Kaplan to Acquire Holborn College, a UK Leader in International Education

London - Kaplan today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Holborn College, an independent school of business and law in London.  The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Kaplan is a leading international educational services provider whose holdings include The Financial Training Company (FTC) in the UK, Dublin Business School and the Asia Pacific Management Institute (APMI) in Singapore.  Kaplan, a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company, is based in New York.

Holborn College, founded in 1969, offers a range of pre-university, undergraduate, post-graduate and professional courses.  The college is a founding member of the British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education, the national review body for the recognition of UK independent colleges.

William Macpherson, CEO of Kaplan International and CEO of The Financial Training Company, said: "Holborn is a well-regarded educational institution in the UK and one with which we are proud to be affiliated. This acquisition gives us an opportunity to build upon Kaplan's resources and expertise while continuing to diversify our education holdings."

Professor Cedric C. Bell, chief executive of Holborn College, said: "Kaplan is a recognised leader in the education industry and we are excited to be a part of the group.  We are also proud of what Holborn College has been able to accomplish in its 36-year history and look forward to building upon our successes under Kaplan's leadership."

Holborn offers degree and post-graduate programs with three leading U.K. universities—the University of Wales, the University of Huddersfield and the University of London External Programme. Holborn provides courses for students both at its London campus and by distance learning, with degrees being awarded by the respective universities.

Kaplan recently partnered with two institutions of higher education in the UK to create Sheffield International College and Nottingham Trent International College. Through these colleges, Kaplan offers academic preparation programmes designed for international students that provide a solid academic foundation in their chosen area of study, combined with intensive English language preparation and academic study skills.

Kaplan International Holdings

FTC is a leading provider of test preparation services for accounting and financial service professionals in the UK. Dublin Business School is one of Ireland's largest private university-level institutions. APMI is one of Asia's largest private education providers for students, executives and managers in Singapore.

About Kaplan

Kaplan provides higher education, professional training, test preparation, services for K12 schools and after-school learning programmes. Kaplan, which had 2004 revenues of more than $1.1 billion, is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO).  For more information about Kaplan, please visit kaplan.com.

About Holborn College

Holborn College is one of the most successful independent institutions of higher education in the UK.  The college, which operates principally out of a 34,000-square-foot Victorian building in southeast London, has 1,900 part- and full-time students.  It is a member of the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service and the British Council Educational Counselling Service. Holborn received the Queen's Award for Export Achievement in 1982 for its role in international education.