# Optimal

> Optimal is a Kirkland, Washington education-data company that uses independent research to help people make better decisions about college and careers. Founded in 2004 by former Microsoft manager Sung Rhee as SR Education Group, it rebranded to Optimal in 2020. Through its consumer sites - OnlineU, GradReports and SwitchUp - it publishes college rankings built on alumni salaries, manually researched tuition, and tens of thousands of verified student reviews, aiming to make the real return on an education visible before students take on debt.

- **Founded:** 2004
- **Headquarters:** Kirkland, Washington, United States
- **Founders:** Sung Rhee (Founder & CEO)
- **Team size:** ~21 core employees, plus a ~60-person data-research operation
- **Products:** OnlineU, GradReports, SwitchUp, Data research services
- **Notable:** Rebranded from SR Education Group to Optimal in January 2020 to sharpen its student-first mission, Published among the first college rankings based on graduates' salary by specific major and degree level, Manually researches roughly 37,000 tuitions annually and ranks 2,300+ colleges

## Products & services

- **OnlineU** — Independent rankings, verified student reviews, and salary data for online degree programs, helping prospective students weigh quality, affordability, and career impact.
- **GradReports** — College rankings organized by graduates' salary by major and degree level, with tens of thousands of student ratings and reviews.
- **SwitchUp** — Rankings and reviews for coding bootcamps and career-focused tech training programs.
- **Data research services** — Manually researched tuition and outcomes data across tens of thousands of degrees, published to make higher-education costs and ROI transparent.

## Achievements

- Rebranded from SR Education Group to Optimal in January 2020 to sharpen its student-first mission
- Published among the first college rankings based on graduates' salary by specific major and degree level
- Manually researches roughly 37,000 tuitions annually and ranks 2,300+ colleges
- Collected 16,000+ verified reviews from real online students
- Distributed over $915,000 in need-based scholarships since 2010

## Latest updates

- **2021-01** — GeekWire profiles CEO Sung Rhee on shifting company and personal priorities toward student-first leadership.
- **2020-01** — SR Education Group rebrands as Optimal, adopting the optimal.com domain.

## Links

- Website: https://optimal.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/optimal-team
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teamoptimal

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/optimal
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-03