Acquisition and University Partnership to Broaden Kaplan Presence in China

Monday November 26, 8:00 am ET

SHANGHAI, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kaplan, Inc., a leading global provider of education that serves more than one million students annually, today announced initiatives in China designed to increase the company’s presence in the world’s largest education market. The initiatives include the acquisition of a larger stake in a Shanghai-based provider of higher education and professional training, and an agreement to provide financial education in conjunction with a major regional Chinese university.

The announcements came at the opening of an all-day career fair in Shanghai, sponsored by Kaplan and Sino-British College. The event was designed to bring together business leaders and heads of universities in China to discuss measures to increase the employability of Chinese graduates.

Kaplan is to purchase a majority stake in the organization formerly known as Kaplan ACE, which provides preparatory classes for entry to U.K. universities at centers across China, in addition to post-secondary and professional training at Sino-British College in Shanghai. Kaplan has been a minority owner of the business. In an additional agreement, Kaplan will provide professional training in finance and economics in cooperation with the Southwest University of Finance and Economics, a school in Chengdu in western China that serves more than 20,000 students.

Jonathan Grayer, Chairman and CEO of Kaplan said, “We believe in the future of the China education market and in the contribution we can make by providing western-style education. Kaplan has built its reputation in the U.S. and around the world by making its graduates more employable. We are looking forward to bringing that expertise to more students in China.”

Mark Coggins, President of Kaplan Asia Pacific, said, “Kaplan has seventy years of success and a proven track record in higher and professional education. We are committed to helping our students in China become more competitive in both domestic and global markets.”

Kaplan made its original investment in ACE Education in April 2007. The organization’s operations include education centers in Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing, Qingdao, Suzhou and Changsha, in addition to Sino-British College in Shanghai.

The expansion is the latest of Kaplan’s ventures in Asia, where the company is a leading provider of professional and higher education with operations in Hong Kong and Singapore. Kaplan is a leading provider of financial training in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States; it also offers English-language instruction to students from around the globe at centers in the U.S., U.K., Australia, New Zealand and other locations.

About Kaplan, Inc.

Kaplan is a leading global provider of educational services to individuals, schools and businesses, serving over one million students with operations in more than 30 countries around the world. Its international programs include higher education, test preparation, language instruction and professional training. Kaplan, with projected 2007 revenue of $2 billion, is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO - News). For more information, please visit www.kaplan.com.

Press contacts:

Kaplan, Inc.
Dick Riley, +1 212 492 5854
or
Elizabeth Hess, +44 20 7645 8968

Weber Shandwick
Christine Yin, +86 21 2411 0005

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