AFIP, ADI & Northwood University Form Partnership To Grant Credits For All AFIP Certifications

COLLEYVILLE, TEXAS – (BusinessWire) – Feb. 20, 2007 – Certification by the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals is now transferable as course credit to Northwood University through AFIP’s unique partnership with the Automotive Dealership Institute. ADI will create and permanently bank educational transcripts for all persons who earn Basic, Senior or Master AFIP Certifications nationwide. AFIP will convert test scores into letter grades and forward to ADI. These credits are transferable to any degree program at Northwood University.

“AFIP will certify in excess of 8,000 automobile industry professionals in 2007, many of whom are pursuing or intend to pursue bachelor’s degrees,” said David Robertson, executive director of AFIP. “For those pursuing careers in the automobile business, Northwood is the logical choice for an industry-oriented education.”

Robert Serum, PhD, vice president of academics and international programs at Northwood, added, “Both Northwood University and the Automotive Dealership Institute ask their students to undertake the AFIP certification process. We do so because we sincerely believe the certifications prepare them to add value and integrity to the organizations they serve.”

AFIP’s Basic Certification earns four credits, Senior Certification earns an additional two credits and Master Certification earns an additional two credits, meaning a student can transfer a maximum of eight credits to Northwood from certifications by AFIP. Arzu Algan, ADI’s CFO and dean of education states that a test score of 90 or above earns a letter grade of ‘A’ on the transcript, a score of 86 to 90 earns a grade of ‘B’ and a score of 80 to 85 earns a grade of ‘C’. Any score below an 80 is considered a failing grade and earns no credit. Grading is on the 4.0 scale: A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, F = 0.0.

“As AFIP Certification is part of the Northwood dealer education experience, it is reasonable that our University gives a credit award to students of the Automotive Dealership Institute who earn these valuable certifications,” Dr. Serum explained.

“ADI recognizes the value of AFIP Certification and we want to help all students reach their academic and professional goals, which is why this agreement with Northwood University is so valuable,” said Alan Algan, CEO and executive director of ADI. “Since AFIP Certification is already included in ADI’s academic program, it makes sense to extend course credit to those individuals who have received Certification directly through the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals.”

Founded in 1989, the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational foundation that serves the needs of in-dealership finance and insurance personnel for the automobile, RV, commercial truck and equipment, motorcycle and motorized sports industries while assisting the lenders, vendors, and independent general agents who support the F&I function. AFIP is active in the United States, Canada and Europe. For more information about AFIP please visit www.afip.com The Automotive Dealership Institute is a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based automotive management school that specializes in educating the next generation of Finance and Insurance managers and service advisors. ADI is licensed by the State of Arizona Board for Private Postsecondary Education and approved by the Arizona Department of Education. For more information, call 877-998-7200 or visit www.autodealerinstitute.com Northwood is a private university that prepares students for productive leadership careers in business and management. The prestigious university offers AA, BBA and MBA degrees and has locations in Michigan, Florida and Texas. Northwood is internationally renowned for its automotive degree programs. Through a generous academic credit exchange agreement, ADI graduates can transfer Educational Credit Units they earn toward any of Northwood University’s applicable degree programs. For more information, visit www.northwood.edu