It's Optimal! College Ranking Leader Changes Name, Brings Hope to Student Debt Crisis

KIRKLAND, Wash., Jan. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- One of the nation's leading college ranking and student review companies today announced it is changing its name to Optimal from SR Education Group. The Kirkland, Washington based company is the first to publish tuition costs and earning potential based on specific college major and degree level in its ranking services.

"Our new name, Optimal, better reflects our mission to help students make the perfect, more data-driven decision for their college destination," said founder and CEO Sung Rhee. "Deciding which college to attend is one of the most consequential decisions anyone will ever make. The choice is an emotional one, often based on name recognition or a desired location. We don't believe prospective students should abandon emotion, but we do believe they must also consider the impact that their specific major from their specific college will have on their long-term earning potential and how that will affect their financial goals. In 2020, we will be introducing new products that will significantly influence a student's decision making process in regards to their college choices using data collected from millions of graduates."

The consideration of financial issues in choosing a college has never been more important. In 2019, student loans became the second highest category for consumer debt. Only mortgages incur more debt to consumers. College can be the foundation of a successful, financially rewarding career. But it can also saddle students with insurmountable debt. Nationally, 65 percent of college seniors who graduate have student loan debt. The average U.S. household with student debt owes $48,000, an all-time high.

Up until now, college ranking services have not given students the full financial cost matched against the potential post-collegiate earning potential based specifically on the college major. Additionally, online degree rankings have relied on school-wide, campus-based costs, significantly distorting what an online student should expect to pay. Optimal gives students accessible, insight-rich rankings with manually researched tuition numbers for more than 2,200 colleges and post-college career earning potential, based on alumni salaries specific to degree level and major. The company also provides over 85,000 in-depth alumni reviews of student experiences.

Optimal was founded in 2004 to develop products and services designed to aid prospective students in finding the perfect college to meet their needs. These include OnlineU, GradReports, and Guide To Online Schools, which are ranking and review services that are objective, accessible, and data-driven.

You can visit here to see all products and learn more about Optimal.

About Optimaltm
Optimal helps prospective students make informed, data-driven decisions to improve their collegiate experience and their post-college careers. The company provides over 85,000 in-
depth student reviews and college rankings for every major based on alumni salaries and manually researched tuitions. Optimal's tools and services provide accessible, transparent financial data regarding cost and earning potential that give students educational paths that lead them to success, without burdening them with insurmountable debt. http://www.optimal.com

SOURCE Optimal