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2022 Academic Annual Report

Our mission

The mission of University of Phoenix is to provide access to higher education opportunities that enable students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve their professional goals, improve the performance of their organizations and provide leadership and service to their communities.

Our vision

The vision of University of Phoenix is to be recognized as the most trusted provider of career-relevant higher education for working adults. The University will earn that trust through our:

Deep understanding of students’ needs

Deep understanding of employers’ needs

World-class assessment, analytics and innovation

Operational excellence

Our guiding principles

We believe that our students: 

  • Deserve quality academic programs that are career-relevant and are offered by an accredited institution. 
  • Should be supported by qualified staff and faculty, as well as by University efforts to help aid them on the path to graduation.
  • Should be the singular reason we continue to advance the quality, career-relevance and convenience of our academic programs.
  • Are entitled to transparency so they can make informed choices about their educational and financial future.
  • Should have the freedom and ability to choose the educational institution that best meets their needs. 

We believe that as an institution, we should: 

  • Ensure we are valuing students’ time and money.
  • Market responsibly and demonstrate integrity in all of our materials, exposures and engagements. 
  • Collaborate with employers, public or government officials and regulators, researchers and peer institutions to enhance the experiences and outcomes for our students.
  • Be accountable to our students, our regulators and the general public for delivering skills, knowledge and opportunities through our educational programs.
  • Maintain financial stability as a measure of accountability to students, a means to provide for the long-term viability of our programs, and an indicator of our ability to invest in the student experience.
Open and play video message from University of Phoenix Provost John Woods in new tab

Message from UOPX Provost & Chief Academic Officer John Woods for 2022 Academic Annual Report

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00:00:00:00 - 00:00:06:13 Welcome to the digital version of our fiscal year 2022 Academic Annual report. 00:00:06:13 - 00:00:15:06 Each year, our academic report helps us tell the story of how we support our students with a flexible, valuable and career focused education. 00:00:15:06 - 00:00:25:04 Being an accredited institution is a critical foundation for how University of Phoenix provides robust, career relevant learning programs for our students. 00:00:25:14 - 00:00:38:02 I'm proud to share our institutional accreditation was reaffirmed by the Higher Learning Commission for another ten years in 2023 - building upon 45 years of continuous HLC accreditation. 00:00:38:02 - 00:00:54:14 This decision was based on a comprehensive on-site review by the HLC of our mission Academic programs, governance, integrity and student experience and outcomes. The next reaffirmation is scheduled for 2032-2033. 00:00:54:14 - 00:01:02:15 In this year's academic report, we'll introduce you to students and alumni who have persevered through obstacles to achieve their dreams. 00:01:02:17 - 00:01:13:03 Our students are career focused adults who are parents first generation college students, military servicemen and servicewomen, as well as veterans and their family members. 00:01:13:03 - 00:01:20:16 They come from all walks of life and demonstrate resiliency in pursuing their goals and improving their circumstances. 00:01:20:22 - 00:01:33:17 You'll discover how we contribute to knowledge and initiatives about addressing barriers to career and workforce well-being through our Career Optimism Index Study, our annual study of workplace sentiment. 00:01:33:17 - 00:01:41:07 In our second year of conducting the study, we've expanded it to include perspectives from 500 US employers. 00:01:41:07 - 00:01:48:15 This allowed us to identify comparison insights between workforce members and those who hire, train and retain them. 00:01:48:17 - 00:01:51:23 I encourage you to read more in the full PDF of the report. 00:01:51:23 - 00:02:00:06 In a new era of growing emphasis on skills and employer hiring practices, you'll also learn how we're supporting students success. 00:02:00:06 - 00:02:09:16 Our skills aligned associate, Bachelor's and Master's degrees empower learners and job seekers to develop skills employers want. 00:02:09:16 - 00:02:12:08 And we're helping students demonstrate what they're learning. 00:02:12:08 - 00:02:16:04 By embedding evaluation into our skills mapping process, 00:02:16:06 - 00:02:20:15 students can quickly identify skills they're building throughout their coursework. 00:02:20:22 - 00:02:30:03 They can also earn digital badges, which allows students to share skills they've gained on the resumes, job boards and other digital platforms. 00:02:30:03 - 00:02:36:11 In addition to building upon career focused education, we've also worked hard to offer an affordable education. 00:02:36:11 - 00:02:47:17 In 2020 to our students saved a total of $56 million in tuition and fees by working with us to evaluate and identify transfer credits, 00:02:47:19 - 00:02:51:19 eligible alternative credits and credits for prior learning. 00:02:51:19 - 00:03:02:12 And we've helped our students and the community at large reimagine how diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging can be integral in their careers and workplaces. 00:03:02:12 - 00:03:08:08 Our inaugural Inclusive Leadership Summit drew more than 1400 attendees 00:03:08:08 - 00:03:09:23 from 22 countries. 00:03:10:06 - 00:03:21:06 University of Phoenix is always evolving and our students can have confidence in the commitment and dedication to their success demonstrated by every university employee and faculty member. 00:03:21:06 - 00:03:32:21 As we support our students moving into their chosen educational and career pathways, we celebrate their achievements and success, and we know that Together, We Rise!
Section 1, Innovation

Highlights

Excellence for a new era

We’re connecting adult learners to what they need to pursue success. From our earliest beginnings as the University that changed higher education, University of Phoenix has embraced excellence and innovation. Academic year 2022 was no different.

Like our students, we’re always pressing, never resting. Read on to discover how this came to life in 2022.

University timeline 2022

Section 2, Our students

Our students

Trailblazers and dream chasers

In Greek mythology, the Phoenix is an immortal bird that rises to new life. Our students can relate. Many of our students went to the school of life before taking their first class.

Eight in 10 work, and most are raising kids. Six in 10 are the first in their family to pursue a college degree.

Somewhere in the statistics, our students can be found head down, grinding through deadlines and doubts — until, in true Phoenix form, they rise. 

Who they are

Phoenixes are as diverse as they are determined. Here’s who they are statistically.

76,000

Total Degreed Enrollment

70%

of our students are women

38

is the average age of new students

56.5%

report as ethnic minorities

59.7%

are first-generation students

79.8%

are employed while in school

63.1%

have dependents

Our students exceed expectations

University Learning Goals (ULGs) are a set of five overarching competencies that employers identify as top soft skills and that University of Phoenix incorporates into its academic programs. Students met or exceeded expectations for each of the following ULGs.

92.9%

Cultural competence and ethics

81.2%

Critical thinking and problem-solving

83.5%

Communication

91.5%

Digital fluency

99.1%

Collaboration

High student satisfaction

We value what our students say. One way we listen to them is through surveys.

Likely to recommend instructors to other students

8.9/10

8.8/10 students likely to recommend instructors to other students

Likely to recommend the University to colleague, friend or family

9.2/10

9.1/10 students likely to recommend the University to colleague, friend or family

See the full report for detailed survey results and methodology.

Section 3, Student experience

Student experience

University of Phoenix founder Dr. John Sperling knew what it meant to beat the odds. He grew up poor, he battled a learning disability, and he worked his way through school to earn a PhD.

The challenges he faced inspired him to create a better path for students like him. He saw adult learners struggling with rigid class schedules, often taking six to 10 years to earn a degree. And it gave him a revolutionary idea: What if he created a university for working adults?

His experiment didn’t make earning a degree easier — only more practical, with schedules that made sense for working adults and coursework that translated immediately to the real world.

Diverse colleges

100+

programs aligned with 300+ careers, 90% of which are in growing fields

Connecting curriculum to careers

In today’s competitive job market, skills can matter as much as a degree. Our career-focused education aligns degrees and select courses to skills important in today’s workplaces.

Gain skills

Our bachelor’s and master’s degree program courses include career-relevant skills that meet our long-standing academic standards.

Gain skills

Track progress

Students can track progress and display their University achievements on a personalized skills profile.

Track progress

Build resumé

Students can build their resumé one course at a time, showcasing digital badges as proof of learning.

Build resumé

Accreditation that matters

Learn more about our accreditations

45

YEARS

continuously accredited by the Higher Learning Commission

Section 4, Improving student outcomes

Improving student outcomes

From academic counseling and tools that help students manage their finances to our Career Services for Life® commitment, here are some of the ways we help and support our students as they move toward their academic and career goals.

Saving students time and money

In FY22, University of Phoenix students saved over $106 million in tuition between discounts, scholarships and other savings. Here are some highlights:

$11.3M

approximate tuition saved through our Prior Learning Assessment

$1M

in monthly scholarship opportunities available to students

2,700

organizations whose employees were eligible for education benefits

Up to $2,880

in potential alumni savings for a bachelor’s degree ($2,200 on a master’s)

Responsible and appropriate borrowing

Before and after enrollment students have access to extensive tools and resources that help them understand the different types of student loans and loan amounts that might be right for them.

For example, University representatives assist with tuition financing questions prior to and during students’ programs. And our Repayment Management team assists with understanding federal loan repayment options. 

OFFICIAL COHORT DEFAULT RATES

Graph showing cohort default rates for 2017 UOPX 11.1%, Average for Proprietary Schools 14.7%, National average all institutions 9.7%. Described under the link See the full report for detailed borrowing information.

University retention and graduation rates

Data helps us improve our understanding of how to support our students through the obstacles they face on the way to their degrees. It also reinforces what’s working.

Since 2017, when the University’s leadership expanded tools to track retention and evolved its focus on retention outcomes, retention rates have experienced an overall positive trend.

University of Phoenix institutional retention rates

Institutional retention rates for UOPX for 2022. Institutional associate 63.7, Institutional bachelor's 74.1 and Institutional master's 75.7. Described under the link See the full report for detailed borrowing information.
Section 7, Alumni

Alumni

We recognize the tremendous achievement of earning a college degree. Most of our students have worked years to reach this goal, and many are first-generation college students.

FEATURED ALUMNI

Several of our alumni share what becoming a college graduate — and a Phoenix — has meant to them. 

Section 8, Community engagement

Community engagement

At University of Phoenix, we understand that community support and higher education go hand in hand. When we roll up our sleeves to help, we strengthen the communities we serve.

In 2022, the University:

  • Sponsored SHE Leads!™, focused on creating a better life for Arizona’s women and children
  • Sponsored the Jobs for Arizona’s Graduates Mentorship Program, pairing high school students with employee volunteers to support young people in their college and career goals
  • Collaborated with our National Society of Leadership and Success student chapter to engage volunteer services and support for Future for KIDS, a nonprofit providing programs and camps for youths facing adversity
  • Collaborated with the nonprofit Achieving My Purpose to support the development and design of its programs and its mission to empower women
Section 9, Our commitment to diversity

Our commitment to diversity

At University of Phoenix, we focus on creating diverse, equitable, inclusive and belonging (DEIB) environments where all feel they belong.

To continue fostering DEIB initiatives, we:

  • Established the President’s DEIB Advisory Council
  • Supported our Inclusive Café, a biweekly virtual meeting to foster DEIB dialogue
  • Partnered with Jobs for the Future to help address inequities for Black workers and produced a comprehensive market scan titled “Building Professional Social Capital for Black Learners and Workers”
Section 10, B2B alliances

B2B alliances

University of Phoenix works with employers to create a range of tailored solutions for them to attract new talent, upskill and reskill existing talent, and retain high-performing talent. 

Depending on employer needs, options can range from full degrees, competency-based education, six-to-eight-month role-aligned certificates, individual courses, apprenticeship pathways and skill-building workshops.

Providing customized solutions to help solve workforce challenges

Our Workforce Solutions team creates tailored learning pathways to recruit, upskill, reskill and retain a company’s workforce.

The University of Phoenix’s flexible solutions combine education programs, learning pathways and credit options to tailor a solution that meets the needs of businesses including certificates, apprenticeships, workshops, single for-credit courses, non-credit professional development and degree programs.

Discover more about how University of Phoenix supports the needs of organizations' workforces.

Employees seeking out benefits from the alliance with Comcast
Happy grad surrounded by family

Thank you

This is just a snapshot of the work we did in 2022. Download the full report to learn more.