American Public's (APEI) APUS Unveils 3-Year Bachelor Program

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American Public Education, Inc.’s APEI subsidiary, American Public University System (“APUS”), will be offering a three-year Bachelor of Science degree in Cybersecurity in connection with the College in 3 Exchange.

Following the announcement, the shares of this online and campus-based postsecondary education provider increased 11.5% during the trading session on Dec 7.

More on the New Accelerated Program

Being designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity by the National Security Agency, APUS is one of the 13 United States-based higher education institutions participating in the College in 3 Exchange.

Under this accelerated bachelor's degree program, the students will be undertaking cybersecurity courses similar to the traditional four-year bachelor's program, except for the electives. This new program will result in similar outcomes as the traditional program. The registration for the three-year bachelor’s program, by APUS, will start in April 2024.

American Public shares optimistic views on this redesigned cybersecurity bachelor’s curriculum, as it believes this will help aspiring students meet the required demand for professionals in this field of the country. Also, it states that this accelerated program will reduce the time and money to complete this degree by 25 percent.

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Shares of APEI have surged 56.4% in the past three months, outperforming the Zacks Schools industry’s 18.7% growth.

Increased Enrollment & Tuition Grants Bode Well

American Public has been registering impressive enrollment growth, especially in APUS and Hondros College of Nursing (“HCN”). The upward trend is attributable to successful marketing efforts and the execution of enrollment strategies, accompanied by the increase in net course registrations and tuition and fee increases implemented in April and July. During the third quarter of 2023, net course registrations at APUS increased 8% year over year, including a 12% increase in active-duty military and nearly 5% in the veteran’s channel. Enrollment at HCN grew 17% year over year in the third quarter.

Furthermore, APEI is intently focusing on creating affordable pathways to support employment and career advancement, aiming to help learners of all backgrounds maximize their higher education return on investment.

Since its foundation, affordable tuition has been a priority of American Public’s APUS. It provides an APUS-funded tuition grant to undergraduate and master’s students to support its active-duty military students using TA. APUS’s low tuition and fees, in combination with APUS-funded tuition and book grants provided to all undergraduate students, active-duty military students and their spouses and dependents at the master’s level, lead to significant savings for students.

Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks

American Public currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

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The Zacks Consensus Estimate for LYV’s 2023 sales and EPS indicates a 28.6% and 132.8% rise, respectively, from the year-ago period’s levels.

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The Zacks Consensus Estimate for LOPE’s 2023 sales and EPS suggests an improvement of 7.1% and 17.1%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s levels.

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