Sunchild E-Learning and DeVry Calgary Bring Tuition-free Higher Education
Courses to Aboriginal Students

Grade 11 and 12 students to get head start on post-secondary goals

RED DEER, AB, Aug. 26 /CNW/ - Aboriginal students across Alberta now have access to tuition-free post-secondary courses through a new agreement between the Sunchild E-Learning Community and DeVry Institute of Technology in Calgary. Under the agreement, qualified Sunchild students have access to a selection of DeVry Calgary's bachelor's degree courses online through DeVry's Passport2College program.

"DeVry's Passport2College program is an excellent opportunity for Sunchild students to earn post-secondary credits from a school that has been granted accreditation by the Government of Alberta to award baccalaureate degrees," explains Martin Sacher, CEO of the Sunchild E-Learning Community. "The program is the perfect fit for our students because it gives them a tuition-free opportunity to get a head start on higher education before they even graduate high school."

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the Sunchild E-Learning Community offers junior and senior high school courses to Aboriginal students through online synchronous distance learning programs. Responding to the need for quality education programs in remote areas, Sunchild has successfully increased the high school completion rate in the Aboriginal community through the online school. The Passport2College agreement was signed at an August 19 anniversary-commemoration event by Sunchild E-Learning's Sacher, Sunchild First Nation Chief James Frencheater and DeVry Calgary president Ranil Herath.

"Sunchild and DeVry share a mission to foster student learning through high-quality, career-oriented education," says Herath. "DeVry is pleased to provide qualified Sunchild students with this important step in furthering their education, and we look forward to working with Sunchild to increase access to higher-learning opportunities for Alberta's Aboriginal communities."

DeVry's Passport2College program was designed for high school students interested in getting a head-start on their post-secondary education goals by earning credits from a provincially-approved institution for coursework in business, technology and general education including English, math and psychology. Tuition and fees are waived for those qualified and selected to participate and students need only to purchase books and course materials. First offered in 1992, the Passport2College program is available at many DeVry locations across North America.

The program will open immediately to the top 25 qualified Sunchild students. These students will be able to take up to four tuition-free courses through DeVry's Calgary campus.

Additional information about DeVry Institute of Technology can be found at www.DeVry.ca.  Additional information about Sunchild E-Learning Community can be found at www.sccyber.net.

About DeVry Calgary

DeVry Institute of Technology in Alberta is part of the DeVry University system, one of the largest degree-granting higher education systems in North America, with more than 85,000 students enrolled in the United States and Canada.   At more than 90 locations, DeVry University delivers practitioner-oriented undergraduate and graduate degree programs, onsite and online, that meet the needs of a diverse and geographically dispersed student population. DeVry Calgary offers degree programs in Business Administration, Computer Information Systems, Electronics Engineering Technology, Computer Engineering Technology, and Network Communications Management. In Canada, the government of Alberta grants approval for baccalaureate degrees awarded by DeVry Calgary. In the United States, DeVry University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, www.ncahlc.org. DeVry University, a subsidiary of DeVry Inc. (NYSE: DV), is based in Downers Grove, Ill.  For more information about DeVry University, find us on Twitter @DeVryUniv or visit www.devry.edu.

For further information:

Karissa Boley
NATIONAL Public Relations
[email protected]
403-531-0331

Dan Dement
DeVry University
[email protected]
714-661-9814