Meratas | The Student Loan Marketplace

Meratas Acquires OneDegree Careers, Enhancing Student Loan Marketplace with Enrollment Matching for Trade Schools and Bootcamps

STAMFORD, CT, UNITED STATES, June 19, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Meratas, a leading student loan marketplace for financing skills training and trade schools, announced a roll up of OneDegree Careers. Together, they bring a unique approach to students looking to find and fund their future with cost-efficient practical skills training.

OneDegree Careers, established in 2019 by co-founders Gabe Bensimon and Tim Brophy, specializes in helping career seekers find new opportunities while bypassing expensive traditional college tuition and lengthy generalized learning pathways. OneDegree Careers' tech platform has facilitated over 50,000 connections between career seekers and educational programs, offering a bridge to new career journeys without the burden of an expensive 4-year college degree.

Meratas' Student Loan Marketplace Meets OneDegree's Unique Enrollment Matching

Meratas, known for launching the nation's largest private student loan marketplace for both traditional and alternative educational pathways, has built a strong network of bootcamps and trade schools amongst its institutional users. The incorporation of OneDegree's enrollment matching allows Meratas to enhance its platform by connecting highly qualified bottom-of-the-funnel loan seekers to schools offering programs of interest.

Empowering Students to Save Money Through School Competition

Together, Meratas and OneDegree Careers are transforming student education by fostering competition among schools for highly prequalified students. Similar to how Meratas enables students to secure lower loan rates by making lenders compete, schools will now vie for prequalified students with tuition discounts, scholarships, and grants. This groundbreaking model aids students in identifying the most appropriate educational programs while motivating schools to deliver more competitive pricing and financial assistance, making quality education more attainable and cost-effective for everyone.

The Story of Gabe Bensimon and Tim Brophy

Gabe Bensimon and Tim Brophy founded OneDegree Careers in 2021 Gabe, who at the time was attending graduate school, saw an opportunity to revolutionize how people found new career paths without the high costs of traditional college programs. From that point forward, OneDegree's mission was to assist high school students, career switchers, and even college students in obtaining careers in skilled trades and the tech industry without needing a college degree. With the help of venture funding in 2022, OneDegree launched an online platform educating users about career pathways and connecting them with online education and in-person trade schools, leading to successful career transitions.

OneDegree Careers' Future with Meratas

This acquisition not only adds to Meratas' portfolio but also strengthens its position as a leader in providing accessible education and career transition opportunities. With this expansion, Meratas can offer enhanced value to users and customers by allowing students to pre-qualify with dozens of national lenders through a single, universal loan application, while simultaneously helping them discover the best educational programs for their unique needs.

Darius Goldman, founder and CEO of Meratas, explains: “Meratas empowers students with choice, transparency, and control over their loan search by making lenders compete for their business. By introducing students to school programs that will further reduce costs through scholarships, grants, and discounts, we can significantly amplify these benefits. This revolutionizes the landscape for students seeking to advance their careers without incurring excessive debt.”
Gabe Bensimon, CEO and co-founder of OneDegree Careers, expressed his excitement about the acquisition: "Access to career information and opportunities should be democratized and available to everyone. I'm excited to see the Meratas team expand on this mission through their marketplace, all while helping students find the best educational options at the most competitive prices."

About Meratas

Meratas is revolutionizing education financing through its innovative embedded student loan marketplace. By operating a dual-sided platform that serves both educational institutions and students, Meratas facilitates a more accessible, flexible, and efficient financing experience for all parties involved.

Meratas' unique double-sided marketplace approach empowers students to save money on their education by fostering competition among lenders and schools. Lenders compete by offering competitive private student loan rates for both degree and non-degree programs, generating high-quality, bottom-of-the-funnel enrollment leads for Meratas' partner schools.

In turn, schools vie for these prequalified students through attractive tuition discounts, scholarships, and grants. By driving competition on both sides of the marketplace, Meratas is transforming alternative education financing and reshaping the landscape of career-focused learning. Meratas' mission is to unlock opportunities for individuals to pursue their dreams without the burden of excessive student debt.

About OneDegree Careers

OneDegree Careers is an online platform dedicated to helping career seekers and career switchers find new opportunities in bootcamps and trade schools. Through innovative lead generation techniques and a user-focused approach, OneDegree has helped tens of thousands of individuals embark on new career journeys.

Jamie Davis
Meratas
jamie@meratas.com
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