What Optometry School Loans does

EdFed, doing business as Optometry School Loans, is a Pasadena, California-based specialty student-loan provider founded in 2006 as a company under the Employment Research Institute umbrella. The company operates exclusively in the U.S. optometry-student vertical, offering private tuition loans ranging from $3,000 to $50,000 per year, federal Stafford loans (subsidized and unsubsidized), Parent and Graduate PLUS loans, and a student loan consolidation service that combines multiple loans into a single payment. Its stated customer base is narrow by design: current optometry students at Title IV institutions and optometry graduates seeking to refinance or consolidate existing debt.

The product portfolio is built on a mix of directly originated federal loan servicing and partner-sourced private loan capacity through cuStudentLoans. There is no proprietary technology stack — the platform is a basic website (optometryschoolloans.com) with registration forms, supported by a 24/7 phone-based inside-sales channel staffed by financial advisors described as holding graduate and professional degrees. Consolidation economics are positioned around customer outcomes of $500–$1,000 in monthly payment savings and $57,000–$75,000 in lifetime interest savings, with rates as low as 2.75% referenced for government programs and prime-plus-margin for private tuition loans.

Commercially, EdFed runs an inside-sales go-to-market with mid-funnel email outreach, top-of-funnel financial-aid-administrator engagement, and bottom-of-funnel phone conversion and application completion. No revenue, funding, management team, awards, or patents are disclosed in the available data, and the public website content carries a 2006 copyright, leaving the current scale and trajectory of the business materially unverified.

Name

Optometry School Loans

Legal name

EdFed

Website

https://optometryschoolloans.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EdFed, operating as Optometry School Loans, is a Pasadena-based specialty lender offering private tuition loans, federal Stafford and PLUS loans, and consolidation services exclusively to U.S. optometry students and graduates through phone-based financial advisors and a partner network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Loan Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Loan Brokers (6163), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Student Loans (Undergraduate & Graduate) (FSAKAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Loan Refinancing (Private Refi) (FSAKAEAD), Parent & Family Education Loans (e.g., PLUS/private parent loans) (FSAKAEAC), Student Loan Intermediation & Refinancing (FSAEAEAL)

Keywords

• Student loan services
• Optometry school loans
• Loan consolidation services
• Federal Stafford loans
• Private tuition lending

Headquarters

HQ city

Pasadena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition Loans: Provides private tuition loans ranging from $3,000 to $50,000 per year for optometry students attending Title IV institutions. Interest rates are prime rate plus margin based on credit history.
2. Federal Stafford Loans: Federally guaranteed Stafford loans for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Available as subsidized (government pays interest during school) or unsubsidized (borrower pays all interest).
3. PLUS Loans: Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS) and Graduate PLUS loans offered at 6.10% interest rate, allowing borrowers to fund up to 100% of cost of education less financial aid.
4. Loan Consolidation Services: Student loan consolidation services that combine multiple loans into one payment, potentially saving customers $500-$1000 per month and $57,000-$75,000 in lifetime interest.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

EdFed, operating as Optometry School Loans, provides a complete range of student loan services tailored to optometry students, including private tuition loans ranging from $3,000 to $50,000 per year, federal Stafford loans (subsidized and unsubsidized), federal Parent and Graduate PLUS loans, and student loan consolidation that combines multiple loans into a single monthly payment. Services are delivered through phone-based consultations with 24/7 financial advisors and an online registration form.

Product overview

EdFed offers a comprehensive suite of student loan services for optometry students through three interconnected product lines: Private Tuition Loans (ranging $3,000-$50,000/year with deferred repayment up to 7 years), Student Loan Consolidation (combining multiple loans into single payment with potential $500-$1,000 monthly savings), and Federal Loans including Stafford and PLUS variants. The company operates through phone-based advisory services (1-800-503-1146) and online registration, serving students, graduates, and parents with free financial assessments and personalized loan guidance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Tuition Loan Private loan product for optometry students ranging from $3,000 to $50,000 per year, available to U.S. citizens or permanent residents attending Title IV or approved institutions. Interest is set at prime rate (currently 7.75%) plus a margin based on credit history, with repayment deferrable up to 7 years after disbursement or 6 months after graduation.
• Student Loan Consolidation Service that combines multiple federal or private student loans into a single monthly payment to one lender, with flexible repayment options and the ability to lock in lower interest rates. Customers reportedly save $500-$1,000 per month and $57,000-$75,000 in lifetime interest.
• Federal Stafford Loans Federally guaranteed Stafford loans available to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, offered in subsidized (government pays interest during school and deferment) and unsubsidized (borrower pays all interest) variants.
• Federal PLUS Loans (Parent and Graduate) Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) loans allowing eligible parents of undergraduates to borrow up to 100% of education costs less financial aid, and Graduate PLUS loans (available July 1, 2006) for independent graduate students on credit-based eligibility, priced at a 6.10% interest rate.

Quantifiable outcome

• Customers save $500-$1000 per month in loan payments through consolidation
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• cuStudentLoanscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdFed is partnered with cuStudentLoans to offer private student loans and private student loan consolidation services. This partnership enables EdFed to provide comprehensive private loan products to optometry students and graduates.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Earnest: Offers private student loans and student loan refinancing with underwriting flexibility and a digital-first experience. Competes head-on with EdFed's tuition loans and consolidation products for graduate borrowers.
• Commonbond: Student loan refinancing and private student loan provider focused on graduate borrowers. Competes with EdFed's consolidation product on rate, digital experience, and graduate-school marketing.
• SoFi: Market-leading student loan refinancing and private student loan provider offering a full digital experience to graduate and professional borrowers. Directly competes with EdFed's core consolidation and new-loan offerings, including for optometry students.
• College Ave Student Loans: Specializes in private student loans for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students including healthcare fields. Overlaps with EdFed's tuition loan product and targets a similar professional-school borrower.
• Ascent Funding: Private student loan provider serving undergraduate and graduate students with outcomes-based and credit-based products. Direct competitor to EdFed in graduate professional student lending.

Broad incumbents

• Credible: Loan marketplace that lets borrowers compare private student loan and refinancing offers from multiple lenders. Indirectly competes by giving borrowers an easier way to comparison-shop versus EdFed's phone-based process.
• Sallie Mae: Largest US student loan originator, offering both private loans and refinancing. A broad incumbent that overlaps with EdFed across the entire student lending lifecycle, though it does not specialize in optometry.
• LendKey: Student loan refinancing marketplace connecting borrowers with credit unions and community lenders. Competes with EdFed's consolidation offering via a multi-lender digital platform.
• Citizens Bank Student Lending: Major bank offering private student loans, refinancing, and parent loans. Broad incumbent providing scale competition in optometry and adjacent professional programs.
• Discover Student Loans: Private student loan and consolidation product from a major bank targeting undergraduate and graduate students. Adjacent incumbent with broader scope than EdFed's optometry focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Optometry School Loans