UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

Form 10-K

 

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008

 

Commission File Number: 001-33810

 

American Public Education, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

111 West Congress Street
Charles Town, West Virginia 25414
(Address, including zip code, of principal executive offices)
(304) 724-3700

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

 

Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act:

None

(Title of class)

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  Yes o     No þ

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.  Yes o     No þ

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes þ     No o

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  o

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  Yes o     No þ

 

The total number of shares of common stock outstanding as of March 5, 2009, was 18,042,919.

 

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by nonaffiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold as of June 30, 2008, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was approximately $506 million. For purposes of this calculation, shares of common stock held by stockholders whose ownership exceeds 10 percent of the common stock outstanding at June 30, 2008, the Registrant’s chief executive officer, the Registrant’s chief financial officer and the Registrant’s directors and funds affiliated with them were excluded. Exclusion of such shares held by any person should not be construed to indicate that the person possesses the power, direct or indirect, to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of the Registrant, or that the person is controlled by or under common control with the Registrant.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Certain portions of the registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement for its 2009 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (which is expected to be filed with the Commission within 120 days after the end of the registrant’s 2008 fiscal year) are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Report.

 

 

AMERICAN PUBLIC EDUCATION, INC.

 

FORM 10-K
INDEX

 

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This annual report, including the sections entitled “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and “Business,” contains forward-looking statements. We may, in some cases, use words such as “project,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “potentially,” “will,” or “may,” or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this annual report include statements about:

 

 

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated by these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this annual report. These important factors include those that we discuss in Item 1A “Risk Factors,” Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation” and elsewhere. You should read these factors and the other cautionary statements made in this annual report as being applicable to all related forward-looking statements wherever they appear in this annual report. If one or more of these factors materialize, or if any underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results, performance or achievements may vary materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements after the date of this annual report, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

 

Company Overview

 

American Public Education, Inc. is a provider of exclusively online postsecondary education directed at the needs of the military and public service communities. We operate through two universities, American Military University, or AMU, and American Public University, or APU, which together constitute the American Public University System. Our universities share a common faculty and curriculum, which includes 74 degree programs and 51 certificate programs in disciplines related to national security, military studies, intelligence, homeland security, criminal justice, technology, business administration, education and liberal arts. We currently serve over 45,000 students living in all 50 states and more than 130 foreign countries. Our university system is regionally and nationally accredited.

 

From 2006 to 2008, our total revenue increased from $40.0 million to $107.1 million, which represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 63.6%. Our net course registrations increased 73% and 55% in 2007 and 2008, respectively, over the prior periods. We believe our growth is attributable to: (i) high student satisfaction and referral rates; (ii) regional accreditation in May 2006; (iii) increasing acceptance of distance learning within our targeted markets; and (iv) achieving certification to participate in federal student aid programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 beginning with classes starting in November 2006. As our revenue base grows, we expect our growth rate percentages to decline. However, we expect actual dollar revenue growth to increase. Net income improved to $16.2 million in 2008 from net income of $1.8 in 2006.

 

Over 80% of our students serve in the United States military on active duty, in the reserves, or in the National Guard or are veterans. Most of our other students are public service professionals including federal, national and local law enforcement personnel or other first responders. Our programs are designed to help these working adult students advance in their current professions or prepare for their next career. Our online method of instruction is well-suited to these students, many of whom serve in positions requiring extended and irregular schedules, are on-call for rapid response missions, participate in extended deployments and exercises, travel or relocate frequently and have limited financial resources. Our satisfied students have been a significant source of referrals for us, reducing our marketing costs per new student. Over 50% of our new students in 2008 who responded to our surveys tell us they inquired about enrolling in either AMU or APU as the result of a personal referral.

 

As of December 31, 2008, we had approximately 120 full-time and over 620 adjunct faculty, virtually all of whom have advanced degrees and many of whom are former or current leading practitioners in their fields. Our adjunct faculty also includes professors who teach at leading national and state universities. We believe quality faculty members are attracted to us because of the high percentage of military and public service professionals in our student body who can immediately apply lessons learned in our classroom to their daily work. In addition, our faculty members are attracted to the flexible nature of teaching online, the numerous support services we provide them, and our per student pay structure for adjunct faculty. Our faculty is organized into several departments under the leadership of a Provost who reports to our President and under the supervision of a nine-member university Board of Trustees.

 

We have invested significant amounts of capital and resources on developing proprietary information systems and processes to support what we refer to as Partnership At a Distance, or PAD. PAD is our approach to how we interact with our students, and at its center is the PAD system. The PAD system allows prospective and current students to interact with us exclusively online, on their schedule. The PAD system also allows us to manage on an automated and cost-effective basis the complex administrative tasks resulting from offering monthly starts for over 1,100 classes in over 700 unique courses to our over 45,000 students taught by over 740 faculty members. Our systems and processes also help us measure and manage the activities of our faculty, student support personnel, and prospective and active students, allowing us to continuously improve our academic quality, student support services and marketing efficiency. We believe these proprietary systems and processes will support a much larger institution and provide us important competitive and cost advantages.

History

 

We were founded as American Military University in 1991 and began offering courses in January 1993. Our founder, a retired Marine officer, established American Military University as a distance learning graduate-level institution, specializing in a military studies curriculum for military officers seeking an advanced degree relevant to their profession. While American Military University began as a paper-based institution that operated by mail, fax, phone and e-mail, we have always been an institution specializing in distributed, distance delivery. Following initial national accreditation by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council, or DETC, in 1995, in January 1996 American Military University began offering undergraduate programs primarily directed to members of the armed forces. It gradually broadened its military studies curriculum over the next three years to include defense management, civil war studies, intelligence, and unconventional warfare, and later expanded into military-related disciplines such as criminal justice, emergency management, national security, and homeland security. Over time, American Military University diversified its educational offerings into the liberal arts in response to demand by military students for post-military career preparation. With its expanded program offerings, American Military University extended its outreach to the greater public service community, primarily police, fire, emergency management personnel and national security professionals. In 2002, we reorganized the operations of American Military University into our current university system and we began operating through two brands, AMU and APU. The purpose of the reorganization was in part to establish an institution brand, APU, that would appeal to non-military markets, including public service professionals such as teachers.

 

Our university system achieved regional accreditation in May 2006 with The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (Higher Learning Commission). In September 2007, we received approval from The Higher Learning Commission to offer seven new degree programs in Education and Information Technology.

 

Since the founding of American Military University, we have gradually transitioned from a military focus to a more broad-based focus on the military and public services communities. Today, the split between students who are eligible for tuition assistance programs of the Department of Defense, or DoD, and those who are not is approximately two-thirds to one-third. We expect the percentage of our students that are not eligible for tuition assistance programs of the DoD to continue to increase, particularly as a result of our eligibility to participate in Title IV programs and with our new degree offerings in Education and Information Technology.

 

Market Overview

 

Within the postsecondary education market, we believe that there is significant opportunity for growth in online programs. We believe that increasing requirements for workers to have job mobility, combined with the growing acceptance of online learning from employers, and the flexibility associated with online learning should attract more students, both traditional and adult, to distance learning.

 

There are more than 2.1 million active and reserve military professionals in the United States Armed Forces. Each year, approximately 300,000 new service members are enlisted or commissioned to replace retiring and separating members. We believe that the unpredictable and demanding work schedules of military personnel and their geographic distribution make online learning and asynchronous teaching particularly attractive to them. Military leaders and policies promote voluntary education programs as a means for service members to gain the knowledge and skills that will improve their military performance as well as prepare them for a career following their military service. Academic achievement can also result in increased rank and pay for service members. The United States Armed Forces recognize academic achievement through awarding promotion points for academic credits, specifying education level eligibility requirements for assignments, promotions, and service schools, and entering remarks on performance appraisals.

 

Active duty and reserve component military personnel are eligible for tuition assistance through the Uniform Tuition Assistance Program of the DoD. DoD policy allows for payment of 100% of a military student’s tuition costs, up to $250 per semester credit hour and a maximum benefit of $4,500 per fiscal year. Our undergraduate tuition per course is designed so that the tuition assistance paid by the service branches

covers the cost of our courses for service members up to the annual maximum benefit. Military students who are eligible for the Veterans Administration’s GI Bill Entitlement Program may apply those funds to pay for tuition costs above the DoD limits through the GI Bill’s Top-Up feature. Most military veterans are also eligible to use their GI Bill entitlement in continuing their education after retirement or separation.

 

We believe that national security, homeland security, and public safety professionals also represent a large and growing market for online education. As with their military counterparts, these individuals have unique program requirements as well as unpredictable and demanding work schedules that often prevent them from attending traditional universities.

 

Competitive Strengths

 

We believe that we have the following competitive strengths:

 

Exclusively Online Education — We have designed our courses and programs specifically for online delivery, and we recruit and train faculty exclusively for online instruction. Because our students are located around the globe, we focus our instruction on asynchronous, interactive instruction that provides students the flexibility to study and interact during the hours of the day or days of the week that suit their terms and schedules.

 

Emphasis on Military and Public Services Communities — Since our founding, our culture has reflected our devotion to our mission of Educating Those Who Serve^tm. We have designed our academic programs, policies, marketing strategies and tuition specifically to meet the needs of the military and public service communities.

 

Affordable Tuition — Our tuition is generally consistent with less expensive in-state tuition at state universities and is designed so that DoD tuition assistance programs fully cover the cost of undergraduate courses and over 90% of the cost of graduate courses. We have not increased our undergraduate tuition of $250 per credit hour since 2000 and have no current intention to do so.

 

Commitment to Academic Excellence — Our academic programs are overseen by our Board of Trustees, which counts as members two former college presidents, four active accreditation peer evaluators, a former Commandant of the Marine Corps, and a former Department of the Army Inspector General. We are committed to continuously improving our academic programs and services, as evidenced by the level of attention and resources we apply to Instruction and Educational support.

 

Proprietary Information Systems and Processes — Through the PAD system, students may access our services online 24/7, such as admission, orientation, course registrations, tuition payments, book requests, grades, transcripts and degree progress, and various other inquiries. We also have created management tools based on the data from the PAD system that help us to improve continuously our academic quality, student support services and marketing efficiency. A key benefit to our proprietary systems and processes is that they allow us to manage the complexities involved in starting over 1,100 classes in over 700 unique courses monthly. We believe our proprietary systems and processes will support a much larger student body and provide us important competitive and cost advantages.

 

Highly Scalable and Profitable Business Model — We believe our exclusively online education model, our proprietary management information systems, our relatively low student acquisition costs, and our variable faculty cost model have enabled us to expand our operating margins.

 

Growth Strategies

 

We believe our growth in student enrollment and revenue has consistently been driven by high student satisfaction and referral rates and increasing acceptance of distance learning within our targeted markets. Between 2006 and 2007, we grew our revenue 73% from $40.0 million to $69.1 million. Our revenues increased by 55% to $107.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2008. As our revenue base grows, we

expect our growth rate percentages to decline. However, we expect actual dollar revenue growth to increase. We plan to grow our business by employing the following primary strategies:

 

Expand in Our Core Military Market — We have focused on the needs of the military community since our founding and this community has been responsible for the vast majority of our growth to date. The combination of our online model, focused curriculum and outreach to the military has enabled us to gain share from more established schools that have served this market for longer periods, many of which are traditional brick and mortar schools.

 

Capitalize on Title IV Availability to Penetrate the Public Service and Civilian Markets — We believe our curriculum is directly relevant to federal, state and local law enforcement and other first responders, but historically this market was limited to us because, outside the federal government, only a few agencies or departments have the tuition reimbursement plans critical to fund continuing adult education. Now that our students can obtain grants or low cost student loans through Title IV programs, we have begun to increase our focus on these markets.

 

Focus on Improving Student Retention — As of December 31, 2008, over 80% of the students who have completed three classes with us remain as active students or have graduated from our university system. However, because our academics are rigorous, and because we are an open enrollment university system, accepting into our undergraduate programs all applicants with a high school diploma or equivalent, many of our new students have difficulty continuing with our program and drop after only one or two courses.

 

Add New Degree Programs — We plan to continue to expand our degree offerings to meet our students’ needs. For example, we recently received approval from The Higher Learning Commission and DETC to offer 19 new Associate degrees and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with Concentration in Forensics.

 

Accreditation

 

An institution must be licensed before it is allowed to teach students but generally cannot be accredited until it has active students and two years of successful, demonstrated performance. The accrediting body must observe the institution’s processes, policies and procedures, and assess its financial viability, among other factors. We maintain institutional accreditation with accrediting bodies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The Higher Learning Commission initially granted us Candidacy status in February 2004. We received regional accreditation from The Higher Learning Commission in May 2006. We submitted a February 2009 Progress Report on undergraduate program reviews and assessment to The Higher Learning Commission, notwithstanding that we were not required to do so because of our participation in The Higher Learning Commission’s Academy for Assessment of Student Learning. The Higher Learning Commission has scheduled the next reaccreditation site visit during the 2010-2011 academic year. We received national accreditation with the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council in 1995. DETC’s process provides for a reevaluation and affirmation of our accreditation every five years. We are slated for a reaccreditation review in late 2009.

Curriculum and Scheduling

 

We offer 125 degree and certificate programs. These programs contain more than 1,200 courses, designated as core, major or elective courses. We offer terms beginning on the first Monday of each month, with approximately 1,100 classes in over 700 unique courses starting each month in either eight- or sixteen-week formats. Semesters and academic years are established to manage requirements for participation in Title IV programs and to assist students who are utilizing Title IV programs in meeting eligibility requirements.

 

 

At the graduate level, we offer degree programs in the following disciplines:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the undergraduate level, we offer degree programs in the following disciplines:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our certificate programs generally consist of a minimum of 18 semester hours of required courses focusing on a particular component of the broader degree program. Students may earn discrete certificates or in combination with work toward a degree program.

Lead Generation and Student Recruitment

 

We direct our marketing efforts primarily toward building brand awareness and lead generation among professionals serving in the military and public service communities. We mainly focus on a relationship-based strategy by striving to build long term and sustainable relationships with influential people and organizations within these groups. We believe that persons working in these fields tend to be tightly knit, which we believe greatly facilitates personal testimonials from active and former students to prospective students. We believe this approach enables us to achieve student acquisition costs that are substantially less than the industry average. We also utilize internet organic search techniques and key word purchases for more consumer focused marketing efforts.

 

Admissions

 

Our universities welcome qualified individuals to apply for admission at any time through an online application process. We are an open enrollment institution, and qualifications for our undergraduate program are a high school diploma or General Education Development certificate. Graduate applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited U.S. institution or an equivalent foreign institution. In 2007, more than 65,400 prospective students inquired about admission through our website or by mail, e-mail, or phone and more than 16,100 started at least one course. In 2008, more than 89,600 inquiries were received and more than 23,300 students started at least one course.

 

Prospective students apply directly online. Upon completing the online application and orientation, students are issued a student ID number and password and provided information for submitting the necessary documentation to finalize their admission and apply for evaluation of credits that they would like to transfer. Students are also informed how to register for their initial course(s), arrange for tuition payment and navigate the online student environment. Prospective students who have questions during the admissions process may obtain assistance through our online resources and can contact the Admissions Department through our online resources or by telephone.

 

Tuition, Books and Fees

 

We believe that our ability to provide affordable programs is one of our competitive strengths. We have maintained our tuition costs in line with public, in-state rates and within the DoD tuition ceilings. Undergraduate tuition is $250 per semester credit hour, or $750 per three-credit course. This is aligned with the DoD’s maximum tuition assistance levels per course, which enables most of our military students to take courses with no out-of-pocket costs. We anticipate no tuition increase for undergraduate students for the foreseeable future. If we were to implement a tuition increase or if the DoD were to lower the amount of tuition assistance per student, military students eligible for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ GI Bill may apply that entitlement to cover the difference through the Top-Up program. A full 120-semester hour undergraduate degree may be earned for $30,000. Eligible undergraduate students receive their textbooks through our book grant program, which represents a potential average student savings over the course of a degree of approximately $3,600 when compared to a 2005 estimate by the General Accounting Office of average text book costs for a first-time, full-time student at four-year public universities for the 2003-2004 academic year. Most students transfer in significant prior credit earned, which also reduces the cost and time of earning their degree.

 

Other than a modest increase in 2007 for graduate tuition, we have not raised tuition since 2000. Graduate tuition is $275 per semester hour, or $825 per three-semester credit hour course. For military students, the service branch pays $750 of the tuition costs per course, and students have the option of paying the remainder out of pocket or applying their GI Bill entitlement to cover the cost above $750. At these tuition rates, students may earn a graduate degree for less than $10,000 in tuition costs. Many students transfer credit from other institutions or military service schools, reducing their cost and time for earning a degree.

 

Despite being an open enrollment institution, we do not charge an admission fee, nor do we charge fees for services such as registration, technology, course drops, and similar events that trigger fees at most institutions. In addition, as a total distance learning institution, there are no resident fees, such as for parking,

food service, student union and recreation. While we charge a fee for transfer credit evaluation, unlike transfer credit fees at many institutions, the fee is a one-time fee that does not increase as more credits are transferred.

 

In addition to military and veterans benefits, we offer a variety of federal and non-federal aid programs to assist students with their education costs. The federal student aid programs under Title IV constituted 13.9% of our net registrations in 2008, and we expect that the ability to participate in these programs is important to our growth. The following aid sources are available from military, federal, state, agency and local organizations to help students meet their education goals:

 

Military and Veterans Student Aid

 

 

Other Federal Student Aid, Including Title IV Programs

 

 

Non-Federal Student Aid

 

 

Enrollment and Student Body

 

Our student body consists of over 45,000 students, and most of them hold full-time employment. Active students are defined as those who have completed a course in the past twelve months, or are currently enrolled or registered for an upcoming course. We disenroll students who fail to register for and complete at least one course in a calendar year, although they may later reapply for admission and active status. Students on extended military deployments may apply for a Program Hold, which keeps them active until they return and are able to resume their studies.

 

Faculty

 

Our faculty consists of over 740 members with relevant teaching and practitioner experience. As of December 31, 2008, approximately 120 faculty members are designated as full-time, and more than 620 members are serving as adjunct faculty. A significant majority of our graduate faculty hold a doctorate in the relevant field, while virtually all undergraduate faculty have earned a graduate degree. Exceptions are granted for a limited number of faculty who may not meet the degree standards, but evidence significant experience and achievement in the subject area they teach.

We establish full-time and adjunct positions based on program and course enrollment. Many full-time faculty began their career with us as adjunct members. As enrollment increases, we expect to establish additional full-time positions, as well as additional adjunct positions.

 

We attract faculty through referrals by current faculty members, advertisements in education and trade association journals, and prospective members discovering us through our Internet presence. Program Managers and Department Chairs review applications and conduct interviews. We check references prior to offering positions to new faculty and, upon selection, we require each new faculty member to complete an orientation and training program that leads to their certification and assignment. Many of our faculty members have relevant experience at leading universities and within military and governmental institutions. We believe that the composition of our student body and course curriculum is particularly attractive to potential faculty members because of the opportunity to teach relevant material to students that are involved on a daily basis in implementing what is being taught. In turn, we believe that our well-regarded faculty, including many former and current practitioners in their fields, attracts new students with interest in these fields.

 

We believe that the quality of our faculty is critical to our success, particularly because faculty members have the largest amount of interaction with our students. We do not provide our faculty with tenure. In addition, we regularly review the performance of our faculty, including monitoring the amount of online contact that faculty have with students, reviewing student feedback and evaluating the learning outcomes achieved by students. If we determine that a faculty member is not performing at the level that we require, we work with the faculty member to improve performance, including through assigning the faculty member a mentor. If the faculty member’s performance does not improve, we will no longer allow that faculty member to teach.

 

Partnership At a Distance

 

We have established proprietary information systems and processes to support what we refer to as Partnership At a Distance, or PAD. PAD is our approach to how we interact with our students, and at its center is the PAD system. The PAD system allows prospective and current students to interact with us exclusively online, on their schedule. Through PAD we try to create learning partnerships with our students and faculty that remove time and distance barriers. The PAD system serves as the backbone for all online student interaction, other than the classroom, which is provided through a separate program that is integrated with the PAD system. We believe that the PAD system empowers students to control the path to achieving their educational goals by providing them with 24/7 access to resources without requiring intervention from staff. The PAD system also serves as a business workflow process designed to enable faculty and staff to make decisions for continuous process improvement based primarily on objective information and feedback from students. Through the PAD system we are also able to manage on an automated and cost-effective basis the complex administrative tasks resulting from offering monthly semester starts for over 1,100 classes in over 700 unique courses to our over 45,000 students taught by over 740 faculty members.

 

Other Technology Systems and Management

 

We believe that we have established a functional, secure and reliable technology system to help us fulfill our mission. We continue to invest in technology systems and enhancements to support this system and our growth. Our online classroom employs the web-based portal learning management system, Educator^tm, from Ucompass.com, Inc., for which we obtained a perpetual license with long-term support commitments in the first quarter of 2008. Our IT infrastructure consists of two data centers, one at our headquarters in Charles Town, West Virginia, and one at a co-location facility in Virginia. Our technology environment is managed internally. Student access is provided through redundant data carriers in both data centers.

 

Competition

 

There are more than 4,000 U.S. colleges and universities serving traditional college age students and adult students. Competition is highly fragmented and varies by geography, program offerings, delivery method,

ownership, quality level, and selectivity of admissions. No one institution has a significant share of the total postsecondary market.

 

We compete with not-for-profit public and private two-year and four-year colleges as well as other for-profit schools, particularly those that offer online learning programs. Public and private colleges and universities, as well as other for-profit schools, offer programs similar to those we offer. Public institutions receive substantial government subsidies, and public and private institutions have access to government and foundation grants, tax-deductible contributions and other financial resources generally not available to for-profit schools. Accordingly, public and private institutions may have instructional and support resources that are superior to those in the for-profit sector. In addition, some of our competitors, including both traditional colleges and universities and other for-profit schools, have substantially greater name recognition and financial and other resources than we have, which may enable them to compete more effectively for potential students. We also expect to face increased competition as a result of new entrants to the online education market, including established colleges and universities that had not previously offered online education programs.

 

The primary competitive factors for institutions targeting working adult students include: specific degree program offerings; affordability, including tuition and fees and rates of increase; convenience and flexibility, including availability of online courses; reputation and academic quality; and marketing effectiveness.

 

Within our primary military market, there are more than 1,850 institutions that serve military students and receive tuition assistance funds. Our primary competitors for military students are other institutions offering online bachelor’s and master’s degrees and traditional colleges and universities located near military installations. Across all branches of military service, the primary institutions receiving funds, other than us, are the University of Maryland University College (UMUC), the University of Phoenix, Park University, Touro International University and varied institutions by branch, such as Central Texas College within the Army and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University for the Air Force.

 

Intellectual Property

 

We exercise rights associated with copyrights, trademarks, service marks, domain names, agreements and registrations to protect our intellectual property. Course syllabi are our property, may be used in current and future courses as needed to facilitate instruction, and may be modified to meet evolving course or curriculum requirements. Intellectual property of individual faculty members, such as weekly notes or lectures, remains the property of the faculty member, and is reserved specifically for use only by the faculty member who owns it, unless he/she grants permission for use by others.

 

We have secured a trademark for the phrase “Educating Those Who Serve,” which is used in promotional materials and messaging, as well as the brand names American Military University, American Public University and American Community College, and we have applied for a trademark for the term Partnership At a Distance. We also own rights to more than 135 Internet domain names pertaining to APUS, AMU, APU and other unique descriptors. Our proprietary student information and service system, the PAD system, is pending patent with the Patent and Trademark Office.

 

Employees

 

In addition to our faculty of over 740 members, as of December 31, 2008, we had a professional staff of approximately 400 non-faculty members administering our academic, technology, service and business operations. Most of our employees work in either our headquarters in Charles Town, West Virginia, or in our administrative offices in Manassas, Virginia.

 

All full-time employees participate in an incentive compensation program, which enables staff and full-time faculty to earn quarterly bonuses based on student retention and satisfaction factors, and an annual bonus based on financial performance.

 

None of our employees are parties to any collective bargaining arrangement. We believe our relationships with our employees are good.

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF AMERICAN PUBLIC EDUCATION, INC.

 

The table below shows information about our executive officers:

 

 

Wallace E. Boston, Jr. joined us in September 2002 as Chief Financial Officer and, since June 2004 has served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors. From August 2001 to April 2002, Mr. Boston served as Chief Financial Officer of Sun Healthcare Group. From July 1998 to May 2001, Mr. Boston served as Chief Operating Officer and later, President of NeighborCare Pharmacies. From February 1993 to May 1998, Mr. Boston served as VP-Finance and later, SVP of Acquisitions and Development of Manor Healthcare Corporation, now Manor Care, Inc. From November 1985 to December 1992, Mr. Boston served as Chief Financial Officer of Meridian Healthcare.

 

Harry T. Wilkins joined us in February 2007 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. From December 2004 to February 2007, Mr. Wilkins served as a member of our board of directors and from January 2005 to February 2007 he served on the Board of Trustees of American Public University System. Since 2002, Mr. Wilkins has also served as a founding partner of Wilkins, Little & Matthews, LLP, a Baltimore-based CPA firm specializing in consulting for postsecondary education clients. From May 1992 to August 2001, Mr. Wilkins served as Chief Financial Officer of Strayer Education, Inc. From November 1984 to April 1992, Mr. Wilkins served as Director at Wooden & Benson, an accounting firm specializing in audits of education companies. From January 1979 to November 1984, Mr. Wilkins served as a senior consultant with Deloitte, Haskins and Sells, now Deloitte & Touche.

 

Carol S. Gilbert joined us in May 2004 as Vice President, Programs and Marketing, was promoted to Senior Vice President, Marketing in January 2005 and was promoted to Executive Vice President, Marketing in January 2009. From August 1998 to October 2003, Ms. Gilbert served as Brand Vice President at Marriott International where she led the strategic planning efforts for the SpringHill Suites’ brand and directed business and marketing strategies for the Fairfield Inn brand, including the launch of the Fairfield Inn & Suites brand extension. From April 1996 to October 1997, Ms. Gilbert served as Vice President and Director of Choice Hotels International (formerly owned by Manor Care, Inc.). From February 1991 to April 1996, Ms. Gilbert served as Senior Director, Marketing Strategy of Manor HealthCare Corporation, now Manor Care, Inc.

 

Frank B. McCluskey, Ph.D.  joined the Company in April 2005 as Executive Vice President, Provost. From July 2001 to April 2005, Dr. McCluskey served as Director and Dean of Online Learning at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, New York. From September 2005 to December 2005, Dr. McCluskey served on the online learning accreditation teams for the State of New York. From May 1998 to December 2002, Dr. McCluskey served as a corporate trainer and organizational consultant for the American Management Association. From December 1988 to January 1999, Dr. McCluskey served as an adjunct professor at Marymount College and Western Connecticut State College. From January 1978 to April 2005, Dr. McCluskey served as a faculty member in the philosophy department at Mercy College and also held a post-doctoral fellowship in philosophy at Yale University.

 

Peter W. Gibbons joined us in October 2002 as Vice President, Student Services and in January 2005 became Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer. In May 2007, Mr. Gibbon’s title was changed to Senior Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer. From June 2002 to October 2002, Mr. Gibbons served as Vice President, Human Resources for Sitel Corporation. Previously, from May 1975 to June 2000, Mr. Gibbons served as a field artillery officer in the United States Army and during his 25 years of service before retiring,

Mr. Gibbons commanded soldiers in combat, held senior staff positions at the Department of Army level, and taught at the United States Military Academy for 3 years.

 

Mark L. Leuba joined us in January 2005 as Vice President and Chief Information Officer, and in April 2007 was promoted to Senior Vice President, Information Technology. From February 1997 to January 2005, Mr. Leuba served as Vice President for Corporate Applications and Vice President of Shared Service Applications at Random House, Inc. From March 1993 to November 1996, Mr. Leuba served as Vice President of Applications for Prudential Home Mortgage, Inc., where he led the automation of back office processes for mortgage-backed securities and secondary marketing. From April 1984 to March 1993, Mr. Leuba served as Senior Director of Application Systems at CSX Technology, a logistics subsidiary of CSX Corporation.

 

Available Information

 

Our Company’s Internet address is www.americanpubliceducation.com. We make available, free of charge through our website, our annual reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, soon after they are electronically filed with the SEC. In addition to visiting our website, you may read and copy public reports we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F. Street, NE, Washington DC 20549, or at www.sec.gov. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330.

 

REGULATION OF OUR BUSINESS

 

We are subject to extensive regulation by (1) state regulatory bodies, (2) accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and (3) the federal government through the U.S. Department of Education and under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, or the Higher Education Act. The regulations, standards and policies of these agencies cover the vast majority of our operations, including our educational programs, facilities, instructional and administrative staff, administrative procedures, marketing, recruiting, financial operations and financial condition.

 

As an institution of higher education that grants degrees, diplomas and certificates, we are required to be authorized by appropriate state education authorities. In addition, in certain states as a condition of continued authorization to grant degrees and in order to participate in various federal programs, including tuition assistance programs of the United States Armed Forces, a school must be accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of Education. Accreditation is a non-governmental process through which an institution submits to qualitative review by an organization of peer institutions, based on the standards of the accrediting agency and the stated aims and purposes of the institution. The Higher Education Act requires accrediting agencies recognized by the Secretary of Education to review and monitor many aspects of an institution’s operations and to take appropriate action when the institution fails to comply with the accrediting agency’s standards.

 

Our operations are also subject to regulation due to our participation in federal student financial aid programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act, which we refer to in this annual report as Title IV programs. Title IV programs, which are administered by the Department of Education, include educational loans with below-market interest rates that are guaranteed by the federal government in the event of default. Title IV programs also include several grant programs for students with the greatest economic need as determined in accordance with the Higher Education Act and Department of Education regulations. To participate in Title IV programs, a school must receive and maintain authorization by the appropriate state education agencies, be accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of Education, and be certified as an eligible institution by the Department of Education.

State Education Licensure

 

We are authorized to offer our programs by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, the regulatory agency governing postsecondary education in the State of West Virginia, where we are headquartered.

 

We are also authorized to operate as an out-of-state institution by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. We are authorized in Virginia because we have administrative offices there, which requires state authorization under Virginia laws. We regularly review the licensure requirements of other states or contact applicable regulatory agencies of other states to determine whether our activities in these states constitute a presence or otherwise require licensure or authorization by the respective state education agencies. We have sought and received confirmation from a majority of states that our current operations do not require licensure or authorization. In addition to our authorizations from West Virginia and Virginia, we or our representatives have also been certified, approved, or otherwise authorized, or we have been notified that we are exempt from licensure or authorization requirements, in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Wyoming. We or our representatives are licensed or authorized to operate or to conduct activities in these states, excluding states that have notified as that we are exempt from licensure or authorization requirements, because we have determined, or the applicable regulatory agency has advised us, that our activities, or our representative’s activities, in each state constitute a presence or involve an activity requiring licensure or authorization by the relevant state education agency. In some cases, the licensure or authorization is only for specific programs or specific activities. Because we enroll students from each of the 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, and because we may undertake activities in other states that constitute a presence or otherwise subject us to the jurisdiction of the respective state education agency, from time to time we will need to seek licensure or authorization in additional states.

 

The increasing popularity and use of the Internet and other online services for the delivery of education has led and may lead to the adoption of new laws and regulatory practices in the United States or foreign countries and to new interpretations of existing laws and regulations. These new laws, regulations and interpretations may relate to issues such as the requirement that online education institutions be licensed in one or more jurisdictions where they have no physical location or other presence. For instance, in some states we are or may be required to seek licensure or authorization because our recruiters meet with prospective students in the state. In other states, the state education agency requires, or may require, licensure or authorization because, for example, we enroll students or employ faculty who reside in the state. Some state education agencies that do not currently require us to be licensed or authorized may in the future require such licensure or authorization for a variety of reasons, including as a result of: new laws or regulations; changes in our business; changes in the nature or amount of our contact or presence with the applicable state; or changes in the interpretation of existing laws and regulations. New laws, regulations or interpretations related to doing business over the Internet could increase our cost of doing business and affect our ability to recruit students in particular states, which could, in turn, negatively affect enrollments and revenues and have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

We are subject to extensive regulations by the states in which we are authorized or licensed to operate. State laws typically establish standards for instruction, qualifications of faculty, administrative procedures, marketing, recruiting, financial operations and other operational matters. State laws and regulations may limit our ability to offer educational programs and to award degrees. Some states may also prescribe financial regulations that are different from those of the Department of Education, and may require the posting of surety bonds. If we fail to comply with state licensing requirements, we may lose our state licensure or authorizations. Although we believe that the only state authorization or licensure necessary for us to participate in the tuition assistance programs for the United States Armed Forces and in Title IV programs is our authorization from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, failure to comply with authorization or licensure requirements in other states could restrict our ability to recruit or enroll students in those states. Failure to comply with the requirements of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission could result in our losing authorization from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, eligibility to participate in Title IV programs, or ability to offer certain programs, any of which may force us to cease operations.

Accreditation

 

We received institutional accreditation in 2006 from The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, a regional accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of Education. Our next comprehensive evaluation will be in 2010 — 2011, as part of a regularly scheduled evaluation process. In November 2008, The Higher Learning Commission conducted a focused visit for the purpose of considering an expansion of our mission to include liberal arts bachelors degrees. In December 2008, The Higher Learning Commission approved expansion of our mission to include liberal arts bachelors degrees. The Higher Learning Commission conducted a focused evaluation in February 2009 due to the August 2008 change in ownership under The Higher Learning Commission’s standards, and the site visitors did not identify concerns related to the August 2008 change and our accreditation status.

 

Accreditation is a non-governmental system for recognizing educational institutions and their programs for student performance, governance, integrity, educational quality, faculty, physical resources, administrative capability and resources, and financial stability. In the United States, this recognition comes primarily through private voluntary associations that accredit institutions or programs of higher education. To be recognized by the Secretary of Education, accrediting agencies must adopt specific standards and procedures for their review of educational institutions or programs. Accrediting agencies establish criteria for accreditation, conduct peer-review evaluations of institutions and programs, and publicly designate those institutions that meet their criteria. Accredited schools are subject to periodic review by accrediting agencies to determine whether such schools maintain the performance, integrity, and quality required for accreditation.

 

The Higher Learning Commission is the same accrediting agency that accredits such universities as The University of Chicago, Northwestern University, West Virginia University, and other degree-granting public and private colleges and universities in its region (including, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming).

 

Accreditation by The Higher Learning Commission is an important attribute of ours. Colleges and universities depend, in part, on accreditation in evaluating transfers of credit and applications to graduate schools. Employers rely on the accredited status of institutions when evaluating a candidate’s credentials, and students and corporate and government sponsors under tuition reimbursement programs look to accreditation for assurance that an institution maintains quality educational standards. Moreover, institutional accreditation by an accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of Education is necessary for eligibility to participate in tuition assistance programs of the United States Armed Forces and Title IV programs.

 

In addition to regional accreditation, we have been accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council, or DETC, since 1995. DETC is a national accrediting agency that is recognized by the Secretary of Education. The Higher Learning Commission, and not DETC, is our designated primary accreditor for Title IV program purposes.

 

We believe many prospective students, employers, state licensing authorities and higher education organizations may view accreditation by a regional accrediting agency to be more prestigious than accreditation by a national accrediting agency, and loss of our regional accreditation would reduce the marketability of the American Public University System even if we were to maintain our national accreditation.

 

We also believe that military personnel are counseled that regional accreditation is an important consideration when selecting a postsecondary institution and that there are further opportunities to leverage regional accreditation to service members, such as joining degree networks previously closed to us like the Servicemember Opportunity Colleges Degree Network System, a DoD program that promotes its member institutions to military professionals.

 

Nature of Federal, State and Private Financial Support for Postsecondary Education

 

Our students finance their education through a combination of individual resources, tuition assistance programs of the United States Armed Forces, private loans, corporate reimbursement programs, and Title IV programs. Participation in these programs adds to the regulation of our operations.

Service members of the United States Armed Forces are eligible to receive tuition assistance from their branch of service through the Uniform Tuition Assistance Program of the DoD. Service members may use this tuition assistance to pursue postsecondary degrees at postsecondary schools that are accredited by accrediting agencies that are recognized by the Secretary of Education. For our undergraduate programs we have established tuition per course that can be 100% covered by DoD tuition assistance funds, resulting in no out-of-pocket costs to undergraduate military students to attend our institution. Each branch of the armed forces has established its own rules for the tuition assistance programs of DoD. Pursuant to these rules, in order for service members to use their tuition assistance funds at American Public University System, we need to maintain our state licensure and either our regional or national accreditation and the service member must maintain satisfactory academic progress and must also progress in a timely manner toward completion of their degree.

 

To the extent that tuition assistance programs do not cover the full cost of tuition for service members, service members may also use their benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, or VA, through the GI Bill’s Top-Up feature. If we lost our eligibility to receive tuition assistance from the United States Armed Forces, or if the amount of tuition assistance per service member is reduced, military service members would need to seek alternative funds. While they may be able to use their education benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill in lieu of DoD tuition assistance funds, we do not know if that option would be as attractive to these students. As a result, the inability to participate in DoD tuition assistance programs, and any reduction in the funding for DoD tuition assistance programs, could have a material adverse effect on our operations.

 

The federal government provides a substantial part of its support for postsecondary education through Title IV programs, in the form of grants and loans to students who can use those funds at any institution that has been certified by the Department of Education to participate in Title IV programs. Aid under Title IV programs is primarily awarded on the basis of financial need, generally defined as the difference between the cost of attending the institution and the amount a student can reasonably contribute to that cost. All recipients of Title IV program funds must maintain satisfactory academic progress and must also progress in a timely manner toward completion of their program of study. In addition, each school must ensure that Title IV program funds are properly accounted for and disbursed in the correct amounts to eligible students.

 

We were first certified to participate in Title IV programs in September 2006. The Department of Education has approved us to participate in the following Title IV programs (described below): (1) the Federal Family Education Loan Program (the “FFEL” program), (2) William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (the “Direct Loan Program”, (3) the Federal Pell Grant program (the “Pell” program) and (4) campus-based programs.

 

(1) FFEL Program.  Under the FFEL program, banks and other lending institutions make loans to students and parents of dependent students. The FFEL program includes the Federal Stafford Loan Program, the Federal PLUS Program (which beginning on July 1, 2006 provided for making loans to graduate and professional students as well as parents of dependent undergraduate students), and the Federal Consolidation Loan Program. If a student defaults on a loan, payment is guaranteed by a federally recognized guaranty agency, which is then reimbursed by the Department of Education. Students who demonstrate financial need may qualify for a subsidized Stafford loan. With a subsidized Stafford loan, the federal government will pay the interest on the loan while the student is in school and during any approved periods of deferment, until the student’s obligation to repay the loan begins. Unsubsidized Stafford loans are available to students who do not qualify for a subsidized Stafford loan or, in some cases, in addition to a subsidized Stafford loan.

 

(2) Direct Loan Program.  Under the Direct Loan Program, the Department of Education makes loan directly to students rather than guaranteeing loans made by lending institutions. To date, we have not originated any loans under this program, but are taking steps to enable us to do so if we decide to participate actively in the program.

 

(3) Federal Pell Grant Program.  Grants under the Federal Pell Grant program are available to eligible students based on financial need and other factors.

(4) Campus-Based Programs.  The “campus-based” Title IV programs include the Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant program, the Federal Work-Study program and the Federal Perkins Loan program.

 

In addition to the programs stated above, eligible students may participate in several other financial aid programs or receive support from other governmental and private sources. For example, some of our students who are veterans use their benefits under the GI Bill to cover their tuition. Certain of our students are also eligible to receive funds from other education assistance programs administered by the VA. Pursuant to federal law providing benefits for veterans and reservists, we are approved for education of veterans and members of the selective reserve and their dependents by the state approving agencies in Virginia and West Virginia. We offer institutional financial aid to eligible students, such as members of the National Sheriffs’ Association. In certain circumstances, our students may access alternative loan programs. Alternative loans are intended to cover the difference between what the student receives from all financial aid sources and the full cost of the student’s education. Students can apply to a number of different lenders for this funding at current market interest rates. Finally, some of our students finance their own education or receive full or partial tuition reimbursement from their employers.

 

On June 30, 2008, President Bush signed the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. The legislation, sometimes referred to as the “New GI Bill”, expands education benefits for veterans who have served on active duty since September 11, 2001, including reservists and members of the National Guard. Under the New GI Bill, eligible veterans may receive benefits for tuition purposes up to the cost of in-state tuition at the most expensive public institution of higher education in the state where the veteran is enrolled. In addition, veterans who are not enrolled in distance education programs may receive monthly housing stipends. Veterans may also receive up to $1,000 per academic year for books and other education costs. The provisions regarding benefits for post-9/11 veterans are effective August 1, 2009. The legislation also increases the amount of education benefits available to eligible veterans under pre-existing law, namely the Montgomery GI Bill, effective August 1, 2008. The legislation also authorizes expansion of service members’ ability to transfer veterans education benefits to family members. We cannot predict with certainty whether and how the New GI Bill, including the tuition benefit formula and the housing stipend provision’s distance education exclusion, might affect our operations.

 

Regulation of Title IV Financial Aid Programs

 

To be eligible to participate in Title IV programs, an institution must comply with specific standards and procedures set forth in the Higher Education Act and the regulations issued thereunder by the Department of Education. An institution must, among other things, be licensed or authorized to offer its educational programs by the state within which it is physically located (in our case, West Virginia) and maintain institutional accreditation by a recognized accrediting agency. In May 2008, we were fully recertified to participate in Title IV programs after having completed an initial period of participation during which we were provisionally certified. In August 2008, we were deemed to have undergone a change in ownership and control requiring review by the Department of Education in order to reestablish our eligibility and continue participation in Title IV programs. In connection with this review, we submitted to the Department of Education a change in ownership application that included the submission of required documentation, including a letter from The Higher Learning Commission indicating that it had approved the change. On October 2, 2008, we received a letter from the Department of Education approving the change in ownership and control and granting us provisional certification until September 30, 2010. See “Regulatory Actions and Restrictions on Operations” below for more information.

 

The substantial amount of federal funds disbursed through Title IV programs, the large number of students and institutions participating in these programs and allegations of fraud and abuse by certain for-profit institutions have caused Congress to require the Department of Education to exercise considerable regulatory oversight over for-profit institutions of higher learning. Accrediting agencies and state education agencies also have responsibilities for overseeing compliance of institutions with Title IV program requirements. As a result, our institution is subject to extensive oversight and review. Because the Department of Education periodically revises its regulations and changes its interpretations of existing laws and regulations, and because Congress

recently enacted legislation that imposes new obligations on institutions, we cannot predict with certainty how the Title IV program requirements will be applied in all circumstances.

 

Significant factors relating to Title IV programs that could adversely affect us include the following:

 

Congressional Action.  Congress reauthorizes the Higher Education Act approximately every five to six years. On July 31, 2008, Congress completed the reauthorization process by passing the Higher Education Opportunity Act or HEOA. President Bush signed the bill into law on August 14, 2008. HEOA provisions are effective upon enactment, unless otherwise specified in the law. Selected HEOA provisions are described in relevant parts of this annual report. Although Congress took many years to complete reauthorization, three laws to amend and reauthorize aspects of the Higher Education Act have been enacted in the meantime. In February 2006, President Bush signed the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which includes the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 or HERA. Among other measures, HERA reauthorized the Higher Education Act with respect to the federal guaranteed student loan programs. In September 2007, President Bush signed the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which increased benefits to students under Title IV programs and reduced payments to and raised costs for lenders that participate in the federal student loan programs. In May 2008, President Bush signed the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008, which was designed to facilitate student loan availability and to increase student access to federal financial aid in light of current market conditions. HEOA includes numerous new and revised requirements for higher education institutions and thus increases substantially regulatory burdens imposed on such institutions under the Higher Education Act. We cannot predict with certainty the effect HEOA’s provisions will have on our business. In addition, we cannot predict with certainty whether or when Congress might act to amend further the Higher Education Act. The elimination of certain Title IV programs, material changes in the requirements for participation in such programs, or the substitution of materially different programs could increase our costs of compliance and could reduce the ability of certain students to finance their education at our institution.

 

The Department of Education has stated that affected parties are responsible for taking steps to comply by the effective dates established in HEOA, even though the Department of Education has yet to issue regulations to implement HEOA’s provisions. The Department of Education started the negotiated rulemaking process for certain parts of HEOA by holding a series of public meetings in September and October of 2008. The Higher Education Act requires negotiated rulemaking for the development of all regulations implementing statutory changes to Title IV of the Higher Education Act, which contains the federal student financial assistance programs. The Department of Education recently established five negotiated rulemaking committees and has published tentative negotiation schedules that began in February 2009. The Department of Education has explained that where negotiated rulemaking is not required, HEOA’s provisions will be implemented either through the usual notice and comment processor, where regulations will merely reflect the changes to the Higher Education Act and not expand upon those changes, as technical changes. We cannot predict how the Department of Education will interpret HEOA’s provisions through rulemaking or otherwise. If our efforts to comply with HEOA’s provisions are inconsistent with how the Department of Education interprets those provisions in final regulations or otherwise, we may be found to be in noncompliance with such provisions and the Department of Education could impose monetary penalties, place limitations on our operations, and/or condition or terminate our eligibility to receive Title IV program funds.

 

In addition, Congress reviews and determines appropriations for Title IV programs on an annual basis through the budget and appropriations process. A reduction in federal funding levels of such programs could reduce the ability of certain students to finance their education. These changes, in turn, could lead to lower enrollments, require us to increase our reliance upon alternative sources of student financial aid and impact our growth plans. The loss of or a significant reduction in Title IV program funds available to our students could reduce our enrollment and revenue and possibly have a material adverse effect on our business and plans for growth. In addition, the legislation and implementing regulations applicable to our operations have been subject to frequent revisions, many of which have increased the level of scrutiny to which for-profit postsecondary education institutions are subjected and have raised applicable standards. If we were not to continue to comply with legislation and implementing regulations applicable to our operations, such noncompliance might impair our ability to participate in Title IV programs, offer educational programs or continue to operate. Certain of the statutory and regulatory requirements applicable to us are described below.

Eligibility and Certification Procedures.  Each institution must apply periodically to the Department of Education for continued certification to participate in Title IV programs. Such recertification generally is required every six years, but may be required earlier, including when an institution undergoes a change of control. An institution may come under the Department of Education’s review when it expands its activities in certain ways, such as opening an additional location or, in certain cases, when it modifies academic credentials that it offers. The Department of Education may place an institution on provisional certification status if it finds that the institution does not fully satisfy all of the eligibility and certification standards and in certain other circumstances, such as when an institution is certified for the first time or undergoes a change in ownership resulting in a change in control. During the period of provisional certification, the institution must comply with any additional conditions included in its program participation agreement. In addition, the Department of Education may more closely review an institution that is provisionally certified if it applies for approval to open a new location, add an educational program, acquire another school or make any other significant change. If the Department of Education determines that a provisionally certified institution is unable to meet its responsibilities under its program participation agreement, it may seek to revoke the institution’s certification to participate in Title IV programs with fewer due process protections for the institution than if it were fully certified. Students attending provisionally certified institutions remain eligible to receive Title IV program funds. We are currently provisionally certified because we have recently undergone a change in ownership and control.

 

On October 2, 2008, we received a letter from the Department of Education approving our August 2008 deemed change in ownership and control and granting us provisional certification until September 30, 2010. See “Regulatory Actions and Restrictions on Operations” for more information.

 

Distance Learning and Repeal of the “50% Rules”.  We offer all of our existing degree, diploma and certificate programs via Internet-based telecommunications from our headquarters in Charles Town, West Virginia.

 

Prior to passage of HERA, as part of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, the Higher Education Act generally excluded from Title IV programs institutions at which (1) more than 50% of the institution’s courses were offered via correspondence methods, which included online courses under certain circumstances, or (2) 50% or more of the institution’s students were enrolled in courses delivered via correspondence methods, which included online courses under certain circumstances (i.e., the “50% Rules”). Because 100% of our courses are online courses, the 50% Rule regarding online courses previously disqualified us from participation in Title IV programs.

 

As part of the 1998 amendments to the Higher Education Act, the Department of Education was authorized to waive specific statutory and regulatory requirements in order to assess the viability of online educational offerings. Under the Distance Education Demonstration Program, or Demonstration Program, institutions were allowed to seek waivers of certain regulatory provisions that inhibited the offering of distance education programs, including the 50% Rules. Participation in the Demonstration Program included regular submissions of data to the Department of Education. Only institutions that were accredited by accrediting agencies recognized by the Secretary of Education for purposes of participation in Title IV programs were allowed to participate in the Demonstration Program. We were not eligible to participate in the Demonstration Program, because at the time the Department of Education was accepting applicants we were accredited exclusively by the Distance Education and Training Council, whose accrediting authority at that time did not extend to Title IV programs.

 

Effective July 1, 2006, the 50% Rules were repealed for telecommunications courses (which include online courses) as part of HERA, but remain in place for traditional correspondence courses. Accordingly, online institutions such as us, which offer their courses exclusively through telecommunications, are no longer subject to the 50% Rules. Following passage of HERA, the Department of Education also terminated the Demonstration Program effective as of June 30, 2006.

 

Under HEOA, an accreditor that evaluates institutions offering distance education must require such institutions to have processes through which the institution establishes that a student who registers for a distance education program is the same student who participates in and receives credit for the program. At this

time we cannot predict with certainty how our accreditors will interpret this provision for purposes of their own requirements and whether such interpretation will impact our operations.

 

Administrative Capability.  Department of Education regulations specify extensive criteria by which an institution must establish that it has the requisite “administrative capability” to participate in Title IV programs. Failure to satisfy any of the standards may lead the Department of Education to find the institution ineligible to participate in Title IV programs or to place the institution on provisional certification as a condition of its participation. To meet the administrative capability standards, an institution must, among other things:

 

 

If an institution fails to satisfy any of these criteria or any other Department of Education regulation, the Department of Education may:

 

 

If we are found not to have satisfied the Department of Education’s “administrative capability” requirements, we could lose, or be limited in our access to, Title IV program funding.

 

Third Party Servicers.  Department of Education regulations permit an institution to enter into a written contract with a third-party servicer for the administration of any aspect of the institution’s participation in Title IV programs. The third-party servicer must, among other obligations, comply with Title IV requirements and be jointly and severally liable with the institution to the Secretary of Education for any violation by the servicer of any Title IV provision. An institution must report to the Department of Education new contracts with or any significant modifications to contracts with third-party servicers as well as other matters related to third-party servicers. We contract with the third-party servicer Global Financial Aid Services, Inc., which performs activities related to our participation in Title IV programs. If Global Financial Aid Services does not comply with applicable statute and regulations including the Higher Education Act, we may be liable for their actions and we could lose our eligibility to participate in Title IV programs.

 

Financial Responsibility.  The Higher Education Act and Department of Education regulations establish extensive standards of financial responsibility that institutions such as us must satisfy in order to participate in

Title IV programs. These standards generally require that an institution provide the resources necessary to comply with Title IV program requirements and meet all of its financial obligations, including required refunds and any repayments to the Department of Education for liabilities incurred in programs administered by the Department of Education.

 

The Department of Education evaluates institutions on an annual basis for compliance with specified financial responsibility standards. Generally, the standards require an institution to receive an unqualified opinion from its accountants on its audited financial statements, maintain sufficient cash reserves to satisfy refund requirements, meet all of its financial obligations and remain current on its debt payments. The financial responsibility standards include a complex formula that uses line items from the institution’s audited financial statements. The formula focuses on three financial ratios: (1) equity ratio (which measures the institution’s capital resources, financial viability and ability to borrow); (2) primary reserve ratio (which measures the institution’s viability and liquidity); and (3) net income ratio (which measures the institution’s profitability or ability to operate within its means). An institution’s financial ratios must yield a composite score of at least 1.5 for the institution to be deemed financially responsible without the need for further federal oversight. The Department of Education may also apply such measures of financial responsibility to the operating company and ownership entities of an eligible institution. At the request of the Department of Education, we supply our consolidated financial statements to the Department of Education for purposes of calculating the composite score. We have applied the financial responsibility standards to our consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2008, and calculated a composite score of 3.0 out of a maximum score of 3.0. We therefore believe that we meet the Department of Education’s composite score standards. If the Department of Education were to determine that we did not meet the financial responsibility standards due to a failure to meet the composite score or other factors, we may be able to establish financial responsibility on an alternative basis by, among other things:

 

 

Failure to meet the Department of Education’s “financial responsibility” requirements, because we do not meet the Department of Education’s minimum composite score to establish financial responsibility or are unable to establish financial responsibility on an alternative basis or fail to meet other financial responsibility requirements, would cause us to lose access to Title IV program funding.

 

Title IV Return of Funds.  Under the Department of Education’s return of funds regulations, when a student withdraws an institution must return unearned funds to the Department of Education in a timely manner. An institution must first determine the amount of Title IV program funds that a student “earned.” If the student withdraws during the first 60% of any period of enrollment or payment period, the amount of Title IV program funds that the student earned is equal to a pro rata portion of the funds for which the student would otherwise be eligible. If the student withdraws after the 60% threshold, then the student has earned 100% of the Title IV program funds. The institution must return to the appropriate Title IV programs, in a specified order, the lesser of (i) the unearned Title IV program funds or (ii) the institutional charges incurred by the student for the period multiplied by the percentage of unearned Title IV program funds. An institution must return the funds no later than 45 days after the date of the institution’s determination that a student withdrew. If such payments are not timely made, an institution may be subject to adverse action, including being required to submit a letter of credit equal to 25% of the refunds the institution should have made in its most recently completed fiscal year. Under Department of Education regulations, late returns of Title IV

program funds for 5% or more of students sampled in the institution’s annual compliance audit constitutes material noncompliance.

 

The “90/10 Rule.”  A requirement of the Higher Education Act, commonly referred to as the “90/10 Rule,” applies only to “proprietary institutions of higher education,” which includes us. Under the Higher Education Act, a proprietary institution is prohibited from deriving, on a cash accounting basis, more than 90% of its revenues for any fiscal year from Title IV funds. Prior to the adoption of HEOA, an institution that violated the rule became ineligible to participate in Title IV programs as of the first day of the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which it exceeded 90%, and it was unable to apply to regain its eligibility until the next fiscal year.

 

HEOA changed the 90/10 Rule from an eligibility requirement to a compliance obligation that is part of an institution’s program participation agreement with the Department of Education. Accordingly, HEOA generally lessens the severity of noncompliance with the 90/10 Rule, although repeated noncompliance will result in loss of eligibility to participate in Title IV programs. Under the terms of HEOA, a proprietary institution of higher education that violates the 90/10 Rule for any fiscal year will be placed on provisional status for two fiscal years. Proprietary institutions of higher education that violate the 90/10 Rule for two consecutive fiscal years will become ineligible to participate in Title IV programs for at least two fiscal years and will be required to demonstrate compliance with Title IV eligibility and certification requirements for at least two fiscal years prior to resuming Title IV program participation. HEOA generally codifies the formula for 90/10 Rule calculations as set forth in current Department of Education regulations, but also expands on the Department of Education’s formula in certain respects, including by broadening the categories of funds that may be counted as revenue for 90/10 Rule purposes. HEOA’s changes to the 90/10 Rule are effective upon enactment, which occurred on August 14, 2008.

 

Student Loan Defaults.  Under the Higher Education Act, an educational institution may lose its eligibility to participate in some or all of the Title IV programs if defaults on the repayment of FFEL program or Direct Loan Program loans by its students exceed certain levels. For each federal fiscal year, a rate of student defaults (known as a “cohort default rate”) is calculated for each institution with 30 or more borrowers entering repayment in a given federal fiscal year by determining the rate at which borrowers who become subject to their repayment obligation in that federal fiscal year default by the end of the next federal fiscal year. For such institutions, the Department of Education calculates a single cohort default rate for each federal fiscal year that includes in the cohort all current or former student borrowers at the institution who entered repayment on any FFEL program or Direct Loan Program loan during that year.

 

If the Department of Education notifies an institution that its cohort default rates for each of the three most recent federal fiscal years are 25% or greater, the institution’s participation in the FFEL program, Direct Loan Program and Pell program ends 30 days after the notification, unless the institution appeals in a timely manner that determination on specified grounds and according to specified procedures. In addition, an institution’s participation in the FFEL program and Direct Loan Program ends 30 days after notification that its most recent cohort default rate is greater than 40%, unless the institution timely appeals that determination on specified grounds and according to specified procedures. An institution whose participation ends under these provisions may not participate in the relevant programs for the remainder of the fiscal year in which the institution receives the notification, as well as for the next two fiscal years.

 

If an institution’s cohort default rate equals or exceeds 25% in any single year, the institution may be placed on provisional certification status. Provisional certification does not limit an institution’s access to Title IV program funds; however, an institution with provisional status is subject to closer review by the Department of Education and may be subject to summary adverse action if it violates Title IV program requirements. Because we have begun only recently to enroll students who are participating in the federal student loan programs, we have no historical cohort default rate. Relatively few students are expected to enter the repayment phase in the near term, which could result in defaults by a few students having a relatively large impact on our cohort default rate.

 

HEOA modified the Higher Education Act’s cohort default rate provisions related to FFEL program loans and Direct Loan Program loans. Beginning with cohort default rate calculations for federal fiscal year 2009,

the cohort default rate will be calculated by determining the rate at which borrowers who become subject to their repayment obligation in the relevant federal fiscal year default by the end of the second following federal fiscal year. The current method of calculating rates will remain in effect and will be used to determine institutional eligibility until three consecutive years of cohort default rates calculated under the new formula are available. In addition, effective as of federal fiscal year 2012, the cohort default rate threshold of 25% will be increased to 30%. An institution whose cohort default rate is equal to or greater than 30% for each of the three most recent federal fiscal years for which data are available will be ineligible to participate in Title IV programs. If an institution’s cohort default rate is 30% or more in a given fiscal year, the institution will be required to assemble a “default prevention task force” and submit to the Department of Education a default improvement plan. An institution that exceeds 30% for two consecutive years will be required to review, revise and resubmit its default improvement plan, and the Department of Education may direct that such plan be amended to include actions, with measurable objectives, that it determines will promote loan repayment. An institution whose cohort default rate is 30% or more for any two consecutive federal fiscal years may file an appeal to demonstrate exceptional mitigating circumstances and, if the Secretary of Education determines that the institution demonstrated such circumstances, the Secretary may not subject the institution to provisional certification based solely on the institution’s cohort default rate. At this time, we cannot predict the effect that this change may have on our ability to meet cohort default rate standards.

 

Incentive Compensation Rules.  As part of an institution’s program participation agreement with the Department of Education and in accordance with the Higher Education Act, an institution may not provide any commission, bonus or other incentive payment to any person or entity engaged in any student recruitment, admissions or financial aid awarding activity based directly or indirectly on success in securing enrollments or financial aid. Certain Department of Education regulations clarify the incentive payment rule. The regulations set forth 12 “safe harbors,” which describe payments or arrangements that do not violate the incentive payment rule. Failure to comply with the incentive compensation rule could result in termination of participation in Title IV programs, limitation on participation in Title IV programs, or financial penalties. Although there can be no assurance that the Department of Education would not find deficiencies in our present or former employee compensation and third-party contractual arrangements, we believe that our employee compensation and third-party contractual arrangements comply with the incentive compensation provisions of the Higher Education Act and Department of Education regulations thereunder.

 

Code of Conduct Related to Student Loans.  HEOA adds a new requirement, as part of an institution’s program participation agreement with the Department of Education, that institutions that participate in Title IV programs adopt a code of conduct pertinent to student loans. For financial aid office or other employees who have responsibility related to education loans, the code must forbid, with limited exceptions, gifts, consulting arrangements with lenders, and advisory board compensation other than reasonable expense reimbursement. The code also must ban revenue-sharing arrangements, “opportunity pools” that lenders offer in exchange for certain promises and staffing assistance from lenders. The institution must post the code prominently on its website and ensure that its officers, employees, and agents who have financial aid responsibilities are informed annually of the code’s provisions. In addition to the code of conduct requirements that apply to institutions, HEOA contains provisions that apply to federal and private lenders, prohibiting such lenders from engaging in certain activities as they interact with institutions. Failure to comply with the code of conduct provision could result in termination of our participation in Title IV programs, limitations on participation in Title IV programs, or financial penalties.

 

Preferred Lender Lists.  The Department of Education recently published regulations, effective July 1, 2008, that in part address institutions’ student loan activity. In particular, the Department of Education’s regulations establish new rules applicable to institutions that make available a list of recommended or suggested lenders for use by potential borrowers. For example, an institution must include at least three unaffiliated lenders on a list, must disclose the method and criteria used to select lenders, must provide comparative information about benefits offered by listed lenders, must include a “prominent statement” that borrowers may select a lender not on the list, and must update the list and accompanying information at least annually.

Under HEOA, institutions that receive any federal funding and enter into preferred lender arrangements must comply with certain requirements related to development and disclosure of preferred lender list. Such institutions must submit annual reports to the Department of Education that explain, among other matters, why the institution has a preferred lender arrangement. Such institution also must publish a code of conduct with certain specified provisions. If the institution participates in Title IV programs, the institution’s preferred lender list must satisfy certain requirements, many of which are included in current Department of Education regulations. In addition, HEOA requires an institution to exercise a duty of care and a duty of loyalty to compile a preferred lender list without prejudice and for the sole benefit of students at the institution and their families. The list must cover the institution’s preferred lender arrangements related to federal and private loans. Institutions with preferred lenders also must make certain disclosures — based on information provided annually by the lender to the institution — for each type of loan offered under a preferred lender arrangement. Failure to comply with preferred lender list rules under the Higher Education Act or the Department of Education’s regulations could result in termination of participation in Title IV programs, limitations on participation in federal student financial aid programs, or financial penalties.

 

College Affordability and Transparency Lists.  Under HEOA, beginning July 1, 2011, the Department of Education will publish on its website lists of the top five percent of institutions, in each of nine categories, with (1) the highest tuition and fees for the most recent academic year, (2) the highest “net price” for the most recent academic year, (3) the largest percentage increase in tuition and fees for the most recent three academic years, and (4) the largest percentage increase in net price for the most recent three academic years. An institution that is placed on a list for high percentage increases in either tuition and fees or in net price must submit a report to the Department of Education explaining the increases and the steps that it intends to take to reduce costs. The Department of Education will report annually to Congress on these institutions and will publish their reports on its web site. The Department of Education also will post lists of the top 10% of institutions in each of the nine categories with lowest tuition and fees or the lowest net price for the most recent academic year. Under HEOA, net price means average yearly price actually charged to first-time, full-time undergraduate students who receive student aid at a higher education institution after such aid is deducted. We cannot predict with certainty the effect such lists will have on our operations.

 

Compliance Reviews.  We are subject to announced and unannounced compliance reviews and audits by various external agencies, including the Department of Education, its Office of Inspector General (“OIG”), state licensing agencies, agencies that guarantee FFEL program loans, the Department of Veterans Affairs and accrediting agencies. As part of the Department of Education’s ongoing monitoring of institutions’ administration of Title IV programs, the Higher Education Act and Department of Education regulations also require institutions to submit annually a compliance audit conducted by an independent certified public accountant in accordance with Government Auditing Standards and applicable audit standards of the Department of Education. In addition, to enable the Secretary of Education to make a determination of financial responsibility, institutions must annually submit audited financial statements prepared in accordance with Department of Education regulations.

 

Privacy.  The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, or FERPA, and the Department of Education’s FERPA regulations require institutions to allow students to review and request changes to such student’s education records maintained by the institution, notify students at least annually of this inspection right, and maintain records in each student’s file listing requests for access to and disclosures of personally identifiable information and the interest of such party in the student’s personally identifiable information. FERPA also limits the disclosure of a student’s personally identifiable information by an institution without such student’s prior written consent. If an institution fails to comply with FERPA or the Department of Education’s FERPA regulations, the Department of Education may require corrective actions by the institution, withhold further payments under any applicable Title IV program or terminate an institution’s eligibility to participate in Title IV programs. In addition, an institution participating in any Title IV program is obligated to safeguard customer information pursuant to applicable provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, or GLBA, and Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, regulations. GLBA and FTC regulations require an institution to develop and maintain a comprehensive information security program to protect personally identifiable financial information of students, parents or other individuals with whom an institution has a customer

relationship. If an institution fails to comply with GLBA or FTC regulations, it may be required to take corrective actions, be subject to FTC monitoring and oversight, and be subject to fines or penalties imposed by the FTC.

 

Potential Effect of Regulatory Violations.  If we fail to comply with the regulatory standards governing Title IV programs, the Department of Education could impose one or more sanctions, including transferring us to the reimbursement or cash monitoring system of payment, seeking to require repayment of certain Title IV program funds, requiring us to post a letter of credit in favor of the Department of Education as a condition for continued Title IV certification, taking emergency action against us, referring the matter for criminal prosecution or initiating proceedings to impose a fine or to limit, condition, suspend or terminate our participation in Title IV programs. In addition, the agencies that guarantee FFEL program loans for our students could initiate proceedings to limit, suspend or terminate our eligibility to provide guaranteed student loans in the event of certain regulatory violations. If such sanctions or proceedings were imposed against us and resulted in a substantial curtailment, or termination, of our participation in Title IV programs, our enrollments, revenues and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.

 

If we lost our eligibility to participate in Title IV programs, or if Congress reduced the amount of available federal student financial aid, we would seek to arrange or provide alternative sources of revenue or financial aid for students. Although we believe that one or more private organizations would be willing to provide financial assistance to students attending our universities, there is no assurance that this would be the case, and the interest rate and other terms of such financial aid might not be as favorable as those for Title IV program funds. We may be required to guarantee all or part of such alternative assistance or might incur other additional costs in connection with securing alternative sources of financial aid. Accordingly, the loss of our eligibility to participate in Title IV programs, or a reduction in the amount of available federal student financial aid, would be expected to have a material adverse effect on our growth plans and results of operations even if we could arrange or provide alternative sources of revenue or student financial aid.

 

In addition to the actions that may be brought against us as a result of our participation in Title IV, we also may be subject, from time to time, to complaints and lawsuits relating to regulatory compliance brought not only by our regulatory agencies, but also by other government agencies and third parties, such as present or former students or employees and other members of the public.

 

Regulatory Actions and Restrictions on Operations

 

Many actions that we may wish to take in connection with our operations are also subject to regulation from a variety of agencies.

 

Restrictions on Adding Educational Programs.  State requirements and accrediting agency standards may, in certain instances, limit our ability to establish additional programs. Many states require approval before institutions can add new programs under specified conditions. The Higher Learning Commission, DETC, and the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission require institutions to notify them in advance of implementing new programs, and upon notification may undertake a review of the institution’s licensure, authorization or accreditation.

 

Under the Higher Education Act and Department of Education regulations, a proprietary institution of higher education must have been in existence for at least two years in order to be eligible to participate in Title IV programs. The Department of Education considers an institution to have been in existence for two years if it was legally authorized to give (and continuously was giving) the same postsecondary instruction for at least two consecutive years. Thus, when a for-profit institution applies to participate in Title IV programs for the first time, it must show that it is in compliance with the so-called two-year rule. An institution subject to the two-year rule may not award Title IV funds to a student in a program that is not included in the institution’s approval documents. For institutions that are subject to the two-year rule, during the institution’s initial period of participation in Title IV programs, the Department of Education will not approve additional programs that would expand the scope of the institution’s eligibility. The Department of Education may provide an exception to such limitation if the institution demonstrates that the program has been legally authorized and continuously provided for at least two years prior to the date of the request. In addition, when

an institution is certified for the first time, its certification is provisional until the Department of Education has reviewed a compliance audit that covers a complete fiscal year of Title IV program participation and has decided to certify fully the institution. In the first quarter of 2008, we timely filed a recertification application because our initial period of certification was scheduled to end on June 30, 2008. As part of that recertification process, the Department of Education fully certified us and it no longer considers us to be in our initial period of certification. However, in August 2008, we were deemed to have undergone a change in ownership and control requiring review by the Department of Education in order to reestablish our eligibility and continue participation in Title IV programs. On October 2, 2008 the Department of Education approved our change in ownership application and granted us provisional certification for a two-year period ending September 30, 2010. Our program participation agreement provides that as a provisionally certified institution, we must apply for and receive approval by the Secretary for any substantial change. Under our program participation agreement, substantial changes include but are not limited to establishment of additional locations, an increase in the level of academic offering, and addition of any non-degree or short-term training program. The Department of Education has advised us that an institution that is provisionally certified based on a change in ownership and control that resulted from a reduction of ownership interest is able to add new degree programs under the same conditions that apply to a fully certified institution.

 

Generally, if an institution that is not subject to the two-year rule or is not in its initial period of certification adds an educational program after it has been designated as an eligible institution, the institution must apply to the Department of Education to have the additional program designated as eligible. However, a fully certified degree-granting institution is not obligated to obtain the Department of Education’s approval of additional programs that lead to an associate, bachelor’s, professional or graduate degree at the same degree level(s) previously approved by the Department of Education. Similarly, a fully certified institution is not required to obtain advance approval for new programs that both prepare students for gainful employment in the same or related recognized occupation as an educational program that has previously been designated as an eligible program at that institution and meet certain minimum-length requirements. However, the Department of Education, as a condition of certification to participate in Title IV programs, can require prior approval of such programs or otherwise restrict the number of programs an institution may add. In the event that an institution that is required to obtain the Department of Education’s express approval for the addition of a new program fails to do so, and erroneously determines that the new educational program is eligible for Title IV program funds, the institution may be liable for repayment of Title IV program funds received by the institution or students in connection with that program.

 

Change in Ownership Resulting in a Change of Control.  Many states and accrediting agencies require institutions of higher education to report or obtain approval of certain changes in ownership or other aspects of institutional status, but the types of and triggers for such reporting or approval vary among states and accrediting agencies. In addition, our accrediting agencies, The Higher Learning Commission and the Distance Education and Training Council, require institutions that they accredit to inform them in advance of any substantive change, including a change that significantly alters the ownership or control of the institution. Examples of substantive changes requiring advance notice to The Higher Learning Commission and to the Distance Education and Training Council include changes in the legal status, ownership, or form of control of the institution, such as the sale of a proprietary institution. The Higher Learning Commission must approve a substantive change in advance in order to include the change in the institution’s accreditation status. The Higher Learning Commission also requires an on-site evaluation within six months to confirm the appropriateness of the approval. The Distance Education and Training Council requires advance notification and an on-site evaluation within six months for the purpose of reaffirming the institution’s accreditation.

 

The Higher Education Act provides that an institution that undergoes a change in ownership resulting in a change in control loses its eligibility to participate in Title IV programs and must apply to the Department of Education in order to reestablish such eligibility. An institution is ineligible to receive Title IV program funds during the period prior to recertification. The Higher Education Act provides that the Department of Education may temporarily provisionally certify an institution seeking approval of a change in ownership and control based on preliminary review by the Department of Education of a materially complete application received by the Department of Education within 10 business days after the transaction. The Department of Education may

continue such temporary, provisional certification on a month-to-month basis until it has rendered a final decision on the institution’s application. If the Department of Education determines to approve the application after a change in ownership and control, it issues a provisional certification, which extends for a period expiring not later than the end of the third complete award year following the date of provisional certification. Department of Education regulations describe some transactions that constitute a change of control, including the transfer of a controlling interest in the voting stock of an institution or the institution’s parent corporation. Department of Education regulations provide that a change of control of a publicly traded corporation occurs in one of two ways: (i) if there is an event that would obligate the corporation to file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC disclosing a change of control or (ii) if the corporation has a stockholder that owns at least 25% of the total outstanding voting stock of the corporation and is the largest stockholder of the corporation, and that stockholder ceases to own at least 25% of such stock or ceases to be the largest stockholder. A significant purchase or disposition of our voting stock could be determined by the Department of Education to be a change in ownership and control under this standard.

 

When a change of ownership resulting in a change of control occurs, the Department of Education applies a different set of financial tests to determine the financial responsibility of the institution in conjunction with its review and approval of the change of ownership. The institution generally is required to submit a same-day audited balance sheet reflecting the financial condition of the institution immediately following the change in ownership. The institution’s same-day balance sheet must demonstrate an acid test ratio of at least 1:1, which is calculated by adding cash and cash equivalents to current accounts receivable and dividing the sum by total current liabilities (and excluding all unsecured or uncollateralized related party receivables). The same-day balance sheet must demonstrate positive tangible net worth. When a publicly traded company undergoes a change in ownership and control due to a reduction in ownership interest, as occurred when funds affiliated with ABS Capital Partners recently distributed approximately 400,000 shares of our stock to its general and limited partners, the institution may submit its most recent quarterly financial statement as filed with the SEC, along with copies of all other SEC filings made after the close of the fiscal year for which a compliance audit has been submitted to the Department of Education, instead of the “same day” balance sheet. In addition, when a change in ownership and control occurs and there is a new owner, the institution must submit to the Department of Education audited financial statements of the institution’s new owner’s two most recently completed fiscal years that are prepared and audited in accordance with Department of Education requirements. The Department may determine whether the financial statements meet financial responsibility standards with respect to the composite score formula. If the institution does not satisfy these requirements, the Department of Education may condition its approval of the change of ownership on the institution’s agreeing to letters of credit, provisional certification, and/or additional monitoring requirements, as described in the above section on Financial Responsibility. If the new owner does not have the required audited financial statements, the Department of Education may impose certain restrictions on the institution, including with respect to adding locations and programs.

 

In August 2008, funds affiliated with ABS Capital Partners reduced their beneficial ownership interest from approximately 26% to approximately 24% of our outstanding common stock by distributing to their limited partners and general partners 400,000 shares of our stock. As a result of such distribution, we were deemed to have undergone a change in ownership and control requiring review by the Department of Education in order to reestablish our eligibility and continue participation in Title IV programs. As required under Department of Education regulations, we timely notified the Department of Education of our change in ownership and control. In connection with the Department of Education’s review of the change, we submitted to the Department of Education a change in ownership application that included the submission of required documentation, including a letter from The Higher Learning Commission indicating that it had approved the change. On October 2, 2008, we received a letter from the Department of Education approving the change in ownership and control and granting us provisional certification until September 30, 2010.

 

Many states include the sale of a controlling interest of common stock in the definition of a change of control requiring approval. A change of control under the definitions of an agency that regulates us might require us to obtain approval of the change in ownership and control in order to maintain our regulatory approval. Under certain circumstances, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and the State

Council of Higher Education for Virginia might require us to seek approval of changes in ownership and control in order to maintain our state authorization or licensure. With respect to the ABS Funds’ August 2008 distribution of 400,000 shares of our stock to their limited and general partners, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia did not consider the distribution to be a change in ownership under its regulations and the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission approved the change.

 

Pursuant to federal law providing benefits for veterans and reservists, we are approved for education of veterans and members of the selective reserve and their dependents by the state approving agencies in West Virginia and Virginia. In certain circumstances, state approving agencies may require an institution to obtain approval for a change in ownership and control.

 

A change of control could occur as a result of future transactions in which we are involved. Some corporate reorganizations and some changes in the board of directors are examples of such transactions. Moreover, as a publicly traded company, the potential adverse effects of a change of control could influence future decisions by us and our stockholders regarding the sale, purchase, transfer, issuance or redemption of our stock. In addition, the regulatory burdens and risks associated with a change of control also could discourage bids for your shares of common stock and could have an adverse effect on the market price of your shares.

 

 

RISK FACTORS

 

Investing in our common stock has a high degree of risk. Before making an investment in our common stock, you should carefully consider the following risks, as well as the other information contained in this annual report, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Any of the risk factors described below could significantly and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. As a result, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you may lose all or part of your investment.

 

Risks Related to Our Business

 

If we are unable to continue our recent revenue and earnings growth, our stock price may decline and we may not have adequate financial resources to execute our business plan.

 

Our revenue increased 73% from $40.0 million in 2006 to $69.1 million in 2007, and it increased 55% from $69.1 million in 2007 to $107.1 million in 2008, primarily due to strong referrals from current students, new student marketing, and the receipt of regional accreditation in May 2006. The same factors that led to the growth in revenues also contributed to our net income improving to $16.2 million in 2008 from $8.8 million in 2007. The rate of revenue growth from 2007 to 2008 was at a lower pace than the rate of growth from 2006 to 2007. As our revenue base grows, we expect our growth rate percentages to decline. You should not rely on the results of any prior periods as an indication of our future operating performance. If we are unable to maintain adequate revenue and earnings growth, or if investors react negatively to the slowing of our growth rates, the value of our stock price may decline.

 

Our growth may place a strain on our resources that could adversely affect our systems, controls and operating efficiency.

 

The growth that we have experienced in the past, as well as any future growth that we experience, may place a significant strain on our resources and increase demands on our management information and reporting systems and financial management controls. We do not have experience scheduling courses and administering programs for more students than our current enrollment, and if growth negatively impacts our ability to do so, the learning experience for our students could be adversely affected, resulting in a higher rate of student attrition and fewer student referrals. We also have limited experience adding to our courses, programs and

operations through acquisitions. Future growth will also require continued improvement of our internal controls and systems, particularly those related to complying with federal regulations under the Higher Education Act of 1965, or the Higher Education Act, as administered by the U.S. Department of Education, including as a result of our participation in federal student financial aid programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act, which we refer to in this annual report as Title IV programs. We have described some of the most significant regulatory risks that apply to us, including those related to Title IV programs, under the heading “Risks Related to the Regulation of our Industry” below. If we are unable to manage our growth or successfully carry out and integrate acquisitions, we may also experience operating inefficiencies that could increase our costs and adversely affect our profitability and results of operations.

 

Tuition assistance programs offered to United States Armed Forces personnel constituted 65% of our net course registrations for 2008, and our revenues and number of students would decrease if we are no longer able to receive funds under these tuition assistance programs or tuition assistance is reduced or eliminated.

 

Service members of the United States Armed Forces are eligible to receive tuition assistance from their branch of the armed forces that they may use to pursue postsecondary degrees. Service members of the United States Armed Forces can use tuition assistance at postsecondary schools that are accredited by accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. Our tuition is currently structured so that tuition assistance payments for service members fully cover the service member’s per course tuition cost of our undergraduate courses and cover more than 90% of the per course tuition cost of our graduate courses. If we are no longer able to receive tuition assistance payments or the tuition assistance program is reduced or eliminated, our enrollments and revenues would be significantly reduced resulting in a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

 

Strong competition in the postsecondary education market, especially in the online education market, could decrease our market share and increase our cost of acquiring students.

 

Postsecondary education is highly fragmented and competitive. We compete with traditional public and private two-year and four-year colleges as well as other for-profit schools, particularly those that offer online learning programs. Public and private colleges and universities, as well as other for-profit schools, offer programs similar to those we offer. Public institutions receive substantial government subsidies, and public and private institutions have access to government and foundation grants, tax-deductible contributions and other financial resources generally not available to for-profit schools. Accordingly, public and private institutions may have instructional and support resources that are superior to those in the for-profit sector. In addition, some of our competitors, including both traditional colleges and universities and other for-profit schools, have substantially greater name recognition and financial and other resources than we have, which may enable them to compete more effectively for potential students, particularly in the non-military sector of the market. We also expect to face increased competition as a result of new entrants to the online education market, including established colleges and universities that have not previously offered online education programs.

 

We may not be able to compete successfully against current or future competitors and may face competitive pressures that could adversely affect our business or results of operations. We may also face increased competition if our competitors pursue relationships with the military and governmental educational programs with which we already have relationships. These competitive factors could cause our enrollments, revenues and profitability to decrease significantly.

 

If we are unable to update and expand the content of existing programs and develop new programs and specializations on a timely basis and in a cost-effective manner, our future growth may be impaired.

 

The updates and expansions of our existing programs and the development of new programs and specializations may not be accepted by existing or prospective students or employers. If we cannot respond to changes in market requirements, our business may be adversely affected. Even if we are able to develop acceptable new programs, we may not be able to introduce these new programs as quickly as students require or as quickly as our competitors introduce competing programs. To offer a new academic program, we may be

required to obtain appropriate federal, state and accrediting agency approvals, which may be conditioned or delayed in a manner that could significantly affect our growth plans. Under certain circumstances or because we are currently provisionally certified by the Department of Education, to be eligible for Title IV programs, a new academic program may need to be approved by the Department of Education. If we are unable to respond adequately to changes in market requirements due to financial constraints, regulatory limitations or other factors, our ability to attract and retain students could be impaired and our financial results could suffer.

 

Establishing new academic programs or modifying existing programs requires us to make investments in management, incur marketing expenses and reallocate other resources. We may have limited experience with the courses in new areas and may need to modify our systems and strategy or enter into arrangements with other institutions to provide new programs effectively and profitably. If we are unable to increase the number of students, or offer new programs in a cost-effective manner, or are otherwise unable to manage effectively the operations of newly established academic programs, our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

 

If we do not have adequate continued personal referrals and marketing and advertising programs that are effective in developing awareness among, attracting and retaining new students, our financial performance in the future would suffer.

 

Building awareness of AMU and APU and the programs we offer among potential students is critical to our ability to attract new students. In order to maintain and increase our revenues and profits, we must continue to attract new students in a cost-effective manner and these students must remain active in our programs. During 2008, we increased the amounts spent on marketing and advertising, and we anticipate this trend to continue, particularly as a result of our attempts to attract and retain students from non-military market sectors. We use marketing tools such as the Internet, exhibits at conferences, and print media advertising to promote our schools and programs. Additionally, we rely on the general reputation of AMU and APU and referrals from current students, alumni and educational service officers in the United States Armed Forces as a source of new students. Some of the factors that could prevent us from successfully advertising and marketing our programs and from successfully enrolling and retaining students in our programs include:

 

 

If we are unable to continue to develop awareness of AMU and APU and the programs we offer, and to enroll and retain students in both military and non-military market sectors, our enrollments would suffer and our ability to increase revenues and maintain profitability would be significantly impaired.

 

System disruptions and security breaches to our online computer networks could negatively impact our ability to generate revenue and damage our reputation, limiting our ability to attract and retain students.

 

The performance and reliability of our technology infrastructure is critical to our reputation and ability to attract and retain students. Any system error or failure, or a sudden and significant increase in bandwidth

usage, could result in the unavailability of our online classroom, damaging our ability to generate revenue. Our technology infrastructure could be vulnerable to interruption or malfunction due to events beyond our control, including natural disasters, terrorist activities and telecommunications failures.

 

Our systems, particularly those related to our Partnership-At-a-Distance, or PAD, system, have been predominantly developed in-house, with limited support from outside vendors. We are continuously working on upgrades to the PAD system, and our employees continue to devote substantial time to its development. To the extent that we face problems with the PAD system, we may not have the capacity to address the problems with our internal capability, and we may not be able to identify outside contractors with expertise relevant to our custom system.

 

Any failure of our online classroom system could also prevent students from accessing their courses. Any interruption to our technology infrastructure could have a material adverse effect on our ability to attract and retain students and could require us to incur additional expenses to correct or mitigate the interruption.

 

Our computer networks may also be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer hackers, computer viruses and other security problems. A user who circumvents security measures could misappropriate proprietary information, personal information about our students or cause interruptions or malfunctions in operations. As a result, we may be required to expend significant resources to protect against the threat of these security breaches or to alleviate problems caused by these breaches. We engage multiple security assessment providers on a periodic basis to review and assess our security. We utilize this information to audit ourselves to ensure that we are continually monitoring the security of our technology infrastructure. However, we cannot assure you that these security assessments and audits will protect our computer networks against the threat of security breaches.

 

We use third party software for our online classroom, and if the provider of that software were to cease to do business or was acquired by a competitor, we may have difficulty maintaining the software required for our online classroom or updating it for future technological changes, which could adversely affect our performance.

 

Our online classroom employs the Educator^tm learning management system pursuant to a license from Ucompass.com, Inc. The Educator system is a web-based portal that stores and delivers course content, provides interactive communication between students and faculty, and supplies online evaluation tools. We rely on Ucompass for ongoing support and customization and integration of the Educator system with the rest of our technology infrastructure. If Ucompass ceased to operate or was unable or unwilling to continue to provide us with service, we may have difficulty maintaining the software required for our online classroom or updating it for future technological changes. Any failure to maintain our online classroom would have an adverse impact on our operations, damage our reputation and limit our ability to attract and retain students.

 

Future growth or increased technology demands will require continued investment of capital, time and resources to develop and update our technology and if we are unable to increase the capacity of our resources appropriately, our ability to handle growth, our ability to attract or retain students and our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

 

We believe that continued growth will require us to increase the capacity and capabilities of our technology infrastructure, including our PAD system. Increasing the capacity and capabilities of our technology infrastructure will require us to invest capital, time and resources, and there is no assurance that even with sufficient investment our systems will be scalable to accommodate future growth. We may also need to invest capital, time and resources to update our technology in response to competitive pressures in the marketplace. If we are unable to increase the capacity of our resources or update our resources appropriately, our ability to handle growth, our ability to attract or retain students, and our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

The loss of any key member of our management team may impair our ability to operate effectively and may harm our business.

 

Our success depends largely upon the continued services of our executive officers and other key management and technical personnel. The loss of one or more members of our management team could harm our business. Except for the employment agreements we have with Mr. Boston, Dr. McCluskey and Mr. Wilkins, we do not have employment agreements with any of our other executive officers or key personnel. We do not maintain key person life insurance policies on any of our employees.

 

If we are unable to attract and retain faculty, administrators, management and skilled personnel, our business and growth prospects could be severely harmed.

 

To execute our growth strategy, we must attract and retain highly qualified faculty, administrators, management and skilled personnel. Competition for hiring these individuals is intense, especially with regard to faculty in specialized areas. If we fail to attract new skilled personnel or faculty or fail to retain and motivate our existing faculty, administrators, management and skilled personnel, our business and growth prospects could be severely harmed.

 

The protection of our operations through exclusive proprietary rights and intellectual property is limited, and we encounter disputes from time to time relating to our use of intellectual property of third parties, any of which could harm our operations and prospects.

 

In the ordinary course of our business, we develop intellectual property of many kinds that is or will be the subject of copyright, trademark, service mark, patent, trade secret or other protections. This intellectual property includes but is not limited to courseware materials and business know-how and internal processes and procedures developed to respond to the requirements of operating and various education regulatory agencies. We rely on a combination of copyrights, trademarks, service marks, trade secrets, domain names, agreements and registrations to protect our intellectual property. We rely on service mark and trademark protection in the United States and select foreign jurisdictions to protect our rights to the marks “AMERICAN MILITARY UNIVERSITY,” “AMERICAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITY,” “AMERICAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITY SYSTEM” and “EDUCATING THOSE WHO SERVE,” as well as distinctive logos and other marks associated with our services. We rely on agreements under which we obtain rights to use course content developed by faculty members and other third party content experts. We cannot assure you that the measures that we take will be adequate or that we have secured, or will be able to secure, appropriate protections for all of our proprietary rights in the United States or select foreign jurisdictions, or that third parties will not infringe upon or violate our proprietary rights. Despite our efforts to protect these rights, unauthorized third parties may attempt to duplicate or copy the proprietary aspects of our curricula, online resource material and other content, and offer competing programs to ours.

 

In particular, third parties may attempt to develop competing programs or duplicate or copy aspects of our curriculum, online resource material, quality management and other proprietary content. Any such attempt, if successful, could adversely affect our business. Protecting these types of intellectual property rights can be difficult, particularly as it relates to the development by our competitors of competing courses and programs.

 

We may encounter disputes from time to time over rights and obligations concerning intellectual property, and we may not prevail in these disputes. Third parties may raise a claim against us alleging an infringement or violation of the intellectual property of that third party. In July 2006, we settled a dispute with another institution regarding the use of certain marks that allowed us to continue to use the marks at issue, but we may not be able to favorably resolve future disputes. Some third party intellectual property rights may be extremely broad, and it may not be possible for us to conduct our operations in such a way as to avoid those intellectual property rights. Any such intellectual property claim could subject us to costly litigation and impose a significant strain on our financial resources and management personnel regardless of whether such claim has merit. Our general liability and cyber liability insurance may not cover potential claims of this type adequately or at all, and we may be required to alter the content of our classes or pay monetary damages, which may be significant.

We may incur liability for the unauthorized duplication or distribution of class materials posted online for class discussions.

 

In some instances, our faculty members or our students may post various articles or other third party content on class discussion boards. We may incur liability for the unauthorized duplication or distribution of this material posted online for class discussions. Third parties may raise claims against us for the unauthorized duplication of this material. Any such claims could subject us to costly litigation and impose a significant strain on our financial resources and management personnel regardless of whether the claims have merit. Our faculty members or students could also post classified material on class discussion boards, which could expose us to civil and criminal liability and harm our reputation and relationships with members of the military and government. Our general liability insurance may not cover potential claims of this type adequately or at all, and we may be required to alter the content of our courses or pay monetary damages.

 

Because we are an exclusively online provider of education, we are entirely dependent on continued growth and acceptance of exclusively online education and, if the recognition by students and employers of the value of online education does not continue to grow, our ability to grow our business could be adversely impacted.

 

We believe that continued growth in online education will be largely dependent on additional students and employers recognizing the value of degrees from online institutions. If students and employers are not convinced that online schools are an acceptable alternative to traditional schools or that an online education provides value, or if growth in the market penetration of exclusively online education slows, growth in the industry and our business could be adversely affected. Because our business model is based on online education, if the acceptance of online education does not grow, our ability to continue to grow our business and our financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

 

If we do not maintain continued strong relationships with various military bases and educational service officers, and if we are unable to expand our use of articulation agreements, our future growth may be impaired.

 

We have non-exclusive articulation agreements or memoranda of understanding with various educational institutions of the United States Armed Forces and other governmental education programs. Articulation agreements and memoranda of understanding are agreements pursuant to which we agree to award academic credits toward our degrees for learning in educational programs offered by others. Additionally, we rely on relationships with educational service offices on military bases and base education officers to distribute our information to interested service members. If our relationships with educational service offices or base education counselors deteriorate or end, our efforts to recruit students from that base will be impaired. If our articulation agreements and memoranda of understanding are eliminated, or if our relationships with educational service offices or base education counselors deteriorate, this could materially and adversely affect our revenues and results of operations.

 

The United States Armed Forces has in the past and may in the future approve programs and initiatives to provide additional educational opportunities to service members, and these programs and initiatives may not include participation by us. We cannot predict the impact of these announcements, programs or initiatives on us, but given our dependence on students from the armed forces, our net course registrations and results of operations could be materially adversely affected by such announcements, programs and initiatives.

 

Government regulations relating to the Internet could increase our cost of doing business, affect our ability to grow or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

The increasing popularity and use of the Internet and other online services have led and may lead to the adoption of new laws and regulatory practices in the United States or foreign countries and to new interpretations of existing laws and regulations. These new laws and interpretations may relate to issues such as online privacy, copyrights, trademarks and service marks, sales taxes, fair business practices and the requirement that online education institutions qualify to do business as foreign corporations or be licensed in

one or more jurisdictions where they have no physical location or other presence. New laws, regulations or interpretations related to doing business over the Internet could increase our costs and materially and adversely affect our enrollments, revenues and results of operations.

 

Risks Related to the Regulation of Our Industry

 

The Department of Education has placed us on provisional certification as a result of our recent change in ownership and control, and the terms of our provisional certification could limit our potential for growth outside the military sector and adversely affect our enrollment, revenues and results of operations.

 

In August 2008, funds affiliated with ABS Capital Partners reduced their beneficial ownership interest from approximately 26% to approximately 24% of our outstanding common stock by distributing to their limited partners and general partners 400,000 shares of our stock. As a result of this distribution of shares, we were deemed to have undergone a change in ownership and control requiring review by the Department of Education in order to reestablish our eligibility and continue participation in Title IV programs. As required under Department of Education regulations, we timely notified the Department of Education of our change in ownership and control. In connection with the Department of Education’s review of the change, we submitted to the Department of Education a change in ownership application that included the submission of required documentation, including a letter from our regional accrediting agency, The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools indicating that it had approved the change. On October 2, 2008, we received a letter from the Department of Education approving the change in ownership and control and granting us provisional certification until September 30, 2010.

 

During a period of provisional certification, we must comply with any additional conditions included in our program participation agreement, which include, among other things, limitations on our operations. Our program participation agreement provides that as a provisionally certified institution, we must apply for and receive approval by the Secretary for any substantial change. Under our program participation agreement, substantial changes include but are not limited to establishment of additional locations, an increase in the level of academic offering, and addition of any non-degree or short-term training program. The Department of Education may also more closely review us while we are provisionally certified. The conditions to provisional certification or closer review by the Department of Education could impact, among other things, our ability to add educational programs, acquire other schools or make other significant changes. In addition, while we are provisionally certified if the Department of Education determines that we are unable to meet our responsibilities, it may seek to revoke our certification to participate in Title IV programs with fewer due process protections than if we were fully certified. Limitations on our operations could, and the loss of our certification to participate in Title IV programs would, adversely affect our ability to grow our presence outside the military sector in addition to having adverse effects on our enrollment, revenues and results of operations.

 

If we fail to comply with the extensive regulatory requirements for our business, we could face penalties and significant restrictions on our operations, including loss of access to federal tuition assistance programs for members of the United States Armed Forces and federal loans and grants for our students.

 

We are subject to extensive regulation by (1) the federal government through the U.S. Department of Education and under the Higher Education Act, (2) state regulatory bodies and (3) accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. The regulations, standards and policies of these agencies cover the vast majority of our operations, including our educational programs, facilities, instructional and administrative staff, administrative procedures, marketing, recruiting, financial operations and financial condition. These regulatory requirements can also affect our ability to add new or expand existing educational programs and to change our corporate structure and ownership.

 

Institutions of higher education that grant degrees, diplomas or certificates must be authorized by an appropriate state education agency or agencies. In addition, in certain states as a condition of continued authorization to grant degrees and in order to participate in various federal programs, including tuition assistance programs of the United States Armed Forces, a school must be accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of Education. Accreditation is a non-governmental process through which an

institution submits to qualitative review by an organization of peer institutions, based on the standards of the accrediting agency and the stated aims and purposes of the institution. The Higher Education Act requires accrediting agencies recognized by the Department of Education to review and monitor many aspects of an institution’s operations and to take appropriate action when the institution fails to comply with the accrediting agency’s standards.

 

Our operations are also subject to regulation due to our participation in Title IV programs. Title IV programs, which are administered by the Department of Education, include educational loans with below-market interest rates that are guaranteed by the federal government in the event of default. Title IV programs also include several grant programs for students with economic need as determined in accordance with the Higher Education Act and Department of Education regulations. To participate in Title IV programs, a school must receive and maintain authorization by the appropriate state education agencies, be accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of Education and be certified as an eligible institution by the Department of Education. Our growth strategy is partly dependent on enrolling more students who are attracted to us because of our continued participation in these programs.

 

The regulations, standards and policies of the Department of Education, state education agencies and our accrediting agencies change frequently, and changes in, or new interpretations of, applicable laws, regulations, standards or policies, or our noncompliance with any applicable laws, regulations, standards or policies, could have a material adverse effect on our accreditation, authorization to operate in various states, activities, receipt of funds under tuition assistance programs of the United States Armed Forces, our ability to participate in Title IV programs, or costs of doing business. Furthermore, findings of noncompliance with these laws, regulations, standards and policies also could result in our being required to pay monetary damages, or being subjected to fines, penalties, injunctions, limitations on our operations, termination of our ability to grant degrees, revocation of our accreditation, restrictions on our access to Title IV program funds or other censure that could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

If we fail to maintain our institutional accreditation, we would lose our ability to participate in the tuition assistance programs of the United States Armed Forces and also to participate in Title IV programs.

 

American Public University System is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, one of six regional accrediting agencies recognized by the Secretary of Education, and by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council, or DETC, which is a national accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of Education. Accreditation by an accrediting agency that is recognized by the Secretary of Education is required for participation in the tuition assistance programs of the United States Armed Forces. In 2008, we derived approximately 65% of our net course registrations from these tuition assistance programs. Accreditation by an accrediting agency that is recognized by the Secretary of Education for Title IV purposes is also required for an institution to become and remain eligible to participate in Title IV programs. American Public University System achieved regional accreditation from The Higher Learning Commission in 2006 and has had national accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council since 1995. We have identified The Higher Learning Commission as our primary accreditor for Title IV purposes. Either The Higher Learning Commission or DETC may impose restrictions on our accreditation or may terminate our accreditation. To remain accredited American Public University System must continuously meet certain criteria and standards relating to, among other things, performance, governance, institutional integrity, educational quality, faculty, administrative capability, resources and financial stability. Failure to meet any of these criteria or standards could result in the loss of accreditation at the discretion of the accrediting agencies. Furthermore, many prospective students may view accreditation by a regional accrediting agency to be more prestigious than accreditation by a national accrediting agency, and we believe that loss of regional accreditation may reduce the marketability of American Public University System even if national accreditation were maintained. The complete loss of accreditation would, among other things, render our students and us ineligible to participate in the tuition assistance programs of the United States Armed Forces or Title IV programs and have a material adverse effect on our enrollments, revenues and results of operations.

We have only recently begun to participate in Title IV programs, and our failure to comply with the complex regulations associated with Title IV programs would have a significant adverse effect on our operations and prospects for growth.

 

We first became certified to participate in Title IV programs for classes beginning in November 2006. We expect a significant portion of our growth in enrollments and revenues to come from students who are utilizing funds from Title IV programs. However, compliance with the requirements of the Higher Education Act and Title IV programs is highly complex and imposes significant additional regulatory requirements on our operations, which require additional staff, contractual arrangements, systems and regulatory costs. We have limited to no demonstrated history of compliance with these additional regulatory requirements. If we fail to comply with any of these additional regulatory requirements, the Department of Education could, among other things, impose monetary penalties, place limitations on our operations, and/or condition or terminate our eligibility to receive Title IV program funds, which would limit our potential for growth outside the military sector and adversely affect our enrollment, revenues and results of operations.

 

If American Public University System does not maintain its authorization in West Virginia, our operations would be curtailed and we may not grant degrees.

 

A school that grants degrees, diplomas or certificates must be authorized by the relevant education agency of the state or states in which it is located. State authorization is also required for an institution to be eligible to participate in Title IV programs. American Public University System is headquartered in the State of West Virginia and is authorized by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. If we maintain our regional accreditation, we will likely remain in good standing with the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. However, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission may also take disciplinary action or revoke authorization if an institution’s bond is cancelled, if the institution fails to take corrective action to bring it into compliance with West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission policies, or if the owner is convicted for a felony or crime involving institution administration of Title IV programs. If we do not maintain regional accreditation, our state authorization may be continued based on our national accrediting agency, DETC, if the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission finds that it is an acceptable alternative accrediting agency. If we lose accreditation from both accrediting agencies, or accreditation by DETC is not an acceptable alternative accrediting agency in case of loss of Higher Learning Commission accreditation, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission may suspend, withdraw, or revoke our authorization. In addition, in order to maintain our eligibility for accreditation by The Higher Learning Commission, we must remain headquartered in one of the states in its region, which includes West Virginia. If we were to lose our authorization from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission we would be unable to provide educational services, and we would lose our regional accreditation.

 

Our failure to comply with regulations of various states could have a material adverse effect on our enrollments, revenues and results of operations.

 

Various states impose regulatory requirements on educational institutions operating within their boundaries. Several states have sought to assert jurisdiction over online educational institutions that have no physical location or other presence in the state but offer educational services to students who reside in the state, or that advertise to or recruit prospective students in the state. State regulatory requirements for online education are inconsistent among states and not well developed in many jurisdictions. As such, these requirements change frequently and, in some instances, are not clear or are left to the discretion of state regulators. Our changing business and the constantly changing regulatory environment require us to evaluate continually our state regulatory compliance activities. In the event we are found not to be in compliance, and a state seeks to restrict one or more of our business activities within its boundaries, we may not be able to recruit students from that state and may have to cease providing service to students in that state.

 

American Public University System has a physical presence in the Commonwealth of Virginia based on administrative offices in that state, and it is authorized by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. We are currently reviewing the licensure requirements of other states to determine whether our activities in these states constitute a presence or otherwise require licensure or authorization by the respective state

education agencies, and we have, and are in the process of seeking, licensure or authorization in additional states. State laws typically establish standards for instruction, qualifications of faculty, administrative procedures, marketing, recruiting, financial operations and other operational matters. To the extent that we have obtained, or obtain in the future, additional authorizations or licensure, state laws and regulations may limit our ability to offer educational programs and award degrees. Some states may also prescribe financial regulations that are different from those of the Department of Education, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, The Higher Learning Commission or DETC. If we fail to comply with state licensing or authorization requirements, we may be subject to the loss of state licensure or authorization. If we fail to comply with state requirements to obtain licensure or authorization, we may be the subject of injunctive actions or penalties. Although we believe that the only state licensure or authorization that is necessary for American Public University System to participate in the tuition assistance programs for the United States Armed Forces and in Title IV programs is our authorization from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, loss of licensure or authorization in other states or the failure to obtain required licensures or authorizations could prohibit us from recruiting or enrolling students in those states, reduce significantly our enrollments and revenues and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

We must periodically seek recertification to participate in Title IV programs, and may, in certain circumstances, be subject to review by the Department of Education prior to seeking recertification, and our future success may be adversely affected if we are unable to successfully maintain certification or obtain recertification.

 

An institution generally must seek recertification from the Department of Education at least every six years and possibly more frequently depending on various factors, such as whether it is provisionally certified. The Department of Education may also review an institution’s continued eligibility and certification to participate in Title IV programs, or scope of eligibility and certification, in the event the institution undergoes a change in ownership resulting in a change of control or expands its activities in certain ways, such as the addition of certain types of new programs, or, in certain cases, changes to the academic credentials that it offers. In certain circumstances, the Department of Education must provisionally certify an institution, such as when it is an initial participant in Title IV programs or has undergone a change in ownership and control. In 2006 we applied to participate in Title IV programs for the first time and were provisionally certified for a period through June 30, 2007. We timely submitted our application for recertification, and the Department of Education granted us provisional certification through June 30, 2008. In May 2008, we were fully recertified to participate in Title IV programs. In August 2008, we were deemed to have undergone a change in ownership and control requiring review by the Department of Education in order to reestablish our eligibility and continue participation in Title IV programs. As required under Department of Education regulations, we timely notified the Department of Education of our change in ownership and control. In connection with the Department of Education’s review of the change, we submitted to the Department of Education a change in ownership application that included the submission of required documentation, including a letter from The Higher Learning Commission indicating that it had approved the change. On October 2, 2008, we received a letter from the Department of Education approving the change in ownership and control and granting us provisional certification until September 30, 2010. A provisionally certified institution must apply for and receive Department of Education approval of substantial changes and must comply with any additional conditions included in its program participation agreement. If the Department of Education determines that a provisionally certified institution is unable to meet its responsibilities under its program participation agreement, it may seek to revoke the institution’s certification to participate in Title IV programs with fewer due process protections for the institution than if it were fully certified. The Department of Education may withdraw our certification if it determines that we are not fulfilling material requirements for continued participation in Title IV programs. If the Department of Education does not renew or withdraws our certification to participate in Title IV programs, our students would no longer be able to receive Title IV program funds, which would have a material adverse effect on our enrollments, revenues and results of operations. In addition, regulatory restraints related to the addition of new programs could impair our ability to attract and retain students and could negatively affect our financial results.

If regulators do not approve or delay their approval of transactions involving a change of control of our company, our ability to operate could be impaired.

 

If we or American Public University System experience a change of control under the standards of applicable state education agencies, the Department of Education, DETC, The Higher Learning Commission, or other regulators, we must notify or seek the approval of each relevant regulatory agency. A change of control occurred in August 2008 and we have completed the required notification and approval processes. As a result of its review and approval of the change, The Higher Learning Commission informed us that it plans to conduct a focused evaluation in Spring 2009 as its policies require it to do as a result of a change of the type we experienced in August 2008. Transactions or events that constitute a change of control include significant acquisitions or dispositions of an institution’s common stock and significant changes in the composition of an institution’s board of directors. Some of these transactions or events may be beyond our control. Our failure to obtain, or a delay in receiving, approval of any change of control from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Department of Education, DETC or The Higher Learning Commission could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. Our failure to obtain, or a delay in receiving, approval of any change of control from other states in which we are currently licensed or authorized could require us to suspend our activities in that state or otherwise impair our operations. The potential adverse effects of a change of control could influence future decisions by us and our stockholders regarding the sale, purchase, transfer, issuance or redemption of our stock. In addition, the regulatory burdens and risks associated with a change of control also could have an adverse effect on the market price of your shares.

 

Government and regulatory agencies and third parties may conduct compliance reviews, bring claims or initiate litigation against us, any of which could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our performance.

 

Because we operate in a highly regulated industry, we are subject to compliance reviews and claims of noncompliance and lawsuits by government agencies, regulatory agencies and third parties, including claims brought by third parties on behalf of the federal government. For example, the Department of Education regularly conducts program reviews of educational institutions that are participating in the Title IV programs and the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Education regularly conducts audits and investigations of such institutions. If the results of compliance reviews or other proceedings are unfavorable to us, or if we are unable to defend successfully against lawsuits or claims, we may be required to pay monetary damages or be subject to fines, limitations, loss of Title IV funding, injunctions or other penalties, including the requirement to make refunds. Even if we adequately address issues raised by an agency review or successfully defend a lawsuit or claim, we may have to divert significant financial and management resources from our ongoing business operations to address issues raised by those reviews or to defend against those lawsuits or claims. Claims and lawsuits brought against us may damage our reputation, even if such claims and lawsuits are without merit.

 

Our regulatory environment and our reputation may be negatively influenced by the actions of other for-profit institutions.

 

We are one of a number of for-profit institutions serving the postsecondary education market. In recent years, regulatory investigations and civil litigation have been commenced against several companies that own for-profit educational institutions. These investigations and lawsuits have alleged, among other things, deceptive trade practices and noncompliance with Department of Education regulations. These allegations have attracted adverse media coverage and have been the subject of federal and state legislative hearings. Although the media, regulatory and legislative focus has been primarily on the allegations made against these specific companies, broader allegations against the overall for-profit school sector may negatively affect public perceptions of other for-profit educational institutions, including American Public University System. In addition, recent reports on student lending practices of various lending institutions and schools, including for-profit schools, and investigations by a number of state attorneys general, Congress and governmental agencies have led to adverse media coverage of postsecondary education. Adverse media coverage regarding other companies in the for-profit school sector or regarding us directly could damage our reputation, could result in lower enrollments, revenues and operating profit, and could have a negative impact on our stock price. Such allegations could also result in increased scrutiny and regulation by the Department of Education, Congress, accrediting bodies, state legislatures or other governmental authorities with respect to all for-profit institutions, including us.

Congress may change the law or reduce funding for Title IV programs, which could reduce our student population, revenues and profit margin.

 

The Higher Education Act comes up for reauthorization by Congress approximately every five to six years. When Congress does not act on complete reauthorization, there are typically amendments and extensions of authorization. On August 14, 2008, President Bush signed into law the Higher Education Opportunity Act, or HEOA, which reauthorizes the Higher Education Act. Additionally, Congress reviews and determines appropriations for Title IV programs on an annual basis through the budget and appropriations process. We cannot predict with certainty the effect HEOA will have on our business. Further, many of the provisions of HEOA are effective upon enactment, even though the Department of Education has not yet promulgated regulations related to such provisions. If our efforts to comply with the provisions of HEOA are inconsistent with how the Department of Education interprets those provisions in final regulations or otherwise, we may be found to be in noncompliance with such provisions and the Department of Education could impose monetary penalties, place limitations on our operations, and/or condition or terminate our eligibility to receive Title IV program funds. In addition, there is no assurance that Congress will not in the future enact changes that decrease Title IV program funds available to students, including students who attend our institution. Any action by Congress that significantly reduces funding for Title IV programs or the ability of our school or students to participate in these programs, would require us to arrange for other sources of financial aid and would materially decrease our enrollment. Such a decrease in enrollment would have a material adverse effect on our revenues and results of operations. Congressional action, including HEOA, may also require us to modify our practices in ways that could result in increased administrative and regulatory costs and decreased profit margin. Further, President Bush signed three major laws that amend the Higher Education Act. Among other measures, those laws reauthorize the federal student loan programs, reduce interest rates on certain federal student loans, reduce government subsidies to lenders that participate in federal student loan programs, and seek to facilitate student loan availability in light of current market conditions. We are not in a position to predict with certainty whether any legislation will be passed by Congress or signed into law in the future. The reallocation of funding among Title IV programs, material changes in the requirements for participation in such programs, or the substitution of materially different Title IV programs could reduce the ability of certain students to finance their education at our institution and adversely affect our revenues and results of operations.

 

Investigations by state attorneys general, Congress and governmental agencies regarding relationships between loan providers and educational institutions and their financial aid officers may result in increased regulatory burdens and costs.

 

In recent years, the student lending practices of postsecondary educational institutions, financial aid officers and student loan providers have been subjected to several investigations by state attorneys general, Congress and governmental agencies. These investigations concern, among other things, possible deceptive practices in the marketing of private student loans and loans provided by lenders pursuant to Title IV programs. HEOA contains new requirements pertinent to relationships between lenders and institutions. In particular, HEOA requires institutions to have a code of conduct, with certain specified provisions, pertinent to interactions with lenders of student loans, prohibits certain activities by lenders and guaranty agencies with respect to institutions, and establishes substantive and disclosure requirements for lists of recommended or suggested lenders of federal and private student loans. In addition, HEOA imposes substantive and disclosure obligations on institutions that make available a list of recommended lenders for potential borrowers. The Department of Education recently promulgated regulations, generally effective July 1, 2008, that in part address institutions’ student loan activity. In particular, the Department of Education’s regulations clarify and expand rules pertinent to relationships between institutions and lenders and establish new rules applicable to institutions that make available a list of recommended or suggested lenders for use by potential borrowers. State legislators have also passed or may be considering legislation related to relationships between lenders and institutions. Because of the evolving nature of these legislative efforts and various inquiries and developments, we can neither know nor predict with certainty their outcome or effects, or the potential remedial actions that might result from these or other potential inquiries. Governmental action may impose increased administrative and regulatory costs and decreased profit margins.

We are subject to sanctions that could be material to our results and damage our reputation if we fail to calculate correctly and return timely Title IV program funds for students who withdraw before completing their educational program.

 

A school participating in Title IV programs must correctly calculate the amount of unearned Title IV program funds that have been disbursed to students who withdraw from their educational programs before completion and must return those unearned funds in a timely manner, generally within 45 days after the date the school determines that the student has withdrawn. Because we began to participate in Title IV programs in 2006, we have limited experience complying with these provisions. Under Department of Education regulations, late returns of Title IV program funds for 5% or more of students sampled in connection with the institution’s annual compliance audit constitutes material noncompliance. If unearned funds are not properly calculated and timely returned, we may have to repay Title IV funds, post a letter of credit in favor of the Department of Education or otherwise be sanctioned by the Department of Education, which could increase our cost of regulatory compliance and adversely affect our results of operations.

 

A failure to demonstrate “financial responsibility” may result in the loss of eligibility by American Public University System to participate in Title IV programs or require the posting of a letter of credit in order to maintain eligibility to participate in Title IV programs.

 

To participate in Title IV programs, an eligible institution must satisfy specific measures of financial responsibility prescribed by the Department of Education, or post a letter of credit in favor of the Department of Education and possibly accept other conditions, such as provisional certification, additional reporting requirements or regulatory oversight, on its participation in Title IV programs. The Department of Education may also apply such measures of financial responsibility to the operating company and ownership entities of an eligible institution and, if such measures are not satisfied by the operating company or ownership entities, require the institution to post a letter of credit in favor of the Department of Education and possibly accept other conditions on its participation in Title IV programs. Any obligation to post a letter of credit could increase our costs of regulatory compliance. If we were unable to secure a letter of credit, we would lose our eligibility to participate in Title IV programs. In addition to the obligation to post a letter of credit under certain circumstances, an institution that is determined by the Department of Education not to be financially responsible may be transferred from the “advance” system of payment of Title IV funds, which allows the institution to obtain Title IV program funds from the Department of Education prior to making disbursements to students, to cash monitoring status or to the “reimbursement” system of payment, which requires the institution to make Title IV disbursements to students and seek reimbursement from the Department of Education. A change in our system of payment could increase our costs of regulatory compliance. If we fail to demonstrate financial responsibility and thus lose our eligibility to participate in Title IV programs, our students would lose access to Title IV program funds for use in our institution, which would limit our potential for growth outside the military community and adversely affect our enrollment, revenues and results of operations.

 

A failure to demonstrate “administrative capability” may result in the loss of American Public University System’s eligibility to participate in Title IV programs.

 

Department of Education regulations specify extensive criteria an institution must satisfy to establish that it has the requisite “administrative capability” to participate in Title IV programs. See “Regulation of our Business” in this annual report for more information on the Department of Education’s regulations on administrative capability.

 

If an institution fails to satisfy any of these criteria or comply with any other Department of Education regulations, the Department of Education may require the repayment of Title IV funds, transfer the institution from the “advance” system of payment of Title IV funds to cash monitoring status or to the “reimbursement” system of payment, place the institution on provisional certification status, or commence a proceeding to impose a fine or to limit, suspend or terminate the participation of the institution in Title IV programs. If we are found not to have satisfied the Department of Education’s “administrative capability” requirements we could be limited in our access to, or lose, Title IV program funding, which would limit our potential for growth outside the military sector and adversely affect our enrollment, revenues and results of operations.

We rely on a third party to administer our participation in Title IV programs and its failure to comply with applicable regulations could cause us to lose our eligibility to participate in Title IV programs.

 

We only recently became eligible to participate in Title IV programs, and we have not developed the internal capacity to handle without third-party assistance the complex administration of participation in Title IV programs. Global Financial Aid Services, Inc. assists us with administration of our participation in Title IV programs, and if it does not comply with applicable regulations, we may be liable for its actions and we could lose our eligibility to participate in Title IV programs. In addition, if it is no longer able to provide the services to us, we may not be able to replace it in a timely or cost-efficient manner, or at all, and we could lose our ability to comply with the requirements of Title IV programs, which would limit our potential for growth and adversely affect our enrollment, revenues and results of operation.

 

We are subject to sanctions if we pay impermissible commissions, bonuses or other incentive payments to individuals involved in recruiting, admissions or financial aid activities.

 

A school participating in Title IV programs may not provide any commission, bonus or other incentive payment based directly or indirectly on success in enrolling students or securing financial aid to any person involved in student recruiting or admission activities or in making decisions regarding the awarding of Title IV program funds. The law and regulations governing this requirement do not establish clear criteria for compliance in all circumstances. If we violate this law, we could be fined or otherwise sanctioned by the Department of Education, or we could face litigation brought under the whistleblower provisions of the Federal False Claims Act. Any such fines or sanctions could harm our reputation, impose significant costs on us, and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

We may lose eligibility to participate in Title IV programs if our student loan default rates are too high, and if we lose that eligibility our future growth could be impaired.

 

An educational institution may lose its eligibility to participate in some or all Title IV programs if, for three consecutive federal fiscal years, 25% or more of its students who were required to begin repaying their student loans in the relevant fiscal year default on their payment by the end of the next federal fiscal year. In addition, an institution may lose its eligibility to participate in some or all Title IV programs if its default rate exceeds 40% in the most recent federal fiscal year for which default rates have been calculated by the Department of Education. HEOA modifies the Higher Education Act’s default rate provisions. Beginning with default rate calculations for federal fiscal year 2009, the cohort default rate will be calculated by determining the rate at which borrowers who become subject to their repayment obligation in the relevant federal fiscal year default by the end of the second following federal fiscal year. The current method of calculating rates will remain in effect and will be used to determine institutional eligibility until three consecutive years of cohort default rates calculated under the new formula are available. In addition, effective as of federal fiscal year 2012, the cohort default rate threshold of 25% will be increased to 30%. HEOA also requires certain default prevention action by an institution with a default rate of 30% or more. Because we have begun only recently to enroll students who are participating in these federal student loan programs, we have no historical cohort default rates. Relatively few students are expected to enter the repayment phase in the near term, which could result in defaults by a few students having a relatively large impact on our cohort default rate. If American Public University System loses its eligibility to participate in Title IV programs because of high student loan default rates, our students would no longer be eligible to use Title IV program funds in our institution, which would significantly reduce our enrollments and revenues and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

Risks Related to Owning our Common Stock

 

The price of our common stock may be volatile, and as a result returns on an investment in our common stock may be volatile.

 

We completed our initial public offering in November 2007. For a significant portion of the time since our initial public offering, we have had relatively limited public float, and trading in our common stock has

also been limited and, at times, volatile. An active trading market for our common stock may not be sustained, and the trading price of our common stock may fluctuate substantially.

 

The price of the common stock may fluctuate as a result of:

 

 

In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been brought against that company. Because of the potential volatility of our stock price, we may become the target of securities litigation in the future. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources from our business.

 

We are incurring significant costs as a result of operating as a public company that we have not previously incurred, and our management and key employees are, and will continue to be, required to devote substantial time to compliance initiatives.

 

We have operated as a public company only since November 8, 2007. As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and The NASDAQ Stock Market have imposed various new requirements on public companies, including with respect to public disclosure, internal control, corporate governance practices and other matters. Our management and other personnel are devoting substantial amounts of time to these new compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations have significantly increased our legal and financial compliance costs and have made some activities more time-consuming and costly. In addition, we have and will continue to incur additional costs associated with our public company reporting requirements. We will incur significant costs to remediate any material weaknesses we identify through these efforts. These rules and regulations have made it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance. We currently are evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these rules, and we cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs. If our profitability is adversely affected because of these additional costs, it could have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock.

 

Seasonal and other fluctuations in our results of operations could adversely affect the trading price of our common stock.

 

Our results in any quarter may not indicate the results we may achieve in any subsequent quarter or for the full year. Our revenues and operating results normally fluctuate as a result of seasonal variations in our business, principally due to changes in enrollment. Student population varies as a result of new enrollments, graduations and student attrition. While our number of enrolled students has grown in each sequential quarter over the past three years, the number of enrolled students has been proportionally greatest in the fourth quarter of each respective year. A significant portion of our general and administrative expenses do not vary proportionately with fluctuations in revenues. We expect quarterly fluctuations in operating results to continue

as a result of seasonal enrollment patterns. Such patterns may change, however, as a result of new program introductions and increased enrollments of students. These fluctuations may result in volatility in our results of operations and/or have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

 

If we fail to maintain proper and effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting, our ability to produce accurate financial statements could be impaired, which could adversely affect our stock price, our ability to operate our business and investors’ views of us.

 

Ensuring that we have adequate disclosure controls and procedures, including internal controls over financial reporting, in place so that we can produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis is a costly and time-consuming effort that needs to be re-evaluated frequently. We are continuing the process of documenting, reviewing and, if appropriate, improving our internal controls and procedures following our becoming a public company and we have just become subject to the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the first time for the year ended December 31, 2008. Section 404 requires annual management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting and a report by our independent auditors addressing these assessments. Failure to maintain effective internal controls could lead to a lack of confidence by investors in our reported results, a decline in our stock price and significant costs to remediate the situation.

 

If securities analysts do not publish research or reports about our business or if they downgrade their evaluations of our stock, the price of our stock could decline.

 

The trading market for our common stock depends in part on the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us or our business. If one or more of the analysts covering us downgrade their estimates or evaluations of our stock, the price of our stock could decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company, we could lose visibility in the market for our stock, which in turn could cause our stock price to decline.

 

Provisions in our organizational documents and in the Delaware General Corporation Law may prevent takeover attempts that could be beneficial to our stockholders.

 

Provisions in our charter and bylaws and in the Delaware General Corporation Law may make it difficult and expensive for a third party to pursue a takeover attempt we oppose even if a change in control of our company would be beneficial to the interests of our stockholders. These provisions include:

 

 

 

None.

 

We operate facilities in Charles Town, West Virginia and in Manassas, Virginia, which are within a one hour drive of each other and are located within the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The corporate headquarters, academic, technology, finance, admissions, and advancement offices are located in Charles Town, occupying nine downtown facilities totaling approximately 58,000 square feet. The student services and marketing operations are located in Manassas in facilities totaling approximately 49,000 square feet. All facilities are leased with the exception of the Academic Center, Corporate/Finance Offices, Technology Center and a small guest and conference center. Lease terms vary by facility, with termination dates ranging from 2009 to 2015. Each lease has extension provisions ranging from 3 to 7 years. We continually evaluate our space needs and evaluate opportunities for continued physical growth, which includes considering both additional existing structures and potential new construction projects.

 

 

From time to time, we have been and may be involved in various legal proceedings. We currently have no material legal proceedings pending.

 

 

None.

 

 

 

Market Information

 

Our common stock began trading on the NASDAQ Global Market on November 9, 2007 under the symbol “APEI.” Prior to November 9, 2007, there was no public market for our common stock. The following table sets forth, for the period indicated, the high and low sales price of the Company’s common stock as reported on the Nasdaq Global Market.

 

 

 

Holders

 

As of March 6, 2009, there were approximately 363 holders of record of our common stock.

 

Dividends

 

On November 14, 2007, we paid a special distribution to our shareholders of record immediately prior to the closing of our initial public offering on November 14, 2007 in the aggregate amount of $93.8 million, which equaled the gross proceeds received by us from our initial public offering, excluding the proceeds received by us from the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option. We do not anticipate declaring or paying any additional cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. The payment of any dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon our financial condition, results of operations, earnings, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, outstanding indebtedness and other factors deemed relevant by our board.

Performance Graph

 

The graph below matches American Public Education, Inc.’s cumulative 14-month total shareholder return on common stock with the cumulative total returns of the S&P 500 index, the NASDAQ Composite index and a customized peer group of seven companies that includes: Apollo Group Inc, Capella Education Company, Career Education Corp., Corinthian Colleges Inc, Devry Inc, ITT Educational Services Inc and Strayer Education Inc. The graph tracks the performance of a $100 investment in our common stock, in each index and in the peer group (with the reinvestment of all dividends) from 11/9/2007 to 12/31/2008.

 

COMPARISON OF 14 MONTH CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN*
Among American Public Education, Inc., The S&P 500 Index,
The NASDAQ Composite Index And A Peer Group

 

 

 

 

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

 

None.

 

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

 

Employees of the Company are provided the opportunity to forfeit shares of restricted stock equivalent to the minimum statutory tax withholding required to be paid when their restricted stock vests. During the quarter ended December 31, 2008, the Company accepted for forfeiture 6,419 shares of restricted stock for satisfaction of $295,000 in minimum statutory tax withholding.

 

The following table sets forth our selected consolidated financial and operating data as of the dates and for the periods indicated. You should read this data together with “Item 7 — Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes, included elsewhere in this annual report on Form 10-K. The selected consolidated statement of operations data for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2008, and the selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements, which are included elsewhere in this annual report on Form 10-K. The selected consolidated statements of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2005 and 2004, and selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements not included in this annual report on Form 10-K. Historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be expected for future periods.

 

 

 

 

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

You should read the following discussion together with the financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in the annual report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that are based on management’s current expectations, estimates and projections about our business and operations, and involves risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated and expressed in such forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those we discuss under “Risk Factors,” “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and elsewhere in this annual report.

 

Overview

 

American Public Education, Inc. is a provider of online postsecondary education directed at the needs of the military and public service communities. We operate through two universities, American Military University, or AMU, and American Public University, or APU, which together constitute the American Public University System.

 

Our course enrollments, or net course registrations, representing the aggregate number of classes in which students remain enrolled after the date by which they may drop the course without financial penalty, increased at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 64% from 2006 to 2008. Over that same time, total revenue increased at a CAGR of 64%, from $40.0 million in 2006 to $107.1 million in 2008. We believe achieving regional accreditation in May 2006 and gaining access to Title IV programs beginning with classes that started in November 2006 have been additional factors driving growth. Net course registrations increased by 55% in 2008 over 2007, our revenue increased from $69.1 million to $107.1 million, or by 55%, over the same time period and operating margins increased to 24.0% from 21.3% over the same time period. Net course registrations increased by 73% in 2007 over 2006, our revenue increased from $40.0 million to $69.1 million, or by 73%, over the same time period and operating margins increased to 21.3% from 7.2% over the same time period. While we have experienced substantial growth in recent periods, you should not rely on the results of any prior periods as an indication of our future growth in net course registrations or revenue as we do not expect that our historical growth rates are sustainable. Similarly, you should not rely on the improvement in our operating margins in any prior periods as an indication of our future operating margins. You should also note that our rates of growth in net course registrations, revenues and earnings from 2007 to 2008 were all lower than our rate of growth from 2006 to 2007. We do not expect to return to the levels of growth that we had from 2006 to 2007, when we had a particularly strong growth rate, which we think is largely as a result of our receipt of regional accreditation in late 2006.

 

Our difficulty in forecasting future growth rates and operating margins is in part due to our inability to fully estimate the actual impact of gaining access to Title IV programs. We first became eligible to use Title IV funds beginning with classes that started in November 2006. For the year ended December 31, 2008, 13.9% of our net course registrations were from students using financial aid under Title IV programs. Because of our limited history with Title IV programs and because we cannot estimate the growth of new students that may result from our participation in Title IV programs, estimating the costs and expenses associated with administering Title IV programs and complying with the associated regulations is difficult.

 

We were founded as American Military University, Inc. in 1991 and began offering graduate courses in January 1993. Following initial national accreditation by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council, or DETC, in 1995, American Military University began offering undergraduate programs primarily directed to members of the armed forces. Over time, American Military University diversified its educational offerings in response to demand by military students for post-military career preparation. With its expanded program offerings, American Military University extended its outreach to the greater public service community, primarily police, fire, emergency management personnel and national

security professionals. In 2002, we reorganized into a holding company structure, with American Public Education, Inc. serving as the holding company of American Public University System which operates our two universities, AMU and APU. Our university system achieved regional accreditation in May 2006 with The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and became eligible for federal student aid programs under Title IV for classes beginning in November 2006. In September 2007, we received approval from The Higher Learning Commission to offer seven new degree programs in Education and Information Technology.

 

Our key financial results metrics:

 

Revenues

 

In reviewing our revenues we consider the following components: net course registrations; tuition we charge; tuition net of scholarships; and other fees.

 

Net course registrations.  For financial reporting and analysis purposes, we measure our student body in terms of aggregate course enrollments, or net course registrations. Net course registrations represent the aggregate number of classes in which students remain enrolled after the date by which they may drop the course without financial penalty. Because we recognize revenues over the length of a course, net course registrations in a period do not correlate directly with revenues for that period because revenues recognized from courses are not necessarily recognized in the period in which the course registrations occur. For example, revenues in a quarter reflect a portion of the revenue from courses that began in a prior period and continued into the quarter, all revenue from courses that began and ended in the quarter, and a portion of the revenue from courses that began but did not end in the quarter.

 

We believe our curriculum is directly relevant to federal, state and local law enforcement and other first responders, but historically this market was limited to us because, outside the federal government, only a few agencies or departments have the tuition reimbursement plans critical to fund continuing adult education. Now that our students can obtain low cost student loans or grants through Title IV programs, we have begun to increase our focus on these markets. Title IV programs require participating students to take more courses per semester than students participating in Department of Defense, or DoD, tuition assistance programs. As a result, we expect that our increased focus on markets that utilize Title IV programs may cause the average number of courses per student to increase.

 

Tuition.  Providing affordable programs is an important element of our strategy for growth. Other than a modest increase in 2007 for graduate tuition, we have not raised tuition since 2000. We set our tuition costs so that our undergraduate military students may take courses without incurring out-of-pocket costs because our tuition is within the DoD tuition ceilings. Using the DoD tuition ceiling as a benchmark keeps our tuition in line with four-year public university, in-state rates.

 

Net tuition.  Tuition revenues vary from period to period based on the aggregate number of students attending classes and the number of classes they are attending during the period. Tuition revenue is reduced to reflect amounts refunded to students who withdraw from a course in the month the withdrawal occurs. We also provide scholarships to certain students to assist them financially and to promote their registration. The cost of these scholarships is netted against tuition revenue in the period incurred for purposes of establishing net tuition revenue and typically represents less than 1% of revenues.

 

Other fees.  Other fees include charges for transcript credit evaluation, which includes assistance in securing official transcripts on behalf of the student in addition to evaluating transcripts for transfer credit. Students also are charged withdrawal, graduation, late registration, transcript request and comprehensive examination fees, when applicable. In accordance with Emerging Issues Tasks Force Issue No. 02-16, Accounting by a Customer (Including a Reseller) for Certain Consideration Received from a Vendor (EITF 02-16), other fees also includes book purchase commissions we receive for graduate student book purchases and ancillary supply purchases students make directly from our preferred book vendor.

Costs and Expenses

 

We categorize our costs and expenses as (i) instructional costs and services, (ii) selling and promotional, (iii) general and administrative, and (iv) depreciation and amortization.

 

Instructional costs and services.  Instructional costs and services are expenses directly attributable to the educational services we provide our students. This expense category includes salaries and benefits for full-time faculty, administrators and academic advisors, and costs associated with adjunct faculty. Instructional pay for adjunct faculty is primarily dependent on the number of students taught. Instructional costs and services expenses also include costs for educational supplies such as books, costs associated with academic records and graduation, and other university services such as evaluating transcripts.

 

Substantially all undergraduate students receive their textbooks through our book grant program. Over the course of a complete bachelor’s degree program, this represents a potential average student savings of approximately $3,600 when compared to a 2005 estimate by the General Accounting Office of average textbook costs for a first-time, full-time student at four-year public universities for the 2003-2004 academic year. In connection with our book grant program, we have been working to reduce the overall cost of books per course. Graduate students may order and pay for their books through the contracted vendor from which we purchase the undergraduate book grant program books or they can purchase books from a vendor of their choice.

 

Selling and promotional.  Selling and promotional expenses include salaries and benefits of personnel engaged in recruitment and promotion, as well as costs associated with advertising and the production of marketing materials related to new enrollments and current students. Our selling and promotional expenses are generally affected by the cost of advertising media, the efficiency of our selling efforts, salaries and benefits for our selling and admissions personnel, and the number of advertising initiatives for new and existing academic programs. We believe that the availability of federal student aid programs to our students should increase our marketability in non-military markets, but we anticipate that the more competitive nature of these markets may cause our student acquisition costs to increase in the future.

 

General and administrative.  General and administrative expenses include salaries and benefits of employees engaged in corporate management, finance, information technology, human resources, facilities, compliance and other corporate functions. In addition, the cost of renting and maintaining our facilities, technology expenses and costs for professional services are included in general and administrative costs. General and administrative expenses also include bad debt expense.

 

Depreciation and amortization.  We incur depreciation and amortization expenses for costs related to the capitalization of property, equipment, software and program development on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets.

 

Interest Income, Net

 

Interest income, net consists primarily of interest income earned on cash and cash equivalents, net of any interest expense.

 

Changes in Connection with Becoming a Public Company

 

As a public company, we have begun and will continue to incur significant additional costs and expenses such as increased legal and audit fees, professional fees, directors’ and officers’ insurance costs and expenses related to compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley Act regulations and other annual costs of doing business as a public company including hiring additional personnel and expanding our administrative functions. We expect these additional expenses will continue to range from $1.5 million to $2.0 million per year and anticipate funding costs relating to being a public company with cash provided by operating activities and cash on hand. A significant portion of the costs and expenses in 2008 related to our preparation for our first year subject to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and we expect those costs to be lower in future years.

Critical Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates

 

The discussion of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S., or GAAP. During the preparation of these financial statements, we are required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, costs and expenses and related disclosures. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and assumptions, including those related to revenue recognition, accounts receivable and allowance for doubtful accounts, valuation of long-lived assets, contingencies, income taxes and stock-based compensation expense. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. The results of our analysis form the basis for making assumptions about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions, and the impact of such differences may be material to our consolidated financial statements.

 

A summary of our critical accounting policies follows:

 

Revenue recognition.  We record all tuition as deferred revenue when students begin a class. At the beginning of each class, revenue is recognized on a pro rata basis over the period of the class, which is either eight or sixteen weeks. This results in our balance sheet including future revenues that have not yet been earned as deferred revenue for classes that are in progress. Students who request to be placed on program hold are required to complete or withdraw from the courses prior to being placed on hold. Other revenue includes charges for transcript credit evaluation, which includes assistance in securing official transcripts on behalf of the student in addition to evaluating transcripts for transfer credit. Students also are charged withdrawal, graduation, late registration, transcript request and comprehensive examination fees, when applicable. In accordance with Emerging Issues Tasks Force Issue No. 02-16, Accounting by a Customer (Including a Reseller) for Certain Consideration Received from a Vendor (EITF 02-16), other fees also includes book purchase commissions we receive for graduate student book purchases and ancillary supply purchases students make directly from our preferred book vendor. Tuition revenues vary from period to period based on the number of net course registrations. Students may remit tuition payments through the online registration process at any time or they may elect various payment options, including payments by sponsors, alternative loans, financial aid, or the DoD tuition assistance program that remits payments directly to us. These other payment options can delay the receipt of payment up until the class starts or longer, resulting in the recording of a receivable from the student and deferred revenue at the beginning of each session. Tuition revenue for sessions in progress that has not been yet earned by us, is presented as deferred revenue in the accompanying balance sheet.

 

Accounts receivable.  Course registrations are recorded as deferred revenue and accounts receivable at the time students begin a course. Students may remit tuition payments through the online registration process at any time or they may elect various payment options, which can delay the receipt of payment up until the class starts or longer. These other payment options include payments by sponsors, alternative loans, financial aid, or a tuition assistance program that remits payments directly to us. When a student remits payment after a class has begun, accounts receivable is reduced. If payment is made prior to the start of class, the payment is recorded as a student deposit and the student is provided access to the classroom when classes start. If one of the various other payment options are confirmed as secured, the student is provided access to the classroom. If no receipt is confirmed or payment option secured, the student will be dropped from the class. Therefore, billed amounts represent invoices that have been prepared and sent to students or their sponsor, lender, financial aid, or tuition assistance program according to the billing terms agreed upon in advance. The DoD tuition assistance program is billed on a course-by-course basis when a student starts class, whereas federal financial aid programs are billed based on the classes included in a student’s semester. Billed accounts receivable are considered past due if the invoice has been outstanding more than 30 days. The provision for doubtful accounts is based on management’s evaluation of the status of existing accounts receivable. Recoveries of receivables previously written off are recorded when received.

Property and equipment.  Property and equipment are carried at cost less accumulated depreciation. Assets acquired under capital leases are recorded at the lesser of the present value of the minimum lease payments or the fair market value of the leased asset at the inception of the lease. Depreciation and amortization are calculated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Our Partnership At a Distance, or PAD, is a customized student information and services system, that manages admissions, online orientation, course registrations, tuition payments, grade reporting, progress toward degrees, and various other functions. Costs associated with the project have been capitalized in accordance with Statement of Position (SOP) 98-1, Accounting for the Costs of Computer Software Developed or Obtained for Internal Use, and classified as property and equipment. These costs are amortized over the estimated useful life of five years. The Company capitalizes the costs for program development. Costs are transferred to property and equipment upon completion of each program and amortized over an estimated life not to exceed three years.

 

Valuation of long-lived assets.  We account for the valuation of long-lived assets under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 144, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets. SFAS No. 144 requires that long-lived assets and certain identifiable intangible assets be reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of the long-lived asset is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of the asset to future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the estimated fair value of the assets. Assets to be disposed of are reportable at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value, less costs to sell. We account for the valuation of long-lived assets with intangible lives that are not subject to amortization under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets. SFAS No. 142 requires that an intangible asset that is not subject to amortization to be tested annually for impairment or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. The impairment test shall consist of comparison of the fair value of an intangible asset with its carrying amount. If the carrying amount of an intangible asset exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss shall be recognized pursuant to step two of the two-step process prescribed in SFAS No. 142.

 

Income taxes.  Deferred taxes are determined using the liability method, whereby deferred tax assets are recognized for deductible temporary differences and deferred tax liabilities are recognized for taxable temporary differences. Temporary differences are the differences between the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and their tax bases. As those differences reverse, they will enter into the determination of future taxable income. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted for the effects of changes in tax laws and rates on the date of enactment.

 

Stock-based compensation.  On January 1, 2006, we adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123(R), Share-Based Payment (FAS 123(R)), which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense for stock-based payment awards made to employees and directors, including employee stock options. FAS 123(R) eliminates the ability to account for stock-based compensation transactions using the footnote disclosure-only provisions of Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees (APB 25), and instead requires that such transactions be recognized and reflected in our financial statements using a fair-value-based method. In March 2005, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 107 (SAB 107), relating to FAS 123(R). We have applied the provisions of SAB 107 in our adoption of FAS 123(R).

 

We have selected the Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the fair value of the stock option awards on the date of grant. Our determination of the fair value of these stock option awards was affected by the estimated fair value of our common stock on the date of grant, as well as assumptions regarding a number of highly complex and subjective variables. We calculate the expected term of stock option awards using the “simplified method” as defined by Staff Accounting Bulleting No. 107 and 110 because we lack historical data and are unable to make reasonable expectations regarding the future. We also estimate forfeitures of share-based awards at the time of grant and revise such estimates in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from original projections. We make assumptions with respect to expected stock price volatility based on

the average historical volatility of peers with similar attributes. In addition, we determine the risk free interest rate by selecting the U.S. Treasury five-year constant maturity, quoted on an investment basis in effect at the time of grant for that business day. Estimates of fair value are subjective and are not intended to predict actual future events, and subsequent events are not indicative of the reasonableness of the original estimates of fair value made under FAS 123(R).

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In September 2006, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 157, Fair Value Measurements (“SFAS 157”). SFAS 157 defines and establishes a framework for measuring fair value. In addition, SFAS 157 expands disclosures about fair value measurements. In February 2009, FASB issued FASB Staff Position No. (FSP),157-2 deferring the effective date of SFAS 157 to fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2008, and interim periods within those fiscal years for items within the scope of this FSP. In April, 2008, FASB issued FASB Staff Position No. (FSP) 142-3, Determination of the Useful Life of Intangible Assets. This FSP amends the factors that should be considered in developing renewal or extension assumptions used to determine the useful life of a recognized intangible asset under SFAS No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets. The FSP is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2008, and interim periods within those fiscal years. FSP 142-3 and FSP 157-2 are effective for the Company on January 1, 2009.

 

In December 2007, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 141, (revised 2007), Business Combinations (“SFAS 141R”). The Statement establishes revised principles and requirements for how the company will recognize and measure assets and liabilities acquired in a business combination. The Statement is effective for business combinations completed on or after the beginning of the first annual reporting period beginning on or after December 15, 2008. In addition, in December 2007, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 160, Non-controlling Interests in Consolidated Financial Statements — An Amendment of ARB No. 51 (“SFAS 160”). SFAS 160 establishes new accounting and reporting standards for the non-controlling interest in a subsidiary and for the deconsolidation of a subsidiary. SFAS 160 requires non-controlling interests or minority interests to be treated as a separate component of equity and any changes in the parent’s ownership interest (in which control is retained) are to be accounted for as equity transactions. However, a change in ownership of a consolidated subsidiary that results in deconsolidation triggers gain or loss recognition, with the establishment of a new fair value basis in any remaining non-controlling ownership interests. SFAS 160 also establishes disclosure requirements that clearly identify and distinguish between the interests of the parent and the non-controlling interests. SFAS 141R and 160 are effective for us on January 1, 2009.

 

The adoption of the above standards is not expected to have a material impact on our financial statements.

Results of Operations

 

The following table sets forth statements of operations data as a percentage of revenues for each of the periods indicated:

 

 

Year Ended December 31, 2008 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2007

 

Revenues

 

Revenues for the year ended December 31, 2008 were $107.1 million, an increase of 55% from $69.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2007. Net course registrations increased 55% to 147,124 in 2008 from 94,846 in 2007. The increase in net course registrations was primarily attributable to increased student referrals, the achievement of regional accreditation in May 2006, and our participation in the Title IV program for classes starting in November 2006.

 

Costs and Expenses

 

Costs and expenses were $81.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2008, an increase of $27.1 million, or 50%, compared to $54.4 million for prior year ended December 31, 2007. This increase was due to the specific factors discussed below. Costs and expenses as a percentage of revenues decreased to 76.0% in 2008 from 78.7% in 2007. Similarly, our income from continuing operations before interest income and income taxes, or our operating margin, increased to 24.0% from 21.3% over that same period. This decrease in costs and expenses as a percentage of revenues and increase in operating margins resulted from the factors described below. Overall, our costs and expenses as a percentage of revenue declined due to the proportionately higher growth in revenues as compared with the growth in expenses.

 

Instructional costs and services.  Instructional costs and services expenses for the year ended December 31, 2008 were $43.6 million, representing an increase of 48% from $29.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2007. This increase was directly related to an increase in the number of classes offered due to the increase in net course registrations. Instructional costs and services expense as a percentage of revenues decreased to 40.7% in 2008 from 42.6% in 2007. This decrease was primarily due to an increase in the average class size, which provided for a more efficient use of our full-time faculty. Full-time faculty increased to approximately 120 at December 31, 2008 from 99 at December 31, 2007.

Selling and promotional.  Selling and promotional expenses for the year ended December 31, 2008 were $12.4 million, representing an increase of 83% from $6.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2007. This increase was primarily due to an increase in advertising expense and the number of personnel in our admissions department required to support higher student enrollments. Selling and promotional expenses as a percentage of revenues increased to 11.5% in 2008 from 9.8% for in 2007.

 

General and administrative.  General and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2008 were $21.3 million, representing an increase of 39% from $15.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2007. The increase in expense was a result of the need for additional technology, financial positions, professional services, management and administrative facilities required to support a larger student body, participation in federal student aid, expenses associated with being a public company, and an increase in stock-based compensation expense. General and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues decreased to 19.9% in 2008 from 22.2% in 2007. This decrease was primarily due to efficiencies realized through a higher volume of students and the number of staff and expenses increasing at a slower rate than revenue.

 

Depreciation and amortization.  Depreciation and amortization expenses were $4.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2008, compared with $2.8 million for the year ended December 21, 2007. This represents an increase of 50%. This increase resulted from greater capital expenditures and higher depreciation and amortization on a larger fixed asset base.

 

Stock-based compensation.  Stock-based compensation included in instructional costs and services, selling and promotional and general and administrative expense for the year ended December 31, 2008 was $1.7 million in the aggregate, representing an increase of 62% from $1.0 million for the year ended December 21, 2007. The increase in stock-based compensation expense is primarily attributable to an increase in new stock option grants.

 

The table below reflects our stock-based compensation expense recognized in the consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2007 and 2008 (in thousands):

 

 

Net Interest Income

 

Net interest income was $706,000 for the year ended December 31, 2008, representing a decrease of 21% from $888,000 for the year ended December 31, 2007. The decrease was attributable to investing cash in lower yielding investments and a decrease in interest rates for these investments, offset by an increase in cash flow from operations resulting in higher cash balances.

 

Income Tax Expense

 

We recognized tax expense from continuing operations for the year ended December 31, 2008 and 2007 of $10.2 million and $6.8 million, respectively, or effective tax rates of 38.7% and 43.8%, respectively. The decrease in the effective tax rate was generally a result of the effects of a reduction in the aggregate state income tax rate.

 

Net Income

 

Net income was $16.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2008, compared to net income of $8.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, an increase of $7.4 million. This increase was related to the factors discussed above.

Year Ended December 31, 2007 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2006

 

Revenues

 

Revenues for the year ended December 31, 2007 were $69.1 million, an increase of 73% from $40.0 million for year ended December 31, 2006. The increase was a result of an increase in the number of net course registrations, as well as a 10% increase in graduate tuition in 2007 that we announced in the summer of 2006. Net course registrations increased 73% to 94,846 in 2007 from 54,828 in 2006. The increase in net course registrations was primarily attributable to increased student referrals, the achievement of regional accreditation in May 2006, and our participation in the Title IV program for classes starting in November 2006.

 

Costs and Expenses

 

Costs and expenses were $54.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, an increase of $17.3 million, or 47%, compared to $37.1 million for prior year ended December 31, 2006. This increase was due to the specific factors discussed below. Costs and expenses as a percentage of revenues decreased to 78.7% in 2007 from 92.8% in 2006. Similarly, our income from continuing operations before interest income and income taxes, or our operating margin, increased to 21.3% from 7.2% over that same period. This decrease in costs and expenses as a percentage of revenues and increase in operating margins resulted from the factors described below. Overall, our costs and expenses as a percentage of revenue declined due to the proportionately higher growth in revenues as compared with the growth in expenses.

 

Instructional costs and services.  Instructional costs and services expenses for the year ended December 31, 2007 were $29.5 million, representing an increase of 64% from $18.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2006. This increase was directly related to an increase in the number of classes offered due to the increase in net course registrations. Instructional costs and services expense as a percentage of revenues decreased to 42.6% in 2007 from 44.9% in 2006. This decrease was primarily due to an increase in the average class size, which provided for a more efficient use of our full-time faculty. Full-time faculty increased to approximately 99 at December 31, 2007 from 38 at December 31, 2006.

 

Selling and promotional.  Selling and promotional expenses for the year ended December 31, 2007 were $6.8 million, representing an increase of 38% from $4.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2006. This increase was primarily due to an increase in the number of personnel in our admissions department required to support higher student enrollments. Selling and promotional expenses as a percentage of revenues decreased to 9.8% for in 2007 from 12.2% for in 2006. This decrease was primarily due to our ability to realize advertising efficiencies as a result of strong lead generations from personal referrals.

 

General and administrative.  General and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2007 were $15.3 million, representing an increase of 68% from $9.2 million for the year ended December 21, 2006. The increase in expense was a result of the need for additional technology, financial positions, professional services, management and administrative facilities required to support a larger student body, participation in federal student aid and preparations for going public and an increase in stock-based compensation expense. General and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues decreased to 22.2% in 2007 from 22.9% in 2006. This decrease was primarily due to efficiencies realized through a higher volume of students and the number of staff and expenses increasing at a slower rate than revenue.

 

Depreciation and amortization.  Depreciation and amortization expenses were $2.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, compared with $2.0 million for the year ended December 21, 2006. This represents an increase of 45%. This increase resulted from greater capital expenditures and higher depreciation and amortization on a larger fixed asset base.

 

Stock-based compensation.  Stock-based compensation included in instructional costs and services, selling and promotional and general and administrative expense for the year ended December 31, 2007 was $1.0 million in the aggregate, representing an increase of 263% from $284,000 the year ended December 21, 2006. The increase in stock-based compensation expense is primarily attributable to an increase in new stock option grants.

The table below reflects our stock-based compensation expense recognized in the consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2006 and 2007 (in thousands):

 

 

Net Interest Income

 

Net interest income was $888,000 for the year ended December 31, 2007, representing an increase of 207% from $289,000 for the year ended December 31, 2006. This is attributable to increased cash flow from operations resulting in investment income on higher cash balances.

 

Income Tax Expense

 

We recognized tax expense from continuing operations for the year ended December 31, 2007 and 2006 of $6.8 million and $771,000, respectively, or effective tax rates of 43.8% and 23.9%, respectively. The increase in income tax expense and the related effective tax rate, was directly attributable to higher pre-tax profits and the elimination of research and development credits associated with internal software development.

 

Net Income

 

Net income was $8.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, compared to net income of $1.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2006, an increase of $7.0 million. This increase was related to the factors discussed above and a reduction in our loss from discontinued operations of $660,000 and a $3.1 million write-off of a software development project in 2006.

Quarterly Results

 

The following table presents our unaudited quarterly results of operations for each of our eight last quarters ended December 31, 2008. You should read the following table in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes contained elsewhere in this annual report. We have prepared the unaudited information on the same basis as our audited consolidated financial statements. Results of operations for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of results for any future quarters or for a full year.

 

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

We financed our operating activities and capital expenditures during the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007 primarily through cash provided by operating activities. Cash and cash equivalents were $47.7 million and $27.0 million at December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively.

 

We derive a significant portion of our revenues from tuition assistance programs of the DoD. Generally, these funds are received within 60 days of the start of the classes to which they relate. A growing source of revenue is derived from our participation in Title IV programs, for which disbursements are governed by federal regulations. However, we have typically received disbursements under this program within 30 days of the start of the applicable class.

 

These factors, together with the number of classes starting each month, affect our operational cash flow. Our costs and expenses have increased since we became a public company, and we expect to fund these expenses through cash from operations.

 

We have available to us a line of credit with a maximum borrowing amount of up to $5.0 million. The line bears interest at LIBOR plus 200 basis points (2.1% at December 31, 2008). The line is secured by substantially all of our assets. We have never borrowed under this line of credit facility.

 

In 2006, we borrowed $893,000 and $1.1 million under two mortgage notes. Both notes required interest at LIBOR plus 225 basis points (7.6% at December 31, 2006), and were secured by real estate in Charles Town, West Virginia. Payment was due in full on September 1, 2011. These notes were subsequently paid off in April 2007.

Based on our current level of operations and anticipated growth, we believe that our cash flow from operations and other sources of liquidity, including cash and cash equivalents, will provide adequate funds for ongoing operations and planned capital expenditures for the foreseeable future.

 

Operating Activities

 

Net cash provided by operating activities was $29.8 million, $17.5 million and $8.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively.

 

Investing Activities

 

Net cash used in investing activities was $10.9 million, $7.2 million and $4.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007, and 2006 respectively. Cash used in investing activities is primarily for capital expenditures, the majority of which have been related to software development and IT infrastructure costs and buildings to support expansion. Capital expenditures could be significantly higher in the future as a result of the acquisition of existing structures or potential new construction projects that arise as a result of our ongoing evaluation of our space needs and opportunities for physical growth.

 

Financing Activities

 

Net cash provided by financing activities was $1.9 million, $4.9 million, and $2.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively. The decline is a result of a reduction in stock issued for cash. On November 8, 2007, the Company declared a special distribution in the amount of $93.8 million or $7.63 per share of common stock and Class A common stock, payable upon the completion of the initial public offering to stockholders of record immediately prior to the completion of the offering. The Company used proceeds from the initial public offering to pay the special distribution.

 

On November 14, 2007, we completed our initial public offering of 5,390,625 shares at a price of $20 per share. After the underwriters’ discount, we received net proceeds of $100.3 million. Following the completion of the offering, we paid $93.8 million as a special distribution to our shareholders prior to the offering. After the special distribution, the remaining $6.5 million was used to pay expenses remaining related to the offering and the residual proceeds were retained for general corporate purposes.

 

Contractual Commitments

 

We have various contractual obligations consisting of operating leases. The following table sets forth our future contractual obligations as of December 31, 2008.

 

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

We do not have off-balance sheet financing arrangements, including any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities.

 

Impact of Inflation

 

We believe that inflation has not had a material impact on our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 or 2008. There can be no assurance that future inflation will not have an adverse impact on our operating results and financial condition. We do not generally increase our tuition rates, however our costs do continually increase with inflation.

 

We are subject to the impact of interest rate changes and may be subject to changes in the market values of future investments. We invest our excess cash in bank overnight deposits. We have no material derivative financial instruments or derivative commodity instruments as of December 31, 2008.

 

Market Risk

 

We have no material derivative financial instruments or derivative commodity instruments. We maintain our cash and cash equivalents in bank deposit accounts, which at times may exceed Federally insured limits. We have not experienced any losses in such accounts. We believe we are not exposed to any significant credit risk on cash and cash equivalents.

 

Interest Rate Risk

 

We are subject to risk from adverse changes in interest rates, primarily relating to our investing of excess funds in cash equivalents bearing variable interest rates, which are tied to various market indices. Our future investment income will vary due to changes in interest rates. At December 31, 2008, a 10% increase or decrease in interest rates would not have a material impact on our future earnings, fair values, or cash flows related to investments in cash equivalents.

 

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

American Public Education, Inc. and Subsidiary

 

 

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders

American Public Education, Inc.

 

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of American Public Education, Inc. and Subsidiary as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, and the related consolidated statements of income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2008. Our audits also included the financial statement schedule of American Public Education, Inc. and Subsidiary listed in Item 15(a). These financial statements and financial statement schedule are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

 

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of American Public Education, Inc. and Subsidiary as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2008, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Also, in our opinion, the related financial statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly in all material respects the information set forth therein.

 

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), American Public Education, Inc. and Subsidiary’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2008, based on criteria established in Internal Control–Integrated Framework Issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and our report dated March 10, 2009 expressed and unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of American Public Education, Inc. and Subsidiary’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

 

Vienna, Virginia

March 10, 2009

AMERICAN PUBLIC EDUCATION, INC.

 

Consolidated Balance Sheets

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated statements.

AMERICAN PUBLIC EDUCATION, INC.

 

Consolidated Statements of Income