Private (for-profit)

Aspen University

Phoenix, Arizona·Private for-profit, 4-year or above·Southwest·aspen.edu
6-yr Graduation
27%
-11.0pp vs peer
Total enrollment
3,511
peer median 1,708
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Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
27%-11.0pp vs peer
4-year graduation
9%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
27%

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 26 Title IV programs, 7 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 19 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
26
Passing
7
26.9% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

26programs
  • Passing7 · 26.9%
  • No Data19 · 73.1%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
2
Safe
4
No data
19

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

7
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Master's Degree · Security And Protective Services
+0.9%
$54,111 vs $53,607
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
+22.3%
$59,487 vs $48,653
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+24.4%
$43,285 vs $34,808
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+31.7%
$79,162 vs $60,112
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+76.4%
$106,024 vs $60,112
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+117.8%
$75,828 vs $34,808
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+213.9%
$109,265 vs $34,808

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Master's Degree · Security And Protective Services
+0.9%
+$504

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

4
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
80%
$47,642 debt · $59,487 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Master's Degree · Security And Protective Services
65%
$35,088 debt · $54,111 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
39%
$16,677 debt · $43,285 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
25%
$26,780 debt · $106,024 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Distance Education Accrediting Commission

Accredited since 1993Next review Jan 2029

Programmatic accreditations · 3

Action history · 10

  1. Jan 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Distance Education Accrediting Commission
  2. Sep 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels
  3. Jun 2024Removal of Show Cause Status
    Distance Education Accrediting Commission
  4. Mar 2024Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Show Cause
    Distance Education Accrediting Commission
  5. Sep 2023Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Show Cause
    Distance Education Accrediting Commission

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by income not reported.
Federal loans
15.3%
In-state tuition
$6,264
Out-of-state
$6,264

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 179 students received $928K in Pell grants, alongside $5.9M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
179
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$928K
$928,314 total
Direct Loans
$5.9M
600 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

2k
20
2k
21
1k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$602K
163 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.1M
178 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$3.4M
211 loan awards
Grad PLUS$792K
48 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 468 borrowers who entered repayment, 2 (0.4%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.4%
-1.9pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
468
Defaulted
2
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
8.8%
2017
6.0%
2018
5.0%
2019
0.4%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Aspen

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs18
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

2,297 total completions
01Health Professions
2,02388.1%
02Education
1185.1%
03Business
954.1%
04Psychology
441.9%
05Computer Sciences
120.5%
06Security/Protective
50.2%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
3,511
12-mo unduplicated
6,615
Undergraduate
3,148
Graduate
3,467

Gender split

Men
16%1,041
Women
84%5,574

Race / ethnicity composition

White
51.7%
Black
20.9%
Hispanic
12.5%
Asian
5.4%
Unknown
5.2%
Two or more
3.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.6%

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 7,386 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
0
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
1
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    0
    Stalking
    0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    Student-to-faculty
    3.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    2

    Aspen vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Aspen selected for federal comparison reporting.

    GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    This institutionPeer median

    A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

    Carnegie
    SubjectAspen University
    27%3,511
    Pima Medical Institute-Tucson
    2,676
    The College of Health Care Professions-Northwest
    4,530$25,937
    Brookline College-Phoenix
    38%739
    Chamberlain University-Arizona
    50%90.9%693$37,002
    Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine & Acupuncture
    118
    Peer group median38%90.9%1,708$31,470

    Frequently asked questions about Aspen University

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Aspen.

    What is the graduation rate at Aspen University?

    Aspen University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 27% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Aspen University?

    Aspen University reports a total enrollment of 3,511 students per the latest IPEDS.

    Where is Aspen University located?

    Aspen University is located in Phoenix, Arizona 85040.

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