College Options Foundation

What College Options Foundation does

College Options Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1992 and headquartered in Peachtree City, Georgia, dedicated to enriching the academic development of high school students and assisting with their preparation for higher education. The foundation's primary audience is military-connected high schoolers, particularly students in JROTC programs, along with their parents and the broader pool of college-bound high school students. According to the organization's public materials, COF works with over 2,000 high school programs including military installations and Department of Defense schools worldwide and claims to have assisted more than six million students over nearly three decades of operation.

The foundation's core product portfolio centers on Total College Success®, an award-winning college preparation software sold as a $75/year subscription that bundles SAT/ACT preparation, college admissions guidance, and financial aid navigation for students and parents. The software incorporates Zero Hour Threat® I and II, gamified test prep modules originally designed by i.d.e.a.s. at Disney-MGM Studios. COF also operates the JROTC Academic Challenge (JLAB), a nationally recognized internet-based academic bowl competition that runs on an annual cycle (registration September, practice round October-February, Level I in November, Level II in February), testing JROTC teams on curriculum, math, science, language arts, current events, and financial literacy. A separate JROTC Leadership Bowl is managed by retired LTC Tom Torbert.

The business model is diversified across five revenue streams: $75/year individual subscriptions, bulk school partnership purchases, individual sales via JROTC promo codes (with 70% of profits passed through to JROTC units), grants and donations from sponsors including USAA Educational Foundation, University of North Georgia, VMI, and Encourage, and proceeds from a national recycling program. The nonprofit structure enables low pricing and access to tax-deductible funding, while the dual school-bulk and individual-promo-code distribution model creates a fundraising vehicle for JROTC units. COF is led by President Terry Wilfong and governed by a Board of Directors chaired by retired Major General Wallace C. Arnold, with no disclosed venture capital, private equity, or parent company ownership.

Name

College Options Foundation

Legal name

College Options Foundation

Website

https://collegeoptionsfoundation.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

College Options Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers college preparation software, academic competitions, and fundraising programs to high school students, with a focus on JROTC units and military-connected families across 2,000+ high school programs in the U.S. and at DoD schools worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Software

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Standardized Testing Strategy for Admissions (SAT/ACT/AP/IB/TOEFL/IELTS) (EDANAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Application Strategy & School List Building (EDANAEAE), Financial Aid, Scholarships & FAFSA/CSS Profile Support (EDANAEAI), Education Funding Planning (College/529) (FSAEAAAF)

Keywords

• College preparation software
• Academic competitions
• Test prep programs
• JROTC educational programs
• Student fundraising platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Peachtree City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Software Subscriptions: Annual subscription sales of Total College Success software at $75/year, providing SAT/ACT prep and college admissions guidance to students and parents
2. School Partnerships and Bulk Sales: Schools purchase the college and career prep platform in bulk, with 70% of profits going to JROTC units and the remaining supporting national JROTC events
3. Individual App Sales: Individual student purchases through unique promo codes, with JROTC units earning 70% commission on sales
4. Grants and Donations: Funding provided through grants, gifts, and donations from sponsors including USAA Educational Foundation, University of North Georgia, VMI, and Encourage
5. Recycling Program Proceeds: Revenue generated from a national recycling program

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

College Options Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops and sells the Total College Success college preparation software (including ACT Prep, SAT Prep, and the Zero Hour Threat I & II gamified test prep series), operates the JLAB/JROTC Academic Challenge and JROTC Leadership Bowl online academic competitions, and provides a fundraising platform (College Options Foundation App) for JROTC units and high school groups.

Product overview

College Options Foundation offers a unified product portfolio centered on its award-winning Total College Success® platform and the JROTC Academic Challenge (JLAB) competition program. Total College Success® is a comprehensive 1-year subscription software ($75/year) providing SAT/ACT prep, college admissions guidance, and financing assistance through modules including ACT Prep, SAT Prep, Zero Hour Threat® I, and Zero Hour Threat® II. The JLAB program provides a nationally recognized online academic bowl with competitive levels (Level I and II) for students. The Foundation also offers a College Options Foundation App distributed via a JROTC Fundraising Program that allows units to earn 70% of profits while providing students access to gamified test prep and college preparation tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Total College Success®: Award-winning college prep software that teaches students and parents everything they need to know about the college-bound process including SAT/ACT prep, college admissions, and financing.
• JLAB
• Zero Hour Threat®

Products and services

• Total College Success
• JLAB/JROTC Academic Challenge
• JROTC Leadership Bowl
• College Options Foundation App

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $23,000 in scholarships and aid for UCLA student
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• i.d.e.a.s. at Disney-MGM StudioscoreTechnology or Integrationi.d.e.a.s. at Disney-MGM Studios designed the fast-paced internet-based competition program used for JLAB and JROTC Academic Challenge, as well as gamified test prep games (Zero Hour Threat I and II)
• University of North GeorgiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution sponsor supporting COF's mission and programs
• VMI (Virginia Military Institute)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMilitary college sponsor supporting COF's academic competitions and programs
• Jeopardy!coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlex Trebek was a speaker at the 2018 National JROTC Leadership & Academic Bowl. Jeopardy! has supported COF and their national academic bowls for six years

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Khan Academy (Official SAT Practice): Free, College Board-endorsed SAT prep platform that has redefined the low end of the test prep market—poses a direct substitution threat to COF's $75/year paid subscription at the same target demographic.
• Road2College: Family-focused college planning and financial aid advisory platform offering admissions and 529/funding advice—overlaps with COF's financial aid guidance and parent persona, especially for military families.

Direct peers

• Kaplan Test Prep: Major commercial provider of SAT/ACT prep, college admissions, and tutoring services with online and in-person formats—competing with COF for the same college-bound high school student segment.
• Magoosh: Online-first SAT/ACT prep subscription company with self-paced content and low price points—most direct subscription-based comparable to COF's $75/year Total College Success model.
• PrepScholar: Personalized online SAT/ACT prep platform with adaptive learning—competes head-on with COF on individualized test preparation for college-bound high school students.
• Varsity Tutors: Online tutoring and test prep provider offering 1-on-1 SAT/ACT instruction and college admissions support—overlaps with COF's small-group/individual prep offering and target customer.
• The Princeton Review: Long-established test prep and college admissions counseling company offering SAT/ACT prep, admissions strategy, and financial aid guidance—directly overlapping with COF's Total College Success curriculum and target high school market.

Others

• College Confidential: Largest online community for college admissions, with forums, counseling directories, and application guidance—adjacent to COF's admissions/financial aid guidance component and reaching a similar college-bound audience.
• College Board: Operates the SAT itself and offers free official practice through Khan Academy; also publishes college planning and financial aid resources. Functions as both the standard-setter and an adjacent, ecosystem-defining player for any test prep provider.

Broad incumbents

• 2U/edX: Large online education platform offering a broad catalog including college readiness and test prep-adjacent courses—competitor for student attention and supplemental learning spend, though not a niche SAT/ACT specialist like COF.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/collegeoptions_
• Facebookfacebook.com/collegeoptionsfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2865656

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about College Options Foundation