University of Phoenix to go fully remote in Sacramento

Sacramento Business Journal 

Mark Anderson

April 16, 2022

University of Phoenix, which has had a physical campus in South Natomas since at least the early 1990s, is phasing out the local campus over the next two years, reflecting its students’ preference for online courses.

The University of Phoenix, Sacramento Valley Campus, will close in 2024, and no longer have its presence at 2860 Gateway Oaks Drive.

“We are listening to our students,” said Andrea Smiley, spokeswoman for the Phoenix-based university.

The local campus was mostly closed for two years due to the pandemic, and it only this month began in-person instruction again, but about 97% of existing students prefer online courses, she said.

The school will be closing 20 campuses in California, Hawaii, Texas and Nevada as it “teaches out” any students who originally signed on for in-person classrooms, she said. It will retain its physical campus in Phoenix after 2025, but that will be the only one.

Since its start, University of Phoenix has attracted predominantly adult learners who are seeking to further their careers, she said. More than 60% of its current students are 35 or older, and many of them work full time. Many of them are also parents of young children, and it is difficult to juggle daily life with attending a campus in person.

The most popular programs historically in Sacramento have been business, technology, nursing leadership and teaching programs. The Sacramento campus has had more than 2,000 students at times. As of this month, it has enrollment of 1,521, of which 82 exclusively attend in-person, she said.

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