Walden University


Walden University is an online for-profit university headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Walden University offers Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration, Master of Public Administration, Master of Public Health, Education Specialist, Doctor of Education, Doctor of Business Administration, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees.
Walden is a part of a global network of universities managed by Laureate Education Inc. The university's academic offices are in Minneapolis, Minnesota and its administrative offices are in Baltimore, Maryland.

History

Walden was established in 1970 by two New York teachers, Bernie and Rita Turner, who created a program for working adults/teachers to pursue doctoral degrees. In the summer of 1971, the first classes took place in Naples, Florida, focusing primarily on school administrators. The initial classes allowed students to form dissertation topics with their faculty partners before returning to work at their respective schools while completing their dissertations. In 1972, Walden conferred its first degrees: 46 PhDs and 24 EdDs at its first commencement in Naples.
In 1979, the Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board licensed Walden to grant PhDs and EdDs in the state and in 1982 the school moved its headquarters to Minneapolis. In 1990, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools accredited the University. In 1995, the school expanded its offering with the nation's first fully online master's program in education, offering a Master's in Educational Change and Technology Innovation.
Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc., purchased 41 percent of Walden University in 2001, gaining a controlling interest in 2002. In 2004, Sylvan Learning Systems became Laureate Education, Inc. Former US President Bill Clinton was an Honorary Chancellor of Laureate International Universities from 2010 to 2015. President Clinton was the keynote speaker at Walden University's commencement on July 30, 2011. Jonathan Kaplan served as CEO from 2007 to 2018. Mr. Kaplan previously served three years as economic policy adviser to President Clinton.
In 2013, Laureate Education Inc. and GSV Capital, IFC, Learn Capital and Yuri Milner provided $43M in funding to Coursera to expand online education. In 2015, Ernesto Zedillo, former president of Mexico and director of the Yale University Center for the Study of Globalization, succeeded President Clinton as Laureate Education's Presidential Counselor.
In 2016, Looney and Yannelis reported that Walden University student loan debt was the second highest in the US, with 120,275 students owing 9.833 billion dollars. While the 5-year student default rate was low, the percentage of balance repaid on the loans was 0 percent.
According to The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, Walden University graduated the largest number of African American doctoral students from 2011-2015. From 2013 to 2017, the number of doctorates "awarded to Blacks" from Walden University was 969, more than two and a half times the number conferred by Howard University, which awarded 344 doctorates during the same period.
In 2019, Laureate Education Inc. contemplated selling off the school. Dr. Ward Ulmer serves as president of Walden University. Dr. Ulmer was previously senior vice provost for Strayer University. Paula Singer serves as the CEO.

Institutional finances

Walden University receives more than 75% of its funds from the US government, including more than $750 million a year for graduate student loans, the largest amount for any US college. Walden University has been under heightened cash monitoring from the US Department of Education since 2016.
On April 8, 2016, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education notified Walden University that its renewal application to participate in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements was rejected because Walden University did not have a US Department of Education financial composite score of 1.5 or higher.
In 2018, Brookings Institution reported that Walden's graduate 5-year student loan repayment rate was 13 percent.

Accreditation

Walden University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Accredited professional programs

Walden University consists of five colleges:
According to College Navigator, Walden University has 204 full-time instructors and 2,821 part-time instructors.
Walden's 3-year student loan cohort default rate is 6.8%; the national average is 11.8% for all US institutions. A study by the American Institutes for Research found that the average annual federal student loan amounts of Walden graduate degree borrowers is similar to the federal loan amounts of students at public and private non-profit institutions.1.7 to 3 percent of Walden students defaulted on loans between 2005 and 2008. The average default rate at for-profit universities is 17.1 to 22.6 percent, and the average default rate for all US colleges is 8.4 to 12.3 percent.
According to the US Department of Education's College Scorecard, Walden University has an 11 percent graduation rate, a 30 percent student loan repayment rate, and a median income of $50,100 after attending.

Controversies

Walden University and its parent company Laureate International Universities have been linked to former US Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, her husband, former US President Bill Clinton, and their Clinton Foundation. Daniel Runde formally debunked many insinuating claims made regarding the Clinton Foundation, Laureate Education, and the IYF. The World Bank currently has invested $150 million in Laureate Education, Walden University's parent company. Fact checkers at The Washington Post concurred, citing the claims as conflated and inaccurate. Fact checkers at PolitiFact.com also found the claims to be false. A story in the Sept 5, 2016 edition of The Washington Post also investigated Clinton's role with Laureate and found many of the political claims to be false.
In October 2016, NBC News reported that the Minnesota Office of Higher Education was investigating a spike in student complaints. NBC News further reported that former students had filed a class action suit against the school for prolonging their enrollments for years, "until they were left hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and still short of a degree."

Publications

Walden University sponsors several peer-reviewed and refereed academic journals.