DALLAS, TEXAS: July 29, 2008 - Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. (NYSE: ACS) today announced a renewed contract with the Apollo Group, Inc. providing student financial aid business process outsourcing (BPO) services for the University of Phoenix (UPX) and Western International University (WIU). The renewed three-year contract is valued at $120 million.
The Apollo Group is the parent company of UPX and WIU, UPX is the largest private university in North America, and WIU is an affiliated university. ACS has been providing a host of BPO services for the Apollo Group since May of 2002. ACS serves as the financial aid office for UPX and WIU, which combined have more than 340,000 enrolled students. ACS packages and awards financial aid to students, disburses funds, performs verifications and returns to lenders, and resolves any related issues or conflicting information. ACS also operates a dedicated call center that handles financial aid questions from UPX and WIU students.
"ACS' support combines outstanding financial aid expertise and comprehensive services with the latest in Web-based functionality to support thousands of UPX and WIU students on a daily basis," said Robert Collins, vice president, the Apollo Group. "ACS has provided exceptional services to our students over the past six years, and our confidence in their capabilities is underscored by the renewal of this contract."
ACS serves both WIU and UPX online campuses, as well as UPX's network of 79 local campuses and 117 learning centers nationwide from a centralized location in Tempe, Arizona. This location and dedicated call center help relieve individual campuses of administrative burdens and provide a centralized hub for streamlined communication with students across the country.
"ACS has continuously built upon and enhanced its services on behalf of the Apollo Group to maximize the efficiency and convenience of financial aid services for its students," said Richard K. Schnacker, senior managing director, ACS Commercial Education & Financial Services. "This has translated into significantly reduced financial aid processing times while delivering increasingly effective services and support."
ACS' SFA BPO business provides student financial aid office outsourcing services to 240 campuses or online classes, while disbursing more than $2.5 billion annually in financial aid. Services include financial aid services, enrollment management, inbound and outbound student call center services, document collection, and back-office processing services.
About ACS
ACS, a global FORTUNE 500 company with 63,000 people supporting client operations reaching more than 100 countries, provides business process outsourcing and information technology solutions to world-class commercial and government clients. The company's Class A common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "ACS." Learn more about ACS at www.acs-inc.com.
Posted 07/30/08 to www.NASFAA.org. Posting of press releases is done as a service to Members and does not imply endorsement or support by NASFAA. NASFAA does not review this information for content or accuracy.
