FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 10, 2009

AMERICAN SENTINEL UNIVERSITY SEES SIGNIFICANT JUMP IN ENROLLMENT

Aurora, CO Mar 10, 2009 - American Sentinel University, an accredited online school that provides degree programs and practical education for today's busy professional, has seen an enrollment increase of 78 percent in 2008. This growth reflects a trend that shows working adults turn to education during times of economic downturn or recession. Online education seems to be the greatest beneficiary of this trend.

According to a 2008 online learning survey from the Sloan Consortium, an organization dedicated to increasing the quality of online education for institutions, educators and students, online education rose by more than 12 percent from a year earlier. This far exceeded the 1.2 percent growth of overall higher education enrollment.

Experts say the increase in online education enrollment can be attributed to:

• Americans are searching for an affordable way to gain an edge over others in the job market and attending online universities to do so.
• More people are attending online universities because they are changing to a new career where jobs are in higher demand.
• Online learning offers more flexibility and quality education at a lower cost than most bricks and mortar universities.

"With the threat of increasing unemployment, many people are coming to American Sentinel for the advantages that higher education brings to today's competitive job sector," says Rick Oliver, PhD, CEO of American Sentinel University. "Students can earn their degree at an affordable cost and without having to commute or attend scheduled classes."

A survey conducted by www.4CollegeDegrees.com, which serves as a directory for prospective online education students, found that two-thirds of students surveyed claim the recession to be the primary reason they enrolled in traditional or online degree programs. As individuals are seeing the economy decline, they are searching for job security.

Other factors that contributed to the successful growth of American Sentinel include adding new programs to their portfolio, building partnerships with key organizations and increasing overall marketing efforts.

About American Sentinel University

Founded as a Vanderbilt University Technology Company, American Sentinel University delivers to their students the competitive advantages of unique online education programs focused on the needs of high-growth sectors. The university is accredited by the U.S. Secretary of Education-the recognized Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council. The nursing programs are in the Commission for Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accreditation process and a site visit was completed in March, 2009. For more information, visit www.americansentinel.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Kim Ogle
Director of Marketing

Phone 615-975-9008
kim.ogle@americansentinel.edu