form 10-K, on January 11, 2018 , we completed the sale of European University-Cyprus Ltd (EUC) and Laureate Italy S.r.L. (Laureate Italy). Upon closing, we received gross proceeds of approximately 232,000 Euros (EUR) (approximately US $275,500 , or approximately US $248,400 on the date of receipt net of cash sold), and recognized a total gain on sale for the three months ended March 31, 2018 of approximately $218,000 , which includes the working capital settlement between the Company and the buyer that was completed during the second quarter of 2018. The Company used the proceeds from this transaction, along with borrowings on our revolving credit facility that were subsequently repaid with the China sale proceeds discussed below, to repay $350,000 of principal balance on our syndicated term loan that matures in April 2024 (the 2024 Term Loan), as discussed in Note 9 , Debt . Sale of China Operations As previously disclosed in our 2017 Form 10-K, on January 25, 2018 , we completed the sale of LEILY. At closing, the Company received initial gross proceeds totaling approximately $128,800 (approximately $110,800 net of cash sold), net of banker transaction fees and certain taxes and duties totaling approximately $16,000 . Six months after the closing date, the buyer is required to pay to the Company the Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) equivalent of Chinese Renminbi (RMB) 120,000 (the First Holdback Payment, approximately US $19,100 at March 31, 2018 ). Twelve months after the closing date, the buyer is required to pay to the Company the HKD equivalent of RMB 60,000 (the Second Holdback Payment, approximately US $9,600 at March 31, 2018 ). Both the First Holdback Payment and the Second Holdback Payment are subject to deduction of any indemnifiable losses payable by the Company to the buyer pursuant to the sale purchase agreement. The remainder of the transaction value was paid into an escrow account and will be distributed to the Company pursuant to the terms and conditions of the escrow agreement. In addition to the initial proceeds received, as of March 31, 2018 , the Company has recorded a current receivable of approximately $28,700 for the First Holdback Payment and the Second Holdback Payment, as well as a long-term receivable of approximately $25,900 for the portion of the escrowed amount that the Company expects to receive. In addition, the Company has recorded a liability of approximately $16,500 related to loss contingencies for which we have indemnified the buyer. The Company recognized a gain on the sale of LEILY for the three months ended March 31, 2018 of approximately $80,000 .

Due to Shareholders of Acquired

Due to Shareholders of Acquired Companies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Due to Shareholders of Acquired Companies	Due to Shareholders of Acquired Companies The amounts due to shareholders of acquired companies generally arise in connection with Laureate’s acquisition of a majority or all of the ownership interest of these companies. Promissory notes payable to the sellers of acquired companies, referred to as “seller notes,” are commonly used as a means of payment for business acquisitions. Seller note payments are classified as Payments of deferred purchase price for acquisitions within financing activities in our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. The amounts due to shareholders of acquired companies, currencies, and interest rates applied were as follows: March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 Nominal Currency Interest Universidade Anhembi Morumbi (UAM Brazil) $ 45,955 $ 45,206 BRL CDI + 2% University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, LLC 11,550 11,550 USD 7% Monash South Africa (MSA) 9,626 9,571 AUD n/a Universidad Tecnologica Centroamericana (UNITEC Honduras) 3,447 3,813 HNL IIBC Faculdade Porto-Alegrense (FAPA) 3,123 3,084 BRL IGP-M IADE Group 1,242 2,374 EUR 3% CH Holding Netherlands B.V. (CH Holding) — 3,971 USD n/a Total due to shareholders of acquired companies 74,943 79,569 Less: Current portion of due to shareholders of acquired companies 35,431 40,140 Due to shareholders of acquired companies, less current portion $ 39,512 $ 39,429 AUD: Australian Dollar CDI: Certificados de Depósitos Interbancários (Brazil) BRL: Brazilian Real IIBC: Índice de Inflación del Banco Central (Honduras) EUR: European Euro IGP-M: General Index of Market Prices (Brazil) HNL: Honduran Lempira USD: United States Dollar

Business and Geographic Segment

Business and Geographic Segment Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Business and Geographic Segment Information	Business and Geographic Segment Information Laureate’s educational services are offered through six operating segments: Brazil, Mexico, Andean & Iberian, Central America & U.S. Campuses, EMEAA and Online & Partnerships. Laureate determines its operating segments based on information utilized by the chief operating decision maker to allocate resources and assess performance. As previously disclosed in our 2017 Form 10-K, effective August 1, 2017, we changed our operating segments in order to realign our segments according to how our chief operating decision maker allocates resources and assesses performance. As required, the segment information presented for comparative purposes for the three months ended March 31, 2017 has been revised to reflect this change. Our campus-based segments generate revenues by providing an education that emphasizes professional-oriented fields of study with undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide range of disciplines. Our educational offerings are increasingly utilizing online and hybrid (a combination of online and in-classroom) courses and programs to deliver their curriculum. Many of our largest campus-based operations are in developing markets which are experiencing a growing demand for higher education based on favorable demographics and increasing secondary completion rates, driving increases in participation rates and resulting in continued growth in the number of higher education students. Traditional higher education students (defined as 18-24 year olds) have historically been served by public universities, which have limited capacity and are often underfunded, resulting in an inability to meet the growing student demand and employer requirements. This supply and demand imbalance has created a market opportunity for private sector participants. Most students finance their own education. However, there are some government-sponsored student financing programs which are discussed below. These campus-based segments include Brazil, Mexico, Andean & Iberian, Central America & U.S. Campuses and EMEAA. Specifics related to each of these campus-based segments and our Online & Partnerships segment are discussed below: In Brazil, approximately 75% of post-secondary students are enrolled in private higher education institutions. While the federal government defines the national curricular guidelines, institutions are licensed to operate by city. Laureate owns 13 institutions in eight states throughout Brazil, with a particularly strong presence in the competitive São Paulo market. Many students finance their own education while others rely on the government-sponsored programs such as Prouni and FIES. Public universities in Mexico enroll approximately two thirds of students attending post-secondary education. However, many public institutions are faced with capacity constraints or the quality of the education is considered low. Laureate owns two institutions and is present throughout the country with a footprint of over 40 campuses. Each institution in Mexico has a national license. Students in our Mexican institutions typically finance their own education. The Andean & Iberian segment includes institutions in Chile, Peru, Portugal and Spain. In Chile, private universities enroll approximately 80% of post-secondary students. In Peru, the public sector plays a significant role but private universities are increasingly providing the capacity to meet growing demand. In Spain and Portugal, the high demand for post-secondary education places capacity constraints on the public sector, pushing students to turn to the private sector for high-quality education. Chile has government-sponsored student financing programs, while in the other countries students generally finance their own education. The Central America & U.S. Campuses segment includes institutions in Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and the United States. Students in Central America typically finance their own education while students in the United States finance their education in a variety of ways, including Title IV programs. As of March 31, 2018, the EMEAA segment included institutions in the European countries of Germany and Turkey, as well as locations in the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific consisting of campus-based institutions with operations in Australia, India, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, South Africa and Thailand. Additionally, EMEAA manages nine licensed institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and manages one additional institution in China through a joint venture arrangement. As discussed in Note 21 , Subsequent Events , we completed the sales of our German and Moroccan operations in April 2018. The Online & Partnerships segment includes fully online institutions operating globally that offer professionally oriented degree programs in the United States through Walden University, a U.S.-based accredited institution, and through the University of Liverpool and the University of Roehampton in the United Kingdom. These online institutions primarily serve working adults with undergraduate and graduate degree program offerings. Students in the United States finance their education in a variety of ways, including Title IV programs. Intersegment transactions are accounted for in a similar manner as third-party transactions and are eliminated in consolidation. The Corporate amounts presented in the following tables includes corporate charges that were not allocated to our reportable segments and adjustments to eliminate intersegment items. We evaluate segment performance based on Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP performance measure defined as Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes and equity in net income of affiliates, adding back the following items: Gain on sales of subsidiaries, net , Foreign currency exchange (loss) gain, net , Other income, net , (Loss) gain on derivatives , Loss on debt extinguishment , Interest expense , Interest income , Depreciation and amortization expense, Loss on impairment of assets, Share-based compensation expense and expenses related to our Excellence-in-Process (EiP) initiative. EiP is an enterprise-wide initiative to optimize and standardize Laureate’s processes, creating vertical integration of procurement, information technology, finance, accounting and human resources. It includes the establishment of regional shared services organizations (SSOs) around the world, as well as improvements to the Company's system of internal controls over financial reporting. We have also expanded the EiP initiative into other back- and mid-office areas, as well as certain student-facing activities. When we review Adjusted EBITDA on a segment basis, we exclude intercompany revenues and expenses, related to network fees and royalties between our segments, which eliminate in consolidation. We use total assets as the measure of assets for reportable segments. The following tables provide financial information for our reportable segments, including a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes, as reported in the Consolidated Statements of Operations: For the three months ended March 31, 2018 2017 Revenues Brazil $ 122,792 $ 116,833 Mexico 155,899 150,859 Andean & Iberian 216,230 181,151 Central America & U.S. Campuses 79,027 76,371 EMEAA 147,034 159,833 Online & Partnerships 168,031 177,066 Corporate (3,725 ) (6,180 ) Revenues $ 885,288 $ 855,933 Adjusted EBITDA of reportable segments Brazil $ (26,016 ) $ (39,125 ) Mexico 30,443 37,874 Andean & Iberian (6,894 ) (18,469 ) Central America & U.S. Campuses 17,637 17,094 EMEAA 23,278 29,796 Online & Partnerships 44,974 54,095 Total Adjusted EBITDA of reportable segments 83,422 81,265 Reconciling items: Corporate (35,934 ) (32,666 ) Depreciation and amortization expense (67,762 ) (64,514 ) Loss on impairment of assets — — Share-based compensation expense 3,756 (22,388 ) EiP expenses (10,941 ) (24,563 ) Operating loss (27,459 ) (62,866 ) Interest income 6,129 4,694 Interest expense (69,465 ) (102,633 ) Loss on debt extinguishment (7,481 ) (1,515 ) (Loss) gain on derivatives (19,340 ) 12,147 Other income, net 2,406 436 Foreign currency exchange (loss) gain, net (8,754 ) 2,290 Gain on sales of subsidiaries, net 298,041 — Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes $ 174,077 $ (147,447 ) March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 Assets Brazil $ 1,270,981 $ 1,256,364 Mexico 1,045,381 969,400 Andean & Iberian 2,318,081 2,117,317 Central America & U.S. Campuses 366,058 376,070 EMEAA 870,789 1,022,569 Online & Partnerships 1,280,811 1,294,147 Corporate 364,657 355,856 Total assets $ 7,516,758 $ 7,391,723

Goodwill

Goodwill	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Goodwill	Goodwill The change in the net carrying amount of Goodwill from December 31, 2017 through March 31, 2018 was composed of the following items: Brazil Mexico Andean & Iberian Central America & U.S. Campuses EMEAA Online & Partnerships Total Goodwill $ 493,373 $ 503,373 $ 321,762 $ 154,759 $ 117,413 $ 460,740 $ 2,051,420 Accumulated impairment loss — — — (96,754 ) — — (96,754 ) Balance at December 31, 2017 493,373 503,373 321,762 58,005 117,413 460,740 1,954,666 Acquisitions — — — — — — — Dispositions — — — — — — — Reclassification to Long-term assets held for sale — — — (58,005 ) — — (58,005 ) Impairments — — — — — — — Currency translation adjustments (699 ) 38,756 8,121 — (504 ) — 45,674 Adjustments to prior acquisitions — — — — — — — Balance at March 31, 2018 $ 492,674 $ 542,129 $ 329,883 $ — $ 116,909 $ 460,740 $ 1,942,335

Debt

Debt	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt	Debt Outstanding long-term debt was as follows: March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 Senior long-term debt: Senior Secured Credit Facility (stated maturity dates April 2022 and April 2024), net of discount $ 1,292,452 $ 1,625,344 Senior Notes (stated maturity dates May 2025) 800,000 800,000 Total senior long-term debt 2,092,452 2,425,344 Other debt: Lines of credit 60,915 55,799 Notes payable and other debt 758,416 753,439 Total senior and other debt 2,911,783 3,234,582 Capital lease obligations and sale-leaseback financings 172,684 234,356 Total long-term debt 3,084,467 3,468,938 Less: total unamortized deferred financing costs 100,395 107,640 Less: current portion of long-term debt 131,738 154,234 Long-term debt, less current portion $ 2,852,334 $ 3,207,064 $78,289 of long-term debt, including the current portion, is included in the held-for-sale liabilities recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of March 31, 2018 . For further description of the held-for-sale amounts, see Note 4 , Assets Held for Sale . Estimated Fair Value of Debt The estimated fair value of our debt was determined using observable market prices, as the majority of our securities, including the Senior Secured Credit Facility and the Senior Notes due 2025, are traded in a brokered market. The fair value of our remaining debt instruments approximates carrying value based on their terms. As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , our long-term debt was classified as Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy, based on the frequency and volume of trading in the brokered market. The estimated fair value of our debt was as follows: March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 Carrying amount Estimated fair value Carrying amount Estimated fair value Total senior and other debt $ 2,911,783 $ 2,974,383 $ 3,234,582 $ 3,293,258 Amendment to Senior Secured Credit Facility - 2024 Term Loan On February 1, 2018 , we amended our Senior Secured Credit Facility to reduce the interest rate on our 2024 Term Loan. In connection with this transaction, we also prepaid $350,000 of the principal balance of the 2024 Term Loan in addition to $1,239 of accrued interest using the proceeds from the sale of our Cyprus and Italy operations, along with borrowings on our revolving credit facility that were subsequently repaid with the China sale proceeds. As a result of the $350,000 prepayment, there will be no further quarterly principal payments required and the remaining balance will be due at maturity. Pursuant to this amendment, the interest rate margins applicable to the 2024 Term Loan were amended to 3.50% for LIBOR term loans and 2.50% for ABR term loans and such interest rate margins will no longer be based upon the Company’s consolidated total debt to consolidated EBITDA ratio. The amendment effectively reduces the current interest rate margins applicable to the outstanding term loans, which prior to the amendment was based on the Company’s consolidated total debt to consolidated EBITDA ratio, by 100 basis points, from 4.50% to 3.50% for LIBOR term loans, and 3.50% to 2.50% for ABR term loans. The amended credit agreement also provides for a prepayment premium with respect to the outstanding term loans. The prepayment premium equals one percent ( 1% ) of the amount of the term loans that are subject to certain repricing transactions occurring on or prior to August 1, 2018. Certain Covenants As of March 31, 2018 , our senior long-term debt contained certain negative covenants including, among others: (1) limitations on additional indebtedness; (2) limitations on dividends; (3) limitations on asset sales, including the sale of ownership interests in subsidiaries and sale-leaseback transactions; and (4) limitations on liens, guarantees, loans or investments. The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement provides, solely with respect to the Revolving Credit Facility, that the Company shall not permit its Consolidated Senior Secured Debt to Consolidated EBITDA ratio, as defined in the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, to exceed 4.50x as of the last day of each quarter ending June 30, 2017 through September 30, 2017, 3.75x as of the last day of each quarter ending December 31, 2017 through March 31, 2018, and 3.50x as of the last day of each quarter ending June 30, 2018 and thereafter. However, the agreement also provides that if (i) the Company’s Consolidated Total Debt to Consolidated EBITDA ratio, as defined in the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, is not greater than 4.75 x as of such date and (ii) less than 25% of the Revolving Credit Facility is utilized as of that date, then such financial covenant shall not apply. As of March 31, 2018 , these conditions were satisfied and, therefore, we were not subject to the leverage ratio covenant. In addition, notes payable at some of our locations contain financial maintenance covenants.

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Commitments and Contingencies Noncontrolling Interest Holder Put Arrangements and Company Call Arrangements The following section provides a summary table and description of the various noncontrolling interest holder put arrangements that Laureate had outstanding as of March 31, 2018 . Laureate has elected to accrete changes in the arrangements’ redemption values over the period from the date of issuance to the earliest redemption date. The redeemable noncontrolling interests are recorded at the greater of the accreted redemption value or the traditional noncontrolling interest. Until the first exercise date, the put instruments’ reported values may be lower than the final amounts that will be required to settle the minority put arrangements. As of March 31, 2018 , the carrying value of all noncontrolling interest holder put arrangements was $ 12,015 , which includes accreted incremental value of $12,899 in excess of traditional noncontrolling interests. If the minority put arrangements were all exercised at March 31, 2018 , Laureate would be obligated to pay the noncontrolling interest holders an estimated amount of $12,015 , as summarized in the following table: Nominal Currency First Exercisable Date Estimated Value as of March 31, 2018 redeemable within Reported Noncontrolling interest holder put arrangements INTI Education Holdings Sdn Bhd (Inti Holdings) - 10.10% MYR Current $ 9,979 $ 9,979 Pearl Retail Solutions Private Limited (Pearl) - 10% INR Current 1,972 1,972 Stamford International University (STIU) - Puttable preferred stock of TEDCO THB Current 64 64 Total noncontrolling interest holder put arrangements 12,015 12,015 Puttable common stock - not currently redeemable USD * — 2,279 Total redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity $ 12,015 $ 14,294 * Contingently redeemable MYR: Malaysian Ringgit INR: Indian Rupee THB: Thai Baht Laureate’s noncontrolling interest put arrangements are specified in agreements with each noncontrolling interest holder. The terms of these agreements determine the measurement of the redemption value of the put options based on a non-GAAP measure of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA, or recurring EBITDA), the definition of which varies for each particular contract. Commitments and contingencies are generally denominated in foreign currencies. Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock As disclosed in our 2017 Form 10-K, in December 2016 and January 2017, the Company issued an aggregate of 400 shares of convertible redeemable preferred stock (the Series A Preferred Stock) for total gross proceeds of $400,000 . The Series A Preferred Stock included a Beneficial Conversion Feature (BCF) that was contingent on a qualified IPO (as defined in the Certificate of Designations governing the terms of the Series A Preferred Stock), which was consummated on February 6, 2017. Accordingly, during the first quarter of 2017, the Company recorded the BCF at its estimated fair value as a reduction of the carrying value of the Series A Preferred Stock and an increase to Additional Paid-In Capital. The accretion of this BCF reduced net income available to common stockholders in the calculation of earnings per share, as shown in Note 16 , Earnings (Loss) Per Share . The total BCF of $265,368 was accreted using a constant yield approach over a one -year period. For the three months ended March 31, 2018 , we recorded total accretion on the Series A Preferred Stock of $57,324 , and paid cash dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock of $9,719 . As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 the Series A Preferred Stock had a carrying value of $447,881 and $400,276 , respectively. The Company and each holder of shares of the Company’s Series A Preferred Stock could elect to convert all of the shares of Series A Preferred Stock into shares of Class A Common Stock one day following the first anniversary of the closing of the Company’s initial public offering, which occurred on February 6, 2017. However, the Company was not permitted to convert any shares of Series A Preferred Stock until there was an effective registration statement available to permit the holders of Series A Preferred Stock to sell the underlying shares of Class A Common Stock. As discussed in Note 21 , Subsequent Events , on April 23, 2018 , immediately after the Company’s shelf registration statement on Form S-3 became effective, all of the issued and outstanding shares of the Series A Preferred Stock were converted into 36,143 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock, par value $0.004 per share. Other Loss Contingencies Laureate is subject to legal actions arising in the ordinary course of its business. In management's opinion, we have adequate legal defenses, insurance coverage and/or accrued liabilities with respect to the eventuality of such actions. We do not believe that any settlement would have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements. Refer to Note 18 , Legal and Regulatory Matters , for a discussion of certain matters. Contingent Liabilities for Taxes As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , Laureate has recorded cumulative liabilities totaling $76,112 and $74,318 , respectively, for taxes other-than-income tax, principally payroll-tax-related uncertainties recorded at the time of an acquisition. The changes in this recorded liability are related to acquisitions, interest and penalty accruals, changes in tax laws, expirations of statutes of limitations, settlements and changes in foreign currency exchange rates. The terms of the statutes of limitations on these contingencies vary but can be up to 10 years . This liability is included in Other long-term liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. We have also recorded current liabilities for taxes other-than-income tax of $142 and $138 , respectively, as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , in Other current liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Changes in the recorded values of non-income tax contingencies impact operating income and interest expense, while changes in the related indemnification assets impact only operating income. The total decreases to operating income for adjustments to non-income tax contingencies and indemnification assets were $2,121 and $4,037 , respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 . In addition, as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , Laureate has recorded cumulative liabilities for income tax contingencies of $64,380 and $100,404 , respectively. As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , indemnification assets primarily related to acquisition contingencies were $116,944 and $98,493 , respectively. These indemnification assets primarily cover contingencies for income taxes and taxes other-than-income taxes. In addition, we have identified certain contingencies, primarily tax-related, that we have assessed as being reasonably possible of loss, but not probable of loss, and could have an adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations if the outcomes are unfavorable. In most cases, Laureate has received indemnifications from the former owners and/or noncontrolling interest holders of the acquired businesses for contingencies, and therefore, we do not believe we will sustain an economic loss even if we are required to pay these additional amounts. In cases where we are not indemnified, the unrecorded contingencies are not individually material and are primarily in Brazil. In the aggregate, we estimate that the reasonably possible loss for these unrecorded contingencies in Brazil could be up to approximately $46,000 if the outcomes were unfavorable in all cases. Other Loss Contingencies Laureate has accrued liabilities for certain civil actions against our institutions, a portion of which existed prior to our acquisition of these entities. Laureate intends to vigorously defend against these matters. As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , approximately $60,000 and $22,000 , respectively, of loss contingencies were included in Other long-term liabilities and Other current liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The increase is primarily due to loss contingencies recorded as a result of the sale of LEILY in China, as discussed in Note 5 , Dispositions , as well as loss contingencies in the Brazil segment for which we are indemnified by the former owner and have recorded a corresponding indemnification asset. Material Guarantees – Student Financing Chile The accredited Chilean institutions in the Laureate network also participate in a government-sponsored student financing program known as Crédito con Aval del Estado (the CAE Program). The CAE Program was formally implemented by the Chilean government in 2006 to promote higher education in Chile for lower socio-economic level students in good academic standing. The CAE Program involves tuition financing and guarantees that are provided by our institutions and the government. As part of the CAE Program, these institutions provide guarantees which result in contingent liabilities to third-party financing institutions, beginning at 90% of the tuition loans made directly to qualified students enrolled through the CAE Program and declining to 60% over time. The guarantees by these institutions are in effect during the period in which the student is enrolled , and the guarantees are assumed entirely by the government upon the student’s graduation. When a student leaves one of Laureate's institutions and enrolls in another CAE-qualified institution, the Laureate institution will remain guarantor of the tuition loans that have been granted up to the date of transfer, and until the student's graduation from a CAE-qualified institution. The maximum potential amount of payments our institutions could be required to make under the CAE Program was approximately $545,000 and $527,000 at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , respectively. This maximum potential amount assumes that all students in the CAE Program do not graduate, so that our guarantee would not be assigned to the government, and that all students default on the full amount of the CAE-qualified loan balances. As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , we recorded $33,575 and $27,073 , respectively, as estimated long-term guarantee liabilities for these obligations. Material Guarantees – Other In conjunction with the purchase of UNP Brazil, Laureate pledged all of the acquired shares as a guarantee of our payments of rents as they become due. In the event that we default on any payment, the pledge agreement provides for a forfeiture of the relevant pledged shares. In the event of forfeiture, Laureate may be required to transfer the books and management of UNP to the former owners. Laureate acquired the remaining 49% ownership interest in UAM Brazil in April 2013. As part of the agreement to purchase the 49% ownership interest, Laureate pledged 49% of its total shares in UAM Brazil as a guarantee of our payment obligations under the purchase agreement. In the event that we default on any payment, the agreement provides for a forfeiture of the pledged shares. In connection with the purchase of FMU on September 12, 2014, Laureate pledged 75% of the acquired shares to third-party lenders as a guarantee of our payment obligations under the loans that financed a portion of the purchase price. Laureate pledged the remaining 25% of the acquired shares to the sellers as a guarantee of our payment obligations under the purchase agreement for the seller notes . In the event that we default on any payment of the loans or seller notes, the purchase agreement provides for a forfeiture of the relevant pledged shares. After the payment of the seller notes in September 2017, the shares pledged to the sellers were pledged to the third-party lenders until full payment of the loans, which mature in April 2021. In connection with a loan agreement entered into by a Laureate subsidiary in Peru, all of the shares of UPN Peru, one of our universities, were pledged to the third-party lender as a guarantee of the payment obligations under the loan. Standby Letters of Credit, Surety Bonds and Other Commitments As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , Laureate's outstanding letters of credit (LOCs) and surety bonds primarily consisted of the items discussed below. As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , we had approximately $136,700 and $136,900 , respectively, posted as LOCs in favor of the Department of Education (DOE). These LOCs were required to allow Walden, Kendall, NewSchool and St. Augustine to continue participating in the DOE Title IV program. These LOCs are fully collateralized with cash equivalents and certificates of deposit, which are classified as Restricted cash on our March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 Consolidated Balance Sheets. As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , we had $0 and $39,505 , respectively, posted as cash collateral for LOCs related to the Spain Tax Audits. As discussed in Note 15 , Income Taxes , the cash collateral for these LOCs was released during the first quarter of 2018 and used for payments to the Spanish taxing authorities in order to stop additional interest from accruing while the appeals process continues. The cash collateral for these LOCs was classified as Restricted cash on our December 31, 2017 Consolidated Balance Sheet. As part of our normal operations, our insurers issue surety bonds on our behalf, as required by various state education authorities in the United States. We are obligated to reimburse our insurers for any payments made by the insurers under the surety bonds. As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , the total face amount of these surety bonds was $14,927 and $ 13,980 , respectively. These bonds are fully collateralized with cash, which was classified as Restricted cash on our March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 Consolidated Balance Sheets. In November 2016, in order to continue participating in Prouni, a federal program that offers tax benefits designed to increase higher education participation rates in Brazil, UAM Brazil posted a guarantee in the amount of $15,300 . In connection with the issuance of the guarantee, UAM Brazil obtained a non-collateralized surety bond from a third party in order to secure the guarantee. The cost of the surety bond was $1,400 , of which half was reimbursed by the former owner of UAM Brazil, and is being amortized over the five -year term. The Company believes that this matter will not have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Financing Receivables

Financing Receivables	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Receivables [Abstract]
Financing Receivables	Financing Receivables Laureate’s financing receivables consist primarily of trade receivables related to student tuition financing programs with an initial term in excess of one year. We have offered long-term financing through the execution of note receivable agreements with students at some of our institutions. Our disclosures include financing receivables that are classified in our Consolidated Balance Sheets as both current and long-term, reported in accordance with ASC 310, “Receivables.” Laureate’s financing receivables balances were as follows: March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 Financing receivables $ 37,411 $ 22,977 Allowance for doubtful accounts (8,984 ) (8,411 ) Financing receivables, net of allowances $ 28,427 $ 14,566 We do not purchase financing receivables in the ordinary course of our business. We may sell certain receivables that are significantly past due. No material amounts of financing receivables were sold during the periods reported herein. Delinquency is the primary indicator of credit quality for our financing receivables. Receivable balances are considered delinquent when contractual payments on the loan become past due. Delinquent financing receivables are placed on non-accrual status for interest income. The accrual of interest is resumed when the financing receivable becomes contractually current and when collection of all remaining amounts due is reasonably assured. We record an Allowance for doubtful accounts to reduce our financing receivables to their net realizable value. The Allowance for doubtful accounts is based on the age of the receivables, the status of past-due amounts, historical collection trends, current economic conditions, and student enrollment status. Each of our institutions evaluates its balances for potential impairment. We consider impaired loans to be those that are past due one year or greater, and those that are modified as a troubled debt restructuring (TDR). The aging of financing receivables grouped by country portfolio was as follows: Chile Other Total As of March 31, 2018 Amounts past due less than one year $ 11,302 $ 797 $ 12,099 Amounts past due one year or greater 3,121 1,405 4,526 Total past due (on non-accrual status) 14,423 2,202 16,625 Not past due 19,190 1,596 20,786 Total financing receivables $ 33,613 $ 3,798 $ 37,411 As of December 31, 2017 Amounts past due less than one year $ 6,800 $ 1,300 $ 8,100 Amounts past due one year or greater 3,551 1,335 4,886 Total past due (on non-accrual status) 10,351 2,635 12,986 Not past due 8,494 1,497 9,991 Total financing receivables $ 18,845 $ 4,132 $ 22,977 The following is a rollforward of the Allowance for doubtful accounts related to financing receivables for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 , grouped by country portfolio: Chile Other Total Balance at December 31, 2017 $ (6,107 ) $ (2,304 ) $ (8,411 ) Charge-offs 331 — 331 Recoveries (1 ) (7 ) (8 ) Reclassifications — 39 39 Provision (731 ) 23 (708 ) Currency adjustments (164 ) (63 ) (227 ) Balance at March 31, 2018 $ (6,672 ) $ (2,312 ) $ (8,984 ) Balance at December 31, 2016 $ (6,209 ) $ (2,966 ) $ (9,175 ) Charge-offs 911 27 938 Recoveries — (3 ) (3 ) Reclassifications — — — Provision (450 ) 35 (415 ) Currency adjustments (66 ) (19 ) (85 ) Balance at March 31, 2017 $ (5,814 ) $ (2,926 ) $ (8,740 ) Restructured Receivables A TDR is a financing receivable in which the borrower is experiencing financial difficulty and Laureate has granted an economic concession to the student debtor that we would not otherwise consider. When we modify financing receivables in a TDR, Laureate typically offers the student debtor an extension of the loan maturity and/or a reduction in the accrued interest balance. In certain situations, we may offer to restructure a financing receivable in a manner that ultimately results in the forgiveness of contractually specified principal balances. Our only TDRs are in Chile. The number of financing receivable accounts and the pre- and post-modification account balances modified under the terms of a TDR during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 were as follows: Number of Financing Receivable Accounts Pre-Modification Balance Outstanding Post-Modification Balance Outstanding 2018 409 $ 1,372 $ 1,262 2017 281 $ 1,169 $ 1,086 The preceding table represents accounts modified under the terms of a TDR during the three months ended March 31, 2018 , whereas the following table represents accounts modified as a TDR between January 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018 that subsequently defaulted during the three months ended March 31, 2018 : Number of Financing Receivable Accounts Balance at Default Total 138 $ 339 The following table represents accounts modified as a TDR between January 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017 that subsequently defaulted during the three months ended March 31, 2017 : Number of Financing Receivable Accounts Balance at Default Total 82 $ 327

Share-based Compensation

Share-based Compensation	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Share-based Compensation	Share-based Compensation Share-based compensation expense was as follows: For the three months ended March 31, 2018 2017 Stock options, net of estimated forfeitures $ (7,166 ) $ 19,281 Restricted stock awards 3,410 3,107 Total $ (3,756 ) $ 22,388 The negative stock options expense for the three months ended March 31, 2018 relates to the correction of an immaterial error recorded in the prior year.

Stockholders' Equity

Stockholders' Equity	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Equity [Abstract]
Stockholders' Equity	Stockholders' Equity The components of net changes in stockholders' equity were as follows: Laureate Education, Inc. Stockholders Class A Common Stock Class B Common Stock Additional paid-in capital (Accumulated deficit) retained earnings Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income Non-controlling interests Total stockholders' equity Shares Amount Shares Amount Balance at December 31, 2017 55,052 $ 220 132,443 $ 530 $ 3,446,206 $ (946,236 ) $ (925,556 ) $ 12,118 $ 1,587,282 Adoption of accounting standards — — — — — 5,074 — — 5,074 Balance at January 1, 2018 55,052 220 132,443 530 3,446,206 (941,162 ) (925,556 ) 12,118 1,592,356 Non-cash stock compensation — — — — (3,756 ) — — — (3,756 ) Conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares 59 — (59 ) — — — — — — Vesting of restricted stock, net of shares withheld to satisfy tax withholding 145 1 59 — (804 ) — — — (803 ) Distributions from noncontrolling interest holders — — — — — — — 581 581 Change in noncontrolling interests — — — — (468 ) — — (20,575 ) (21,043 ) Accretion of redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity — — — — (76 ) — — — (76 ) Accretion of Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock — — — — (57,324 ) — — — (57,324 ) Reclassification of redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity — — — — — — — 38 38 Net income — — — — — 168,879 — 2,666 171,545 Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of tax of $0 — — — — — — 83,648 (279 ) 83,369 Unrealized gain on derivatives, net of tax of $0 — — — — — — 2,210 — 2,210 Minimum pension liability adjustment, net of tax of $0 — — — — — — 376 — 376 Balance at March 31, 2018 55,256 $ 221 132,443 $ 530 $ 3,383,778 $ (772,283 ) $ (839,322 ) $ (5,451 ) $ 1,767,473 As described in Note 2 , Significant Accounting Policies , the change in opening retained earnings from the adoption of accounting standards comprises an increase of approximately $1,400 from the cumulative impact of adopting Topic 606 and an increase of approximately $3,700 from the cumulative impact of adopting ASU 2016-16. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) Accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI) in our Consolidated Balance Sheets includes the accumulated translation adjustments arising from translation of foreign subsidiaries' financial statements, the unrealized gains on derivatives designated as cash flow hedges, and the accumulated net gains or losses that are not recognized as components of net periodic benefit cost for our minimum pension liability. The components of these balances were as follows: March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 Laureate Education, Inc. Noncontrolling Interests Total Laureate Education, Inc. Noncontrolling Interests Total Foreign currency translation loss $ (843,573 ) $ (312 ) $ (843,885 ) $ (927,221 ) $ (33 ) $ (927,254 ) Unrealized gain on derivatives 6,867 — 6,867 4,657 — 4,657 Minimum pension liability adjustment (2,616 ) — (2,616 ) (2,992 ) — (2,992 ) Accumulated other comprehensive loss $ (839,322 ) $ (312 ) $ (839,634 ) $ (925,556 ) $ (33 ) $ (925,589 )

Derivative Instruments

Derivative Instruments	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative Instruments	Derivative Instruments In the normal course of business, our operations are exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency values and interest rate changes. We may seek to control a portion of these risks through a risk management program that includes the use of derivative instruments. The interest and principal payments for Laureate’s senior long-term debt arrangements are to be paid primarily in USD. Our ability to make debt payments is subject to fluctuations in the value of the USD against foreign currencies, since a majority of our operating cash used to make these payments is generated by subsidiaries with functional currencies other than USD. As part of our overall risk management policies, Laureate has at times entered into foreign currency swap contracts and floating-to-fixed interest rate swap contracts. In addition, we occasionally enter into foreign exchange forward contracts to reduce the impact of other non-functional currency-denominated receivables and payables. We do not enter into speculative or leveraged transactions, nor do we hold or issue derivatives for trading purposes. We generally intend to hold our derivatives until maturity. Laureate reports all derivatives at fair value. These contracts are recognized as either assets or liabilities, depending upon the derivative’s fair value. Gains or losses associated with the change in the fair value of these swaps are recognized in our Consolidated Statements of Operations on a current basis over the term of the contracts, unless designated and effective as a hedge. For swaps that are designated and effective as cash flow hedges, gains or losses associated with the change in fair value of the swaps are recognized in our Consolidated Balance Sheets as a component of AOCI and amortized into earnings as a component of Interest expense over the term of the related hedged items. For derivatives that are both designated and effective as net investment hedges, gains or losses associated with the change in fair value of the derivatives are recognized on our Consolidated Balance Sheets as a component of AOCI. The reported fair values of our derivatives, which are classified in Derivative instruments on our Consolidated Balance Sheets, were as follows: March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: Long-term assets: Interest rate swaps $ 12,733 $ 6,046 Long-term liabilities: Net investment cross currency swaps 6,642 1,451 Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: Long-term assets: Contingent redemption features - Series A Preferred Stock 28,608 42,140 Current liabilities: Interest rate swaps 123 179 Cross currency and interest rate swaps — 4,279 Long-term liabilities: Cross currency and interest rate swaps 8,130 7,939 Total derivative instrument assets $ 41,341 $ 48,186 Total derivative instrument liabilities $ 14,895 $ 13,848 Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments Cash Flow Hedge - 2024 Term Loan Interest Rate Swaps In May 2017, Laureate entered into, and designated as cash flow hedges, four pay-fixed, receive-floating amortizing interest rate swaps with notional amounts of $100,000 , $100,000 , $200,000 and $300,000 , respectively. These notional amounts match the corresponding principal of the 2024 Term Loan borrowings of which these swaps are effectively hedging the interest payments. As such, the notional values amortize annually based on the terms of the agreements to match the principal borrowings as they are repaid. These swaps effectively fix the floating interest rate on the term loan to reduce exposure to variability in cash flows attributable to changes in the USD-LIBOR-BBA swap rate. All four swaps have an effective date of May 31, 2017 and mature on May 31, 2022. The terms of the swaps require Laureate to pay interest on the basis of fixed rates of 1.756% , 1.796% , 1.796% and 1.763% on the $100,000 , $100,000 , $200,000 and $300,000 notional values, respectively. Laureate will receive interest for all four swaps on the basis of one-month USD-LIBOR-BBA, with a floor of 1% . The swaps are determined to be 100% effective; therefore, the amount of gain or loss recognized in income on the ineffective portion of derivative instruments designated as hedging instruments was $0 . During the next 12 months, approximately $2,300 is expected to be reclassified from AOCI into income. As of March 31, 2018 , these interest rate swaps had an estimated fair value of $12,733 , which was recorded in Derivative instruments as a long-term asset. Net Investment Hedge - Cross Currency Swaps In December 2017, Laureate entered into two EUR-USD cross currency swaps to hedge the foreign currency exchange volatility on operations of our Euro functional currency subsidiaries and better match our cash flows with the currencies in which our debt obligations are denominated. Both swaps have an effective date of December 22, 2017 and a maturity date of November 2, 2020, and were designated at inception as effective net investment hedges. At maturity on the first swap Laureate will deliver the notional amount of EUR 50,000 and receive USD $59,210 at an implied exchange rate of 1.1842 . At maturity on the second swap Laureate will deliver the notional amount of EUR 50,000 and receive USD $59,360 at an implied exchange rate of 1.1872 . Semiannually until maturity, Laureate is obligated to pay 5.63% and receive 8.25% on EUR 50,000 and USD $59,210 , respectively, on the first swap and pay 5.6675% and receive 8.25% on EUR 50,000 and USD $59,360 , respectively, on the second swap. The swaps are determined to be 100% effective; therefore, the amount of gain or loss recognized in income on the ineffective portion of derivative instruments designated as hedging instruments was $0 . As of March 31, 2018 , these swaps had an estimated fair value of $6,642 , which was recorded in Derivative Instruments as a long-term liability. The table below shows the total recorded unrealized gain (loss) in Comprehensive income (loss) for the derivatives designated as hedging instruments. The impact of these derivative instruments on Comprehensive income (loss), Interest expense and AOCI for the three months ended March 31, 2018 , and 2017 were as follows: Gain (Loss) Recognized in Comprehensive Income (Effective Portion) Income Statement Location Loss Reclassified 2018 2017 2018 2017 Interest rate swaps $ 6,688 $ 2,592 Interest expense $ (297 ) $ (2,687 ) Net investment cross currency swaps (4,478 ) — N/A — — Total $ 2,210 $ 2,592 $ (297 ) $ (2,687 ) Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments Derivatives related to Series A Preferred Stock Offering The Company identified several embedded derivatives associated with the issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock as discussed in Note 10 , Commitments and Contingencies . The embedded derivatives are related to certain contingent redemption features of the Series A Preferred Stock. As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , the estimated fair values of these derivatives were assets of $28,608 and $42,140 , respectively, and were recorded in Derivative instruments as long-term assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The decrease in estimated fair value during the three months ended March 31, 2018 of $13,533 was recorded as an unrealized loss on derivatives in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. As discussed in Note 21 , Subsequent Events , the Series A Preferred Stock was converted to Class A common stock on April 23, 2018 ; accordingly, the estimated fair value of this derivative at the conversion date was reclassified into equity in April 2018. These derivatives were not designated as hedges for accounting purposes thus the changes in estimated fair value were recognized as a component of earnings. THINK Interest Rate Swaps Laureate acquired THINK on December 20, 2013, and financed a portion of the purchase price by borrowing AUD 45,000 (US $34,655 at March 31, 2018 ) under a syndicated facility agreement in the form of two term loans of AUD 22,500 each. The terms of the syndicated facility agreement required THINK to enter into an interest rate swap within 45 days from the agreement's December 20, 2013 effective date, in order to convert at least 50% of the AUD 45,000 of term loan debt from a variable interest rate based on the BBSY bid rate, an Australia bank rate, to a fixed interest rate. Accordingly, on January 31, 2014, THINK executed an interest rate swap agreement with an original notional amount of AUD 22,500 to satisfy this requirement and converted AUD 22,500 (US $17,327 at December 31, 2017) of the variable rate component of the term loan debt to a fixed interest rate of 3.86% . The notional amount of the swap decreases quarterly based on the terms of the agreement, and the swap matures on December 20, 2018. This interest rate swap was not designated as a hedge for accounting purposes, and had an estimated fair value of $123 and $179 at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , respectively, which was recorded in Derivative instruments as a current liability. EUR to USD Foreign Currency Swaps In December 2017, the Company entered into a total of six EUR to USD forward exchange swap agreements in connection with the sale of EUC and Laureate Italy, as discussed in Note 5 , Dispositions . The purpose of the swaps was to mitigate the risk of foreign currency exposure on the sale proceeds. The swaps had an aggregate notional amount of EUR 200,000 and matured on January 16, 2018, resulting in a total realized loss on derivatives of $9,960 . The swaps were not designated as hedges for accounting purposes. CLP to Unidad de Fomento (UF) Cross Currency and Interest Rate Swaps The cross currency and interest rate swap agreements are intended to provide a better correlation between our debt obligations and operating currencies. In 2010, one of our subsidiaries in Chile entered into four cross currency and interest rate swap agreements. One of the swaps matures on December 1, 2024, and the remaining three mature on July 1, 2025 (the CLP to UF cross currency and interest rate swaps). The UF is a Chilean inflation-adjusted unit of account. The four swaps have an aggregate notional amount of approximately $31,000 , and convert CLP-denominated, floating-rate debt to fixed-rate UF-denominated debt. The CLP to UF cross currency and interest rate swaps were not designated as hedges for accounting purposes. As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , these swaps had an estimated fair value of $8,130 and $7,939 , respectively, which was recorded in Derivative instruments as a long-term liability. Components of the reported (Loss) gain on derivatives not designated as hedging instruments in the Consolidated Statements of Operations were as follows: For the three months ended March 31, 2018 2017 Unrealized (Loss) Gain Contingent redemption features - Series A Preferred $ (13,533 ) $ 12,223 Cross currency and interest rate swaps 4,305 18 Interest rate swaps 56 26 (9,172 ) 12,267 Realized Loss Cross currency and interest rate swaps (10,168 ) (120 ) (10,168 ) (120 ) Total (Loss) Gain Contingent redemption features - Series A Preferred (13,533 ) 12,223 Cross currency and interest rate swaps (5,863 ) (102 ) Interest rate swaps 56 26 (Loss) gain on derivatives, net $ (19,340 ) $ 12,147 Credit Risk and Credit-Risk-Related Contingent Features Laureate’s derivatives expose us to credit risk to the extent that the counterparty may possibly fail to perform its contractual obligation. The amount of our credit risk exposure is equal to the fair value of the derivative when any of the derivatives are in a net gain position. As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , the estimated fair values of derivatives in a gain position were $41,341 and $48,186 , respectively; however, this carrying value relates primarily to the redemption rights of the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock, which do not expose us to credit risk. Our counterparty credit risk is currently limited to the 2024 Term Loan Interest Rate Swaps with aggregate fair values in a gain position of $12,733 as of March 31, 2018 . Laureate has limited its credit risk by only entering into derivative transactions with highly rated major financial institutions. We have not entered into collateral agreements with our derivatives' counterparties. At March 31, 2018 , one institution which was rated Aa3, four institutions which were rated A1 and one institution which was rated A3 by the global rating agency of Moody's Investors Service accounted for all of Laureate's derivative credit risk exposure. Laureate's agreements with its derivative counterparties contain a provision under which we could be declared in default on our derivative obligations if repayment of the underlying indebtedness is accelerated by the lender due to a default on the indebtedness. As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , we had not breached any default provisions and had not posted any collateral related to these agreements. If we had breached any of these provisions, we could have been required to settle the obligations under the derivative agreements for an amount that we believe would approximate their estimated fair value of $14,895 as of March 31, 2018 and $13,848 as of December 31, 2017 .

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income Taxes Laureate uses the liability method to account for income taxes. Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amount of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. For interim purposes, we also apply ASC 740-270, "Income Taxes - Interim Reporting." Laureate's income tax provisions for all periods consist of federal, state and foreign income taxes. The tax provisions for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 were based on estimated full-year effective tax rates, after giving effect to significant items related specifically to the interim periods, including the mix of income for the period between higher-taxed and lower-taxed jurisdictions. Laureate has operations in multiple countries, several of which have statutory tax rates lower than the United States or are tax-exempt entities, and other operations that are loss-making entities for which it is not more likely than not that a tax benefit will be realized on the loss. The Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (TCJA) TCJA was enacted in December 2017. Among other things, the TCJA reduces the U.S. federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% beginning in 2018, requires companies to pay a one-time transition tax on previously unremitted earnings of non-U.S. subsidiaries that were previously tax deferred and creates new taxes on certain foreign-sourced earnings. The SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) 118, which provides guidance on accounting for enactment effects of the TCJA. SAB 118 provides a measurement period of up to one year from the TCJA’s enactment date for companies to complete their accounting under ASC 740. In accordance with SAB 118, to the extent that a company’s accounting for certain income tax effects of the TCJA is incomplete but it is able to determine a reasonable estimate, it must record a provisional estimate in its financial statements. If a company cannot determine a provisional estimate to be included in its financial statements, it should continue to apply ASC 740 on the basis of the provisions of the tax laws that were in effect immediately before the enactment of the TCJA. Transition tax: The transition tax is a tax on previously untaxed accumulated and current earnings and profits (E&P) of certain of the Company’s non-U.S. subsidiaries. To determine the amount of the transition tax, Laureate must determine, in addition to other factors, the amount of post-1986 E&P of the relevant subsidiaries, as well as the amount of non-U.S. income taxes paid on such earnings. Further, the transition tax is based in part on the amount of those earnings held in cash and other specified assets. Laureate was able to make a reasonable estimate of the transition tax and recorded a provisional obligation resulting in additional tax expense of $149,800 in the fourth quarter of 2017. However, Laureate was able to offset this liability with 2017 losses and, under alternative minimum tax, up to 90% of the remaining liability, with existing net operating losses, resulting in a net liability of $3,200 . Additionally, the TCJA repeals the corporate alternative minimum tax prospectively. Thus, Laureate recorded a deferred tax asset for an amount equal to the payable under the alternative minimum tax, resulting in no net income tax expense related to the transition tax. The Company is continuing to gather additional information and will consider additional technical guidance to more precisely compute and account for the amount of the transition tax. This amount may change when Laureate finalizes the calculation of post-1986 foreign E&P previously deferred from U.S. federal taxation and finalizes the amounts held in cash or other specified assets. Remeasurement of deferred tax assets/liabilities: Laureate remeasured certain deferred tax assets and liabilities based on the rates at which they are expected to reverse, which is generally 21% under the TCJA and recorded a tax benefit in the amount of $66,900 . Additionally, Laureate recorded a tax benefit related to the valuation allowance release, net of rate adjustment, on the deferred tax assets other than NOLs that, when realized, will become indefinite-lived NOLs in the amount of $70,700 . During the first quarter of 2018, the company recorded an additional benefit of $3,200 related to release of valuation allowance for state conformity. Laureate is still analyzing certain aspects of the TCJA, including state conformity, considering additional technical guidance, and refining its calculations, which could potentially affect the measurement of these balances or potentially give rise to new deferred tax amounts. Permanent Reinvestment: Laureate also is considering other impacts of the 2017 enactment of the TCJA including, but not limited to, effects on the Company’s indefinite-reinvestment assertion. Laureate previously has not provided deferred taxes on unremitted earnings attributable to international companies that have been considered to be reinvested indefinitely. Laureate is still analyzing the full effects of the TCJA, which may cause some reassessment of previous indefinite-reinvestment assertions with respect to certain jurisdictions. Global low-taxed income (GILTI): Laureate is considering the potential impacts of the GILTI provision within the TCJA on deferred tax assets/liabilities. During the first quarter of 2018, the Company estimated the GILTI provision based on guidance and data available at that time. Currently, Laureate has not yet elected a policy as to whether it will recognize deferred taxes for basis differences expected to reverse as GILTI or whether Laureate will account for GILTI as period costs if and when incurred. Laureate is not aware of other elements of the TCJA for which the Company was not yet able to make reasonable estimates of the enactment impact and for which it would continue accounting for them in accordance with ASC 740 on the basis of the tax laws in effect before the TCJA. ICE Audit As previously disclosed in our 2017 Form 10-K, during 2010 and 2013, Laureate was notified by the Spain Tax Authorities (STA) that two tax audits of our Spanish subsidiaries were being initiated for 2006 through 2007, and for 2008 through 2010, respectively. On June 29, 2012, the STA issued a final assessment to Iniciativas Culturales de España, S.L. (ICE), our Spanish holding company, for EUR 11,051 ( $13,700 at March 31, 2018 ), including interest, for the 2006 through 2007 period. Laureate has appealed this final assessment related to the 2006 through 2007 period and issued a cash-collateralized letter of credit in July 2012, in order to continue the appeal process. In October 2015, the STA issued a final assessment to ICE for the 2008 through 2010 period for approximately EUR 17,187 (approximately US $21,300 at March 31, 2018 ), including interest, for those three years. In order to continue the appeals process, we issued cash-collateralized letters of credit for the 2008 to 2010 period assessment amount, plus interest and surcharges. As of December 31, 2017 we had issued total cash-collateralized letters of credit for the ICE tax audit matters of EUR 33,282 (US $39,505 at December 31, 2017), as also described in Note 10 , Commitments and Contingencies . During the quarter ended June 30, 2015, the Company reassessed its position regarding the ICE tax audit matters as a result of recent adverse decisions from the Spanish Supreme Court and the Spanish National Court on cases for taxpayers with similar facts and determined that it could no longer support a more-likely-than-not position. As a result, during 2015, the Company recorded a provision totaling EUR 37,610 (approximately US $42,100 ). The Company plans to continue the appeals process for the periods already audited and assessed. During the second quarter of 2016, we were notified by the STA that tax audits of the Spanish subsidiaries were also being initiated for 2011 and 2012, and in July 2017 the tax audit was extended to include 2013; no assessments have yet been issued for these years. Also, during the second quarter of 2016, the Regional Administrative Court issued a decision against the Company on its appeal. The Company has further appealed at the Highest Administrative Court level, which appeal was rejected on January 23, 2018. The Company has appealed both decisions to the National Court. In the first quarter of 2018, the Company made payments to the STA totaling approximately EUR 29,600 (approximately US $36,800 at March 31, 2018 ) in order to reduce the amount of future interest that could be incurred as the appeals process continues. The payments were made using the restricted cash that had collateralized the letters of credit discussed above and reduced the liability that had been recorded for this income tax contingency.

Earnings (Loss) Per Share

Earnings (Loss) Per Share	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings (Loss) Per Share	Earnings (Loss) Per Share On January 31, 2017 our common stock was reclassified into shares of Class B common stock and, on February 6, 2017 , we completed our IPO of Class A common stock. Other than voting rights, the Class B common stock has the same rights as the Class A common stock and therefore both are treated as the same class of stock for purposes of the earnings per share calculation. Laureate computes basic earnings per share (EPS) by dividing income available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the reporting period. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that would occur if share-based compensation awards or contingently issuable shares were exercised or converted into common stock. To calculate the diluted EPS, the basic weighted average number of shares is increased by the dilutive effect of stock options, restricted stock, and other share-based compensation arrangements determined using the treasury stock method. The following tables summarize the computations of basic and diluted earnings per share: For the three months ended March 31, 2018 2017 Numerator used in basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common share: Income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to Laureate Education, Inc. $ 168,879 $ (122,807 ) Accretion of redemption value of redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity (76 ) 5,822 Adjusted for: accretion related to noncontrolling interests and equity redeemable at fair value (3 ) (5,438 ) Accretion of Series A convertible redeemable preferred stock (57,324 ) (39,260 ) Subtotal: accretion of Series A convertible redeemable preferred stock and other redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity (57,403 ) (38,876 ) Net income (loss) available to common stockholders $ 111,476 $ (161,683 ) Denominator used in basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common share: Basic weighted average shares outstanding 187,765 154,301 Effect of dilutive stock options — — Effect of dilutive restricted stock units 463 — Dilutive weighted average shares outstanding 188,228 154,301 Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share: Basic earnings (loss) per share $ 0.59 $ (1.05 ) Diluted earnings (loss) per share $ 0.59 $ (1.05 ) The shares of Class A common stock that will be issued upon completion of the conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock are not included in the calculation of diluted EPS as the effect would have been antidilutive. The following table summarizes the number of stock options and shares of restricted stock that were excluded from the diluted EPS calculations because the effect would have been antidilutive: For the three months ended March 31, 2018 2017 Stock options 9,840 12,296 Restricted stock 265 499

Related Party Transactions

Related Party Transactions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Related Party Transactions	Related Party Transactions Corporate Transactions between Laureate and Affiliates of Wengen Alberta, Limited Partnership (Wengen) As part of the issuance and sale of shares of the Company’s Series A Preferred Stock in December 2016, KKR and Snow Phipps, affiliates of Wengen, our controlling stockholder, purchased from the Company 60 and 15 shares of Series A Preferred Stock, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2018 , the Company paid cash dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock totaling $9,719 , of which $1,822 was paid to KKR and Snow Phipps. As discussed in Note 21 , Subsequent Events , all shares of Series A Preferred Stock were converted to Class A common stock on April 23, 2018 . EMEAA Morocco Transactions between Laureate and Noncontrolling Interest Holder of Laureate Somed Education Holding SA (Laureate Somed) Laureate Somed is 60% owned and consolidated by Laureate and is the entity that operates Université Internationale de Casablanca, our institution in Morocco. The 40% noncontrolling interest holder of Laureate Somed has made loans to Laureate Somed, and as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , we had total related party payables of $9,294 and $8,953 , respectively, to the noncontrolling interest holder of Laureate Somed for the outstanding balance on these loans plus accrued interest. As discussed in Note 21 , Subsequent Events , on April 13, 2018 , the Company, along with the noncontrolling interest holder, completed the sale of Laureate Somed.

Legal and Regulatory Matters

Legal and Regulatory Matters	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Legal and Regulatory Matters	Legal and Regulatory Matters Laureate is subject to legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. In management's opinion, we have adequate legal defenses, insurance coverage, and/or accrued liabilities with respect to the eventuality of these actions. Management believes that any settlement would not have a material impact on Laureate's financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. For further description, see our 2017 Form 10-K. Update on Turkey Regulatory Matters The Company previously disclosed in its 2017 Form 10-K that, on April 18, 2017, Istanbul Bilgi University (Bilgi) received from the Turkish Higher Education Council (the YÖK) the results of its 2015-2016 annual audit (the 2015-2016 Annual Audit) and that the Company was appealing the result of that audit. The YÖK also conducted a supplemental audit of the 2015-2016 academic year (the 2015-2016 Supplemental Audit) and the annual audit of the 2016-2017 academic year (the 2016-2017 Annual Audit). On April 6, 2018, Bilgi received the results of the 2015-2016 Supplemental Audit and the 2016-2017 Annual Audit by resolutions of the YÖK which, among other things, approved a portion of the payments previously made by Bilgi to a subsidiary of the Company for management, operational and student services and intellectual property and disallowed and required reimbursement of a portion of such payments. In order to comply with the resolutions of the YÖK and avoid sanctions, Bilgi has complied with those resolutions and the Company has reimbursed to Bilgi the disallowed payments; however, it has appealed the YÖK’s decision on the 2015-2016 Annual Audit in the Turkish court system and is currently considering actions to contest the YÖK’s decisions pursuant to the 2015-2016 Supplemental Audit and the 2016-2017 Annual Audit, including an appeal to the YÖK.

Fair Value Measurement

Fair Value Measurement	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Measurement	Fair Value Measurement Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to settle a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Accounting standards utilize a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three levels, which are described below: • Level 1 – Quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets; • Level 2 – Observable inputs other than quoted prices that are either directly or indirectly observable for the asset or liability; • Level 3 – Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity. These levels are not necessarily an indication of the risk of liquidity associated with the financial assets or liabilities disclosed. Assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement, as required under ASC 820-10, "Fair Value Measurement." Derivative instruments Laureate uses derivative instruments as economic hedges for bank debt, foreign exchange fluctuations and interest rate risk. Their values are derived using valuation models commonly used for derivatives. These valuation models require a variety of inputs, including contractual terms, market prices, forward-price yield curves, notional quantities, measures of volatility and correlations of such inputs. Our valuation models also reflect measurements for credit risk. Laureate concluded that the fair values of our derivatives are based on unobservable inputs, or Level 3 assumptions. The significant unobservable input used in the fair value measurement of the Company's derivative instruments is our own credit risk. Holding other inputs constant, a significant increase (decrease) in our own credit risk would result in a significantly lower (higher) fair value measurement for the Company's derivative instruments. Laureate’s financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of March 31, 2018 were as follows: Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Assets Derivative instruments $ 41,341 $ — $ — $ 41,341 Liabilities Derivative instruments $ 14,895 $ — $ — $ 14,895 Laureate’s financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2017 were as follows: Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Assets Derivative instruments $ 48,186 $ — $ — $ 48,186 Liabilities Derivative instruments $ 13,848 $ — $ — $ 13,848 The changes in our Level 3 Derivative instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis for the three months ended March 31, 2018 were as follows: Total Assets (Liabilities) Balance December 31, 2017 $ 34,338 Losses included in earnings: Unrealized losses, net (9,172 ) Realized losses, net (10,168 ) Included in other comprehensive income 2,210 Settlements 10,168 Currency translation adjustment and other (930 ) Balance March 31, 2018 $ 26,446 Unrealized losses, net, relating to derivatives held at March 31, 2018 $ (9,172 ) The following table presents quantitative information regarding the significant unobservable inputs utilized in the fair value measurements of the Company's assets/(liabilities) classified as Level 3 as of March 31, 2018 : Fair Value at March 31, 2018 Valuation Technique Unobservable Input Range/Input Value Contingent redemption features - Series A Preferred Stock $ 28,608 Monte Carlo Simulation Method Credit Risk 5.11 % Derivative instruments - cross currency and interest rate swaps $ (2,162 ) Discounted Cash Flow Credit Risk 3.42 %

Supplemental Cash Flow Informat

Supplemental Cash Flow Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]
Supplemental Cash Flow Information	Supplemental Cash Flow Information Reconciliation of Cash and cash equivalents and Restricted cash The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash reported within the Consolidated Balance Sheets, as well as the March 31, 2017 balance. The March 31, 2018 and March 31, 2017 balances sum to the amounts shown in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 : March 31, 2018 March 31, 2017 December 31, 2017 Cash and cash equivalents $ 479,011 $ 856,306 $ 468,733 Restricted cash 184,989 195,839 224,934 Total Cash and cash equivalents and Restricted cash shown in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows $ 664,000 $ 1,052,145 $ 693,667 Restricted cash includes cash equivalents held to collateralize standby letters of credit in favor of the DOE. In addition, Laureate may at times have restricted cash in escrow pending potential acquisition transactions, hold a United States deposit for a letter of credit in lieu of a surety bond, or otherwise have cash that is not immediately available for use in current operations. See also Note 10 , Commitments and Contingencies .

Subsequent Events

Subsequent Events	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Events	Subsequent Events Sale of German Operations On April 12, 2018, LEI European Investments B.V., a Netherlands private limited liability company (LEI BV), and Laureate International B.V., a Netherlands private limited liability company (Laureate International), both of which are indirect, wholly owned subsidiaries of Laureate Education, Inc., executed and closed a Sale and Purchase Agreement (the Laureate Germany SPA) with Global University Systems Germany B.V., a Netherlands private limited liability company (Global University Systems). Pursuant to the Laureate Germany SPA, Global University Systems purchased from LEI BV all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of Laureate Germany Holding GmbH and its consolidated institutions, including the University of Applied Sciences Europe and Laureate Academies GmbH (collectively, Laureate Germany), and Laureate International guaranteed the obligations of LEI BV under the Laureate Germany SPA. Upon completion of the sale, LEI BV received gross proceeds of EUR 1,000 (approximately US $1,200 at the date of receipt). In connection with this transaction, the Company contributed capital to Laureate Germany of approximately $3,600 , and will pay estimated real estate transfer taxes of approximately $800 . For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, Laureate Germany had $23,400 in revenue and $22,200 in operating loss, which included an impairment loss of $16,000 and $1,200 in depreciation and amortization expense. As of March 31, 2018, Laureate Germany had approximately 2,600 students. Sale of Moroccan Operations As previously reported in our 2017 Form 10-K, on November 29, 2017 , Laureate Middle East Holdings B.V., a Netherlands private limited liability company and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (LMEH), and La Société Maroc Emirats Arabes Unis de Développement, a Morocco company (SOMED and, together with LMEH, the Sellers), Laureate I B.V., a Netherlands private limited liability company and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the Guarantor), and UPM Pédagogique, a Morocco company (the Purchaser), entered into a Share Purchase Agreement (the Laureate Somed SPA), pursuant to which the Purchaser agreed to purchase from the Sellers all of the issued and outstanding capital shares of Laureate Somed Holding, a Morocco company (Laureate Somed), for a total transaction value of 500,000 Moroccan Dirhams, and the Guarantor agreed to guarantee certain obligations of LMEH under the Laureate Somed SPA. The transaction closed on April 13, 2018 , and LMEH received net proceeds of 300,000 Moroccan Dirhams (approximately US $32,500 at the exchange rate on that date). Prior to the consummation of the sale, LMEH owned approximately 60% of the capital shares of Laureate Somed, while SOMED owned the remaining approximately 40% of the capital shares of Laureate Somed. Laureate Somed is the operator of Université Internationale de Casablanca, a comprehensive campus-based university in Casablanca, Morocco. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, Laureate Somed, in which the Company had a 60% interest, had $11,500 in revenue and $800 in operating loss, which included $1,100 in depreciation and amortization expense. As of March 31, 2018, Laureate Somed had approximately 1,100 students. Conversion of Series A Preferred Stock into Class A Common Stock On April 23, 2018 , immediately after the Company’s shelf registration statement on Form S-3 became effective and in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Certificate of Designations of the Company's Series A Preferred Stock, filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on December 20, 2016 (the Certificate of Designations), all of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company’s Series A Preferred Stock were converted into 36,143 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock, par value $0.004 per share. Signing of Sale Agreement for St. Augustine As discussed in Note 4 , Assets Held for Sale , on April 24, 2018 we signed an agreement to sell St. Augustine. The transaction value under the Purchase Agreement is $400,000 , subject to customary closing adjustments, and the Company expects that the transaction will close in late 2018, subject to required regulatory approvals, including approvals by the U.S. Department of Education and the WASC Senior College and University Commission, and customary closing conditions.

Significant Accounting Polici29

Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
The Variable Interest Entity (VIE) Arrangements	The Variable Interest Entity (VIE) Arrangements Laureate consolidates in its financial statements certain internationally based educational organizations that do not have shares or other equity ownership interests. Although these educational organizations may be considered not-for-profit entities in their home countries and they are operated in compliance with their respective not-for-profit legal regimes, we believe they do not meet the definition of a not-for-profit entity under GAAP, and therefore we treat them as "for-profit" entities for accounting purposes. These entities generally cannot declare dividends or distribute their net assets to the entities that control them. Under ASC 810-10, "Consolidation," we have determined that these institutions are VIEs and that Laureate is the primary beneficiary of these VIEs because we have, as further described herein: (1) the power to direct the activities of the VIEs that most significantly affect their educational and economic performance and (2) the right to receive economic benefits from contractual and other arrangements with the VIEs that could potentially be significant to the VIEs. We account for the acquisition of the right to control a VIE in accordance with ASC 805, "Business Combinations."
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts	Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivables are deemed to be uncollectible when they have been outstanding for two years , or earlier when collection efforts have ceased, at which time they are written off. Prior to that, Laureate records an allowance for doubtful accounts to reduce our receivables to their net realizable value. Our allowance estimation methodology is based on the age of the receivables, the status of past-due amounts, historical collection trends, current economic conditions and student enrollment status. In the event that current collection trends differ from historical trends, an adjustment is made to the allowance account and bad debt expense.
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards/Recently Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted	Recently Adopted Accounting Standards Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-09, (ASU 2014-09), Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) On May 28, 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU 2014-09, which, along with amendments issued in 2015 and 2016, supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 605, ‘‘Revenue Recognition’’ and most industry-specific guidance. The core principle of ASU 2014-09 is that a company will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. We adopted Topic 606 as of January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method and elected to apply the standard only to contracts that are not completed as of that date. We recorded a net increase to opening retained earnings of approximately $1,400 as of January 1, 2018 due to the cumulative impact of adopting Topic 606, with the impact primarily related to the deferral of costs to obtain a contract which were previously expensed as incurred. The impact to revenues as a result of applying Topic 606 was an increase of $ 6,633 for the three months ended March 31, 2018. ASU No. 2016-15 (ASU 2016-15), Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15 in order to address the diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows under Topic 230, Statement of Cash Flows, and other Topics. This standard addresses the following eight specific cash flow issues: debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs; settlement of zero-coupon debt instruments or other debt instruments with coupon interest rates that are insignificant in relation to the effective interest rate of the borrowing; contingent consideration payments made after a business combination; proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims; proceeds from the settlement of corporate-owned life insurance policies (COLIs) (including bank-owned life insurance policies (BOLIs)); distributions received from equity method investees; beneficial interests in securitization transactions; and separately identifiable cash flows and application of the predominance principle. The amendments in this update apply to all entities, including both business entities and not-for-profit entities that are required to present a statement of cash flows under Topic 230. The Company adopted this standard beginning January 1, 2018, and it did not have a material effect on our Consolidated Financial Statements for the periods presented. ASU No. 2016-16 (ASU 2016-16), Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16 in order to improve the accounting for income tax consequences for intra-entity transfers of assets other than inventory. Prior to adopting this ASU, the recognition of current and deferred income taxes for an intra-entity transfer was prohibited until the asset was sold to a third party. The amendments in this ASU state that an entity should recognize income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer when the transfer occurs. This aligns the recognition of income tax consequences for intra-entity transfers of assets with International Financing Reporting Standards (IFRS). Laureate adopted ASU 2016-16 effective January 1, 2018 and recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings of approximately $3,700 . ASU No. 2016-18 (ASU 2016-18), Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18 in order to address the diversity that exists in the classification and presentation of changes in restricted cash on the statement of cash flows under Topic 230, Statement of Cash Flows. The amendments in this ASU require that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. Therefore, amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. The amendments in this ASU apply to all entities that have restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents and are required to present a statement of cash flows under Topic 230. This ASU was adopted by Laureate beginning January 1, 2018 and resulted in a change in presentation within the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. As required, Laureate retrospectively applied the guidance to the prior period presented, which resulted in an increase of $3,432 and $1,114 in operating and investing cash flows, respectively, on the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the three months ended March 31, 2017. As required by the ASU, we have provided a reconciliation from cash and cash equivalents as presented on our Consolidated Balance Sheets to cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash as reported on our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. See Note 20 , Supplemental Cash Flow Information , for this reconciliation, as well as a discussion of the nature of our restricted cash balances. ASU No. 2017-07 (ASU 2017-07), Compensation - Retirement Benefits (Topic 715) In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-07 in order to improve the presentation of net periodic pension cost and net periodic post retirement benefit cost. Prior to adoption of this ASU, these costs comprised several components that reflected different aspects of an employer's financial arrangements as well as the cost of benefits provided to employees, and were aggregated for reporting purposes. Under the amendments in this ASU, the service cost component of net periodic benefit cost is disaggregated and reported in the same line item(s) as other compensation costs arising from services rendered during the period, and the remaining components are presented on the income statement separately from the service cost component and outside a subtotal of income from operations, if presented. Laureate adopted ASU 2017-07 on January 1, 2018. Since the effect of ASU 2017-07 on prior periods presented was insignificant, we did not revise the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the three months ended March 31, 2017. For the three months ended March 31, 2018, the service cost component is included in Direct costs on our Consolidated Statement of Operations and the other components of net periodic benefit cost/(income), which totaled $237 for the three months ended March 31, 2018 , are included in Other income, net on our Consolidated Statement of Operations. Recently Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted ASU No. 2016-02 (ASU 2016-02), Leases (Topic 842) On February 25, 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02. Lessees will need to recognize on their balance sheet a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for virtually all of their leases (other than leases that meet the definition of a short-term lease). The liability will be equal to the present value of the lease payments. The asset will be based on the liability, subject to adjustment, such as for initial direct costs and uneven rent payments. For income statement purposes, the FASB retained a dual model, requiring leases to be classified as either operating or finance. Operating leases will result in straight-line expense (similar to current operating leases) while finance leases will result in a front-loaded expense pattern (similar to current capital leases). Classification will be based on criteria that are largely similar to those applied in current lease accounting, but without explicit bright lines. The standard is effective for Laureate beginning January 1, 2019. The new standard must be adopted using a modified retrospective transition and provides for certain practical expedients. Transition will require application of the new guidance at the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented. We have completed our diagnostic assessment and have established a cross-functional implementation team which is in the process of identifying changes to our accounting policies, business processes, systems and internal controls in preparation for the implementation. We anticipate that ASU 2016-02 will have a material impact on our Consolidated Balance Sheets, as we will record significant asset and liability balances in connection with our leased properties. We are still evaluating the impact to our Consolidated Statements of Operations. We do not currently plan to early adopt this ASU.
Revenue Recognition	Revenue Recognition Laureate's revenues primarily consist of tuition and educational service revenues. We also generate other revenues from student fees, dormitory/residency fees and other education-related activities. These other revenues are less material to our overall financial results and have a tendency to trend with tuition revenues. Revenues are recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. These revenues are recognized net of scholarships and other discounts, refunds, waivers and the fair value of any guarantees made by Laureate related to student financing programs. Laureate's institutions have various billing and academic cycles. We determine revenue recognition through the five-step model prescribed by Topic 606 as follows: • Identification of the contract, or contracts, with a customer; • Identification of the performance obligations in the contract; • Determination of the transaction price; • Allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and • Recognition of revenue when, or as, we satisfy a performance obligation. We assess collectibility on a portfolio basis prior to recording revenue. Generally, students cannot re-enroll for the next academic session without satisfactory resolution of any past-due amounts. If a student withdraws from an institution, Laureate's obligation to issue a refund depends on the refund policy at that institution and the timing of the student's withdrawal. Generally, our refund obligations are reduced over the course of the academic term. We record refunds as a reduction of deferred revenue as applicable. Performance Obligations A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer and is the unit of accounting in ASC Topic 606. A contract’s transaction price is allocated to each performance obligation identified in the arrangement based on the relative standalone selling price of each distinct good or service in the contract and recognized as revenue when, or as, the performance obligation is satisfied. The primary method used to estimate standalone selling price is the adjusted market assessment approach, under which we evaluate the market and estimate the price that a customer would be willing to pay for the goods and services we provide. Our performance obligations are primarily satisfied over time during the course of an academic semester or academic year. Laureate's transaction price is determined based on gross price, net of scholarships and other discounts, refunds, waivers and the fair value of any guarantees made by Laureate related to student financing programs. The majority of our revenue is derived from tuition and educational services agreements with students, and thus, is recognized over time on a weekly straight-line basis over each academic session. We view the knowledge gained by the student as the benefit which the student receives during the academic sessions. We use the output method to recognize tuition and educational services revenue as this method faithfully depicts our performance toward complete satisfaction of the performance obligation. Dormitory/residency revenues, which are included in the Other line item in the table above, are recognized over time throughout the occupancy period using the output method based on the proportional period of time elapsed which faithfully depicts our performance toward complete satisfaction of the performance obligation. We have elected the optional exemption to not disclose amounts where the performance obligation is part of a contract that has an original expected duration of one year or less. We expect to recognize substantially all revenue on these remaining performance obligations over the next 12 months . Contract Balances The timing of billings, cash collections and revenue recognition results in accounts receivable (contract assets) and deferred revenue and student deposits (contract liabilities) on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. We have various billing and academic cycles and recognize student receivables when an academic session begins, although students generally enroll in courses prior to the start of the academic session. Receivables are recognized only to the extent that it is probable that we will collect substantially all of the consideration to which we are entitled in exchange for the goods and services that will be transferred to the student. We receive advance payments or deposits from our students before revenue is recognized, which are recorded as contract liabilities in deferred revenue and student deposits. Payment terms vary by university with some universities requiring payment in advance of the academic session and other universities allowing students to pay in installments over the term of the academic session.
Business and Geographic Segment Information	Business and Geographic Segment Information Laureate’s educational services are offered through six operating segments: Brazil, Mexico, Andean & Iberian, Central America & U.S. Campuses, EMEAA and Online & Partnerships. Laureate determines its operating segments based on information utilized by the chief operating decision maker to allocate resources and assess performance. As previously disclosed in our 2017 Form 10-K, effective August 1, 2017, we changed our operating segments in order to realign our segments according to how our chief operating decision maker allocates resources and assesses performance. As required, the segment information presented for comparative purposes for the three months ended March 31, 2017 has been revised to reflect this change. Our campus-based segments generate revenues by providing an education that emphasizes professional-oriented fields of study with undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide range of disciplines. Our educational offerings are increasingly utilizing online and hybrid (a combination of online and in-classroom) courses and programs to deliver their curriculum. Many of our largest campus-based operations are in developing markets which are experiencing a growing demand for higher education based on favorable demographics and increasing secondary completion rates, driving increases in participation rates and resulting in continued growth in the number of higher education students. Traditional higher education students (defined as 18-24 year olds) have historically been served by public universities, which have limited capacity and are often underfunded, resulting in an inability to meet the growing student demand and employer requirements. This supply and demand imbalance has created a market opportunity for private sector participants. Most students finance their own education. However, there are some government-sponsored student financing programs which are discussed below. These campus-based segments include Brazil, Mexico, Andean & Iberian, Central America & U.S. Campuses and EMEAA. Specifics related to each of these campus-based segments and our Online & Partnerships segment are discussed below: In Brazil, approximately 75% of post-secondary students are enrolled in private higher education institutions. While the federal government defines the national curricular guidelines, institutions are licensed to operate by city. Laureate owns 13 institutions in eight states throughout Brazil, with a particularly strong presence in the competitive São Paulo market. Many students finance their own education while others rely on the government-sponsored programs such as Prouni and FIES. Public universities in Mexico enroll approximately two thirds of students attending post-secondary education. However, many public institutions are faced with capacity constraints or the quality of the education is considered low. Laureate owns two institutions and is present throughout the country with a footprint of over 40 campuses. Each institution in Mexico has a national license. Students in our Mexican institutions typically finance their own education. The Andean & Iberian segment includes institutions in Chile, Peru, Portugal and Spain. In Chile, private universities enroll approximately 80% of post-secondary students. In Peru, the public sector plays a significant role but private universities are increasingly providing the capacity to meet growing demand. In Spain and Portugal, the high demand for post-secondary education places capacity constraints on the public sector, pushing students to turn to the private sector for high-quality education. Chile has government-sponsored student financing programs, while in the other countries students generally finance their own education. The Central America & U.S. Campuses segment includes institutions in Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and the United States. Students in Central America typically finance their own education while students in the United States finance their education in a variety of ways, including Title IV programs. As of March 31, 2018, the EMEAA segment included institutions in the European countries of Germany and Turkey, as well as locations in the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific consisting of campus-based institutions with operations in Australia, India, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, South Africa and Thailand. Additionally, EMEAA manages nine licensed institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and manages one additional institution in China through a joint venture arrangement. As discussed in Note 21 , Subsequent Events , we completed the sales of our German and Moroccan operations in April 2018. The Online & Partnerships segment includes fully online institutions operating globally that offer professionally oriented degree programs in the United States through Walden University, a U.S.-based accredited institution, and through the University of Liverpool and the University of Roehampton in the United Kingdom. These online institutions primarily serve working adults with undergraduate and graduate degree program offerings. Students in the United States finance their education in a variety of ways, including Title IV programs. Intersegment transactions are accounted for in a similar manner as third-party transactions and are eliminated in consolidation. The Corporate amounts presented in the following tables includes corporate charges that were not allocated to our reportable segments and adjustments to eliminate intersegment items. We evaluate segment performance based on Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP performance measure defined as Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes and equity in net income of affiliates, adding back the following items: Gain on sales of subsidiaries, net , Foreign currency exchange (loss) gain, net , Other income, net , (Loss) gain on derivatives , Loss on debt extinguishment , Interest expense , Interest income , Depreciation and amortization expense, Loss on impairment of assets, Share-based compensation expense and expenses related to our Excellence-in-Process (EiP) initiative. EiP is an enterprise-wide initiative to optimize and standardize Laureate’s processes, creating vertical integration of procurement, information technology, finance, accounting and human resources. It includes the establishment of regional shared services organizations (SSOs) around the world, as well as improvements to the Company's system of internal controls over financial reporting. We have also expanded the EiP initiative into other back- and mid-office areas, as well as certain student-facing activities. When we review Adjusted EBITDA on a segment basis, we exclude intercompany revenues and expenses, related to network fees and royalties between our segments, which eliminate in consolidation. We use total assets as the measure of assets for reportable segments.
Financing Receivables	Laureate’s financing receivables consist primarily of trade receivables related to student tuition financing programs with an initial term in excess of one year. We have offered long-term financing through the execution of note receivable agreements with students at some of our institutions. Our disclosures include financing receivables that are classified in our Consolidated Balance Sheets as both current and long-term, reported in accordance with ASC 310, “Receivables.”
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Losses	Delinquency is the primary indicator of credit quality for our financing receivables. Receivable balances are considered delinquent when contractual payments on the loan become past due. Delinquent financing receivables are placed on non-accrual status for interest income. The accrual of interest is resumed when the financing receivable becomes contractually current and when collection of all remaining amounts due is reasonably assured. We record an Allowance for doubtful accounts to reduce our financing receivables to their net realizable value. The Allowance for doubtful accounts is based on the age of the receivables, the status of past-due amounts, historical collection trends, current economic conditions, and student enrollment status. Each of our institutions evaluates its balances for potential impairment. We consider impaired loans to be those that are past due one year or greater, and those that are modified as a troubled debt restructuring (TDR).
Derivative Instruments	In the normal course of business, our operations are exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency values and interest rate changes. We may seek to control a portion of these risks through a risk management program that includes the use of derivative instruments. The interest and principal payments for Laureate’s senior long-term debt arrangements are to be paid primarily in USD. Our ability to make debt payments is subject to fluctuations in the value of the USD against foreign currencies, since a majority of our operating cash used to make these payments is generated by subsidiaries with functional currencies other than USD. As part of our overall risk management policies, Laureate has at times entered into foreign currency swap contracts and floating-to-fixed interest rate swap contracts. In addition, we occasionally enter into foreign exchange forward contracts to reduce the impact of other non-functional currency-denominated receivables and payables. We do not enter into speculative or leveraged transactions, nor do we hold or issue derivatives for trading purposes. We generally intend to hold our derivatives until maturity. Laureate reports all derivatives at fair value. These contracts are recognized as either assets or liabilities, depending upon the derivative’s fair value. Gains or losses associated with the change in the fair value of these swaps are recognized in our Consolidated Statements of Operations on a current basis over the term of the contracts, unless designated and effective as a hedge. For swaps that are designated and effective as cash flow hedges, gains or losses associated with the change in fair value of the swaps are recognized in our Consolidated Balance Sheets as a component of AOCI and amortized into earnings as a component of Interest expense over the term of the related hedged items. For derivatives that are both designated and effective as net investment hedges, gains or losses associated with the change in fair value of the derivatives are recognized on our Consolidated Balance Sheets as a component of AOCI.
Earnings (Loss) Per Share	Laureate computes basic earnings per share (EPS) by dividing income available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the reporting period. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that would occur if share-based compensation awards or contingently issuable shares were exercised or converted into common stock. To calculate the diluted EPS, the basic weighted average number of shares is increased by the dilutive effect of stock options, restricted stock, and other share-based compensation arrangements determined using the treasury stock method.
Fair Value Measurement	Fair Value Measurement Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to settle a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Accounting standards utilize a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three levels, which are described below: • Level 1 – Quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets; • Level 2 – Observable inputs other than quoted prices that are either directly or indirectly observable for the asset or liability; • Level 3 – Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity. These levels are not necessarily an indication of the risk of liquidity associated with the financial assets or liabilities disclosed. Assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement, as required under ASC 820-10, "Fair Value Measurement." Derivative instruments Laureate uses derivative instruments as economic hedges for bank debt, foreign exchange fluctuations and interest rate risk. Their values are derived using valuation models commonly used for derivatives. These valuation models require a variety of inputs, including contractual terms, market prices, forward-price yield curves, notional quantities, measures of volatility and correlations of such inputs. Our valuation models also reflect measurements for credit risk. Laureate concluded that the fair values of our derivatives are based on unobservable inputs, or Level 3 assumptions. The significant unobservable input used in the fair value measurement of the Company's derivative instruments is our own credit risk. Holding other inputs constant, a significant increase (decrease) in our own credit risk would result in a significantly lower (higher) fair value measurement for the Company's derivative instruments.

Significant Accounting Polici30

Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Schedule of variable interest entities	The VIEs in Brazil and Mexico comprise several not-for-profit foundations that have insignificant revenues and operating expenses. Selected Consolidated Statements of Operations information for VIEs was as follows, net of the charges related to the above-described contractual arrangements: For the three months ended March 31, 2018 2017 Selected Statements of Operations information: Revenues, by segment: Brazil $ — $ — Mexico — — Andean & Iberian 55,036 48,311 Central America & U.S. Campuses 15,140 15,375 EMEAA 61,196 66,213 Revenues 131,372 129,899 Depreciation and amortization 11,023 12,823 Operating (loss) income, by segment: Brazil (18 ) (21 ) Mexico (157 ) (191 ) Andean & Iberian (39,262 ) (41,923 ) Central America & U.S. Campuses (305 ) 1,055 EMEAA 12,771 11,887 Operating loss (26,971 ) (29,193 ) Net loss (22,468 ) (20,112 ) Net loss attributable to Laureate Education, Inc. (22,728 ) (20,936 ) The following table reconciles the Net income (loss) attributable to Laureate Education, Inc. as presented in the table above, to the amounts in our Consolidated Statements of Operations: For the three months ended March 31, 2018 2017 Net income (loss) attributable to Laureate Education, Inc.: Variable interest entities $ (22,728 ) $ (20,936 ) Other operations (30,590 ) 30,707 Corporate and eliminations 222,197 (132,578 ) Net income (loss) attributable to Laureate Education, Inc. $ 168,879 $ (122,807 ) The following table presents selected assets and liabilities of the consolidated VIEs. Except for Goodwill, the assets in the table below include the assets that can be used only to settle the obligations for the VIEs. The liabilities in the table are liabilities for which the creditors of the VIEs do not have recourse to the general credit of Laureate. Selected Consolidated Balance Sheet amounts for these VIEs were as follows: March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 VIE Consolidated VIE Consolidated Balance Sheets data: Cash and cash equivalents $ 199,609 $ 479,011 $ 231,940 $ 468,733 Current assets held for sale — 57,990 22,246 102,623 Other current assets 338,271 956,214 153,129 717,498 Total current assets 537,880 1,493,215 407,315 1,288,854 Goodwill 198,683 1,942,335 192,230 1,954,666 Tradenames 96,949 1,280,617 110,577 1,295,614 Other intangible assets, net — 34,095 — 35,927 Long-term assets held for sale — 311,231 185,139 392,391 Other long-term assets 541,967 2,455,265 524,318 2,424,271 Total assets 1,375,479 7,516,758 1,419,579 7,391,723 Current liabilities held for sale — 103,340 64,895 176,719 Other current liabilities 425,234 1,488,426 276,252 1,198,030 Long-term liabilities held for sale — 86,853 41,732 94,407 Long-term debt and other long-term liabilities 71,185 3,608,491 66,682 3,921,288 Total liabilities 496,419 5,287,110 449,561 5,390,444 Total stockholders' equity 879,060 1,767,473 970,018 1,587,282 Total stockholders' equity attributable to Laureate Education, Inc. 878,689 1,772,924 948,966 1,575,164
Schedule of balances of the allowance for doubtful accounts	The reconciliations of the beginning and ending balances of the Allowance for doubtful accounts were as follows: For the three months ended March 31, 2018 2017 Balance at beginning of period $ 204,252 $ 196,270 Additions: charges to bad debt expense 22,153 16,502 Additions: charges to other accounts (a) — 503 Deductions (b) (24,883 ) (17,571 ) Balance at end of period $ 201,522 $ 195,704 (a) Charges to other accounts includes reclassifications. (b) Deductions includes accounts receivable written off against the allowance (net of recoveries), reclassifications, and foreign currency translation. The beginning and ending balances of the Allowance for doubtful accounts include the current portion, as shown on the face of Consolidated Balance Sheets, in addition to the noncurrent portion that is included in Notes receivable, net on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Laureate’s financing receivables balances were as follows: March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 Financing receivables $ 37,411 $ 22,977 Allowance for doubtful accounts (8,984 ) (8,411 ) Financing receivables, net of allowances $ 28,427 $ 14,566
Schedule of adoption of new accounting standard update	In accordance with the requirements under Topic 606, the disclosure of the impact of adoption on our Consolidated Statement of Operations and Consolidated Balance Sheet was as follows: For the period ended March 31, 2018 As Reported Balances Without Adoption of ASC 606 Effect of Change Higher/(Lower) Statement of Operations data: Revenues $ 885,288 $ 878,655 $ 6,633 Costs and Expenses: Direct costs 865,446 868,561 (3,115 ) Income tax expense (2,532 ) (2,502 ) 30 Net income 171,545 161,827 9,718 As of March 31, 2018 As Reported Balances Without Adoption of ASC 606 Effect of Change Higher/(Lower) Balance Sheet data: Assets: Deferred costs, net 67,061 62,528 4,533 Liabilities: Deferred revenue and student deposits 675,455 682,088 (6,633 ) Deferred income taxes 293,957 293,927 30 Equity: Accumulated deficit (772,283 ) (783,419 ) 11,136

Revenue (Tables)

Revenue (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Schedule of revenue by segment	The following table shows the components of Revenues by segment and as a percentage of total net revenue for the period ended March 31, 2018 : Brazil Mexico Andean & Iberian Central America & U.S. Campuses EMEAA Online & Partnerships Corporate (1) Total Tuition and educational services $ 202,103 $ 166,310 $ 208,769 $ 76,057 $ 171,058 $ 181,245 $ — $ 1,005,542 114 % Other 2,859 25,279 23,913 13,456 12,916 14,182 (3,725 ) 88,880 10 % Gross revenue 204,962 191,589 232,682 89,513 183,974 195,427 (3,725 ) 1,094,422 124 % Less: Discounts / waivers / scholarships (82,170 ) (35,690 ) (16,452 ) (10,486 ) (36,940 ) (27,396 ) — (209,134 ) (24 )% Total $ 122,792 $ 155,899 $ 216,230 $ 79,027 $ 147,034 $ 168,031 $ (3,725 ) $ 885,288 100 % (1) Includes the elimination of intersegment revenues.

Assets Held for Sale (Tables)

Assets Held for Sale (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Summary of major classes of assets and liabilities reclassified to held for sale	The carrying amounts of the major classes of long-lived assets and liabilities that were classified as held for sale as of March 31, 2018 are presented in the following tables: Property and equipment, net $ 195,770 Goodwill 68,459 Tradenames 32,312 Other long-term assets 14,690 Long-term assets held for sale $ 311,231 Deferred revenue and student deposits $ 46,335 Long-term debt, including current portion 78,289 Other liabilities 65,569 Total liabilities held for sale $ 190,193

Due to Shareholders of Acquir33

Due to Shareholders of Acquired Companies (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Summary of amounts due to shareholders of acquired companies	The amounts due to shareholders of acquired companies, currencies, and interest rates applied were as follows: March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 Nominal Currency Interest Universidade Anhembi Morumbi (UAM Brazil) $ 45,955 $ 45,206 BRL CDI + 2% University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, LLC 11,550 11,550 USD 7% Monash South Africa (MSA) 9,626 9,571 AUD n/a Universidad Tecnologica Centroamericana (UNITEC Honduras) 3,447 3,813 HNL IIBC Faculdade Porto-Alegrense (FAPA) 3,123 3,084 BRL IGP-M IADE Group 1,242 2,374 EUR 3% CH Holding Netherlands B.V. (CH Holding) — 3,971 USD n/a Total due to shareholders of acquired companies 74,943 79,569 Less: Current portion of due to shareholders of acquired companies 35,431 40,140 Due to shareholders of acquired companies, less current portion $ 39,512 $ 39,429 AUD: Australian Dollar CDI: Certificados de Depósitos Interbancários (Brazil) BRL: Brazilian Real IIBC: Índice de Inflación del Banco Central (Honduras) EUR: European Euro IGP-M: General Index of Market Prices (Brazil) HNL: Honduran Lempira USD: United States Dollar

Business and Geographic Segme34

Business and Geographic Segment Information (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Schedule of segment financial information	The following tables provide financial information for our reportable segments, including a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes, as reported in the Consolidated Statements of Operations: For the three months ended March 31, 2018 2017 Revenues Brazil $ 122,792 $ 116,833 Mexico 155,899 150,859 Andean & Iberian 216,230 181,151 Central America & U.S. Campuses 79,027 76,371 EMEAA 147,034 159,833 Online & Partnerships 168,031 177,066 Corporate (3,725 ) (6,180 ) Revenues $ 885,288 $ 855,933 Adjusted EBITDA of reportable segments Brazil $ (26,016 ) $ (39,125 ) Mexico 30,443 37,874 Andean & Iberian (6,894 ) (18,469 ) Central America & U.S. Campuses 17,637 17,094 EMEAA 23,278 29,796 Online & Partnerships 44,974 54,095 Total Adjusted EBITDA of reportable segments 83,422 81,265 Reconciling items: Corporate (35,934 ) (32,666 ) Depreciation and amortization expense (67,762 ) (64,514 ) Loss on impairment of assets — — Share-based compensation expense 3,756 (22,388 ) EiP expenses (10,941 ) (24,563 ) Operating loss (27,459 ) (62,866 ) Interest income 6,129 4,694 Interest expense (69,465 ) (102,633 ) Loss on debt extinguishment (7,481 ) (1,515 ) (Loss) gain on derivatives (19,340 ) 12,147 Other income, net 2,406 436 Foreign currency exchange (loss) gain, net (8,754 ) 2,290 Gain on sales of subsidiaries, net 298,041 — Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes $ 174,077 $ (147,447 )
Schedule of long-lived assets by geographic areas	March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 Assets Brazil $ 1,270,981 $ 1,256,364 Mexico 1,045,381 969,400 Andean & Iberian 2,318,081 2,117,317 Central America & U.S. Campuses 366,058 376,070 EMEAA 870,789 1,022,569 Online & Partnerships 1,280,811 1,294,147 Corporate 364,657 355,856 Total assets $ 7,516,758 $ 7,391,723

Goodwill (Tables)

Goodwill (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Summary of change in the net carrying amount of goodwill	The change in the net carrying amount of Goodwill from December 31, 2017 through March 31, 2018 was composed of the following items: Brazil Mexico Andean & Iberian Central America & U.S. Campuses EMEAA Online & Partnerships Total Goodwill $ 493,373 $ 503,373 $ 321,762 $ 154,759 $ 117,413 $ 460,740 $ 2,051,420 Accumulated impairment loss — — — (96,754 ) — — (96,754 ) Balance at December 31, 2017 493,373 503,373 321,762 58,005 117,413 460,740 1,954,666 Acquisitions — — — — — — — Dispositions — — — — — — — Reclassification to Long-term assets held for sale — — — (58,005 ) — — (58,005 ) Impairments — — — — — — — Currency translation adjustments (699 ) 38,756 8,121 — (504 ) — 45,674 Adjustments to prior acquisitions — — — — — — — Balance at March 31, 2018 $ 492,674 $ 542,129 $ 329,883 $ — $ 116,909 $ 460,740 $ 1,942,335

Debt (Tables)

Debt (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of long-term debt outstanding	Outstanding long-term debt was as follows: March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 Senior long-term debt: Senior Secured Credit Facility (stated maturity dates April 2022 and April 2024), net of discount $ 1,292,452 $ 1,625,344 Senior Notes (stated maturity dates May 2025) 800,000 800,000 Total senior long-term debt 2,092,452 2,425,344 Other debt: Lines of credit 60,915 55,799 Notes payable and other debt 758,416 753,439 Total senior and other debt 2,911,783 3,234,582 Capital lease obligations and sale-leaseback financings 172,684 234,356 Total long-term debt 3,084,467 3,468,938 Less: total unamortized deferred financing costs 100,395 107,640 Less: current portion of long-term debt 131,738 154,234 Long-term debt, less current portion $ 2,852,334 $ 3,207,064
Schedule estimated fair values of debt	The estimated fair value of our debt was as follows: March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 Carrying amount Estimated fair value Carrying amount Estimated fair value Total senior and other debt $ 2,911,783 $ 2,974,383 $ 3,234,582 $ 3,293,258

Commitments and Contingencies (

Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Summary of redeemable noncontrolling interest	If the minority put arrangements were all exercised at March 31, 2018 , Laureate would be obligated to pay the noncontrolling interest holders an estimated amount of $12,015 , as summarized in the following table: Nominal Currency First Exercisable Date Estimated Value as of March 31, 2018 redeemable within Reported Noncontrolling interest holder put arrangements INTI Education Holdings Sdn Bhd (Inti Holdings) - 10.10% MYR Current $ 9,979 $ 9,979 Pearl Retail Solutions Private Limited (Pearl) - 10% INR Current 1,972 1,972 Stamford International University (STIU) - Puttable preferred stock of TEDCO THB Current 64 64 Total noncontrolling interest holder put arrangements 12,015 12,015 Puttable common stock - not currently redeemable USD * — 2,279 Total redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity $ 12,015 $ 14,294 * Contingently redeemable MYR: Malaysian Ringgit INR: Indian Rupee THB: Thai Baht

Financing Receivables (Tables)

Financing Receivables (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Receivables [Abstract]
Schedule of financing receivable	The reconciliations of the beginning and ending balances of the Allowance for doubtful accounts were as follows: For the three months ended March 31, 2018 2017 Balance at beginning of period $ 204,252 $ 196,270 Additions: charges to bad debt expense 22,153 16,502 Additions: charges to other accounts (a) — 503 Deductions (b) (24,883 ) (17,571 ) Balance at end of period $ 201,522 $ 195,704 (a) Charges to other accounts includes reclassifications. (b) Deductions includes accounts receivable written off against the allowance (net of recoveries), reclassifications, and foreign currency translation. The beginning and ending balances of the Allowance for doubtful accounts include the current portion, as shown on the face of Consolidated Balance Sheets, in addition to the noncurrent portion that is included in Notes receivable, net on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Laureate’s financing receivables balances were as follows: March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 Financing receivables $ 37,411 $ 22,977 Allowance for doubtful accounts (8,984 ) (8,411 ) Financing receivables, net of allowances $ 28,427 $ 14,566
Summary of aging of financing receivables by country	The aging of financing receivables grouped by country portfolio was as follows: Chile Other Total As of March 31, 2018 Amounts past due less than one year $ 11,302 $ 797 $ 12,099 Amounts past due one year or greater 3,121 1,405 4,526 Total past due (on non-accrual status) 14,423 2,202 16,625 Not past due 19,190 1,596 20,786 Total financing receivables $ 33,613 $ 3,798 $ 37,411 As of December 31, 2017 Amounts past due less than one year $ 6,800 $ 1,300 $ 8,100 Amounts past due one year or greater 3,551 1,335 4,886 Total past due (on non-accrual status) 10,351 2,635 12,986 Not past due 8,494 1,497 9,991 Total financing receivables $ 18,845 $ 4,132 $ 22,977
Summary of allowance for credit losses on financing receivables	The following is a rollforward of the Allowance for doubtful accounts related to financing receivables for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 , grouped by country portfolio: Chile Other Total Balance at December 31, 2017 $ (6,107 ) $ (2,304 ) $ (8,411 ) Charge-offs 331 — 331 Recoveries (1 ) (7 ) (8 ) Reclassifications — 39 39 Provision (731 ) 23 (708 ) Currency adjustments (164 ) (63 ) (227 ) Balance at March 31, 2018 $ (6,672 ) $ (2,312 ) $ (8,984 ) Balance at December 31, 2016 $ (6,209 ) $ (2,966 ) $ (9,175 ) Charge-offs 911 27 938 Recoveries — (3 ) (3 ) Reclassifications — — — Provision (450 ) 35 (415 ) Currency adjustments (66 ) (19 ) (85 ) Balance at March 31, 2017 $ (5,814 ) $ (2,926 ) $ (8,740 )
Summary of troubled debt restructuring	The number of financing receivable accounts and the pre- and post-modification account balances modified under the terms of a TDR during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 were as follows: Number of Financing Receivable Accounts Pre-Modification Balance Outstanding Post-Modification Balance Outstanding 2018 409 $ 1,372 $ 1,262 2017 281 $ 1,169 $ 1,086 The preceding table represents accounts modified under the terms of a TDR during the three months ended March 31, 2018 , whereas the following table represents accounts modified as a TDR between January 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018 that subsequently defaulted during the three months ended March 31, 2018 : Number of Financing Receivable Accounts Balance at Default Total 138 $ 339 The following table represents accounts modified as a TDR between January 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017 that subsequently defaulted during the three months ended March 31, 2017 : Number of Financing Receivable Accounts Balance at Default Total 82 $ 327

Share-based Compensation (Table

Share-based Compensation (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Summary of share-based compensation expense	Share-based compensation expense was as follows: For the three months ended March 31, 2018 2017 Stock options, net of estimated forfeitures $ (7,166 ) $ 19,281 Restricted stock awards 3,410 3,107 Total $ (3,756 ) $ 22,388

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Equity [Abstract]
Components of net changes in stockholders' equity	The components of net changes in stockholders' equity were as follows: Laureate Education, Inc. Stockholders Class A Common Stock Class B Common Stock Additional paid-in capital (Accumulated deficit) retained earnings Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income Non-controlling interests Total stockholders' equity Shares Amount Shares Amount Balance at December 31, 2017 55,052 $ 220 132,443 $ 530 $ 3,446,206 $ (946,236 ) $ (925,556 ) $ 12,118 $ 1,587,282 Adoption of accounting standards — — — — — 5,074 — — 5,074 Balance at January 1, 2018 55,052 220 132,443 530 3,446,206 (941,162 ) (925,556 ) 12,118 1,592,356 Non-cash stock compensation — — — — (3,756 ) — — — (3,756 ) Conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares 59 — (59 ) — — — — — — Vesting of restricted stock, net of shares withheld to satisfy tax withholding 145 1 59 — (804 ) — — — (803 ) Distributions from noncontrolling interest holders — — — — — — — 581 581 Change in noncontrolling interests — — — — (468 ) — — (20,575 ) (21,043 ) Accretion of redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity — — — — (76 ) — — — (76 ) Accretion of Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock — — — — (57,324 ) — — — (57,324 ) Reclassification of redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity — — — — — — — 38 38 Net income — — — — — 168,879 — 2,666 171,545 Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of tax of $0 — — — — — — 83,648 (279 ) 83,369 Unrealized gain on derivatives, net of tax of $0 — — — — — — 2,210 — 2,210 Minimum pension liability adjustment, net of tax of $0 — — — — — — 376 — 376 Balance at March 31, 2018 55,256 $ 221 132,443 $ 530 $ 3,383,778 $ (772,283 ) $ (839,322 ) $ (5,451 ) $ 1,767,473
Schedule of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	The components of these balances were as follows: March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 Laureate Education, Inc. Noncontrolling Interests Total Laureate Education, Inc. Noncontrolling Interests Total Foreign currency translation loss $ (843,573 ) $ (312 ) $ (843,885 ) $ (927,221 ) $ (33 ) $ (927,254 ) Unrealized gain on derivatives 6,867 — 6,867 4,657 — 4,657 Minimum pension liability adjustment (2,616 ) — (2,616 ) (2,992 ) — (2,992 ) Accumulated other comprehensive loss $ (839,322 ) $ (312 ) $ (839,634 ) $ (925,556 ) $ (33 ) $ (925,589 )

Derivative Instruments (Tables)

Derivative Instruments (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Summary of fair value of derivatives instruments	The reported fair values of our derivatives, which are classified in Derivative instruments on our Consolidated Balance Sheets, were as follows: March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: Long-term assets: Interest rate swaps $ 12,733 $ 6,046 Long-term liabilities: Net investment cross currency swaps 6,642 1,451 Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: Long-term assets: Contingent redemption features - Series A Preferred Stock 28,608 42,140 Current liabilities: Interest rate swaps 123 179 Cross currency and interest rate swaps — 4,279 Long-term liabilities: Cross currency and interest rate swaps 8,130 7,939 Total derivative instrument assets $ 41,341 $ 48,186 Total derivative instrument liabilities $ 14,895 $ 13,848
Summary of unrealized gain (loss) recorded in and reclassified from accumulated comprehensive income (loss)	The table below shows the total recorded unrealized gain (loss) in Comprehensive income (loss) for the derivatives designated as hedging instruments. The impact of these derivative instruments on Comprehensive income (loss), Interest expense and AOCI for the three months ended March 31, 2018 , and 2017 were as follows: Gain (Loss) Recognized in Comprehensive Income (Effective Portion) Income Statement Location Loss Reclassified 2018 2017 2018 2017 Interest rate swaps $ 6,688 $ 2,592 Interest expense $ (297 ) $ (2,687 ) Net investment cross currency swaps (4,478 ) — N/A — — Total $ 2,210 $ 2,592 $ (297 ) $ (2,687 )
Components of the reported gain (loss) on derivatives not designated as hedging instruments	Components of the reported (Loss) gain on derivatives not designated as hedging instruments in the Consolidated Statements of Operations were as follows: For the three months ended March 31, 2018 2017 Unrealized (Loss) Gain Contingent redemption features - Series A Preferred $ (13,533 ) $ 12,223 Cross currency and interest rate swaps 4,305 18 Interest rate swaps 56 26 (9,172 ) 12,267 Realized Loss Cross currency and interest rate swaps (10,168 ) (120 ) (10,168 ) (120 ) Total (Loss) Gain Contingent redemption features - Series A Preferred (13,533 ) 12,223 Cross currency and interest rate swaps (5,863 ) (102 ) Interest rate swaps 56 26 (Loss) gain on derivatives, net $ (19,340 ) $ 12,147

Earnings (Loss) Per Share (Tabl

Earnings (Loss) Per Share (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of earnings per share, basic and diluted	The following tables summarize the computations of basic and diluted earnings per share: For the three months ended March 31, 2018 2017 Numerator used in basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common share: Income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to Laureate Education, Inc. $ 168,879 $ (122,807 ) Accretion of redemption value of redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity (76 ) 5,822 Adjusted for: accretion related to noncontrolling interests and equity redeemable at fair value (3 ) (5,438 ) Accretion of Series A convertible redeemable preferred stock (57,324 ) (39,260 ) Subtotal: accretion of Series A convertible redeemable preferred stock and other redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity (57,403 ) (38,876 ) Net income (loss) available to common stockholders $ 111,476 $ (161,683 ) Denominator used in basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common share: Basic weighted average shares outstanding 187,765 154,301 Effect of dilutive stock options — — Effect of dilutive restricted stock units 463 — Dilutive weighted average shares outstanding 188,228 154,301 Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share: Basic earnings (loss) per share $ 0.59 $ (1.05 ) Diluted earnings (loss) per share $ 0.59 $ (1.05 )
Schedule of antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share	The following table summarizes the number of stock options and shares of restricted stock that were excluded from the diluted EPS calculations because the effect would have been antidilutive: For the three months ended March 31, 2018 2017 Stock options 9,840 12,296 Restricted stock 265 499

Fair Value Measurement (Tables)

Fair Value Measurement (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Summary of financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis	Laureate’s financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of March 31, 2018 were as follows: Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Assets Derivative instruments $ 41,341 $ — $ — $ 41,341 Liabilities Derivative instruments $ 14,895 $ — $ — $ 14,895 Laureate’s financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2017 were as follows: Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Assets Derivative instruments $ 48,186 $ — $ — $ 48,186 Liabilities Derivative instruments $ 13,848 $ — $ — $ 13,848
Summary of the change in Level 3 derivatives instruments	The changes in our Level 3 Derivative instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis for the three months ended March 31, 2018 were as follows: Total Assets (Liabilities) Balance December 31, 2017 $ 34,338 Losses included in earnings: Unrealized losses, net (9,172 ) Realized losses, net (10,168 ) Included in other comprehensive income 2,210 Settlements 10,168 Currency translation adjustment and other (930 ) Balance March 31, 2018 $ 26,446 Unrealized losses, net, relating to derivatives held at March 31, 2018 $ (9,172 )
Fair value inputs, liabilities, quantitative information	The following table presents quantitative information regarding the significant unobservable inputs utilized in the fair value measurements of the Company's assets/(liabilities) classified as Level 3 as of March 31, 2018 : Fair Value at March 31, 2018 Valuation Technique Unobservable Input Range/Input Value Contingent redemption features - Series A Preferred Stock $ 28,608 Monte Carlo Simulation Method Credit Risk 5.11 % Derivative instruments - cross currency and interest rate swaps $ (2,162 ) Discounted Cash Flow Credit Risk 3.42 %
Fair value inputs, assets, quantitative information	The following table presents quantitative information regarding the significant unobservable inputs utilized in the fair value measurements of the Company's assets/(liabilities) classified as Level 3 as of March 31, 2018 : Fair Value at March 31, 2018 Valuation Technique Unobservable Input Range/Input Value Contingent redemption features - Series A Preferred Stock $ 28,608 Monte Carlo Simulation Method Credit Risk 5.11 % Derivative instruments - cross currency and interest rate swaps $ (2,162 ) Discounted Cash Flow Credit Risk 3.42 %

Supplemental Cash Flow Inform44

Supplemental Cash Flow Information (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]
Schedule of cash and cash equivalents	The March 31, 2018 and March 31, 2017 balances sum to the amounts shown in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 : March 31, 2018 March 31, 2017 December 31, 2017 Cash and cash equivalents $ 479,011 $ 856,306 $ 468,733 Restricted cash 184,989 195,839 224,934 Total Cash and cash equivalents and Restricted cash shown in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows $ 664,000 $ 1,052,145 $ 693,667
Schedule of restricted cash	The March 31, 2018 and March 31, 2017 balances sum to the amounts shown in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 : March 31, 2018 March 31, 2017 December 31, 2017 Cash and cash equivalents $ 479,011 $ 856,306 $ 468,733 Restricted cash 184,989 195,839 224,934 Total Cash and cash equivalents and Restricted cash shown in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows $ 664,000 $ 1,052,145 $ 693,667

Description of Business - Addit

Description of Business - Additional Information (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	Feb. 06, 2017$ / sharesshares	Mar. 31, 2018segment	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017segment	Jul. 31, 2017segment
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Number of operating segments (segment) | segment		6		6	3
IPO | Class A Common Stock
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Shares sold in initial public offering (in shares) | shares	35,000,000
Sale price of common stock in IPO (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	$ 14
Net proceeds from initial public offering | $			$ 456,888

Significant Accounting Polici46

Significant Accounting Policies - Schedule of Variable Interest Entities (Details) $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2018entity	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Number of VIEs sold | entity	1
Revenues, by segment:
Revenues		$ 885,288	$ 855,933
Depreciation and amortization		67,762	64,514
Operating (loss) income, by segment:
Operating loss		(27,459)	(62,866)
Net loss		171,545	(120,353)
Net income (loss) attributable to Laureate Education, Inc.		168,879	(122,807)
Balance Sheets data:
Cash and cash equivalents		479,011	856,306	$ 468,733
Current assets held for sale		57,990		102,623
Other current assets		956,214		717,498
Total current assets (includes VIE amounts of $537,880 and $407,315, see Note 2)		1,493,215		1,288,854
Goodwill		1,942,335		1,954,666
Tradenames		1,280,617		1,295,614
Other intangible assets, net		34,095		35,927
Long-term assets held for sale		311,231		392,391
Other long-term assets		2,455,265		2,424,271
Total assets (includes VIE amounts of $1,375,479 and $1,419,579, see Note 2)		7,516,758		7,391,723
Current liabilities held for sale		103,340		176,719
Other current liabilities		1,488,426		1,198,030
Long-term liabilities held for sale		86,853		94,407
Long-term debt and other long-term liabilities		3,608,491		3,921,288
Total liabilities (includes VIE amounts of $496,419 and $449,561, see Note 2)		5,287,110		5,390,444
Total stockholders' equity		1,767,473		1,587,282
Total stockholders' equity attributable to Laureate Education, Inc.		1,772,924		1,575,164
Brazil
Balance Sheets data:
Goodwill		492,674		493,373
Mexico
Balance Sheets data:
Goodwill		542,129		503,373
Andean & Iberian
Balance Sheets data:
Goodwill		329,883		321,762
Central America & U.S. Campuses
Balance Sheets data:
Goodwill		0		58,005
EMEAA
Balance Sheets data:
Goodwill		116,909		117,413
Operating Segments | Brazil
Revenues, by segment:
Revenues		122,792	116,833
Balance Sheets data:
Total assets (includes VIE amounts of $1,375,479 and $1,419,579, see Note 2)		1,270,981		1,256,364
Operating Segments | Mexico
Revenues, by segment:
Revenues		155,899	150,859
Balance Sheets data:
Total assets (includes VIE amounts of $1,375,479 and $1,419,579, see Note 2)		1,045,381		969,400
Operating Segments | Andean & Iberian
Revenues, by segment:
Revenues		216,230	181,151
Balance Sheets data:
Total assets (includes VIE amounts of $1,375,479 and $1,419,579, see Note 2)		2,318,081		2,117,317
Operating Segments | Central America & U.S. Campuses
Revenues, by segment:
Revenues		79,027	76,371
Balance Sheets data:
Total assets (includes VIE amounts of $1,375,479 and $1,419,579, see Note 2)		366,058		376,070
Operating Segments | EMEAA
Revenues, by segment:
Revenues		147,034	159,833
Balance Sheets data:
Total assets (includes VIE amounts of $1,375,479 and $1,419,579, see Note 2)		870,789		1,022,569
Other operations
Operating (loss) income, by segment:
Operating loss		(27,459)	(62,866)
Net income (loss) attributable to Laureate Education, Inc.		(30,590)	30,707
Corporate and eliminations
Operating (loss) income, by segment:
Net income (loss) attributable to Laureate Education, Inc.		222,197	(132,578)
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary
Balance Sheets data:
Cash and cash equivalents		199,609		231,940
Current assets held for sale		0		22,246
Other current assets		338,271		153,129
Total current assets (includes VIE amounts of $537,880 and $407,315, see Note 2)		537,880		407,315
Goodwill		198,683		192,230
Tradenames		96,949		110,577
Other intangible assets, net		0		0
Long-term assets held for sale		0		185,139
Other long-term assets		541,967		524,318
Total assets (includes VIE amounts of $1,375,479 and $1,419,579, see Note 2)		1,375,479		1,419,579
Current liabilities held for sale		0		64,895
Other current liabilities		425,234		276,252
Long-term liabilities held for sale		0		41,732
Long-term debt and other long-term liabilities		71,185		66,682
Total liabilities (includes VIE amounts of $496,419 and $449,561, see Note 2)		496,419		449,561
Total stockholders' equity		879,060		970,018
Total stockholders' equity attributable to Laureate Education, Inc.		878,689		$ 948,966
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary | Operating Segments
Revenues, by segment:
Revenues		131,372	129,899
Depreciation and amortization		11,023	12,823
Operating (loss) income, by segment:
Operating loss		(26,971)	(29,193)
Net loss		(22,468)	(20,112)
Net income (loss) attributable to Laureate Education, Inc.		(22,728)	(20,936)
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary | Operating Segments | Brazil
Revenues, by segment:
Revenues		0	0
Operating (loss) income, by segment:
Operating loss		(18)	(21)
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary | Operating Segments | Mexico
Revenues, by segment:
Revenues		0	0
Operating (loss) income, by segment:
Operating loss		(157)	(191)
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary | Operating Segments | Andean & Iberian
Revenues, by segment:
Revenues		55,036	48,311
Operating (loss) income, by segment:
Operating loss		(39,262)	(41,923)
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary | Operating Segments | Central America & U.S. Campuses
Revenues, by segment:
Revenues		15,140	15,375
Operating (loss) income, by segment:
Operating loss		(305)	1,055
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary | Operating Segments | EMEAA
Revenues, by segment:
Revenues		61,196	66,213
Operating (loss) income, by segment:
Operating loss		$ 12,771	$ 11,887

Significant Accounting Polici47

Significant Accounting Policies - Schedule of Balances of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts Disclosure [Line Items]
Accounts, receivables deemed uncollectible, period	2 years
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
Movement in Valuation Allowances and Reserves [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	$ 204,252	$ 196,270
Additions: charges to bad debt expense	22,153	16,502
Additions: charges to other accounts	0	503
Deductions	(24,883)	(17,571)
Balance at end of period	$ 201,522	$ 195,704

Significant Accounting Polici48

Significant Accounting Policies - New Accounting Pronouncements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Retained earnings	$ (772,283)			$ (946,236)
Revenues	885,288	$ 855,933
Net periodic benefit cost	237
ASU 2014-09 | Adjustment
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Retained earnings	11,136		$ 1,400
Revenues	$ 6,633
ASU 2016-16
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Retained earnings			$ 3,700
ASU 2016-18
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Change in restricted cash for operating activities		3,432
Change in restricted cash and investments		$ 1,114

Significant Accounting Polici49

Significant Accounting Policies - Schedule of impact of Topic 606 adoption on Statement of Operations (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Statement of Operations data:
Revenues	$ 885,288	$ 855,933
Costs and Expenses:
Direct costs	865,446	853,232
Income tax expense	(2,532)	27,094
Net loss	171,545	$ (120,353)
Balances Without Adoption of ASC 606
Statement of Operations data:
Revenues	878,655
Costs and Expenses:
Direct costs	868,561
Income tax expense	(2,502)
Net loss	161,827
Effect of Change Higher/(Lower) | ASU 2014-09
Statement of Operations data:
Revenues	6,633
Costs and Expenses:
Direct costs	(3,115)
Income tax expense	30
Net loss	$ 9,718

Significant Accounting Polici50

Significant Accounting Policies - Schedule of impact of Topic 606 adoption on Balance Sheets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Assets
Deferred costs, net	$ 67,061		$ 64,128
Liabilities:
Deferred revenue and student deposits	675,455		312,422
Deferred income taxes	293,957		278,215
Equity:
Accumulated deficit	(772,283)		$ (946,236)
Balances Without Adoption of ASC 606
Assets
Deferred costs, net	62,528
Liabilities:
Deferred revenue and student deposits	682,088
Deferred income taxes	293,927
Equity:
Accumulated deficit	(783,419)
ASU 2014-09 | Effect of Change Higher/(Lower)
Assets
Deferred costs, net	4,533
Liabilities:
Deferred revenue and student deposits	(6,633)
Deferred income taxes	30
Equity:
Accumulated deficit	$ 11,136	$ 1,400

Revenue (Details)

Revenue (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	$ 885,288
Percent of net revenues	100.00%
Tuition and educational services
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	$ 1,005,542
Percent of net revenues	114.00%
Other
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	$ 88,880
Percent of net revenues	10.00%
Gross revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	$ 1,094,422
Percent of net revenues	124.00%
Less: Discounts / waivers / scholarships
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	$ (209,134)
Percent of net revenues	(24.00%)
Operating Segments | Brazil
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	$ 122,792
Operating Segments | Brazil | Tuition and educational services
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	202,103
Operating Segments | Brazil | Other
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	2,859
Operating Segments | Brazil | Gross revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	204,962
Operating Segments | Brazil | Less: Discounts / waivers / scholarships
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	(82,170)
Operating Segments | Mexico
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	155,899
Operating Segments | Mexico | Tuition and educational services
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	166,310
Operating Segments | Mexico | Other
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	25,279
Operating Segments | Mexico | Gross revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	191,589
Operating Segments | Mexico | Less: Discounts / waivers / scholarships
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	(35,690)
Operating Segments | Andean & Iberian
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	216,230
Operating Segments | Andean & Iberian | Tuition and educational services
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	208,769
Operating Segments | Andean & Iberian | Other
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	23,913
Operating Segments | Andean & Iberian | Gross revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	232,682
Operating Segments | Andean & Iberian | Less: Discounts / waivers / scholarships
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	(16,452)
Operating Segments | Central America & U.S. Campuses
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	79,027
Operating Segments | Central America & U.S. Campuses | Tuition and educational services
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	76,057
Operating Segments | Central America & U.S. Campuses | Other
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	13,456
Operating Segments | Central America & U.S. Campuses | Gross revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	89,513
Operating Segments | Central America & U.S. Campuses | Less: Discounts / waivers / scholarships
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	(10,486)
Operating Segments | EMEAA
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	147,034
Operating Segments | EMEAA | Tuition and educational services
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	171,058
Operating Segments | EMEAA | Other
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	12,916
Operating Segments | EMEAA | Gross revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	183,974
Operating Segments | EMEAA | Less: Discounts / waivers / scholarships
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	(36,940)
Operating Segments | Online & Partnerships
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	168,031
Operating Segments | Online & Partnerships | Tuition and educational services
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	181,245
Operating Segments | Online & Partnerships | Other
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	14,182
Operating Segments | Online & Partnerships | Gross revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	195,427
Operating Segments | Online & Partnerships | Less: Discounts / waivers / scholarships
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	(27,396)
Corporate
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	(3,725)
Corporate | Tuition and educational services
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	0
Corporate | Other
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	(3,725)
Corporate | Gross revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	(3,725)
Corporate | Less: Discounts / waivers / scholarships
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	$ 0

Revenue - Narrative (Details)

Revenue - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Remaining performance obligations recognition period	12 months
Accounts and notes receivable	$ 786,145	$ 535,176
Accounts receivable held for sale	15,434	34,744
Deferred revenue and student deposits, current	675,455	312,422
Revenue recognized	217,000
Capitalized contract cost	5,179	0
Capitalized contract cost, accumulated amortization	646	0
Amortization of capitalized costs	646
Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Deferred revenue and student deposits	$ 46,335	$ 94,951
Minimum
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Contract cost, amortization period	2 years
Maximum
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Contract cost, amortization period	4 years

Assets Held for Sale - Summary

Assets Held for Sale - Summary of Major Classes of Assets and Liabilities Reclassified to Held for Sale (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Long-term assets held for sale	$ 311,231	$ 392,391
Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Property and equipment, net	195,770
Goodwill	68,459
Tradenames	32,312
Other long-term assets	14,690
Long-term assets held for sale	311,231
Deferred revenue and student deposits	46,335	$ 94,951
Long-term debt, including current portion	78,289
Other liabilities	65,569
Total liabilities held for sale	$ 190,193

Assets Held for Sale - Addition

Assets Held for Sale - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Revenue	$ 65,000	$ 57,000

Assets Held for Sale - Universi

Assets Held for Sale - University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, LLC (St. Augustine) (Details) - Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)student	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Apr. 24, 2018USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 65,000,000	$ 57,000,000
St. Augustine
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Revenues			$ 89,600,000
Operating loss			30,500,000
Depreciation			$ 4,100,000
Number of students within the institution (student) | student	3,200
St. Augustine | Subsequent Event
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Consideration received from dispositions				$ 400,000,000

Dispositions (Details)

Dispositions (Details) € in Thousands, ¥ in Thousands, $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2018CNY (¥)	Feb. 01, 2018USD ($)	Jan. 25, 2018USD ($)	Jan. 11, 2018USD ($)	Jan. 11, 2018EUR (€)	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Repayments of debt							$ 541,812	$ 50,335
Lines of credit | Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement | Term Loan
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Repayments of debt			$ 350,000
European University–Cyprus Ltd And Laureate Italy S.r.L. | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Proceeds from sale of business					$ 275,500	€ 232,000
Net proceeds from dispositions					$ 248,400
Gain on sale of business							218,000
LEI Lie Ying Limited | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Proceeds from sale of business				$ 128,800
Net proceeds from dispositions				$ 110,800
Gain on sale of business							80,000
First payment due after the closing date				6 months
Proceeds from first holdback payment	$ 19,100	¥ 120,000
Second payment due after the closing date				12 months
Proceeds from second holdback payment	9,600	¥ 60,000
Receivables from sale of business, current	28,700						28,700
Receivables from sale of business, noncurrent	25,900						25,900
Amounts of material contingent liabilities remaining	$ 16,500						$ 16,500
LEI Lie Ying Limited | Affiliated Entity | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Disposal transaction fees				$ 16,000

Due to Shareholders of Acquir57

Due to Shareholders of Acquired Companies - Summary of Amounts Due to Shareholders of Acquired Companies (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total due to shareholders of acquired companies	$ 74,943	$ 79,569
Less: Current portion of due to shareholders of acquired companies	35,431	40,140
Due to shareholders of acquired companies, less current portion	39,512	39,429
Universidade Anhembi Morumbi (UAM Brazil)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total due to shareholders of acquired companies		45,206
Universidade Anhembi Morumbi (UAM Brazil) | Related Party Notes Payable
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total due to shareholders of acquired companies	$ 45,955
Universidade Anhembi Morumbi (UAM Brazil) | Certificados de Depósitos Interbancários (CDI) | Related Party Notes Payable
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	2.00%
University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, LLC (St. Augustine)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total due to shareholders of acquired companies	$ 11,550	11,550
University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, LLC (St. Augustine) | Related Party Notes Payable
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Interest Rate %	7.00%
Monash South Africa (MSA)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total due to shareholders of acquired companies	$ 9,626	9,571
Universidad Tecnologica Centroamericana (UNITEC Honduras)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total due to shareholders of acquired companies	3,447	3,813
Faculdade Porto-Alegrense (FAPA)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total due to shareholders of acquired companies	3,123	3,084
IADE Group
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total due to shareholders of acquired companies	$ 1,242	2,374
IADE Group | Related Party Notes Payable
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Interest Rate %	3.00%
CH Holding Netherlands B.V. (CH Holding)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total due to shareholders of acquired companies	$ 0	$ 3,971

Business and Geographic Segme58

Business and Geographic Segment Information - Additional Information (Details)	3 Months Ended	5 Months Ended	7 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018campusstatelicensed_institutionsegmenteducational_institution	Dec. 31, 2017segment	Jul. 31, 2017segment
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of operating segments (segment) | segment	6	6	3
Brazil
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of students attending post secondary education In a private educational institutions, percent	75.00%
Number of postsecondary educational institutions (educational institution) | educational_institution	13
Number of states in which entity operates (state) | state	8
Mexico
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of postsecondary educational institutions (educational institution) | educational_institution	2
Number of campuses of postsecondary educational institutions (campus) | campus	40
Saudi Arabia
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of licensed institutions managed through joint venture arrangements (licensed institution) | licensed_institution	9
China
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of licensed institutions managed through joint venture arrangements (licensed institution) | licensed_institution	1
Chile
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of students attending post secondary education In a private educational institutions, percent	80.00%

Business and Geographic Segme59

Business and Geographic Segment Information - Schedule of Segment Financial Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 885,288	$ 855,933
Reconciling items:
Share-based compensation expense	3,756	(22,388)
Operating loss	(27,459)	(62,866)
Interest income	6,129	4,694
Interest expense	(69,465)	(102,633)
Loss on debt extinguishment	(7,481)	(1,515)
(Loss) gain on derivatives	(19,340)	12,147
Other income, net	2,406	436
Foreign currency exchange (loss) gain, net	(8,754)	2,290
Gain on sales of subsidiaries, net	298,041	0
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	174,077	(147,447)
Corporate
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	(3,725)	(6,180)
Segment Reconciling Items
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Adjusted EBITDA of reportable segments	83,422	81,265
Reconciling items:
Corporate	(35,934)	(32,666)
Depreciation and amortization expense	(67,762)	(64,514)
Loss on impairment of assets	0	0
Share-based compensation expense	3,756	(22,388)
EiP expenses	(10,941)	(24,563)
Operating loss	(27,459)	(62,866)
Interest income	6,129	4,694
Interest expense	(69,465)	(102,633)
Loss on debt extinguishment	(7,481)	(1,515)
(Loss) gain on derivatives	(19,340)	12,147
Other income, net	2,406	436
Foreign currency exchange (loss) gain, net	(8,754)	2,290
Gain on sales of subsidiaries, net	298,041	0
Brazil | Operating Segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	122,792	116,833
Brazil | Segment Reconciling Items
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Adjusted EBITDA of reportable segments	(26,016)	(39,125)
Mexico | Operating Segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	155,899	150,859
Mexico | Segment Reconciling Items
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Adjusted EBITDA of reportable segments	30,443	37,874
Andean & Iberian | Operating Segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	216,230	181,151
Andean & Iberian | Segment Reconciling Items
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Adjusted EBITDA of reportable segments	(6,894)	(18,469)
Central America & U.S. Campuses | Operating Segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	79,027	76,371
Central America & U.S. Campuses | Segment Reconciling Items
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Adjusted EBITDA of reportable segments	17,637	17,094
EMEAA | Operating Segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	147,034	159,833
EMEAA | Segment Reconciling Items
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Adjusted EBITDA of reportable segments	23,278	29,796
Online & Partnerships | Operating Segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	168,031	177,066
Online & Partnerships | Segment Reconciling Items
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Adjusted EBITDA of reportable segments	$ 44,974	$ 54,095

Business and Geographic Segme60

Business and Geographic Segment Information - Schedule of Assets by Geographic Areas (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Assets	$ 7,516,758	$ 7,391,723
Operating Segments | Brazil
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Assets	1,270,981	1,256,364
Operating Segments | Mexico
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Assets	1,045,381	969,400
Operating Segments | Andean & Iberian
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Assets	2,318,081	2,117,317
Operating Segments | Central America & U.S. Campuses
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Assets	366,058	376,070
Operating Segments | EMEAA
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Assets	870,789	1,022,569
Operating Segments | Online & Partnerships
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Assets	1,280,811	1,294,147
Corporate
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Assets	$ 364,657	$ 355,856

Goodwill - Summary of Change in

Goodwill - Summary of Change in the Net Carrying Amount of Goodwill (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill		$ 2,051,420
Accumulated impairment loss		(96,754)
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at December 31, 2017	$ 1,954,666
Acquisitions	0
Dispositions	0
Reclassification to Long-term assets held for sale	(58,005)
Impairments	0
Currency translation adjustments	45,674
Adjustments to prior acquisitions	0
Balance at March 31, 2018	1,942,335
Brazil
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill		493,373
Accumulated impairment loss		0
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at December 31, 2017	493,373
Acquisitions	0
Dispositions	0
Reclassification to Long-term assets held for sale	0
Impairments	0
Currency translation adjustments	(699)
Adjustments to prior acquisitions	0
Balance at March 31, 2018	492,674
Mexico
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill		503,373
Accumulated impairment loss		0
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at December 31, 2017	503,373
Acquisitions	0
Dispositions	0
Reclassification to Long-term assets held for sale	0
Impairments	0
Currency translation adjustments	38,756
Adjustments to prior acquisitions	0
Balance at March 31, 2018	542,129
Andean & Iberian
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill		321,762
Accumulated impairment loss		0
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at December 31, 2017	321,762
Acquisitions	0
Dispositions	0
Reclassification to Long-term assets held for sale	0
Impairments	0
Currency translation adjustments	8,121
Adjustments to prior acquisitions	0
Balance at March 31, 2018	329,883
Central America & U.S. Campuses
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill		154,759
Accumulated impairment loss		(96,754)
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at December 31, 2017	58,005
Acquisitions	0
Dispositions	0
Reclassification to Long-term assets held for sale	(58,005)
Impairments	0
Currency translation adjustments	0
Adjustments to prior acquisitions	0
Balance at March 31, 2018	0
EMEAA
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill		117,413
Accumulated impairment loss		0
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at December 31, 2017	117,413
Acquisitions	0
Dispositions	0
Reclassification to Long-term assets held for sale	0
Impairments	0
Currency translation adjustments	(504)
Adjustments to prior acquisitions	0
Balance at March 31, 2018	116,909
Online & Partnerships
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill		460,740
Accumulated impairment loss		$ 0
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Balance at December 31, 2017	460,740
Acquisitions	0
Dispositions	0
Reclassification to Long-term assets held for sale	0
Impairments	0
Currency translation adjustments	0
Adjustments to prior acquisitions	0
Balance at March 31, 2018	$ 460,740

Debt - Schedule of Long-term De

Debt - Schedule of Long-term Debt Outstanding (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Capital lease obligations and sale-leaseback financings	$ 172,684	$ 234,356
Total long-term debt	3,084,467	3,468,938
Less: total unamortized deferred financing costs	100,395	107,640
Less: current portion of long-term debt	131,738	154,234
Long-term debt, less current portion	2,852,334	3,207,064
Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total senior and other debt	800,000	800,000
Lines of credit
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total senior and other debt	60,915	55,799
Notes payable and other debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total senior and other debt	758,416	753,439
Senior and Other Debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total senior and other debt	2,911,783	3,234,582
Senior Long-term Debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total senior and other debt	2,092,452	2,425,344
Secured Credit Facility | Senior Secured Credit Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total senior and other debt	1,292,452	$ 1,625,344
Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, including current portion	$ 78,289

Debt - Schedule Estimated Fair

Debt - Schedule Estimated Fair Values of Debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Carrying amount
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total senior and other debt	$ 2,911,783	$ 3,234,582
Estimated fair value
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total senior and other debt	$ 2,974,383	$ 3,293,258

Debt - Amendment to Senior Secu

Debt - Amendment to Senior Secured Credit Facility - 2024 Term Loan (Details) $ in Thousands	Feb. 01, 2018USD ($)	Jan. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of debt			$ 541,812	$ 50,335
Lines of credit | Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement | Term Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of debt	$ 350,000
Cash interest payments	$ 1,239
Repurchase price, percent	1.00%
Lines of credit | Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement | Term Loan | Minimum | Alternate Base Rate (ABR)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	2.50%	3.50%
Lines of credit | Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement | Term Loan | Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate, increase (decrease)	(0.01)
Lines of credit | Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement | Term Loan | Maximum | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	3.50%	4.50%

Debt - Certain Covenants (Detai

Debt - Certain Covenants (Details) - Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018
Revolving Credit Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Percentage of utilized line of credit	25.00%
Lines of credit
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maximum debt to consolidated EBITDA ratio	4.75
Lines of credit | Revolving Credit Facility | June 20, 2017 through September 30, 2017
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Required minimum Debt to Consolidated EBITDA ratio	4.5
Lines of credit | Revolving Credit Facility | December 31, 2017 through March 31, 2018
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Required minimum Debt to Consolidated EBITDA ratio	3.75
Lines of credit | Revolving Credit Facility | June 30, 2018 and thereafter
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Required minimum Debt to Consolidated EBITDA ratio	3.5

Commitments and Contingencies -

Commitments and Contingencies - Noncontrolling Interest Holder Put Agreements and Company Call Arrangements (Details) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Accretion of redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	$ 12,899
Puttable Non-controlling Interest
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Total redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	12,015
Total noncontrolling interest holder put arrangements	$ 12,015

Commitments and Contingencies67

Commitments and Contingencies - Summary of Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
INTI Education Holdings Sdn Bhd
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Noncontrolling interest, noncontrolling owners, ownership percent	10.10%
Pearl Retail Solutions Private Limited
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Noncontrolling interest, noncontrolling owners, ownership percent	10.00%
Puttable Common Stock | INTI Education Holdings Sdn Bhd
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Estimated Value as of March 31, 2018 redeemable within 12-months:	$ 9,979
Reported Value	9,979
Puttable Common Stock | Pearl Retail Solutions Private Limited
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Estimated Value as of March 31, 2018 redeemable within 12-months:	1,972
Reported Value	1,972
Puttable Preferred Stock | Stamford International University
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Estimated Value as of March 31, 2018 redeemable within 12-months:	64
Reported Value	64
Puttable Non-controlling Interest
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Estimated Value as of March 31, 2018 redeemable within 12-months:	12,015
Reported Value	12,015
Puttable common stock - not currently redeemable
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Estimated Value as of March 31, 2018 redeemable within 12-months:	0
Reported Value	2,279
Puttable Arrangements - Common and Preferred Stock
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Estimated Value as of March 31, 2018 redeemable within 12-months:	12,015
Reported Value	$ 14,294	$ 13,721

Commitments and Contingencies68

Commitments and Contingencies - Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock Offering (Details) - USD ($)	Apr. 23, 2018	Feb. 06, 2017	Jan. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Proceeds from issuance of convertible redeemable preferred stock, net of issuance costs				$ 0	$ 55,290,000
Payment of dividends on Series A Preferred Stock				9,719,000	$ 0
Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Accretion of redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity				57,324,000
Total redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity				447,881,000		$ 400,276,000
Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock | Additional paid-in capital
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Accretion of redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity				57,324,000
Series A Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock - Beneficial Conversion Feature
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Accretion of redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity				$ (265,368,000)
Series A Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock - Beneficial Conversion Feature | Additional paid-in capital
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Accretion period				1 year
Series A Preferred Stock
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Payment of dividends on Series A Preferred Stock				$ 9,719,000
Class A Common Stock
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)		$ 0.004		$ 0.004		$ 0.004
Private Placement | Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Sale of stock, number of shares agreed to be issued in transaction (in shares)			400,000
Proceeds from issuance of convertible redeemable preferred stock, net of issuance costs			$ 400,000,000
Period for conversion of stock after first anniversary of initial public offering		1 day
Subsequent Event | Class A Common Stock
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.004
Subsequent Event | Private Placement | Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Number of shares converted (in shares)	36,143,000

Commitments and Contingencies69

Commitments and Contingencies - Other Loss Contingencies (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 12, 2014	Apr. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Long-term indemnification assets			$ 116,944		$ 98,493
UAM Brazil
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Noncontrolling interest, noncontrolling owners, ownership percent		49.00%
Brazil
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimate of possible contingency loss			46,000
Pending Litigation
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Contingent liabilities recorded			$ 60,000		22,000
Taxes, Other-Than-Income Tax
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss contingency, statues of limitations			10 years
Taxes, Other-Than-Income Tax And Indemnification Assets
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Increases/(decreases) to operating income for adjustments to non-income tax contingencies and indemnification assets			$ (2,121)	$ (4,037)
Income Tax Contingencies
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Contingent liabilities recorded			64,380		100,404
Guarantee of Indebtedness of Others | Chile
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss contingency, noncurrent			33,575		27,073
Guarantee amount, maximum potential amount of payments			545,000		527,000
Guarantee Obligations
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Percent of shares of company acquired in a business combination, used as a guarantee		49.00%
Other Noncurrent Liabilities | Taxes, Other-Than-Income Tax
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss contingency, noncurrent			76,112		74,318
Other Current Liabilities | Taxes, Other-Than-Income Tax
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss contingency, current liability			$ 142		$ 138
Repayment Guarantee For Loans That Financed A Portion Of The Purchase Price
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Percentage of shares as guarantee of payment obligations	75.00%
Repayment Guarantee For Obligations Under The Purchase Agreement For The Seller Notes
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Percentage of shares as guarantee of payment obligations	25.00%

Commitments and Contingencies70

Commitments and Contingencies - Standby Letters of Credit, Surety Bonds and Other Commitments (Details) - USD ($)	1 Months Ended
	Nov. 30, 2016	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Surety Bond
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Guarantee amount, maximum potential amount of payments		$ 14,927,000	$ 13,980,000
Cash Collateralized Letter Of Credit - Spain Tax Audits
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Letters of credit outstanding, amount		0	39,505,000
Non-Collateralized Surety Bond - UAM Brazil | Surety Bond
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Guarantee amount, maximum potential amount of payments	$ 15,300,000
Cost of surety bond	$ 1,400,000
Guarantor obligation, term	P5Y
Kendall College, St. Augustine, Walden University, and NewSchool of Architecture and Design
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Letters of credit outstanding, amount		$ 136,700,000	$ 136,900,000

Financing Receivables - Schedul

Financing Receivables - Schedule of Financing Receivables (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Receivables [Abstract]
Financing receivables	$ 37,411	$ 22,977
Allowance for doubtful accounts	(8,984)	(8,411)	$ (8,740)	$ (9,175)
Financing receivables, net of allowances	$ 28,427	$ 14,566

Financing Receivables - Summary

Financing Receivables - Summary of Aging of Financing Receivables (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment, Past Due [Line Items]
Total past due (on non-accrual status)	$ 16,625	$ 12,986
Not past due	20,786	9,991
Total financing receivables	37,411	22,977
Chile
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment, Past Due [Line Items]
Total past due (on non-accrual status)	14,423	10,351
Not past due	19,190	8,494
Total financing receivables	33,613	18,845
Other
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment, Past Due [Line Items]
Total past due (on non-accrual status)	2,202	2,635
Not past due	1,596	1,497
Total financing receivables	3,798	4,132
Amounts past due less than one year
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment, Past Due [Line Items]
Amount past due	12,099	8,100
Amounts past due less than one year | Chile
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment, Past Due [Line Items]
Amount past due	11,302	6,800
Amounts past due less than one year | Other
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment, Past Due [Line Items]
Amount past due	797	1,300
Amounts past due one year or greater
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment, Past Due [Line Items]
Amount past due	4,526	4,886
Amounts past due one year or greater | Chile
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment, Past Due [Line Items]
Amount past due	3,121	3,551
Amounts past due one year or greater | Other
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment, Past Due [Line Items]
Amount past due	$ 1,405	$ 1,335

Financing Receivables - Allowan

Financing Receivables - Allowance For Credit Losses Rollforward (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Losses [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	$ (8,411)	$ (9,175)
Charge-offs	331	938
Recoveries	(8)	(3)
Reclassifications	39	0
Provision	(708)	(415)
Currency adjustments	(227)	(85)
Ending balance	(8,984)	(8,740)
Chile
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Losses [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	(6,107)	(6,209)
Charge-offs	331	911
Recoveries	(1)	0
Reclassifications	0	0
Provision	(731)	(450)
Currency adjustments	(164)	(66)
Ending balance	(6,672)	(5,814)
Other
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Losses [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	(2,304)	(2,966)
Charge-offs	0	27
Recoveries	(7)	(3)
Reclassifications	39	0
Provision	23	35
Currency adjustments	(63)	(19)
Ending balance	$ (2,312)	$ (2,926)

Financing Receivables - Summa74

Financing Receivables - Summary of Troubled Debt Restructurings (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)loan	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)loan
Receivables [Abstract]
Number of Financing Receivable Accounts | loan	409	281
Pre-Modification Balance Outstanding	$ 1,372	$ 1,169
Post-Modification Balance Outstanding	$ 1,262	$ 1,086
Number of Financing Receivable Accounts, subsequent defaults | loan	138	82
Balance at Default, subsequent defaults	$ 339	$ 327

Share-based Compensation - Summ

Share-based Compensation - Summary of Share-based Compensation Expense (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Compensation Cost [Line Items]
Total non-cash stock compensation	$ (3,756)	$ 22,388
Stock options, net of estimated forfeitures
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Compensation Cost [Line Items]
Total non-cash stock compensation	(7,166)	19,281
Restricted stock awards
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Compensation Cost [Line Items]
Total non-cash stock compensation	$ 3,410	$ 3,107

Stockholders' Equity - Schedule

Stockholders' Equity - Schedule of Stockholders' Equity (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of period	$ 1,587,282
Adoption of accounting standards				$ 5,074
Balance, adjusted				1,592,356
Non-cash stock compensation	(3,756)
Vesting of restricted stock, net of shares withheld to satisfy tax withholding	(803)
Distributions from noncontrolling interest holders	581
Change in noncontrolling interests	(21,043)
Reclassification of redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	38
Net income	171,545	$ (120,353)
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of tax of $0	83,369	103,396
Unrealized gain on derivatives, net of tax of $0	2,210	2,592
Balance, end of period	1,767,473
Foreign currency translation adjustment, tax	0	0
Unrealized gain on derivative instruments, tax	0	0
Pension adjustment, tax	0	$ 0
Retained earnings	(772,283)			(946,236)
Additional paid-in capital
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of period	3,446,206
Balance, adjusted				3,446,206
Non-cash stock compensation	(3,756)
Vesting of restricted stock, net of shares withheld to satisfy tax withholding	(804)
Change in noncontrolling interests	(468)
Balance, end of period	3,383,778
(Accumulated deficit) retained earnings
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of period	(946,236)
Adoption of accounting standards				5,074
Balance, adjusted				(941,162)
Net income	168,879
Balance, end of period	(772,283)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of period	(925,556)
Balance, adjusted				(925,556)
Change in noncontrolling interests	0
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of tax of $0	83,648
Unrealized gain on derivatives, net of tax of $0	2,210
Minimum pension liability adjustment, net of tax of $0	376
Balance, end of period	(839,322)
Non-controlling interests
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of period	12,118
Balance, adjusted				12,118
Distributions from noncontrolling interest holders	581
Change in noncontrolling interests	(20,575)
Reclassification of redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	38
Net income	2,666
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of tax of $0	(279)
Minimum pension liability adjustment, net of tax of $0	376
Balance, end of period	$ (5,451)
Class A Common Stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Balance of shares outstanding, beginning of period (in shares)	55,052,000
Balance of shares outstanding, end of period (in shares)	55,256,000
Class A Common Stock | Common Stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Balance of shares outstanding, beginning of period (in shares)	55,052,000
Balance, beginning of period	$ 220
Balance, adjusted				220
Conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares (in shares)	59,000
Vesting of restricted stock, net of shares withheld to satisfy tax withholding (in shares)	145,000
Vesting of restricted stock, net of shares withheld to satisfy tax withholding	$ 1
Balance of shares outstanding, end of period (in shares)	55,256,000
Balance, end of period	$ 221
Class B Common Stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Balance of shares outstanding, beginning of period (in shares)	132,443,000
Balance of shares outstanding, end of period (in shares)	132,443,000
Class B Common Stock | Common Stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Balance of shares outstanding, beginning of period (in shares)	132,443,000
Balance, beginning of period	$ 530
Balance, adjusted				$ 530
Conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares (in shares)	(59,000)
Vesting of restricted stock, net of shares withheld to satisfy tax withholding (in shares)	59,000
Balance of shares outstanding, end of period (in shares)	132,443,000
Balance, end of period	$ 530
Redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Accretion of redeemable noncontrolling interest and equity	(76)
Redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity | Additional paid-in capital
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Accretion of redeemable noncontrolling interest and equity	(76)
Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Accretion of redeemable noncontrolling interest and equity	(57,324)
Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock | Additional paid-in capital
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Accretion of redeemable noncontrolling interest and equity	(57,324)
ASU 2014-09 | Adjustment
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income	9,718
Retained earnings	$ 11,136		$ 1,400
ASU 2016-16
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Retained earnings			$ 3,700

Stockholders' Equity - Accumula

Stockholders' Equity - Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	$ 1,767,473	$ 1,587,282
Accumulated Foreign Currency Adjustment Attributable to Parent
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(843,573)	(927,221)
Accumulated Foreign Currency Adjustment Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(312)	(33)
Accumulated Foreign Currency Adjustment Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(843,885)	(927,254)
Accumulated Net Gain (Loss) from Cash Flow Hedges Attributable to Parent
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	6,867	4,657
Accumulated Net Gain (Loss) from Cash Flow Hedges Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	0	0
Accumulated Net Gain (Loss) from Cash Flow Hedges Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	6,867	4,657
Accumulated Defined Benefit Plans Adjustment Attributable to Parent
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(2,616)	(2,992)
Accumulated Defined Benefit Plans Adjustment Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	0	0
Accumulated Defined Benefit Plans Adjustment Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(2,616)	(2,992)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(839,322)	(925,556)
AOCI Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(312)	(33)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	$ (839,634)	$ (925,589)

Derivative Instruments - Summar

Derivative Instruments - Summary of Fair Value of Derivative Instruments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Derivative assets
Derivative instruments	$ 41,341	$ 48,186
Derivative liabilities
Total derivative instrument assets	41,341	48,186
Total derivative instrument liabilities	14,895	13,848
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: | Interest rate swaps
Derivative assets
Derivative instruments	12,733	6,046
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: | Net investment cross currency swaps
Derivative liabilities
Derivative liability, noncurrent	6,642	1,451
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: | Interest rate swaps
Derivative liabilities
Derivative liability, current	123	179
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: | Contingent redemption features - Series A Preferred Stock
Derivative assets
Derivative instruments	28,608	42,140
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: | Cross currency and interest rate swaps
Derivative liabilities
Derivative liability, current	0	4,279
Derivative liability, noncurrent	$ 8,130	$ 7,939

Derivative Instruments - Deriva

Derivative Instruments - Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments Narrative (Details)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)derivative_instrument	Dec. 31, 2017EUR (€)derivative_instrument	May 31, 2017USD ($)swap
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Fair value of derivative assets	$ 41,341,000	$ 48,186,000
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: | Interest rate swaps
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Gain (loss) recognized in income on the ineffective portion of derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedging	0
Fair value of derivative assets	12,733,000	6,046,000
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: | Net investment cross currency swaps
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative liability, noncurrent	$ 6,642,000	$ 1,451,000
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: | Cash Flow Hedging | Interest rate swaps
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Number of interest rate derivatives held (derivative instrument) | swap				4
Derivative, floor interest rate				1.00%
Cash flow effectiveness percent	100.00%
Reclassified from AOCI to income	$ 2,300,000
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: | Cash Flow Hedging | Interest Rate Swap, Instrument One
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative, notional amount				$ 100,000,000
Derivative, fixed interest rate				1.756%
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: | Cash Flow Hedging | Interest Rate Swap, Instrument Two
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative, notional amount				$ 100,000,000
Derivative, fixed interest rate				1.796%
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: | Cash Flow Hedging | Interest Rate Swap, Instrument Three
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative, notional amount				$ 200,000,000
Derivative, fixed interest rate				1.796%
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: | Cash Flow Hedging | Interest Rate Swap, Instrument Four
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative, notional amount				$ 300,000,000
Derivative, fixed interest rate				1.763%
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: | Net Investment Hedging | Net investment cross currency swaps
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Cash flow effectiveness percent	100.00%
Number of currency derivatives held (derivative instrument) | derivative_instrument		2	2
Gain or (loss) recognized in income on the ineffective portion of derivative instruments designated as hedging	$ 0
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: | Net Investment Hedging | Cross Currency Interest Rate Contract, Instrument One
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative, notional amount		$ 59,210,000	€ 50,000,000
Implied exchange rate		1.1842	1.1842
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: | Net Investment Hedging | Cross Currency Interest Rate Contract, Instrument One | Euro Member Countries, Euro
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Swaption interest rate		5.63%	5.63%
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: | Net Investment Hedging | Cross Currency Interest Rate Contract, Instrument One | United States of America, Dollars
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Swaption interest rate		8.25%	8.25%
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: | Net Investment Hedging | Cross Currency Interest Rate Contract, Instrument Two
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative, notional amount		$ 59,360,000	€ 50,000,000
Implied exchange rate		1.1872	1.1872
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: | Net Investment Hedging | Cross Currency Interest Rate Contract, Instrument Two | Euro Member Countries, Euro
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Swaption interest rate		5.6675%	5.6675%
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: | Net Investment Hedging | Cross Currency Interest Rate Contract, Instrument Two | United States of America, Dollars
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Swaption interest rate		8.25%	8.25%

Derivative Instruments - Summ80

Derivative Instruments - Summary of Unrealized Gain (Loss) Recorded In and Reclassified From Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Details) - Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain Recognized in Comprehensive Income (Effective Portion)	$ 2,210	$ 2,592
Loss Reclassified from AOCI to Income (Effective Portion)	(297)	(2,687)
Interest rate swaps
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain Recognized in Comprehensive Income (Effective Portion)	6,688	2,592
Interest rate swaps | Interest expense
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Loss Reclassified from AOCI to Income (Effective Portion)	(297)	(2,687)
Net investment cross currency swaps
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain Recognized in Comprehensive Income (Effective Portion)	(4,478)	0
Loss Reclassified from AOCI to Income (Effective Portion)	$ 0	$ 0

Derivative Instruments - Deri81

Derivative Instruments - Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments (Details) $ in Thousands	Jan. 16, 2018EUR (€)	Dec. 20, 2013AUD ($)loan	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)swap	Dec. 31, 2017EUR (€)swap	Jan. 31, 2014AUD ($)	Dec. 31, 2010USD ($)swap
Derivative [Line Items]
Fair value of derivative assets			$ 41,341	$ 48,186
Lines of credit | Term Loan Two | Syndicated Facility Agreement
Derivative [Line Items]
Borrowing under credit facility		$ 22,500,000
THINK | Lines of credit | Term Loan | Syndicated Facility Agreement
Derivative [Line Items]
Borrowing under credit facility		$ 45,000,000	34,655
Number of term loans (loan) | loan		2
Days to enter into interest rate swap (within)		45 days
Required percentage of term loan to be converted to fixed interest rate (at least)		50.00%
THINK | Lines of credit | Term Loan One | Syndicated Facility Agreement
Derivative [Line Items]
Borrowing under credit facility		$ 22,500,000
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: | Contingent redemption features - Series A Preferred Stock
Derivative [Line Items]
Fair value of derivative assets			28,608	42,140
Unrealized gain (loss) on derivatives			(13,533)
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: | Interest rate swaps | THINK
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative, notional amount						$ 22,500,000
Variable interest converted				17,327		$ 22,500,000
Derivative, fixed interest rate						3.86%
Derivative liability, noncurrent			123	$ 179
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: | Foreign Exchange Forward
Derivative [Line Items]
Unrealized gain (loss) on derivatives | €	€ (9,960,000)
Derivative, notional amount | €					€ 200,000,000
Number of currency derivatives held (derivative instrument) | swap				6	6
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: | Cross currency and interest rate swaps
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative liability, noncurrent			8,130	$ 7,939
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: | Cross currency and interest rate swaps | Chile
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative, notional amount							$ 31,000
Derivative liability, noncurrent			$ 8,130	$ 7,939
Derivative, number of instruments held (derivative instrument) | swap							4
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: | Cross Currency Interest Rate Contract, Maturing December 1, 2024 | Chile
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative, number of instruments held (derivative instrument) | swap							1
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: | Cross Currency Interest Rate Contract, Maturing July 1, 2025 | Chile
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative, number of instruments held (derivative instrument) | swap							3

Derivative Instruments - Realiz

Derivative Instruments - Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments (Details) - Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Derivative [Line Items]
Unrealized (Loss) Gain	$ (9,172)	$ 12,267
Realized Loss	(10,168)	(120)
Total (Loss) Gain	(19,340)	12,147
Contingent redemption features - Series A Preferred Stock
Derivative [Line Items]
Unrealized (Loss) Gain	(13,533)	12,223
Total (Loss) Gain	(13,533)	12,223
Cross currency and interest rate swaps
Derivative [Line Items]
Unrealized (Loss) Gain	4,305	18
Realized Loss	(10,168)	(120)
Total (Loss) Gain	(5,863)	(102)
Interest rate swaps
Derivative [Line Items]
Unrealized (Loss) Gain	56	26
Total (Loss) Gain	$ 56	$ 26

Derivative Instruments - Credit

Derivative Instruments - Credit Risk and Credit-Risk-Related Contingent Feature (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)institution	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative asset	$ 41,341	$ 48,186
Fair value of derivative assets	41,341	48,186
Derivative liability	$ 14,895	13,848
Moody's, Aa3 Rating
Derivative [Line Items]
Number of financial institutions company does transactions with | institution	1
Moody's, A1 Rating
Derivative [Line Items]
Number of financial institutions company does transactions with | institution	4
Moody's, A3 Rating
Derivative [Line Items]
Number of financial institutions company does transactions with | institution	1
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: | Interest rate swaps
Derivative [Line Items]
Fair value of derivative assets	$ 12,733	$ 6,046

Income Taxes - Additional Infor

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Details) € in Thousands, $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)	Jun. 29, 2012EUR (€)	Oct. 31, 2015EUR (€)	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2018EUR (€)	Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015EUR (€)	Dec. 31, 2013audit	Dec. 31, 2017EUR (€)
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Transition tax for accumulated foreign earnings, provisional income tax expense						$ 149,800
Transition tax for accumulated foreign earnings, provisional liability						3,200
Provisional income tax expense (benefit)						(66,900)
Change in tax rate, deferred tax asset, provisional income tax expense (benefit), net of adjustments						$ (70,700)
Benefit from release of valuation allowance for state conformity				$ 3,200
Income tax expense (benefit)				$ 2,532			$ (27,094)
Foreign Tax Authority | Tax Authority, Spain
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Number of tax audits (audit) | audit										2
Letters of credit outstanding, amount | €											€ 33,282
Income tax expense (benefit)								$ 42,100	€ 37,610
Income taxes paid	$ 36,800				€ 29,600
Tax Year 2006 Through 2008 | Foreign Tax Authority | Tax Authority, Spain
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Possible loss from tax audits	13,700	€ 11,051
Tax Year 2008 Through 2010 | Foreign Tax Authority | Tax Authority, Spain
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Possible loss from tax audits	$ 21,300		€ 17,187

Earnings (Loss) Per Share - Sum

Earnings (Loss) Per Share - Summary of Earnings (Loss) Per Share Basic and Diluted (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Numerator used in basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common share:
Income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to Laureate Education, Inc.	$ 168,879	$ (122,807)
Adjusted for: accretion related to noncontrolling interests and equity redeemable at fair value	(3)	(5,438)
Subtotal: accretion of Series A convertible redeemable preferred stock and other redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity	(57,403)	(38,876)
Net income (loss) available to common stockholders	$ 111,476	$ (161,683)
Denominator used in basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common share:
Basic weighted average shares outstanding (in shares)	187,765	154,301
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding (in shares)	188,228	154,301
Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share:
Basic earnings (loss) per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.59	$ (1.05)
Diluted earnings (loss) per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.59	$ (1.05)
Stock options
Denominator used in basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common share:
Effect of dilutive stock (in shares)	0	0
Restricted stock units
Denominator used in basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common share:
Effect of dilutive stock (in shares)	463	0
Redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity
Numerator used in basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common share:
Accretion of temporary equity	$ (76)	$ 5,822
Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock
Numerator used in basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common share:
Accretion of temporary equity	$ (57,324)	$ (39,260)

Earnings (Loss) Per Share - Ant

Earnings (Loss) Per Share - Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share (Details) - shares shares in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Stock options
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share (in shares)	9,840	12,296
Restricted stock
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share (in shares)	265	499

Related Party Transactions (Det

Related Party Transactions (Details) - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Payment of dividends on Series A Preferred Stock		$ 9,719	$ 0
Laureate Somed Education Holdings SA
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Noncontrolling interest, ownership percentage by parent		60.00%
Noncontrolling interest, noncontrolling owners, ownership percent		40.00%
Series A Preferred Stock
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Payment of dividends on Series A Preferred Stock		$ 9,719
Affiliated Entity | Transactions between Laureate and Noncontrolling Interest Holder of Laureate Somed Education Holding SA
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Due to related party		9,294		$ 8,953
Affiliated Entity | Series A Preferred Stock | KKR
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Sale of stock, number of shares issued in transaction (in shares)	60
Affiliated Entity | Series A Preferred Stock | Snow Phipps
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Sale of stock, number of shares issued in transaction (in shares)	15
Affiliated Entity | Series A Preferred Stock | KKR And Snow Phipps
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Preferred stock dividends declared and paid		$ 1,822

Fair Value Measurement - Summar

Fair Value Measurement - Summary of Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative asset	$ 41,341	$ 48,186
Derivative liability	14,895	13,848
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative asset	41,341	48,186
Derivative liability	14,895	13,848
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative asset	0	0
Derivative liability	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative asset	0	0
Derivative liability	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative asset	41,341	48,186
Derivative liability	$ 14,895	$ 13,848

Fair Value Measurement - Change

Fair Value Measurement - Change in Level 3 Assets and Liabilities Measured on a Recurring Basis (Details) - Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring - Level 3 $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)
Fair Value, Net Derivative Asset (Liability) Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Roll Forward]
Balance December 31, 2017	$ 34,338
Losses included in earnings:
Unrealized losses, net	(9,172)
Realized losses, net	(10,168)
Included in other comprehensive income	2,210
Settlements	10,168
Currency translation adjustment and other	(930)
Balance March 31, 2018	26,446
Unrealized losses, net, relating to derivatives held at March 31, 2018	$ (9,172)

Fair Value Measurement - Quanti

Fair Value Measurement - Quantitative Information Related to Significant Unobservable Inputs Utilized to Calculate Fair Value (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Fair Value Inputs, Liabilities, Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Derivative asset	$ 41,341	$ 48,186
Derivative liability	(14,895)	$ (13,848)
Level 3 | Derivative Financial Instruments, Liabilities | Discounted Cash Flow
Fair Value Inputs, Liabilities, Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Derivative liability	$ (2,162)
Range/Input Value	3.42%
Level 3 | Derivative Financial Instruments, Assets | Monte Carlo Simulation Method
Fair Value Inputs, Liabilities, Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Derivative asset	$ 28,608
Range/Input Value	5.11%

Supplemental Cash Flow Inform91

Supplemental Cash Flow Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 479,011	$ 468,733	$ 856,306
Restricted cash	184,989	224,934	195,839
Total Cash and cash equivalents and Restricted cash shown in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows	$ 664,000	$ 693,667	$ 1,052,145	$ 654,284

Subsequent Events (Details)

Subsequent Events (Details) $ / shares in Units, € in Thousands, د.م. in Thousands, shares in Thousands

Apr. 23, 2018$ / sharesshares

Apr. 13, 2018USD ($)

Apr. 13, 2018MAD (د.م.)

Apr. 12, 2018USD ($)

Apr. 12, 2018EUR (€)

Mar. 31, 2018student$ / shares

Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)student$ / shares

Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)

Dec. 31, 2017USD ($)$ / shares

Apr. 24, 2018USD ($)

Nov. 29, 2017MAD (د.م.)

Feb. 06, 2017$ / shares

Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Revenue

$ 65,000,000

$ 57,000,000

Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations | Laureate Somed Holding

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Revenue

$ 11,500,000

Operating loss

(800,000)

Depreciation

1,100,000

Consideration received from dispositions | د.م.

د.م. 500,000

Number of students within the institution (student) | student

1,100

Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations | St. Augustine

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Revenue

89,600,000

Operating loss

(30,500,000)

Depreciation

$ 4,100,000

Number of students within the institution (student) | student

3,200

Subsequent Event | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations | Laureate Germany Holding GmbH

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Capital contribution

$ 3,600,000

Transfer taxes paid

800,000

Subsequent Event | Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations | Laureate Somed Holding

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Proceeds from sale of business

$ 32,500,000

د.م. 300,000

Subsequent Event | Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations | St. Augustine

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Consideration received from dispositions

$ 400,000,000

LEI European Investments B.V. (LEI BV) | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations | Laureate Germany Holding GmbH

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Number of student at the institution | student

2,600

LEI European Investments B.V. (LEI BV) | Subsequent Event | Disposal Group, Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations | Laureate Germany Holding GmbH

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Proceeds from sale of business

1,200,000

€ 1,000

Revenue

23,400,000

Operating loss

22,200,000

Impairment loss

16,000,000

Depreciation

$ 1,200,000

Laureate Middle East Holdings B.V. | Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations | Laureate Somed Holding

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Noncontrolling interest, ownership percentage by parent

60.00%

Laureate Middle East Holdings B.V. | Subsequent Event | Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations | Laureate Somed Holding

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Noncontrolling interest, ownership percentage by parent

60.00%

60.00%

La Société Maroc Emirats Arabes Unis de Développement | Subsequent Event | Disposal Group, Held-for-sale, Not Discontinued Operations | Laureate Somed Holding

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Noncontrolling interest, noncontrolling owners, ownership percent

40.00%

40.00%

Class A Common Stock

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Common stock, par value (in dollars per share) | $ / shares

$ 0.004

$ 0.004

$ 0.004

$ 0.004

Class A Common Stock | Subsequent Event

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Common stock, par value (in dollars per share) | $ / shares

$ 0.004

Private Placement | Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock | Subsequent Event

Subsequent Event [Line Items]

Number of shares converted (in shares) | shares

36,143