SAN DIEGO, May 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bridgepoint Education, Inc. , a leading provider of postsecondary education services, announced today that Ashford University has been selected by the U.S. Army for participation as a Letter-of-Instruction (LOI) school in the GoArmyEd program. As an LOI school as of October 1, 2009, Ashford University will be fully integrated into the GoArmyEd web site (www.goarmyed.com), offering the full range of enrollment services to soldiers.

Based in Clinton, Iowa, Ashford University provides online and on-campus undergraduate and graduate degree programs to students across the United States.

GoArmyEd is a dynamic online portal currently designed for active-duty Army personnel who are interested in pursuing their college degrees. Labeled "a virtual gateway to education" by GoArmyEd, the site allows soldiers to manage their education via an easy-to-use and readily available Web site, immediately connecting them to things such as tuition assistance, distance learning options and course content.

"Our mission at Ashford University is to continue to focus on military-friendly programs, raising the bar whenever possible," said K.C. Haight, associate vice president of military and corporate development. "Becoming a GoArmyEd LOI school helps us to do just that.

"Many of our existing enrollment and tuition assistance processes will now be much easier for active-duty soldiers to complete," Haight added. "The GoArmyEd system is automated, so a number of previously paper-based forms are now online. Before that, everything had to be done through a soldier's Army education counselor."

While the focus of GoArmyEd's site is on active-duty Army personnel, Ashford University also provides education benefits to all qualified military personnel including active-duty members of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard and Reserves. Additionally, Ashford University offers these same benefits to active-duty spouses, veterans or retirees who are utilizing VA benefits, vocational rehabilitation students, college-age spouses or dependents who are utilizing survivor benefits, and Department of Defense employees.

Ashford University's low military enrollment fees were set up to match the tuition assistance that is available to all military personnel through the GI Bill. Qualifying students can receive up to $4,500 per year, which covers the cost of six online AU courses. Ashford University also waives the application and technology fees, and pays for all military students' books and applicable shipping costs.

"An education is the greatest resource we can offer our men and women in uniform, and we owe them the opportunity. I believe we should do everything in our power to provide them and their support system with a promising academic future," Haight said.

About Bridgepoint Education

Bridgepoint Education's postsecondary education services focus on offering associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in the disciplines of business, education, psychology, social sciences and health sciences. Bridgepoint Education's regionally accredited academic institutions - Ashford University and University of the Rockies - deliver their programs online as well as at traditional campuses located in Clinton, Iowa, and Colorado Springs, Colorado, respectively.

About Ashford University

Founded in 1918, Ashford University is a coeducational higher education institution regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, with programs in education, business, accounting, criminal and social justice, computer animation and graphic design, and other areas. The University offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as a range of student activities and athletics, at its Clinton, Iowa, campus. Online degree programs are available in education, organizational management, business administration, and psychology. The University offers high quality yet highly affordable on-campus and online programs, with tuition fees among the lowest in the U.S. compared with other private institutions. Its tagline is: "Higher Education Made Affordable"(SM).

SOURCE: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.