LAUREATE EDUCATION, INC. (LAUR)

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (this Form 10-Q) contains “forward‑looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which involve risks and uncertainties. You can identify forward‑looking statements because they contain words such as “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates” or “anticipates” or similar expressions that concern our strategy, plans or intentions. All statements we make relating to estimated and projected earnings, costs, expenditures, cash flows, growth rates and financial results, and all statements we make relating to our current growth strategy and other future plans, strategies or transactions that may be identified, explored or implemented and any litigation or dispute resulting from any completed transaction are forward-looking statements. In addition, we, through our senior management, from time to time make forward‑looking public statements concerning our expected future operations and performance and other developments. All of these forward‑looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may change at any time, including with respect to our current growth strategy and the impact of any completed divestiture or separation transaction on our remaining businesses. Accordingly, our actual results may differ materially from those we expected. We derive most of our forward‑looking statements from our operating budgets and forecasts, which are based upon many detailed assumptions. While we believe that our assumptions are reasonable, we caution that it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors, and, of course, it is impossible for us to anticipate all factors that could affect our actual results. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations, including, without limitation, in conjunction with the forward-looking statements and risk factors included in this Form 10-Q, are disclosed in “Item 1—Business,” and “Item 1A—Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 (the 2025 Form 10-K). Some of the factors that we believe could affect our results include:

•the risks associated with operating our portfolio of degree-granting higher education institutions in Mexico and Peru, including complex business, political, legal, regulatory, tax and economic risks;

•our ability to maintain and, subsequently, increase tuition rates and student enrollments in our institutions;

•our ability to effectively manage the growth of our business and increase our operating leverage;

•the risks associated with maintaining the value of our brands and our reputation;

•the effect of existing international and U.S. laws and regulations governing our business or changes to those laws and regulations or in their application to our business;

•changes in the political, economic and business climate in the markets in which we operate;

•risks of downturns in general economic conditions and in the educational services and education technology industries that could, among other things, impair our goodwill and intangible assets;

•possible increased competition from other educational service providers;

•market acceptance of new service offerings by us or our competitors and our ability to predict and respond to changes in the markets for our educational services;

•the effect of greater than anticipated tax liabilities;

•the effect on our business and results of operations from fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies;

•risks associated with the incorporation of new technologies (including artificial intelligence) into our programs and processes;

•the fluctuations in revenues due to seasonality;

•the risks associated with disruptions to our computer networks and information systems and other cybersecurity incidents, including misappropriation of personal or proprietary information;

•the risks associated with protests, strikes or natural or other disasters;

•our ability to attract and retain key personnel;

•the risks associated with indebtedness and disruptions to credit and equity markets;

•our focus on a specific public benefit purpose and producing a positive effect for society may negatively influence our financial performance; and

•the future trading prices of our common stock and the impact of any securities analysts’ reports on these prices.

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We caution you that the foregoing list of important factors may not contain all of the material factors that are important to you. In addition, in light of these risks and uncertainties, the matters referred to in the forward-looking statements contained in this Form 10-Q may not in fact occur. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.

Introduction

This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A) is provided to assist readers of the financial statements in understanding the results of operations, financial condition and cash flows of Laureate Education, Inc. This MD&A should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Form 10-Q. The consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-Q are presented in U.S. dollars (USD) rounded to the nearest thousand, with the amounts in MD&A rounded to the nearest tenth of a million. Therefore, discrepancies in the tables between totals and the sums of the amounts listed may occur due to such rounding. Our MD&A is presented in the following sections:

•Overview;

•Results of Operations;

•Liquidity and Capital Resources;

•Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates; and

•Recently Adopted Accounting Standards.

Overview

Our Business

We operate a portfolio of degree-granting higher education institutions in Mexico and Peru. Collectively, we have approximately 501,400 students enrolled at five institutions in these two countries. We believe that the higher education markets in Mexico and Peru present an attractive long-term opportunity, primarily because of the large and growing imbalance between the supply and demand for affordable, quality higher education in those markets. We believe that the combination of the projected growth in the middle class, limited government resources dedicated to higher education, and a clear value proposition demonstrated by the higher earnings potential afforded by higher education, creates substantial opportunities for high-quality private institutions to meet this growing and unmet demand. By offering high-quality, outcome-focused education, we believe that we enable students to prosper and thrive in the dynamic and evolving knowledge economy. We have two reportable segments as described below. We group our institutions by geography in Mexico and Peru for reporting purposes.

Our Segments

Our segments generate revenues by providing an education that emphasizes profession-oriented fields of study with undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide range of disciplines. Our educational offerings utilize campus-based, online and hybrid (a combination of online and in-classroom) courses and programs to deliver their curriculum. The Mexico and Peru markets are characterized by what we believe is a significant imbalance between supply and demand. The demand for higher education is large and growing and is fueled by several demographic and economic factors, including a growing middle class, global growth in services and technology-related industries and recognition of the significant personal and economic benefits gained by graduates of higher education institutions. The target demographics are primarily 18- to 24-year-olds in the countries in which we compete. We compete with other private higher education institutions on the basis of price, educational quality, reputation and location. We believe that we compare favorably with competitors because of our focus on quality, professional-oriented curriculum and the competitive advantages provided by our in-country networks. There are a number of private and public institutions in both of the countries in which we operate, and it is difficult to predict how the markets will evolve and how many competitors there will be in the future. We expect competition to increase as the Mexican and Peruvian markets mature. Essentially all of our revenues were generated from private pay sources as there are no material government-sponsored loan programs in Mexico or Peru. Specifics related to both of our reportable segments are discussed below:

•Private education providers in Mexico constitute approximately 39% of the total higher-education market. The private sector plays a meaningful role in higher education, bridging supply and demand imbalances created by a lack of capacity at public universities. Laureate owns two nationally licensed institutions and is present throughout the country with a footprint of over 30 campuses.

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•In Peru, private universities are increasingly providing the capacity to meet growing demand and constitute approximately 76% of the total higher-education market. Laureate owns three institutions in Peru, with a footprint of 18 campuses.

Corporate is a non-operating business unit whose purpose is to support operations. Its departments are responsible for establishing operational policies and internal control standards, implementing strategic initiatives, and monitoring compliance with policies and controls throughout our operations. Our Corporate segment provides financial, human resource, information technology, insurance, legal, and tax compliance services. The Corporate segment also contains the eliminations of inter-segment revenues and expenses.

The following information for our reportable segments is presented as of June 30, 2026:

Challenges

Our operations are outside of the United States and are subject to complex business, economic, legal, regulatory, political, tax and foreign currency risks, which may be difficult to adequately address. As a result, we face risks that are inherent in international operations, including: fluctuations in exchange rates, possible currency devaluations, inflation and hyper-inflation; price controls and foreign currency exchange restrictions; potential economic and political instability in both countries in which we operate; expropriation of assets by local governments; key political elections and changes in government policies; subsequent changes to laws and regulatory regimes; multiple and possibly overlapping and conflicting tax laws; and compliance with a wide variety of foreign laws. See “Item 1A—Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—We operate a portfolio of degree-granting higher education institutions in Mexico and Peru and are subject to complex business, economic, legal, political, tax and foreign currency risks, which risks may be difficult to adequately address,” in our 2025 Form 10-K. We plan to grow our operations organically by: 1) adding new programs and course offerings; 2) expanding target student demographics; and 3) increasing capacity at existing and new campus locations. Our success in growing our business will depend on the ability to anticipate and effectively manage these and other risks related to operating in various countries. See “Item IA—Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—If we do not effectively manage our growth and b

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

You should read the following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations with the audited historical consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements and involves numerous risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those described in the “Item 1A. Risk Factors” section of this Form 10-K. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. See “Forward-Looking Statements” on page 2 of this Form 10-K.

Introduction

This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A) is provided to assist readers of the financial statements in understanding the results of operations, financial condition and cash flows of Laureate Education, Inc. This MD&A should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Form 10-K. The consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K are presented in U.S. dollars (USD) rounded to the nearest thousand, with the amounts in the MD&A rounded to the nearest tenth of a million. Therefore, discrepancies in the tables between totals and the sums of the amounts listed may occur due to such rounding. Our MD&A is presented in the following sections:

•Overview;

•Results of Operations;

•Liquidity and Capital Resources;

•Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates; and

•Recently Issued Accounting Standards.

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Overview

Our Business

We operate a portfolio of degree-granting higher education institutions in Mexico and Peru. Collectively, we have approximately 497,700 students enrolled at five institutions in these two countries. We believe that the higher education markets in Mexico and Peru present an attractive long-term opportunity, primarily because of the large and growing imbalance between the supply and demand for affordable, quality higher education in those markets. We believe that the combination of the projected growth in the middle class, limited government resources dedicated to higher education, and a clear value proposition demonstrated by the higher earnings potential afforded by higher education, creates substantial opportunities for high-quality private institutions to meet this growing and unmet demand. By offering high-quality, outcome-focused education, we believe that we enable students to prosper and thrive in the dynamic and evolving knowledge economy. We have two reportable segments as described below. We group our institutions by geography in Mexico and Peru for reporting purposes.

Our Segments

Our segments generate revenues by providing an education that emphasizes profession-oriented fields of study with undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide range of disciplines. Our educational offerings utilize campus-based, online and hybrid (a combination of online and in-classroom) courses and programs to deliver their curriculum. The Mexico and Peru markets are characterized by what we believe is a significant imbalance between supply and demand. The demand for higher education is large and growing and is fueled by several demographic and economic factors, including a growing middle class, global growth in services and technology-related industries and recognition of the significant personal and economic benefits gained by graduates of higher education institutions. The target demographics are primarily 18- to 24-year-olds in the countries in which we compete. We compete with other private higher education institutions on the basis of price, educational quality, reputation and location. We believe that we compare favorably with competitors because of our focus on quality, professional-oriented curriculum and the competitive advantages provided by our in-country networks. There are a number of private and public institutions in both of the countries in which we operate, and it is difficult to predict how the markets will evolve and how many competitors there will be in the future. We expect competition to increase as the Mexican and Peruvian markets mature. Essentially all of our revenues were generated from private pay sources as there are no material government-sponsored loan programs in Mexico or Peru. Specifics related to both of our reportable segments are discussed below:

•Private education providers in Mexico constitute approximately 39% of the total higher-education market. The private sector plays a meaningful role in higher education, bridging supply and demand imbalances created by a lack of capacity at public universities. Laureate owns two nationally licensed institutions and is present throughout the country with a footprint of over 30 campuses.

•In Peru, private universities are increasingly providing the capacity to meet growing demand and constitute approximately 76% of the total higher-education market. Laureate owns three institutions in Peru, with a footprint of 20 campuses.

Corporate is a non-operating business unit whose purpose is to support operations. Its departments are responsible for establishing operational policies and internal control standards, implementing strategic initiatives, and monitoring compliance with policies and controls throughout our operations. Our Corporate segment provides financial, human resource, information technology, insurance, legal and tax compliance services. The Corporate segment also contains the eliminations of inter-segment revenues and expenses.

The following information for our reportable segments is presented as of December 31, 2025:

(1) Amounts related to Corporate totaled $0.1 million and are not separately presented.

Challenges

Our operations are outside of the United States and are subject to complex business, economic, legal, regulatory, political, tax and foreign currency risks, which may be difficult to adequately address. As a result, we face risks that are inherent in international operations, including: fluctuations in exchange rates, possible currency devaluations, inflation and hyper-inflation;

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price controls and foreign currency exchange restrictions; potential economic and political instability in both countries in which we operate; expropriation of assets by local governments; key political elections and changes in government policies; subsequent changes to laws and regulatory regimes; multiple and possibly overlapping and conflicting tax laws; and compliance with a wide variety of foreign laws. See “Item 1A—Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—We operate a portfolio of degree-granting higher education institutions in Mexico and Peru and are subject to complex business, economic, legal, political, tax and foreign currency risks, which risks may be difficult to adequately address.” We plan to grow our operations organically by: 1) adding new programs and course offerings; 2) expanding target student demographics; and 3) increasing capacity at existing and new campus locations. Our success in growing our business will depend on the ability to anticipate and effectively manage these and other risks related to operating in various countries. See “Item IA—Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—If we do not effectively manage our growth and business, our results of operations may be materially adversely affected.”

Regulatory Environment and Other Matters

Our business is subject to varying laws and regulations based on the requirements of local jurisdictions. These laws and regulations are subject to updates and changes. We cannot predict the form of the rules that ultimately may be adopted in the future or what effects they might have on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We will continue to develop and implement necessary changes that enable us to comply with such laws and regulations. See “Item 1A—Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—Our institutions are subject to uncertain and varying laws and regulations, and any changes to these laws or regulations or their application to us may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations,” and “Item 1—Business—Industry Regulation,” for a detailed discussion of our different regulatory environments and Note 16, Legal and Regulatory Matters, in our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

Key Business Metric

Enrollment

Enrollment is our lead revenue indicator and represents our most important non-financial metric. We define “enrollment” as the number of students registered in a course on the last day of the enrollment reporting period. New enrollments provide an indication of future revenue trends. Total enrollment is a function of continuing student enrollments, new student enrollments and enrollments from acquisitions, offset by graduations, attrition and enrollment decreases due to dispositions. Attrition is defined as a student leaving the institution before completion of the program. To minimize attrition, we have implemented programs that involve assisting students in remedial education, mentoring, counseling and student financing.

Each of our institutions has an enrollment cycle that varies by geographic region and academic program. Each institution has a “Primary Intake” period during each academic year in which the majority of the enrollment occurs. Each institution also has a smaller “Secondary Intake” period. Our Peruvian institutions have their Primary Intake during the first calendar quarter and a Secondary Intake during the third calendar quarter. Institutions in our Mexico segment have their Primary Intake during the third calendar quarter and a Secondary Intake during the first calendar quarter. Our institutions in Peru are generally out of session in January, February and July, while institutions in Mexico are generally out of session in May through July. Revenues are recognized when classes are in session.

Principal Components of Income Statement

Revenues

The majority of our revenue is derived from tuition revenue from enrolled students. The amount of tuition generated in a given period depends on the price per credit hour and the total credit hours or price per program taken by the enrolled student population. The price per credit hour varies by program, by market and by degree level. Additionally, varying levels of discounts and scholarships are offered depending on market-specific dynamics and individual achievements of our students. Revenues are recognized net of scholarships and other discounts, refunds and waivers. In addition to tuition revenues, we generate other revenues from student fees, short courses, and other education-related activities. These other revenues are less material to our overall financial results and have a tendency to trend with tuition revenues. The main drivers of changes in revenues between periods are student enrollment and price. We continually monitor market conditions and carefully adjust our tuition rates to meet local demand levels. We proactively seek the best price and content combinations to remain competitive in all the markets in which we operate.

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Direct Costs

Our direct costs include labor and operating costs associated with the delivery of services to our students, including the cost of wages, payroll taxes and benefits, depreciation and amortization, rent, utilities, bad debt expenses, and marketing and promotional costs to grow future enrollments. In general, a significant portion of our direct costs tend to be

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