+27%
Median federal debt at exit
Median federal debt at exit at Ashford University rose 27% between 2006 and 2009 ($3.8k → $4.8k).
California · Private for-profit · Predominantly bachelor's
Ashford University
Ashford University was a large for-profit online university based in San Diego, California, enrolling most students in fully online bachelor's and master's programs. Its academic operations were acquired by the University of Arizona in 2020 to form the University of Arizona Global Campus.
23,734 undergraduate students. 86 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
Earnings, completion, debt, and enrollment anomalies at Ashford University
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
+1150%
Undergraduate enrollment
Undergraduate enrollment at Ashford University rose 1150% between 2006 and 2009 (3.4k → 42.7k).
+6%
Earnings trend · post-entry horizons
Earnings 10 years post-entry at Ashford University are 6% above 6-year earnings ($33.4k → $35.4k).
+221%
100%-time completion
100%-time completion at Ashford University rose 220% between 2021 and 2024 (0.8% → 2.7%).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
Ashford University earnings, debt, and completion vs. the California median
Each tile compares this institution to the California median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$35,404+6% · 6→10y
California median $42,588$33,397
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry8.8%-68% · '97→'24
California median 61.3%$9,500-17% · '97→'09
At program completion23,734+8266% · '96→'09
latest IPEDS30.6%-32% · '04→'09
first-time, full-time—+28% · '01→'12
latest cohort$13,160+21% · '00→'09
out-of-state $13,160SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How Ashford University earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings at Ashford University
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
3.6%Median federal debt $9,500 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $35,404 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Ashford University enrollment, completion, and debt over time
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
-68%
Ashford University · completion · 150% fell
33.3% → 10.7%
-39%
Ashford University · completion · 100% fell
4.3% → 2.7%
-32%
Ashford University · retention fell
61.0% → 41.2%
+8266%
Ashford University · undergrad enrollment rose
510 → 42,668
-100%
Ashford University · cohort default rate fell
19.8% → 0.0%
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Ashford University programs ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Business/Managerial Economics$86,666Military Applied Sciences$67,424Business Administration, Management and Operations$65,222Public Administration$64,804Business Administration, Management and Operations$64,522International Business$64,225Finance and Financial Management Services$63,997Management Information Systems and Services$62,249Sustainability Studies$61,946Health and Medical Administrative Services$58,838Human Resources Management and Services$57,539Public Administration$57,471Political Science and Government$54,872Criminal Justice and Corrections$53,838Accounting and Related Services$53,394Real Estate$51,763Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities$51,140Marketing$50,570Military Applied Sciences$50,150Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$49,608Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General$48,821Health and Physical Education/Fitness$48,277Communication and Media Studies$48,261Health and Medical Administrative Services$46,273
Showing top 24 of 47 ranked programs.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
47 Ashford University programs with earnings, grouped by field
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
EDUCATION · CIP 13
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$36,290Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$28,790Education, General$45,330Education, General$42,240Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$49,608Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research$39,866Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language$25,954
FOREIGN LANGUAGES · CIP 16
FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES · CIP 19
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE · CIP 23
LIBERAL ARTS & GENERAL STUDIES · CIP 24
LIBRARY SCIENCE · CIP 25
MILITARY TECHNOLOGIES · CIP 29
MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES · CIP 30
PARKS, RECREATION & FITNESS · CIP 31
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
HOMELAND SECURITY & PROTECTIVE SERVICES · CIP 43
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SOCIAL SERVICES · CIP 44
SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
Business Administration, Management and Operations$64,522Business Administration, Management and Operations$65,222Human Resources Management and Services$57,539Accounting and Related Services$53,394Management Information Systems and Services$62,249Finance and Financial Management Services$63,997Marketing$50,570Real Estate$51,763Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations$38,836Business/Managerial Economics$86,666International Business$64,225Business Administration, Management and Operations$39,153
HISTORY · CIP 54
NATURAL RESOURCES & CONSERVATION · CIP 03
COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM · CIP 09
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Institutions similar to Ashford University in California
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Ashford University graduates earn $X” — not “Ashford University makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Ashford University caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.