Stock-In-Trade
How to Pay for School
November 05, 1997

Any company that increases revenues 32.3% and profits 56% in one year is a company I want to know more about. And what does this particular company make its money from? School. Yup, you read that right.

Aren't all schools supposed to be public or not-for-profit you say? Think again. This is the '90s and an entire industry has sprung up focusing on making us all smarter. The aforementioned endeavor is none other than APOLLO GROUP <% if gsSubBrand = "aolsnapshot" then Response.Write("(Nasdaq: APOL)") else Response.Write("(Nasdaq: APOL)") end if %>, the parent company of, among other things, the University of Phoenix.

The University of Phoenix focuses on teaching adults. All of you overachievers who feel compelled to go back to school for another (or your first) degree at night are the ones lining the pockets of Apollo Group and their shareholders.

Apollo Group has found a niche market that had obviously gone untapped before its appearance. It offers accredited bachelor's and master's degree programs, certificate programs, and customized training at 102 campuses in 31 states, Puerto Rico, and London, England. According to Apollo, 44% of all college students go to school and work at the same time. They intend to take advantage of that trend. Forbes recently named it one of the 200 best small companies in America.

For more information on Apollo and other companies that focus on making money through education, check out our Industry Snapshot of education companies. If you'd like to find out about the programs offered through Apollo, take a look at its Web page. Then come back here to the Fool and join in the discussion on the Apollo Group message board.

--Trudy Hoyden (TMF Hoyden)

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