Kaplan University is a for-profit college owned by Kaplan, Inc., a subsidiary of the Graham Holdings Company. The university is predominantly a distance learning institution, and also maintains 15 physical locations across the United States. It is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of the nation's seven major accrediting bodies. Kaplan University was named in honor of Stanley H. Kaplan, who founded Kaplan Test Prep. In 2017, Indiana's Purdue University bought Kaplan University with the aim of making a nonprofit institution, pending approval by the HLC.HistoryThe American Institute of Commerce was established in 1937 in Davenport, Iowa as a workforce preparatory school. In 1999, after six decades of growth in Iowa, the U.S. Department of Education selected the school as 1 of 15 to receive a grant that would enable it to offer courses online. Around this time, AIC and four other Iowa colleges were acquired by Quest College and renamed accordingly. In November 2000, Kaplan Inc. purchased the Quest Education Corporation and changed its name to Kaplan College. Beginning in September 2004, Kaplan, Inc. divided its programs into two different offerings: Kaplan University which specializes in online bachelor's and graduate degrees and Kaplan College, which offered classroom-based instruction and was largely vocational in nature and focused on associate degrees and certificates. In 2015 Kaplan sold all 38 Kaplan College campuses to Education Corporation of America. Kaplan College is now known as Brightwood College.
