2020 Best Online Colleges & Degrees
In order to help students deal with rising tuition costs and combat the student debt crisis, we researched 1,943 schools and published over 250 program rankings using subject- and level-specific data. We identified colleges we believe are worthy investments because of their low tuitions and high median alumni salaries as reported by Payscale. Our rankings help prospective students determine the best online institution to attend based on their needs and interests. View Rankings ยป
Reviews
We have collected over 85,000 ratings and reviews from students. Learn which schools are improving graduate outcomes at GradReports and GraduatePrograms.
Rankings
We independently research thousands of colleges to identify the ones offering the best quality and price. View our rankings at OnlineU.
Scholarships
Each year we give away $260,000 of our profit in needs-based scholarships. Visit our scholarships page to learn more and see our recent winners.
Optimal helps prospective students make informed, data-driven decisions to improve their collegiate experience and their post-college careers. We provide over 85,000 in-depth student reviews and college rankings for every major based on alumni salaries and manually researched tuitions. Our tools provide accessible and transparent data regarding cost and earning potential, allowing students to choose educational paths to success without the burden of insurmountable debt.
SCHOLARSHIPS
As part of our mission to make college more accessible, Optimal has given away $676,961 of our profit in need-based scholarships since 2010.
Recent Winner - Military Scholarship
"Receiving this scholarship will be a great step for me towards achieving my long term goal of becoming an accountant. I cannot thank Optimal enough and promise to pass this down and help needy students in future just like it was passed down to me in my time of need."
Community College Scholarship
ELIGIBILITY: Students enrolled at a public community college, junior college, technical college, or city college, and working towards a certificate, diploma, or degree at the associate’s level or a first-time bachelor’s level.
Military Scholarship
ELIGIBILITY: Students who are veterans or active members of the U.S. military and are enrolled at a private or public educational institution, and working towards a certificate, diploma, or degree.
Undergraduate Scholarship
ELIGIBILITY: Undergraduate students enrolled at a private or public educational institution, and working towards a certificate, diploma, or degree at the associate’s level or a first-time bachelor’s level.
Graduate Scholarship
ELIGIBILITY: Graduate students enrolled at a private or public educational institution, and working towards a certificate, diploma, or degree at the post-bachelor’s level.
Online Degree Scholarship
ELIGIBILITY: Students enrolled at a private or public educational institution, and working towards a certificate, diploma, or degree at the associate’s, bachelor’s or post-bachelor’s level. The academic program must be pursued online - all classes require little to no attendance on campus.
At Optimal, we embrace a culture of growth, experimentation, and creativity. Our small and agile team allows all members to exercise great responsibility and freedom, leading each person to have a measurable impact on our business. We also offer unique benefits like tuition reimbursement and charitable donation matching. We enjoy solving hard problems just as much as we enjoy our wine and cheese parties and snuggling with our troop of quirky office dogs.
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