Strategic Education Inc. said an unauthorized actor accessed its computer servers for three days in February and copied files that contained personal information for at least 176,043 people linked to Strayer University and Capella University.

The disclosure gives the breach a hard number and a clear reach. The company, parent of Strayer and Capella, said the exposed records included names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers and passport numbers, putting the incident among the more serious education-sector data disclosures this year.

The breach matters now because Strategic Education has finished its investigation, begun notifying affected consumers and filed reports with attorneys general in several states on June 1 and June 2. Those filings put the scale of the incident into view: 100,845 affected Texas residents, 63,272 in South Carolina, 8,188 in Massachusetts, 2,673 in Maine and 1,065 in Vermont, along with a filing in California.

What the company has not said is just as important. Strategic Education disclosed that the files were copied between Feb. 23 and Feb. 25, 2026, but did not explain how the unauthorized actor got in or what the person intended to do with the files once they were taken. That leaves the central security question unanswered even as the notification process is already underway.

Strategic Education said it discovered the breach on May 21 and started notifying affected consumers on May 29. It is offering a complimentary Kroll identity monitoring membership that includes single-bureau credit monitoring, unlimited fraud consultation and identity theft restoration, and says enrollment will not affect credit scores. Affected people can sign up before the deadline in their letter, while those with questions can call 844-959-7093, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Time.