Bridgepoint Education's Ashford University Announces First Ten Recipients of Project Working Mom Scholarships

SAN DIEGO, May 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (NYSE: BPI), a leading provider of postsecondary education services, announced today that Ashford University has awarded ten online full-tuition scholarships as part of Project Working Mom. The scholarships will help ten working parents from all across the country achieve their dream of earning a college diploma.

This marks the third consecutive year that Ashford has participated in the Project Working Mom program. In previous years, Ashford awarded ten scholarships each year to deserving applicants. For 2010, the university will triple its commitment to Project Working Mom and award 30 scholarships spread out over three application periods.

The first round of applications concluded on March 1 with scholarship recipients announced in this month. The second round ended on April 22. Those applications are currently being reviewed with a goal of notifying winners in June. The final round of scholarship opportunities will close on Sept. 15 and be awarded in October.

The first group of ten recipients to receive Ashford University online college scholarships in 2010 includes Celeste Chappell-Bates of Center, Ohio; Karen Cloud of Vicksburg, Miss.; Laura Conley of Houston, Texas; Lisa Simmons-Dekker of Victorville, Calif.; Erin Jones of Leonardtown, Md.; Bonnie Katt of Vancouver, Wash.; Laura Myers of Enola, Pa. and Stephanie Woodcock of Yakima, Wash.

One of the Ashford scholarship recipients, Celeste Chappell-Bates, was informed that she had won on the set of The Tyra Banks Show. Chappell-Bates and two other Project Working Mom applicants were guests on the show that aired nationally on April 27. The women shared their stories and explained how a college degree would impact their lives. At the end of the segment, all three guests were informed that they had each won scholarships from different participating colleges.

"I was absolutely stunned – it was a watershed moment between the impossible and the possible," said Chappell-Bates about the experience. "I'd tried to complete my degree my entire adult life and so many things kept getting in the way – finances being the biggest obstacle – and that was taken away in an instant. It was unbelievable, a huge blessing."

Project Working Mom was developed by eLearners.com, a web resource of EducationDynamics that connects prospective students with online educational opportunities. The program was created to remove the barriers – such as finances and accessibility – that prevent working parents from pursuing their college aspirations. Ashford University is one of eight accredited online institutions that are donating more than 280 full-tuition scholarships worth nearly $5 million to the Project Working Mom campaign in 2010.

Applications are still being accepted for the final round of Project Working Mom 2010. Applicants must complete a short application at www.projectworkingmom.com and write an essay describing how they will benefit from a college education. Winning applicants will be notified in October.

About Bridgepoint Education

Bridgepoint Education's postsecondary education services focus on offering associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in such disciplines as 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 and are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (www.ncahlc.org).  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 accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (www.ncahlc.org). The university offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs online and at its Clinton, Iowa campus. The university is known for its high quality yet highly affordable online and on-campus programs.  For more information, visit www.ashford.edu or call Shari Rodriguez, director of public relations, at 858.513.9240 x2513.

About eLearners.com®

eLearners.com is one of several high visibility websites operated by EducationDynamics. Since 1999, eLearners.com has been successfully connecting learners to online education, including online degree and certificate programs, specialized career training, and a variety of online courses. For prospective students, eLearners.com provides a powerful search engine for users to find thousands of online degree program offerings, as well as educational evaluation tools and financial aid resources. For online colleges and universities, the eLearners.com website offers a low-cost, performance-based method to provide national exposure and increase enrollments in their online learning programs. For more information on eLearners.com, visit http://www.eLearners.com.

About EducationDynamics

EducationDynamics, a portfolio company of Halyard Capital, is higher education's leading marketing services company dedicated to helping institutions find, enroll and retain students. Its content-rich and highly visible education websites, including EarnMyDegree.com, eLearners.com, GradSchools.com, StudyAbroad.com, and its more than 50 special interest microsites, make EducationDynamics the premier provider of qualified prospective students for colleges and universities. In addition, the company offers a full suite of Web-delivered services proven to drive enrollment growth and reduce student attrition. Through its Market Research Services division, the company brings a decade of proprietary research, unparalleled market and student intelligence, and best practice insights to its clients. For more information, visit http://www.educationdynamics.com.

SOURCE Bridgepoint Education, Inc.