Note 1. Nature of Operations and Liquidity

 

Overview

 

Aspen Group, Inc. (together with its subsidiary, the “Company” or “Aspen”) was founded in Colorado in 1987 as the International School of Information Management. On September 30, 2004, it was acquired by Higher Education Management Group, Inc. (“HEMG”) and changed its name to Aspen University, Inc. On March 13, 2012, the Company was recapitalized in a reverse merger. All references to the Company or Aspen before March 13, 2012 are to Aspen University. Inc.

 

On April 5, 2013, the Company gave 120-day notice to CLS 123, LLC of its intent to terminate the agreement between the Company and CLS 123, LLC dated November 9, 2011. Moreover, at the end of the 120-day period, the Company is no longer offering the “Certificate in Information Technology with a specialization in Smart Home Integration” program. Accordingly, the activities related to CLS (or the “Smart Home Integration Certificate” program) are treated as discontinued operations. As this component of the business was not sold, there was no gain or loss on the disposition of this component (see below “Discontinued Operations”).

 

On April 25, 2013, our Board of Directors approved a change in our fiscal year-end from December 31 to April 30, with the change to the calendar year reporting cycle beginning May 1, 2013. Consequently, we filed a Transition Report on Form 10-KT for the four-month transition period ended April 30, 2013.

 

Aspen University's mission is to offer any motivated college-worthy student the opportunity to receive a high quality, responsibly priced distance-learning education for the purpose of achieving sustainable economic and social benefits for themselves and their families. One of the key differences between Aspen and other publicly-traded, exclusively online, for-profit universities is that approximately 85% of our full-time degree-seeking students (as of October 31, 2014) were enrolled in graduate degree programs (Master or Doctorate degree program). On November 10, 2014, Aspen University announced the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (“CCNE”) has granted accreditation to its Bachelor of Science in Nursing program (RN to BSN) until December 31, 2019. This newly accredited undergraduate degree program is expected to grow rapidly given Aspen's debtless education approach, which allows nurses to pay the $9,750 tuition for the 10-course RN to BSN completion program at $250 per month for 39 months.

 

Since 1993, we have been nationally accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (“DETC”), a national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (the “DOE”).

 

Basis of Presentation

 

A. Interim Financial Statements

 

The interim consolidated financial statements included herein have been prepared by the Company, without audit, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). In the opinion of the Company's management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments and reclassifications and non-recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly our results of operations for the three months ended October 31, 2014 and 2013, the six months ended October 31, 2014 and 2013, our cash flows for the six months ended October 31, 2014 and 2013, and our financial position as of October 31, 2014 have been made. The results of operations for such interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the operating results to be expected for the full year.

 

Certain information and disclosures normally included in the notes to the annual consolidated financial statements have been condensed or omitted from these interim consolidated financial statements. Accordingly, these interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our Report on Form 10-K for the period ended April 30, 2014 as filed with the SEC on July 29, 2014. The April 30, 2014 balance sheet is derived from those statements.

 

B. Discontinued Operations

 

As of March 31, 2013, the Company decided to discontinue business activities related to its “Certificate in Information Technology with a specialization in Smart Home Integration” program so that it may focus on growing its full-time, degree-seeking student programs, which have higher gross margins. On April 5, 2013, the Company gave 120-day notice to CLS 123, LLC of its intent to terminate the agreement between the Company and CLS 123, LLC dated November 9, 2011. Thus, as of August 3, 2013, the Company is no longer offering the “Certificate in Information Technology with a specialization in Smart Home Integration” program. The termination of the “Smart Home Integration Certificate” program qualifies as a discontinued operation and accordingly the Company has excluded results for this component from its continuing operations in the consolidated statements of operations for all periods presented. The following table shows the results of the “Smart Home Integration Certificate” program component included in the income (loss) from discontinued operations:

 

C. Liquidity

 

At October 31, 2014, the Company had a cash balance of approximately $3.0 million which includes $938,225 of restricted cash. In September 2014, the Company completed the second closing of its equity financing of $3,766,325. With the additional cash raised in the financing, the growth in the Company revenues and improving operating margins, the Company believes that it has sufficient cash to allow the Company to implement its long-term business plan.