gradreports
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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.
Sung Rhee
Sung Rhee is the founder and CEO of Optimal, a Kirkland, Washington company behind data-driven college ranking and review sites like OnlineU and GradReports. A former Microsoft general manager who helped build Outlook Express and MSN Mobile, he started the business in 2004 as SR Education Group, then pivoted it away from for-profit-college lead generation toward putting students first - even when that cost the company accounts. He calls himself a reluctant entrepreneur, plays point guard, and collects Gundam figurines.