SAN DIEGO, July 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (NYSE: BPI), a provider of postsecondary education services focused on providing higher access to higher education, has announced that its two academic institutions, Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa and University of the Rockies in Colorado Springs, Colorado will participate in the GI Bill's Yellow Ribbon Education Enhancement Program (Yellow Ribbon Program) under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The program allows colleges and universities to enter into dollar-for-dollar matching agreements with the federal government to pay veterans' educational costs above those covered by the base GI Bill benefit.

Under the program, new university students who have been determined to be eligible by the Department of Veteran's Affairs may be qualified to have 100% of their tuition covered under the terms of the program. Individuals who are entitled to the maximum benefit rate may be eligible to receive the funding if he/she:

• Served an aggregate period of active duty, after September 10, 2001, of at least 36 months;
• Was honorably discharged from active duty for a service connected disability and served 30 continuous days after September 10, 2001;
• Is a dependent eligible for Transfer of Entitlement under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, based on a veteran's service under the eligibility criteria listed above.

Availability of funding under this program is on a first-come, first-served basis. Prospective Yellow Ribbon Program students are encouraged to first visit the Department of Veteran's Affairs website at www.gibill.va.gov for information about applying for benefits. Active duty military are not eligible for this benefit.

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. For more information about Bridgepoint Education, visit www.bridgepointeducation.com or call Shari Rodriguez, director of Public Relations at 858/668-2580.

About Ashford University

Founded in 1918, Ashford University is a coeducational 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 campus. Online degree programs are available in education, organizational management, business administration, and psychology. The University is known for its high quality yet highly affordable on-campus and online programs, with tuition fees among the lowest in the U.S. compared to other private institutions. Its tagline is: "Higher Education Made Affordable"(SM). For more information, please visit www.ashford.edu or contact Shari Rodriguez, director of Public Relations, at 858/513-9240 x2513.

About University of the Rockies

University of the Rockies is a graduate school specializing in psychology programs at the master's and doctoral levels at its campus in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, University of the Rockies also offers specialized degree programs online. San Diego-based Bridgepoint Education is the parent company of University of the Rockies, formerly known as the Colorado School of Professional Psychology. University students provide free and low-cost psychological services to the underserved through the University of the Rockies Foundation's Switzer Center. The Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit organization supporting students through scholarships, assistantships and other activities. For more information, please visit www.rockies.edu or contact Shari Rodriguez, director of Public Relations, at 866/621-0124 x2513.

SOURCE: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Web site: http://www.bridgepointeducation.com/
http://www.ashford.edu/
http://www.rockies.edu/
http//www.gibill.va.gov/