Washington Post 2014 Annual Report Download - page 26

Publishing. Kaplan Publishing focuses on print test preparation resources sold through retail channels. At the end of
2014, Kaplan Publishing had more than 550 products available in print and digital formats, including more than 325
digital products.
Kaplan International
Kaplan International operates businesses in Europe and the Asia Pacific region. Each of these businesses is discussed
below.
Europe. In Europe, Kaplan International operates the following businesses, all of which are based in the U.K. and
Ireland: Kaplan UK, Kaplan International Colleges (KIC) and a set of higher education institutions.
The Kaplan UK business in Europe is a provider of training, test preparation services and degrees for accounting and
financial services professionals, including those studying for ACCA, CIMA and ICAEW qualifications. In addition, Kaplan
UK provides legal and professional training. In 2014, Kaplan UK provided courses to approximately 65,000 students, of
whom 48,000 were dedicated to accounting and financial services coursework. Kaplan UK is headquartered in London,
England, and has 27 training centers located throughout the U.K.
The KIC business comprises a university pathways business and an English-language training business. The university path-
ways business offers academic preparation programs especially designed for international students who wish to study in
English-speaking countries. In 2014, university preparation programs were being delivered in Australia, China, Nigeria,
Singapore, the U.K. and the U.S., servicing 13,000 students in partnership with 44 universities.
The English-language business provides English-language training, academic preparation programs and test preparation
for English proficiency exams, principally for students wishing to study and travel in English-speaking countries. KIC
operates a total of 43 English-language schools, with 22 located in the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and
Canada, and 21 located in the U.S., where they operate under the name Kaplan International Centers. During 2014,
the English-language business served approximately 59,000 students for in-class English-language instruction provided by
Kaplan.
Kaplan also operates three higher education institutions in Europe, located in the U.K. and Ireland. These institutions are
Dublin Business School, Holborn College and Kaplan Open Learning. At the end of 2014, these institutions enrolled an
aggregate of approximately 7,200 students.
Certain Kaplan International businesses serve a significant number of international students; therefore, the ability to
sponsor students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland to come to the U.K. is critical to these
businesses. Pursuant to regulations administered by the United Kingdom Visa and Immigration Department (UKVI), KIC’s
university pathways business, Holborn College and Kaplan Financial Limited are required to hold or operate Tier 4
sponsorship licenses to permit international students to come to the U.K. to study the courses they deliver. All of KIC’s
English-language schools also have Tier 4 licenses to enable them to teach international students, although, in general,
students studying the English language can choose to enter the U.K. on a student visitor visa as opposed to a Tier 4 visa.
Each Tier 4 license holder is also required to have Highly Trusted Sponsor (HTS) status and Educational Oversight
accreditation. Without HTS status, effective April 2012, Kaplan International’s schools would not be permitted to issue a
Confirmation for Acceptance of Studies (CAS) to potential incoming international students, which is a prerequisite to a
student obtaining a Tier 4 student visa. The revised immigration rules also require all private institutions to obtain Educational
Oversight accreditation. Educational Oversight requires a current and satisfactory full inspection, audit or review by the
appropriate academic standards body. Failure to comply with these new rules has the potential to adversely impact the
number of international students studying through Kaplan International.
For Kaplan UK, both Kaplan Financial Limited and Holborn College have applied for renewal of HTS status and already
hold Educational Oversight accreditation. Kaplan Financial recently received its renewal. Holborn College is awaiting the
results of its application following processing delays at the UKVI. Holborn’s application is at higher risk as the Course
Completion measure was not met. Holborn gained “commendable progress” status in its last Educational Oversight
Annual Monitoring. Kaplan Financial Limited gained “acceptable progress” in the same review. Both Kaplan Financial
and Holborn College have already successfully renewed their underlying Tier 4 licenses for the period 2013 to 2017.
On December 15, 2011, the U.K. Border Authority (UKBA) conducted a compliance review at Kaplan UK’s Borough High
Street Centre in London, England. The review focused on Kaplan UK’s compliance with regulations regarding Tier 4
students, who are non-EEA adult students, seeking to study in the U.K. Kaplan UK fully cooperated with this inquiry, and on
October 18, 2012, the UKBA revisited the site to ensure that the changes that Kaplan UK had stated were being
implemented had taken place. The UKBA provided verbal communication that the agency was satisfied with the changes
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