 | |
| Motto | Petere Sapientiam |
|---|---|
Motto in English | Ask for Wisdom |
| Type | Privatefor-profit,online university |
| Established | 1993; 33 years ago (1993) |
| President | Constance St. Germain |
| Students | 43,915 (fall 2023)[1] |
| Undergraduates | 16,177 (fall 2023)[1] |
| Postgraduates | 27,738 (fall 2023)[1] |
| Address | ,,, United States |
| Campus | Online |
| Colors | Red and black |
| Website | www |
 | |
Capella University is aprivatefor-profit,online university headquartered inMinneapolis, Minnesota. It is owned by the publicly tradedStrategic Education, Inc. andaccredited by theHigher Learning Commission. Nearly 44,000 students were enrolled in 2023.[1]
Capella University was established as The Graduate School of America by Dr. Harold Abel and Stephen Shank in 1993. Shank was the formerCEO ofTonka. Abel, formerly the president ofCastleton State College,Central Michigan University, andWalden University,[2][3] became the first president of the institution.[4]
In 1997, Capella University received regional accreditation.[5] Two years later the parent company and university were renamed Capella Education Company and Capella University, respectively. In 2000, Capella began to offer bachelor's degree programs.[citation needed]
In 2005, Capella Education Company announced its intention to go public with an initial public offering. In 2006, they became apublicly traded company (NASDAQ: CPLA), raising $80 million with the offering.[6]
In 2007, Capella was named one of 86 higher education institutions in the United States to have received the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAE/IAE) designation by theNational Security Agency (NSA). The designation was valid for the academic years 2007 through 2012.[4][7]
In March 2008, Capella Education Company, longtime occupant of the225 South Sixth skyscraper in downtown Minneapolis, signed a new lease that expanded its office and renamed the building Capella Tower. The building houses all of the company's 1,150 downtown Minneapolis administrative staff.[8]
In 2009, The Project Management Institute (PMI) Global Accreditation Center for Project Management (GAC) accredited two Capella University online degree programs: the MS in Information Technology with a specialization in Project Management; and the BS in Information Technology with a specialization in Project Management.[9] It also launched its School of Public Service Leadership.[10]
In 2010, Capella, along with three other schools, was awarded the CHEA Award for Outstanding Institutional Practice in Student Learning Outcomes by The Council for Higher Education Accreditation.[11]
In August 2018, Capella University's parent company Capella Education merged with Strayer Education Inc. to formStrategic Education, Inc.[12]
In 2019, Capella added learning sites in Atlanta, Georgia and Orlando, Florida.[13]
Capella began a partnership withOptum in August 2023 to launch an educational program for nursing.[14][15] In September 2023, Constance St. Germain was appointed president of the university.[16]
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Washington Monthly[17] | 441 of 442 |
According toCollege Navigator, Capella's faculty comprised 207 full-time instructors and 1,321 part-time instructors in 2018.[18]
Undergraduate applicants who do not have any credits eligible for transfer must complete a university-approved examination to be considered for admission.[19]
Capella's enrollment is composed mainly of graduate students, including 45 percent MS/MBA students and 18 percentPhD/PsyD doctoral students. The undergraduate population of Capella makes up 35 percent of the student body.[20] Less than one percent are working on certificate programs. The average age of a Capella student is 37. Ninety-five percent of students are enrolled part-time, 86 percent are female, and 53 percent areethnic minorities.[21]
Capella allows a limited number of credits to be earned through a prior learning assessment program which can provide college credit for past experiences.[22][23]
Capella University isaccredited by theHigher Learning Commission.[24][25] Baccalaureate and graduate level teacher education programs are accredited by theNational Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.[26] The graduate level counseling program is accredited byThe Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).[27] Baccalaureate and graduate level nursing programs are accredited by theCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education.[28] Baccalaureate and graduate level business programs have been accredited by theAccreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs since 2014.[29] Baccalaureate level information technology programs have been accredited by theAccreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc (ABET).[30] In 2024, the American Psychological Association (APA) accredited Capella’s online MS Clinical Psychology program.[31]
In 2006, theUnited States Department of Education, Office of the Inspector General (OIG) began a compliance audit of Capella. OIG focused on the university's policies and procedures concerning the return ofTitle IV funds as required by Federal Law for students who failed to give official notice that they were withdrawing from the school.[32] The OIG found that Capella made accounting mistakes in how it calculated student eligibility for government-subsidized loans, including failing to return all funds disbursed on behalf of students who dropped out before their first day of class.[33] Capella, in a response to the audit, says it recognizes some past shortcomings in its accounting practices and has made changes to ensure that such errors are not repeated.[33]
In 2012, Capella received criticism for its expenditures on marketing, profit, and CEO pay rather than instruction, and its use of aggressive recruiting practices. According to a report issued by former U.S. SenatorTom Harkin for theSenate Education Committee, approximately 79% of the institution's cash flow comes from US government Title IV payments, including Pell grants. The report concluded that Capella's recruiting and student services were better managed than most other for-profit competitors, especially among graduate degree students. The high withdrawal rate among Bachelor's student hopefuls, the over-reliance on part-time instructors, and the high relative marketing budget were cited as potential causes for concern.[34]
In 2018, a lawsuit was filed against Capella in theU.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota alleging that the school "violated doctoral students' rights by creating a process intended to ensure that it would be difficult, if not impossible, for students to timely complete, or complete at all, their doctoral programs."[35] The school rejected the lawsuit's claims, stating that the court had thrown out the majority of the legal claims.[36] In 2022, the class action was resolved through private mediation with terms not disclosed.[37]
Capella University was one of 153 institutions in student loan cancellation due to alleged fraud. The class action was brought by a group of more than 200,000 student borrowers, assisted by the Project on Predatory Student Lending, part of the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School. A settlement was approved in August 2022, stating that the schools on the list included "substantial misconduct by the listed schools, whether credibly alleged or in some instances proven."[38][39] In April 2023, the Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the settlement and allowed to proceed $6 billion in debt cancellation due to alleged fraud.[40]
44°58′35″N93°16′07″W / 44.976275°N 93.268583°W /44.976275; -93.268583
