APOL

Apollo Education Group, Inc.

A parent company of for-profit higher education, best known for the University of Phoenix, which serves working adults through online and on-campus degree programs. Founded in 1973 by John Sperling, a professor who launched the venture after San Jose State University rejected his proposal for an adult-degree program, the university's first class had just eight students when it began in 1977. The name Apollo nods to the Greek god of knowledge and wisdom, fitting for an institution built around flexible evening and weekend classes for people who hold down jobs.