Kaplan Inc., the owner of both Hamilton College and Kaplan University, has announced the merger of those two educational institutions. With the merger, the Hamilton College campuses in Iowa and Nebraska will be renamed as Kaplan University.

Hamilton College enrolled 3,700 students at its Iowa campuses of Des Moines, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs and Mason City and its Lincoln and Omaha campuses in Nebraska. Hamilton had operated for more than a 100 years with course offerings in business, health, computer information systems, nursing and travel.

Kaplan University, based in Davenport, was initially established in 1937 as the American Institute of Commerce. The university was renamed as Kaplan College in 2000 and then Kaplan University in 2004.

Kaplan offers offers master's, bachelor's and associate degrees and professional certificates in business, criminal justice, education, health care, education and legal studies. Kaplan Inc. acquired Hamilton College in 2000.

The merger provides Hamilton campus students more online opportunities, one of the major focal points for Kaplan University. With the merge, Kaplan University will now have about 4,800 students in Iowa and Nebraska.