OnlineU News & Media

OnlineU has been publishing rankings of online colleges since 2014 and awarding scholarships since 2010. We pride ourselves on thorough research and fair assessment of all available online programs, with the hopes of helping students make educated decisions when choosing an online degree.

1,082 Colleges Ranked Since 2014

OnlineU is committed to a thoughtful and data-driven approach to ranking schools that benefits students and colleges alike.

• Most Affordable Online Colleges & Programs: since 2014
• Most Affordable Military Friendly Online Colleges: since 2014
• Most Affordable Online Christian Colleges: since 2017
• Most Affordable LGBTQ-Friendly Online Schools: since 2017
• Most Affordable Online Colleges for Low-Income Students: since 2017
• Most Affordable Online Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities: since 2017
• Most Affordable Online Colleges for Women STEM: since 2017
• Most Affordable Online Catholic Colleges: since 2019
• Most Affordable Online Colleges for Hispanic and Latino Students: since 2019
• Most Affordable Online Colleges with Open Admissions: since 2019

$ Awarded in Scholarships Since 2010

OnlineU is a product of Optimal, a company that strives to empower people to make better decisions about careers and education. Optimal has provided scholarships to students since 2010.

Optimal scholarships:

• Community College Scholarship - $2,500
• Military Scholarship - $2,000
• Single Parent Scholarship - $2,000
• Women's Scholarship - $2,000
• 'Make a Difference' Scholarship - $1,000
• Student Loan Repayment Grant - $2,000
• Graduate School Scholarship to Teachers - $5,000
• Need-based Scholarships - $2,500

Visit our scholarship page on the Optimal website to view previous winners and apply for our current scholarships.

Highlighted Media Mentions

2019

2018

• Southern Utah University, December 2018
• New Mexico University School of Engineering, December 2018
• All On Georgia , November 2018
• Northern State University , October 2018
• Cumberland Times-News, October 2018
• UW-La Crosse, October 2018
• Keweenaw Report, October 2018
• Northern Kentucky University, July 2018
• Texas Tech Today, July 2018
• Northwestern College, July 2018
• The Post, July 2018
• UNF Spinnaker, June 2018
• Mississippi State University News, April 2018
• The River City News, March 2018
• Northwestern State University News, March 2018
• Briar Cliff University News, March 2018
• Northern Arizona University News, March 2018
• University of North Florida News, February 2018
• The Cable News, February 2018
• Santa Rosa’s Press Gazette, February 2018
• Valdosta Daily Times, January 2018
• Southeast Missourian, January 2018

2017

• Friends University News, December 2017
• The Echo, November 2017
• Louisiana Tech University News, October 2017
• Georgia Southwestern State University News, October 2017
• University of North Florida News, September 2017
• Brandeis University GPS Blog, September 2017
• Lamar University News, August 2017
• Texas Tech University News, June 2017
• Valdosta State University News, June 2017
• Flyer News, June 2017
• University of North Georgia News, June 2017
• Middle Tennessee State University News, May 2017
• Allied News, May 2017
• Doane University News, April 2017
• Georgia Southern University News, April 2017
• The Abington Journal, January 2017

All Optimal Press Releases

Optimal was formerly known as SR Education Group until January of 2020, when the company rebranded. All press releases from 2019 and before will refer to SR Education Group.

2019

• SR Education Group Releases its 10th Annual Best Online Colleges in the Nation

2018

• SR Education Group Releases the First Online College Rankings Based on Degree-Specific Return on Investment
• SR Education Group Releases Reports of the 2018 Top and Most Affordable Military-Friendly Online Colleges
• SR Education Group Releases the 2018 Most Affordable Online Colleges on OnlineU.org

2017

• SR Education Group Releases Reports of the 2017 Top and Most Affordable Online Colleges for Student Economic Mobility
• SR Education Group Releases Reports of the 2017 Top and Most Affordable Online Colleges for Women in STEM
• SR Education Group Expands Online College Resources to Support Christian Students
• SR Education Group Publishes Report Of 47 Online Colleges Providing The Strongest Support For Students With Disabilities
• SR Education Group Publishes 29 New Rankings of the Most Affordable Online Master’s Degrees for 2017 on OnlineU.org
• SR Education Group Releases 2017 Rankings of Military-Friendly Online Colleges
• SR Education Group Expands Online College Resources to Support Students in the LGBTQ Community
• SR Education Group Launches the 2017 Most Affordable Online Colleges

2016

• SR Education Group Awards its First Ever $5,000 Teacher Scholarship
• SR Education Group Releases the 2016 Most Affordable Online Colleges on OnlineU.org
• SR Education Group Awards $5,000 in Need-Based Scholarships
• UNLV Student Wins the $5,000 Teacher Scholarship from SR Education Group
• SR Education Group Awards $5,000 in Scholarships to Community College Students
• Graduate Student at the College of Staten Island Wins $5,000 Scholarship from SR Education Group
• SR Education Group Awards $5,000 in Needs-Based Scholarships

2015

• SR Education Group Launches New 2015 Rankings of the Top U.S. Online Colleges on OnlineU.org
• OnlineU.org Announces New 2015 Rankings of the Top Online Degrees
• SR Education Group to Award Graduate School Scholarships to Teachers
• SR Education Group Awards $5,000 in Scholarships to Students in Need
• SR Education Group Launches the 2016 Top Online Colleges on OnlineU.org
• SR Education Group Awards $5,000 in Community College Scholarships

2014

• SR Education Group Launches New 2015 Rankings of the Best Value Online Colleges on OnlineU
• SR Education Group Launches New 2014 Rankings of the Most Affordable U.S. Online Colleges on OnlineU.org

2013

• SR Education Group Awards the First 'Make a Difference' Scholarship
• SR Education Group Launches OnlineU.org; Releases 2014 Rankings of the Most Affordable U.S. Online Colleges
• Honor of Most Affordable Accredited Online MBA Program In the Nation Belongs to Southern Arkansas University

2012

• Single Mom Wins $2000 Scholarship
• Single Parent Scholarship Announced by SR Education Group
• Former Press Officer with a Mission Wins $2000 Military Scholarship

2011

• SR Education Group Awards $2000 Community College Scholarship
• Guide to Online Schools Awards Community College Scholarship to Single Mother
• Jamestown, Ohio Native Wins Scholarship to Study in Pune, India

2010

• SR Education Group Announces Launch of New $2000 Community College Scholarship