KIRKLAND, Wash., March 5, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Online degrees present an opportunity for career advancement and increased financial stability, but they can also result in piles of debt. Knowing the return on investment of a specific degree and major before making a decision is key to evading insurmountable debt. To help people make this decision, Optimal (formerly SR Education Group), published their 2020 Best Value Colleges rankings on Guide to Online Schools for 121 programs. The rankings are based on degree-level and program-specific tuition rates and PayScale salary data.
The methodology for the rankings incorporates a return on investment formula to show accredited programs with the best value. Since the cost and return of a college can significantly vary by the degree, tuition rates and salary numbers are specific to degree-level and major. All tuition rates were manually researched on official school websites in order to ensure accuracy. Salary figures were reported by PayScale and reflect earnings of students 10 or more years after graduation. In order to select the best options for value in each major, Optimal researched over 78,000 online programs.
"Our goal is to show data that is difficult to find elsewhere," said CEO Sung Rhee. "With this launch, Guide to Online Schools shows students what they can reasonably expect to make in salary 10 years after graduating from a particular program. We want people to know how their education choices can measurably impact their financial futures."
For students who would like to find online accredited degrees with the lowest cost, Optimal is also releasing its 2020 Most Affordable Online Colleges on OnlineU. These 152 program rankings highlight schools making an effort to provide an economical option for prospective students.
Some of the programs with the best return on investment include information technology, engineering, and marketing. The top-ranked school for information technology is SUNY at Albany, boasting a median mid-career salary of $184,700 with a low tuition rate of $10,590.
About Optimal™
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 and 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
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