Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (NYSE: BPI), a provider of post-secondary education services focused on providing higher access to higher education, is pleased to announce that Ashford University has entered into an alliance agreement with Blockbuster Inc.

Through the partnership, Ashford University will be the preferred provider of online education for Blockbuster's 38,000 employees. The employees will receive significant cost savings through waived fees and a prior learning credit evaluation toward their Ashford University degree program.

"We are honored that after a lengthy review process, Blockbuster has chosen Ashford University as its preferred provider of online education for its employees around the country," said Dr. Jane McAuliffe, chief academic officer of Bridgepoint Education. "Our programs are accessible, affordable and innovative, and we look forward to seeing Blockbuster's employees use education to take their careers to the next level."

"With a workforce of over 30,000 employees across the US, it was important that we partner with an academic provider that could meet the needs of such a widely diverse population," said Ben Ehrenberg, director of Training and Organizational Development at Blockbuster.  "Ashford not only offers our employees a quality and affordable education, but also college credit for our internal training programs, making them a great choice.  We fully expect this to be a big win for the employees as well as a contributing factor in employee retention moving forward."

For more information on this agreement, please visit success.ashford.edu/blockbuster or call 800.268.0160.

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.  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, please visit www.ashford.edu or call Shari Rodriguez, director of Public Relations, at 858.513.9240 x2513.