Ashworth College Awarded Military Friendly School Title from G.I. Jobs

Online education leader embraces active duty, veterans, and military spouses and welcomes into its student ranks

NORCROSS, Ga., Sept. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- G.I. Jobs, the premier magazine for military personnel transitioning into civilian life, has awarded Ashworth College (http://www.ashworthcollege.edu), a leading online school, the designation of Military Friendly School. This is the third consecutive year Ashworth College has made the list.

The 2012 Military Friendly Schools list honors the top 20 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools that are doing the most to embrace America's military service members and veterans as students.

"Being recognized by G.I. Jobs as a top institution serving the military is a well deserved and honorable distinction for Ashworth," said Rodney Butler, U.S. Army First Sergeant, Retired and Ashworth College Military Education Coordinator on behalf of the accredited online school. "Ashworth is proud to offer programs that support those serving in the U.S. military, their spouses and our military veterans.

"It's our mission to ensure that each of our programs is of the highest quality, accredited, affordable and flexible," Butler continued. "Our degree programs are designed to help military tuition benefits go further by offering courses under $100 dollars per credit hour -- as much as 55% less than similar institutions."

In its effort to help student veterans find the right school, G.I. Jobs incorporated a survey of student veterans for the first time. This feedback provides prospective military students with insight into the student veteran experience at a particular institution based on peer reviews from current students.  

Michael Dakduk, Executive Director for the Student Veterans of America agrees.  "The Military Friendly Schools list is the go-to resource for prospective student veterans searching for schools that provide the right overall experience.  Nothing is more compelling than actual feedback from current student veterans."

To learn more about personal school decisions and the transition from the military to an academic environment, service members and veterans can also meet individual student veterans from the various schools virtually on the site.

The 1,518 colleges, universities and trade schools on this year's list prioritize the recruitment of students with military experience.  These schools are making the grade by offering scholarships and discounts, veterans' clubs, full-time staff, military credit and other services to those who served. The 2012 list of Military Friendly Schools® was compiled through extensive research and a data driven survey of more than 8,000 schools nationwide. Methodology, criteria and weighting for the list were developed with the assistance of an Academic Advisory Board (AAB) consisting of educators from schools across the country.  A full list of board members can be found at http://militaryfriendlyschools.com/Article/advisory-board/.

"A full story and detailed list of Military Friendly Schools® will be highlighted in the annual Guide to Military Friendly Schools and on a poster, both of which will be distributed to hundreds of thousands of active and former military personnel in early October. The newly redesigned website, found at www.militaryfriendlyschools.com, features the list, interactive tools and search functionality to assist military veterans with their school decisions.  

Ashworth College is a Servicemember Opportunity Colleges Consortium (SOC) member school, accepts ACE credits and is approved for a range of other military benefits including Post 9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, GoArmyEd, and MyCAA.

Ashworth was recently recognized by the Veterans Administration as a Yellow Ribbon School. In addition to its military friendly school designation from G.I. Jobs, Ashworth was also named a military friendly school by Military Advanced Education magazine. The online school also supports a campus chapter of the Student Veteran's Association and was a sponsor of Military Spouse magazine's 2011 Military Spouse of the Year Award.

About G.I. Jobs

G.I. Jobs (www.gijobs.com) is published by Victory Media, a veteran-owned business which also publishes The Guide to Military Friendly Schools, Military Spouse and Vetrepreneur magazines and annually rates the nation's "Military Friendly Employers," "Military Spouse Friendly Employers" and "Best Corporations for Veteran-Owned Businesses.

About Ashworth College

As a leading online school, Ashworth College has built a tradition of excellence spanning 25 years, offering students worldwide more than 115 online college degrees, online certificate programs and online high school diploma options that are affordable and fit the busy schedules of working adults. Ashworth offers military education as well as specialized programs for corporate partners and homeschoolers.

Headquartered in Norcross, GA, Ashworth is accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). The Accrediting Commission of the DETC is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency. James Madison High School is further accredited regionally by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI). SACS CASI is an accreditation division of AdvancED. For more information, visit http://www.ashworthcollege.edu.

SOURCE Ashworth College