Apollo Group, Inc. was founded in 1973 in response to a gradual shift in higher education demographics from a student population dominated by youth to one in which approximately half the students are adults and over 80 percent of whom work full-time. Apollo's founder, John Sperling, believed -- and events proved him right -- that lifelong employment with a single employer would be replaced by lifelong learning and employment with a variety of employers. Lifelong learning requires an institution dedicated solely to the education of working adults.

Today, Apollo Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, University of Phoenix, Apollo Global, College for Financial Planning, and Institute for Professional Development, has established itself as a leading provider of higher education programs for working adults by focusing on servicing the needs of the working adult.