Kirkland, WA (PRWEB) November 13, 2013
SR Education Group, a provider of authoritative online education resources based in Kirkland, Wash., today announced the launch of http://www.OnlineU.org, a new free online guide enabling students to compare all available U.S. online degrees on quality and affordability in 12 disciplines ranging from business and healthcare to computer science and social work. The new site releases its 2014 Most Affordable U.S. Online College Rankings, the first of its kind showcasing online colleges that strive to make higher education more affordable for parents, working professionals, and any student with many responsibilities, time constraints, and budget considerations. OnlineU hopes to enable more Americans to go to college by encouraging institutions to lower the overall cost of earning a degree and ultimately be part of the solution to the nation’s student debt crisis. Some 141 colleges featured in the rankings offer an annual tuition of less than $10,000, seven of them offering online programs for less than $5,000 per year.
The White House’s Office of the Press Secretary reported that as of August 2013, most college seniors graduated with over $26,000 of student loan debt. While college tuition fees continue to increase year after year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently reported that outstanding U.S. student loan debt was approaching the $1.2 trillion mark as of May 2013, $1 trillion of which in federal student loan debt alone. As a result of many American families using home equity loans, credit cards, and loans from retirement plans to pay for educational expenses, which means debt incurred for higher education may actually be much larger than $1.2 trillion. Student loan debts now account for the nation’s second-highest form of consumer debt behind home mortgages.
Because location is no longer a limiting factor in a student’s college choice, online education is a great way for colleges and universities to finally compete in a truly customer-driven marketplace. The average tuition fees of the colleges featured in the 2014 Most Affordable U.S. Online College Rankings is only $10,384, which is less than half of the national average, representing savings of over $60,000 over four years. Thanks to OnlineU, colleges that students may not have considered five years ago have now become viable options.
“Our main objective is to shift the discussion around higher education from prestige and selectivity to quality and affordability while empowering students to become better-informed consumers,” explains Sung Rhee, CEO of SR Education Group. “Skyrocketing college costs combined with the rising burden of student debt are compelling many American families to look for more affordable college education options. Prior to OnlineU.org, it was nearly impossible for students to easily and quickly compare the prices of online degrees across a variety of schools. The 2014 Most Affordable U.S. Online College Rankings put tuition fees at the forefront of the conversation and show students which institutions provide their degree of interest at a price that meets their budget expectations.”
Note to editors:
Click here to consult the methodology for the 2014 Most Affordable U.S. Online College Rankings.
About SR Education Group
Headquartered in Kirkland, WA, SR Education Group was founded in 2004 by CEO Sung Rhee. The company’s mission is to create authoritative online resources for students seeking an online education program that best suits their budget and career aspirations. SR Education Group is passionate about making quality education attainable for everyone and believes that objective information about education, careers, and educational financing should be free and easily accessible. For more information, please visit http://www.sreducationgroup.org.