how much do college essay consultants charge

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• 14 Best College Essay Services for 2024 (40 Services Reviewed)

Research conducted by Emily Kierkegaard , PhD, and expert-reviewed by Kevin Wong, PrepMaven Co-founder

Not sure which college application essay coaching and editing service is the best? We compared the top 40 services, created in-depth reviews for 14 of them, and narrowed it down to the 4 best that will help guide you through the process of writing amazing college application essays.

What is the Best College Essay Service?

• PrepMaven  – best college application essay service overall
• College Essay Mentor  – best for individual consultants
• The College Essay Guy  – best for unlimited essay assistance
• College Vine  – best of the big platforms

The best of the rest:

Individual essay consultants:

• College Essay Editor  – small editing team
• Allison Karpf  – former English teacher helping students
• Your College Vision  – former journalist with more affordable rates
• The College Guru  – good on paper but unresponsive
• Sofia Zapiola – budget-friendly application assistance

Mid-size teams:

• Lotus Learning  – focus on health sciences

Large platforms:

• Study Point  – larger platform with mystery editors
• Ivy Select  – larger platform with mystery editors
• Empowerly  – larger platform with mystery editors
• BeMo  – expensive and aggressive with wrong expertise

Schedule a college essay consultation

Best College Application Essay Services in 2024

#1 – prepmaven.

Our Verdict — Best College Essay Assistance Overall Price: $79–349/hour (minimum $510 package) PrepMaven’s one-on-one college essay assistance is the best option overall. Founded by brothers and Princeton grads Greg and Kevin, almost all of PrepMaven’s essay coaches have Ivy-League experience, primarily from Princeton and Harvard. All essay coaches also undergo a thorough training program in PrepMaven’s methods, developed by professional writers with deep understanding of the college admissions process, for helping students to discover the most compelling stories for their essays. Unlike other services, PrepMaven offers college essay assistance at several different price points. At the most accessible rate, students can work with current Ivy-League undergraduates who specialize in writing and have recently aced the college application process. At higher rates, students can work with coaches who are both Ivy-League grads and professional writers (screenwriters, journalists, editors) with many years of experience helping students to craft compelling essays. Interested students can even work directly with founders Greg and Kevin, who have over 15 years of experience helping students through the entire essay-writing process. PrepMaven’s services combine many of the best features of other good options into one, and it’s hard to beat their experience.

Sign up for PrepMaven’s college essay help now

Any student wanting college essay help, at any point in the process, with a range of budgets.

At a glance:

• Cost: $79–349/hour (minimum $510 package)
• Writing coach qualifications: Princeton graduates and professional writers (or current Princeton students); all trained

What we like:

• Ivy League experience —most of their writing coaches are Princeton grads or current students, with some from Harvard and other Ivies
• Different pricing options to meet different families’ circumstances
• More flexible and greater capacity to take on new students compared to individual consultants

Sign up for PrepMaven’s college essay help

#2 – College Essay Mentor

Our Verdict — Best of the Individual Consultants Price: unknown but high Some college essay consulting services consist of just one expert. Of these individual essay consultants, Chris Hunt at College Essay Mentor is our favorite. He combines writing experience as a journalist for the Economist and the Wall Street Journal with personal experience as a graduate of Dartmouth. However, he only works with a small number of students each year, and students need to apply to work with him — he only accepts students with top grades and test scores who are already strong applicants for top schools. Chris offers the option for one-time written feedback, but this only gives big-picture generalizations. (And written-only feedback is always limited.) In order for help with the essay process, students need to purchase a complete essay package.

Students with top grades and test scores who want to work with a one-person business, who have a sizable budget, and who are ready to get started early.

• Cost: $210 for a one-time written essay feedback (big picture only), then $110 per draft feedback; pricing for essay process packages unknown
• Essay coach qualifications: professional journalist, Dartmouth grad
• Professional writing experience as a journalist
• Extensive experience working with college applicants
• Partners with Debra Felix, former Director of Admissions at Columbia, for full application review

What we don’t like:

• One-on-one work is limited to very high-achieving students, who need to apply with a resume : “I limit my one-on-one work to students who I believe will be strong applicants to elite universities. As a rule, this means having high grades in challenging classes, a test score of ACT 34+ or SAT 1500+, and substantial activities outside of the classroom.”
• Works with a limited number of students (60 per year), so often no availability
• All-or-nothing packages don’t allow students to work with Chris for just a few hours or for part of the essay-writing process
• Secretive about pricing (he’ll only give pricing details once he’s reviewed the student’s resume and agreed to work with them), but we expect the minimum cost of working one-on-one to be several thousand dollars

#3 – The College Essay Guy

Our Verdict — Best for Unlimited Essay Assistance Price: $4900 for application to 3 schools, $8050 for application for 10 schools We’re fans of Ethan Sawyer, the original “college essay guy”— his book, College Essay Essentials , is a great guide to the essay-writing process. Ethan doesn’t work directly with many students these days, but he now has a team of consultants who help students follow his principles. Their assistance is really all-or-nothing — they prefer to work with students from the very beginning of the process, and their minimum package is $4900, which includes assistance with essays for three schools. If students are applying to ten schools (a more realistic number for students aiming at competitive colleges), the fee is a hefty $7400.

Students who want unlimited help through the entire process, who have a sizable budget.

• Cost: $4900 (supplemental essays for 3 schools) – $7400 (supplemental essays for 10 schools)
• Essay coach qualifications: mix of Ivy grads and former teachers, some writers/screenwriters; all trained
• Great free resources about the essay-writing process
• Their Matchlighters Scholars Program gives back to the community by providing admissions consulting for select qualifying students
• All-or-nothing packages have a high minimum fee and don’t work for students who want just a few hours of feedback or help with just part of the process

#4 – College Vine

Our Verdict — Best of the Big Platforms Price: $140–180/hour There are plenty of large platforms with large stables of part-time tutors and coaches available to work with students. Of these big platforms, we think CollegeVine has the best offerings. Compared to other large companies, CollegeVine provides more information about their tutors, and students can pick individual tutors to work with from their roster. However, this model is really just a way of finding individual tutors to hire. Tutors don’t receive any training and don’t share a common approach, so it’s a mixed bag. Their rates are fairly high for part-time tutors who don’t have specific expertise and training in college essay consulting. Because CollegeVine is really just a marketplace where individual tutors can find students, the quality and price will vary widely.

Students who want to work with a big company, or those who want a quick session or two to go over their essays.

• Cost: Typically $140–180/hour
• Essay coach qualifications: no specific qualifications, but a few are Ivy League graduates
• Possible to select individual editors to work with from their roster.
• Easy to schedule ad-hoc sessions with a tutor through the website.
• No training or common approach for tutors
• Editors are part-time , with no option to work with full-time college admissions experts
• Relatively expensive for this level of expertise

College Essay Editing Alternatives (that Didn’t Make the Cut)

Individual essay consultants, #5 – college essay editor.

Our Verdict — Small Editing Team Price: Roughly $5,950 for applications to 10 schools College Essay Editor comprises two graduates of Stanford. This means that they have personal experience applying to highly competitive schools. One member of the team also has a college counseling certification, which is a good background for college essays. Based on their website, they appear to focus on the editing and proofreading phase of the essay-writing process. This can be helpful to students, but we recommend working with a service who can help students to uncover their values and brainstorm really great material that allows them to really shine—and if this doesn’t happen at the beginning of the process, it’s much harder to add in later on.

• Cost: $195/1000 words for proofreading, $495/1000 words for 3 rounds of editing and proofreading, or $595/1000 words for unlimited rounds of editing and proofreading; for the purposes of comparison, complete applications to 10 competitive colleges would be around 9,650 words, or $5950.
• Writing coach qualifications: Stanford graduates, one of whom has college counseling certification
• Editors are graduates of Stanford University , and one is a member of NACAC, the national association of college counselors
• They focus on editing and proofreading only , not on the crucial earlier steps of brainstorming and strategy
• Small team with very limited availability
• All asynchronous editing so you won’t be able to cultivate a real relationship with your essay coach.

#6 – Allison Karpf

Our Verdict — Former English Teacher Helping Students Price: $385/hour or $3850 package for application to one school Another option for students looking to hire an individual consultant is Allison Karpf. Allison is a former high school English teacher and a graduate of UC Berkeley who also holds a Masters of Education from Stanford. Her rates are definitely on the higher side, especially for someone who doesn’t have a professional writing background, but she does have extensive experience working with students to craft their essays.

• Cost:  $385/hour or $3850 unlimited counseling (includes supplemental essays for one college)
• Essay coach qualifications: former high school English teacher; Berkeley grad, Stanford MEd
• Lots of experience helping students improve their college essays
• Very quick to respond to client requests
• No professional writing experience or Ivy-Plus undergraduate experience
• High rates relative to other options
• Limited availability , since she works alone

#7 – Your College Vision

Our Verdict: Former Journalist with More Affordable Rates Price: $180/hour, or packages starting from $3500 Laurie Lande is another individual consultant who helps students through the essay-writing process. She comes recommended by other consultants like Chris from College Essay Mentor . Laurie did not herself attend a highly competitive school, so she doesn’t have that personal experience of going through the selective admissions process, but she does have a professional writing background as a journalist for the Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong.

• Cost: $180/hour or packages starting at $3500
• Essay coach qualifications: journalism background
• Affordable pricing , relative to other options
• Not a graduate of a highly selective school

#8 – The College Guru

Our Verdict — Good on Paper but Unresponsive Price: unknown Yet another individual essay consultant is Geanine Thompson from The College Guru. Geanine attended Dartmouth as an undergraduate and also holds an MBA from Duke. She also has a professional writing background as an assistant book editor at Berkley Publishing Group. Like Greg and Kevin at PrepMaven , she combines experience in the business world and at Wall Street firms with experience in education.

• Cost: unknown
• Essay coach qualifications: former assistant book editor; Dartmouth grad, Duke MBA
• Dartmouth graduate and former book editor
• Not responsive to emails and client requests

#9 – Sofia Zapiola

Our Verdict — A budget-friendly, personal essay editor. Price: $80/hour Yet another individual essay consultant is Sofia Zapiola, who offers a mix of essay editing and college application counseling services.

• Cost: $80/hour
• Essay coach qualifications: M.A. from Harvard; certificate in College Counseling from UC San Diego.
• Individual approach, budget-friendly rates, commitment to working within families’ budgets.
• Very few testimonials, so it’s difficult to evaluate how effective she is.

Mid-size Teams

#10 – lotus learning.

Our Verdict — Expensive for Tutor Background Price: $165/hour Founded by a Harvard grad who is a former teacher and veteran of the publishing industry, Lotus learning offers college essay help in the Boston area. They have a small team of tutors, mostly recent grads from good but not Ivy-Plus colleges, and mostly with focus in health sciences.

• Cost: $165/hour (minimum 8 hours)
• Essay coach qualifications: tutors are recent grads, but not Ivy-Plus schools
• Reasonable pricing with flexible packages
• Essay editors aren’t graduates of Ivy-Plus schools and don’t have professional writing experience

Large platforms

#11 – study point.

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: Rates Between $60 and $120/hr Study Point is a larger essay editing service. They claim to have several decades of experience helping students to craft their college essays, but they do not give information about who their essay coaches are and what qualifications they might have.

• Cost: $60-120/hr, depending on tutor experience
• Essay coach qualifications: unknown
• Larger company with several decades of experience
• Unclear who the essay coaches are
• Lack of statistics about their results

#12 – Ivy Select

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: unknown Ivy Select makes a lot of big promises on their website about having the best college essay consultants in the business, but they offer no information on who these consultants are, or on their backgrounds. They also brag that each consultant “only” works 20 students in one application cycle, but in our experience, that’s quite high.

• Long list of impressive (but anonymous) testimonials
• Only work with “top students”
• No information on their website about who the editors are
• Each essay coach works with up to 20 students at one time

#13 – Empowerly

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: High, from $6000/year Empowerly has over 60 college counselors who each work with an average of 5 students per year, in order to have more time to devote to each student. Their counselors come from “different educational backgrounds,” and while they do not provide specific biographical details we can assume that most of their essay coaches did not attend highly selective schools.

• Cost: typically from $6000/year
• Essay coach qualifications: college counselors
• Counselors work with just a few students per year
• You have to upgrade to “Empowerly Elite” to guarantee a counselor with a more selective educational background
• No professional writing experience

#14 – Prepory

Our Verdict — Expensive but with Good Expertise Price: $325/hr Prepory is a college application and career counseling service that offers a comprehensive program for college applications at any stage of the process (including as early as 9th grade). They make a lot of impressive claims about the expertise of their coaches, but it’s quite difficult to actual find much information about their essay coach qualifications.

• Cost: $325/hr
• They have a comprehensive college application program that begins as early as 9th grade.
• Limited information about essay coaches
• High prices

Top 40 College Essay Services Considered

• College Essay Editor
• The College Essay Guy
• College Vine
• College Essay Mentor
• Study Point
• Allison Karpf
• The College Guru
• Lotus Learning
• Summit Prep
• Sofia Zapiola
• Ivy Global / New Summits
• College Essay Solutions
• Your College Vision
• Essay Edge*
• ServicEscape*
• PapersForge*
• QuickWriter*
• JustEditMyEssay*
• JustDoMyEsssay*
• ExpertWriting*
• SpeedyPaper*
• GradeMiners*

* A number of services will edit essays directly for students, or even write portions of the essay for students. We do not condone this. Admissions officers can tell when essays have been written or edited by adults and this can have severe consequences. We have excluded these services from our reviews.

Why are college application essays important?

Can a great college essay alone get you into Harvard?

No. You’ll need your grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities (as well as letters of recommendation and interview) to be outstanding.

But can a mediocre essay be the reason you didn’t get into Harvard?

Yes. There are thousands of amazingly-qualified students who graduate from high school each year. Great grades and test scores might be a prerequisite for admission to a competitive college, but they alone aren’t enough.

College essays are a key component of a student’s application . When done well, they transform a collection of numbers—GPA, class rank, SAT or ACT scores , number of AP classes taken, AP scores—into a glimpse of a real, individual person.

Essays do many things. Good college essays can highlight extracurricular achievements which otherwise would be overlooked in a sterile list. Strong essays often indicate the student’s future plans —how they plan to leave a mark on their college campus and on the world. They can shine a light on unique challenges that a student may have had to face on their journey.

College admissions officers only have a few minutes to spend on each application. College essays need to be original, interesting, and memorable . They need to grab the attention of the admissions officer and persuade them that this is the student out of hundreds or thousands of other similarly-qualified applicants who should be admitted.

College admissions essays are usually unlike any other kind of writing that students have done before. They’re a combination of memoir and marketing pitch, and they need to be creative but also highly strategic. That’s a tough assignment!

What’s more, students are left to figure this assignment out on their own. A thoughtful and generous high school English teacher may provide guidance or offer to read essays and give feedback, but these teachers are responsible for many students, and they’re (usually) not experts in admissions strategies.

There’s another reason college essays are especially important from 2024 on. After the recent Supreme Court decision, the application essay has become one of the main ways that you can communicate how your racial identity has affected your life.

In fact, the New York Times published an article about how important it can be for students to discuss race in their college application essays!

Why work with a college essay service?

You may want to consider a college essay service if:

• You have no idea where to start in order to write your college application essays
• You feel overwhelmed by all of the different ideas you have and don’t know what would be the most strategic for college admissions—and what topics to definitely avoid for college essays
• You don’t know how to craft a compelling stor y
• You’re not sure how to edit and refine what you’ve written
• You have a hard time keeping yourself on track and want an external structure to hold you accountable
• You’re tired of conflict between students and parents about college essays
• You’re aiming at a competitive college (not just the Ivy League!) and know that you need your essays to be outstanding
• Your grades, test scores, and extracurriculars aren’t exceptional, so you need your essay to make your essay stand out from the pack
• You’re unfamiliar with the US college admissions process (a common situation for international students and first-generation families in the US)

Any of these are strong reasons to consider working with a college essay service!

It’s also worth remembering that a lot of the free advice on college’s website isn’t always very clear. For example, NYU’s admissions Senior Assistant Director of Admissions says that “There is no right or wrong way to answer as long as your answer is genuine to you.”

While that’s true, that doesn’t offer much guidance on how to actually write the essay!

Though many college applicants might not mention it, more and more students are using professional college application consultants. Research at the University of Chicago has shown that over a quarter of high-achieving seniors employed private specialists to help with the college application process.

In fact, according to NPR , some companies are even offering college admissions counseling to their top employees as an incentive–that’s just how important professional help can be in the current landscape of college admissions.

It’s important to note that a good college essay service will not write your college application essays for you . This is unethical and illegal. That’s not just coming from us: take it from a school like Princeton, whose website insists on the importance of writing your own application essays.

A good college essay service will guide you through each step of the process , teaching you how to self-reflect and write well while sharing insider insight about admissions strategy .

What makes a good college essay service?

We strongly believe that students need to write their own college essays , and we do not condone plagiarism or “buying” a college essay.

However, writing college application essays requires a completely new set of skills that is rarely taught in high school!

Writing a personal essay is much more creative than simply writing a good paper for English class. It requires a compelling narrative and a great deal of writing craft . A good essay service will teach how to do this kind of writing.

There are many college essay services that will provide only written feedback to students, usually in the form of comments added to an essay draft. (Remember, it’s important that students write their own essays, so avoid any college essay service that will make edits directly to an essay document .)

Written comments can be an effective component of good essay coaching. However, writing college essays is a deeply personal process , and it’s incredibly difficult to guide a student through the process of self-reflection, brainstorming, and planning purely through written comments.

In addition, a great college essay coach will teach students how to do this entire process of brainstorming, planning, outlining, writing, and revising . It’s difficult to learn why an essay coach is advising certain changes through written comments alone.

For these reasons, look for a college essay service with live, one-on-one services , not just written feedback. These days, it’s easy to work with the best college essay consultants in the country over Zoom!

Students need to reflect on their goals, their passions, and what drives them to be the person they are. This requires a great deal of self-awareness and self-analysis . An experienced college essay coach can help draw these ideas out of students through tested introspection techniques and brainstorming exercises .

On top of all of that, students need to be cognizant of which traits and accomplishments will be most appealing to colleges , and which stories will be cliche and boring. Personal statements and supplementary essays need to fit together to tell a cohesive story, and they need to work together with the rest of the student’s application (extracurriculars, grades, and other accomplishments).

In other words, there’s a great deal of strategy here! An experienced college essay service can help students decide how to present themselves in the best possible light .

Furthermore, most students don’t know how to edit effectively . A really top-notch college essay service will also teach students how to edit their own writing —how to reorder sections for better flow, cut unnecessary words to meet a word count, eliminate passive verbs, and make their writing vivid and exciting. Our students are routinely amazed by how transformative this step can be, and how much they learn by doing it together with the essay coach.

Finally, the best college essay services can also help students to make a writing plan and keep them on track , so that parents don’t have to be involved directly.

Ready to work on your college essays? Schedule a free 15- to 30-minute consultation with Jessica or one of our founders.

Best overall: PrepMaven’s tutors offer the highest quality at the best price. With three tiers of tutors, they make it easy to work with an Ivy League undergraduate for as little as $79/hr. Or, families can work with education professionals or Ivy League graduates from $150/hr. PrepMaven’s track record means that you can be sure every hour is being spent productively, so that you can expect real results from the work.

Best for individual consultants: College Essay Mentor. In theory, College Essay Mentor would offer an unparalleled level of individual attention and guidance: his website boasts of some very impressive results. You might find it hard to actually schedule with him, however, since he’s very selective about his clients.

Best for unlimited essay assistance: The College Essay Guy might not offer that personalized attention you get from live, face to face essay coaching, but they do offer unlimited essay editing for up to 10 schools (if you’re comfortable paying a hefty package price).

Best of the big platforms: College Vine will always be a bit of a gamble. Because it’s a tutor marketplace, your results (and costs) will really depend on how lucky you get with your consultant. From our research, however, many of their essay coaches look to have solid track records.

Ready to work on college essays with one of our experienced writing coaches? Schedule a free test prep consultation with Jessica (Director of Tutoring) or one of our founders to see what would be the best fit for your family.

It’s always best to start early and not wait until the last minute to write your college essays! Remember that essays can be used to earn scholarships as well as college admission, so a few months of writing now can pay off with up to $300,000 in tuition saved later. 

We work with students at all stages of the writing process, from I-have-no-idea-what-to-write to final edits. To start working with an Ivy-League writing coach today, set up a quick free consultation with our team.

Schedule a free college essay consultation

Top College Essay Posts

• Qualities of a Successful College Essay
• 11 College Essays That Worked
• How to Answer the UC Personal Insight Questions
• How Colleges Read your College Applications (A 4-Step Process)
• How to Write the Princeton Supplemental Essays
• The Diamond Strategy: How We Help Students Write College Essays that Get Them Into Princeton (And Other Ivy League Schools)
• What is the College Essay? Your Complete Guide for 202 4
• College Essay Brainstorming: Where to Start
• How to Write the Harvard Supplemental Essays
• How to Format Your College Essay

Emily graduated  summa cum laude  from Princeton University and holds an MA from the University of Notre Dame. She was a National Merit Scholar and has won numerous academic prizes and fellowships. A veteran of the publishing industry, she has helped professors at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton revise their books and articles. Over the last decade, Emily has successfully mentored hundreds of students in all aspects of the college admissions process, including the SAT, ACT, and college application essay. 

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College Essay Advisors: 5 Reasons You Need One

How can college essay advisors help me boost my chances of getting into my dream school and succeeding once accepted? This is a common question. Whether you are trying to get into one of the best undergraduate business schools or you're unsure of what you want to study in college, you will most likely need to write a personal statement or a common app essay for your application. Essays are a challenging part of the college application process, and they play a significant role in the admissions committee's decision. This post will go over everything you need to know about college essay advisors and how they can help you through this difficult process and beyond.

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free initial consultation here <<

Article Contents 6 min read

As colleges become more and more selective, being an intelligent, well-rounded student is no longer enough to guarantee college admission. SAT scores, IB or AP classes, GPA, and extracurriculars still matter, but college essays and letters of recommendation have started to carry more weight for many schools. In other words, the college essays portion of the college application is now more important than ever, so hiring a college essay advisor is worth considering.

Essentially, they are college advisors who can help you with as little or as much as you want when it comes to writing your personal statement or college essays . That can include, but is not limited to the following:

Helping you grow your skills as a writer, researcher, and critical thinker "}]" code="timeline1">

Some people are able to write a good essay by themselves or with the help of friends and family, so you don’t need one to get into college. Still, we highly recommend that you get one for a variety of different reasons that we explain better below:

College is competitive

We’re probably not the first ones to tell you this, but we’re going to mention it again because that’s what this really boils down to. The college admissions landscape is getting more competitive every year, so students need a strong application that stands out from the crowd to gain an admissions letter—especially from top colleges. Even the easiest Ivy League schools to get into are seeing an increase in the number of applicants they get every year, but their acceptance rate is either the same or lower. There is even more pressure to have a great application when you consider the fact that most colleges in the US have a rolling admission system.  

That’s where college essay advisors come in handy. They have an in-depth understanding of the world of college admissions. Not only have most of them gone through the process themselves, but they have helped other students go through it. They actually know what schools are looking for as opposed to just assuming what’s competitive. They are also trained to decipher all the “admissions talk” on college websites. Advisors are simply better suited to help students put their best foot forward, especially for college essay writing.

Do you need to write a common app essay? Here are some tips to write one that will impress admissions committees:

Writing college admissions essays is challenging

Writing these essays is a challenge for people who have done it before, let alone a prospective college student who’s still trying to figure out how to create their high school resume . Unfortunately, we are very rarely taught about writing academic essays or personal statements in school, so even gifted writers or A+ English students don’t automatically have the tools needed to write an essay that will impress the college admissions committee.

If you’ve ever watched a show with high school seniors getting ready to apply to colleges, you’ve probably watched the scene where an admissions expert comes to give a talk about college applications and mentions that they’re tired of reading the same kind of personal essay. We’re trying to say that, unfortunately, without guidance, students are just not that original when it comes to college applications. They are often too focused on writing what they think the admissions board wants to hear, which shows in their final essay.

On the other hand, good college essay advisors have gone through this process multiple times. They will have the tools and strategies necessary to brainstorm great, original topics for college essays and the experience needed to make the final essay as strong as possible.

Learning lifelong skills

The personal statement or supplemental college essay is the first in a string of many academic papers that students will have to write while they complete their degree. After gaining admissions, students can start learning how to write better essays as time goes by, but working with a qualified college essay advisor will give students a solid basic knowledge of essay writing. A good advisor will not write the students’ essays for them. Instead, they will walk them through the entire process – from brainstorming to drafting and polishing - and give the students strategies that they can use to strengthen their essays. Thus, giving students the tools to be better critical thinkers and writers. These abilities will come in handy during college and beyond.

Additionally, writing a college admission essay is more than writing a regular school paper because it requires a lot of self-reflection. Writing a personal narrative with the guidance of an expert can allow students to stop and think about themselves as a person and what they want from college and the future.

Advisors save you time, stress & money

Applying to colleges is a long and complex process. A big part of that process is essay writing. Not only is it time-consuming, but it can get overwhelming, really fast for the student and those around them. During this time in a students\u2019 life, emotions are typically at an all-time high, and arguments may erupt at any point. Working with a professional will help alleviate the enormous pressure on their families by allowing them to share the burden with somebody else who has a lot more experience with this particular kind of load.  ","label":"Stress","title":"Stress"}]" code="tab1" template="BlogArticle">

Personalized feedback

Often, students rely on their own skills and the help of high school guidance counselors, but while those are valuable resources, they’re simply not enough. High school guidance counselors work incredibly hard and do their very best. Still, they simply cannot prioritize individual students and provide the same kind of personalized feedback that a private advisor can. A private college essay advisor will be able to spend more time with individual students and guide them through the process in a way that is specific to the students’ needs and goals, instead of general assumptions or the school’s best interest. 

Would you like some more advice on how to write a stellar college essay? Check out this infographic:

Much like any other valuable service, college essay advisors cost money. There is, unfortunately, no way to get around that. The cost of a college essay advisor will depend on many different things. Like the exact services you need, your location, and the advisor themselves, of course. On average, advisors charge about $150 per hour, and comprehensive package fees range from as low as $1000 to a high of $10,000.

Hiring a college consultant can be a significant cost, especially for students with limited resources. However, the right college essay advisor is worth every penny for all the reasons that we mentioned above. You have to keep in mind the fact the fact that the services of a college essay advisor can also save you money. The skills that you learn while working with them will come in handy throughout college and afterward as well. Furthermore, it is far more expensive to apply to multiple colleges a second time. 

Tip: College admissions consulting firms will typically offer this college essay drafting and reviewing as part of an application review bundle. The bundle would include help with college admission essays and other parts of the college application, which can get tricky for prospective students and their loved ones. Furthermore, the companies may have different payment options for these bundles, like installments or payment plans.

Tips for choosing the right college essay advisor

If after further reflection you decide that a college essay advisor is a good investment, you should take the time to search for the right one for you. After all, you will be paying them your hard-earned money and trusting them with helping you while you take a crucial step in your academic journey. So, to help you, here are five tips to help you choose the right college essay advisor:

Most good advising firms or private advisors will offer a free initial consultation to determine if the service they provide is right for you, especially if their fees are relatively high. These initial consultations are as much for them as they are for you. It's your opportunity to ask as many questions as you need and determine if they can do what you need them to do. They also get a chance to tell you if and how they can help you. Thus, you both walk away from the conversation, knowing if you are a good fit. You should check if they offer this first strategy call and take advantage of it. Find out what their service will consist of and set the expectations right from the start. "}]">

Applying to college is a lengthy, complex, and often overwhelming process. One of the main reasons for that is that students are not taught how to write personal statements or admissions essays in high school. With college admissions getting increasingly competitive and essays becoming a more important part of the application process, the cost of a college essay advisor could be worth it for you. Make sure you follow the guidelines outlined above to find the advisor for you.

College essay advisors are admissions specialists who guide and advise students to write personal statements or college admissions essays.

They help applicants brainstorm topics for college application essays. They also help them draft, edit and polish those essays to make them as compelling as possible. In doing so, they teach students to be better writers.

You do not need one, but we highly recommend getting one as they will significantly improve your essay, thus increasing your chances of college admission.

The average is around $150 an hour. Package deals can cost anywhere from $1000 to $10,000 depending on the services required.

We do not doubt that you are a great writer, which will make this process easier for you, but college admissions essays are about more than just good word choice. You need to know your audience, and no one knows admissions committees like admissions consultants and college advisors.

Guidance counselors can provide a lot of great advice. Unfortunately, they usually don't have the resources to give individual students the personalized feedback needed to write the best essays possible. On the other hand, college essay advisors can actually prioritize individual students and help them write a compelling admissions essay.

Take the time to research the advisor. Check their website for their qualifications, success rate, and success stories. Check their Trustpilot reviews as well to find out what past students have to say.

Yes, you may, and we do recommend that you do. We offer our services online to help you from almost anywhere in the world. Reach out to our team to discuss how we can help you.

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they are good for average university…

they are good for average university but if you want to get into top university they are just not at that level, we did spend 1 on 1 service , lots of money I must say and my son did not get into any top universities of his choices - they tried to point that maybe it it because of the grade average but his grade average was very high and it was up to his essays to pass or fail and they just did not deliver the level of service or knowledge, we were very disappointed indeed.

Date of experience : November 02, 2023

Reply from College Essay Guy

Hi there, We were unable to confirm if you worked with our team, but if you did, we’re sorry you felt this way. We always welcome feedback to help us improve wherever possible. We actually specialize in working with students who are targeting the most selective colleges, and the majority of students who work with us successfully gain admission to selective colleges around the world. In reading your review, we realize there are some misconceptions about the role of the essay in the admissions process. The most selective colleges regularly reject students with near-perfect grades and test scores. These are no longer good indicators of a student’s admissions chances. For that reason and many others, we don’t guarantee acceptance to any particular university. There are many factors beyond having stellar college essays that are a vital part of admissions decisions to top colleges (exceptional extracurricular accomplishments, a rigorous academic course load, compelling teacher recommendations, strong test scores, etc.). It sounds like you elected to not take advantage of our college admissions counseling support services. We would have loved the opportunity to support your student beyond essays, including helping to develop a college list that reflects your son’s profile and fulfills his academic, career, and social goals. Our aim is to provide students with a variety of university options beyond just the most selective colleges. We truly hope your son has found a college that suits his ambitions and that he’s thriving there. Thanks again for your review. It serves as a reminder of the opportunity to reinforce the same expectations with other families choosing to work with us. Sandy Chief Experience Officer

Best resource of college application

Their courses are amazing, they give you a step by step on how to brainstorm and write your essays. They free resource of previous college essays is a good source to learn what works and doesn't. They guide you from day 1 to acceptance and beyond, couldn't recommend them more.

Date of experience : June 11, 2024

Set yourself apart

Ethan and the team at College Essay Guy made all of the difference in my applications. I strongly believe that the quality and substance of my essays are what helped me gain admittance to both Yale and Brown. I learned more about writing in his courses than I did in all of my previous schooling and I couldn't recommend his work more highly.

Date of experience : May 21, 2024

If I had missed the guidance of College…

If I had missed the guidance of College Essay Guy during my college application process, I can't imagine the turbulence I would have gone through. Their resources completely changed my perspective on college applications. I learned it's not so much about me, but more about what the admissions officers want to know about me. This mindset shift made a huge difference. College Essay Guy, you are amazing! Keep helping students out there navigate this daunting process. I am infinitely grateful for your support. You were an oasis in the desert of my college application journey, which I tackled from the other side of the planet. I'm writing this today as a college graduate, thanks to you.

Date of experience : May 14, 2024

Great Coaches

What stood out about the CEG college essay process the most was how they helped along every step of the way. My essay editor, Sarah Murphy, was amazing and was there to help me whenever I had any questions about anything related to the college process, no matter how simple or abstract the questions were. She made sure that I was comfortable with what I was writing, and her friendliness allowed me to be very open with her, up-leveling my essays. If you are looking for someone to look over your essays, I would definitely recommend College essay guy!

Date of experience : January 01, 2024

The CEG team helped my son reach his…

The CEG team helped my son reach his best performance without us managing the process, allowing him full ownership. He was admitted into the college of his choice. Money well spent!

Date of experience : November 10, 2023

Great experience

College Essay Guy was super helpful in our application process. Not only the coaches have a lot of first hand experiences, it also helps me avoiding potential tensions with my son in the process lol. Sophia was our essay coach and she was bright and also super dedicated. She accommodated a super difficult schedule to help my son in his last push of finishing his essays. Can't ask for more. Separately, for the parallel "college list" coaching service, it is much more than what I expected. The coach not only helped building a college list, he actually provided very detailed instructions, with follow ups, to my son regarding all the steps he needs to take to complete the applications - activity lists, recommendation letters, etc. Overall, enjoyed working with CEG!

Date of experience : May 07, 2024

Incredibly supportive and experienced team

I am immensely thankful to CEG for stepping in when my son found himself in a last-minute bind, realizing he needed external assistance. He felt completely stuck. When a friend suggested contacting CEG, which I did, Ethan responded promptly. He patiently listened to our concerns and efficiently guided us through the process. From that point on, things progressed swiftly. Jennifer worked diligently and patiently with my son. The highlight for me, as a mother, was the review process, where other advisers contributed their insights and recommendations. I couldn't have asked for more. My only regret is that I wish we had reached out to them earlier in the process to fully benefit from their expertise.

Date of experience : October 31, 2023

CEG made the college essay writing…

CEG made the college essay writing process enjoyable and engaging. It was an opportunity to reflect on my values and my life and what I want admissions to know about me through my writing. I couldn’t recommend CEG more — not only will they lead you to formulate ideas for essays but they will also teach you things about yourself. Thank you so much, CEG!

Date of experience : September 01, 2023

CEG is priceless…

CEG kept my son accountable with tasks to complete each week. The whole process was streamlined and professional. Helena helped with any questions and coach Natalie (so positive and encouraging) kept him on track and feeling able and accomplished. Thanks so much for considering.

Date of experience : March 21, 2024

Awesome Experience!!!

It made a HUGE difference to have an expert provide guidance, accountability, and support. Melissa was Maggie's essay coach and she was awesome! Very prepared and timely. It made the whole process a lot less stressful and less overwhelming.

Date of experience : October 12, 2023

Best Experience Possible

We highly recommend College Essay Guy. Our son's counselor was able to get him to open up in a way he would not have with us, they helped keep him on a timeline and we were done before Thanksgiving and there were no parent-kid battles! The best part is that our son was accepted to his first choice school! The College Essay Guy team was fabulous.

Date of experience : November 15, 2023

Every session with our counselor and essay coach was a joy and inspiration

One the most helpful things about having my daughter work with the essay coach was being able to bounce ideas, brainstorm out loud, and also the incredible in-depth feedback Lola got on everything she wrote! Every session was a joy and inspiration and truly helped propelled Lola's writing to another level! Working with our college counselor was immensely helpful! She was so knowledgeable and answered so many questions with a huge smile! She was a vast ocean of resources and information that really helped us navigate some confusing aspects of the application process, timing, and the applications themselves.

Date of experience : November 22, 2023

Working with CEG was the best thing I…

Working with CEG was the best thing I could've done! Starting out as someone who had absolutely no idea what they wanted to write about or how to even write a college essay, CEG was able to provide me with the support to write an outstanding personal statement and supplementals, all of which I never could've written without such incredible support. This truly made such a significant impact on my college application process and I am so grateful for the CEG team for all of their help!

Date of experience : May 23, 2023

Seamless Process for College Essays

This is been a great experience and it was stressful initially but you guys made it so easy. I really thank you for all the services and making this process helpful. It was really seamless process.

Date of experience : May 08, 2024

Empathetic and highly effective

The process is excellent and the team fantastic. Our son worked with Cat and her ability to connect deeply with him and to help him think through and articulate his passions were central to his journey. In a word - awesome.

Date of experience : July 31, 2023

We were so fortunate to work with Ethan Sawyer, Susan, and Andy

We were so fortunate to work with College Essay Guy for my second and third child. I happened upon College Essay Guys work while we were prepping our oldest child for his applications and working with a different "prestigious" college prep company. What really stands out about College Essay Guy is the level of depth and authenticity that they are able to excavate out of your child. The process that College Essay Guy uses to help the student really understand and examine themselves and their own values is profound and rich in meaning far beyond the college application process. I felt that everyone working with my children actually cared about my child and wanted to help them further evolve and develop into even more meaningful adults. I was honestly blown away with the care and compassion of College Essay Guys entire team and thrilled to have them as role models for my children. They are the real deal and admissions officers can feel the difference in the essays. Yes, both of my kids got into either their first choice or second choice (but with surprise of a full academic scholarship!), but this process meant so much more than even the acceptance letter.

Date of experience : June 05, 2023

Worth Every Penny But Intimidating

This course is amazing but very lengthy with a bunch of unnecessary information. Id prefer if you just went straight to the point and explained some parts of the essay on a dumber level. Other than that everything was perfect and this course will boost your acceptance chances through the roof!

Date of experience : March 24, 2020

The resources are great and very…

The resources are great and very helpful as a student looking for where to begin. The online class was a bit crowded which made it difficult for me to get my essay reviewed and wasn’t always the most helpful. Overall I think it is a great service thought there were definitely parts I liked better then others

Date of experience : March 30, 2020

Best program by far

My son’s coach showed exceptional patience, flexibility, responsiveness, and guidance throughout the entire application cycle. The process is highly structured and I appreciate the focus on keeping it between the student and coach. I think it’s best to keep parents out of the process in order to maintain the boundary and working dynamic between essay coach and student, as you intended. It really helped me put my faith in the coach without feeling I had to be involved. I was adjacent to the process which was better for everyone. My son’s essay topic was so unexpected and incredible in a way that could have only been derived from this extensive process. In addition, this program was more comprehensive and far more affordable than other resources. My son received admission to 16/18 schools including several full ride offers and Ivy League institutions. His writing improved so much and I even think it assisted in his selection as a Coca-Cola scholar. It made for some difficult decisions! Highly, highly recommend!

Date of experience : April 07, 2024

College Essay Advisors : The #1 College Essay Consulting Service

Looking for help with your college admissions essays? You’ve come to the right place.

Contact us  for an evaluation of your college essay needs.

Read more about  the college essay advisors process ., see  what our clients have to say  about cea..

Stacey Brook is an accomplished writer and admissions expert who has spent the last decade helping students conceptualize, edit and refine their college essays. After aiding her friends, and then her friends’ siblings, and then her friends’ siblings’ friends with their college admissions essays during her college years, Stacey discovered she had both a knack for consistently reinventing the creative personal statement and a perverse love of bridging the gap between stressed-out teenagers and their parents. Stacey culled her admissions expertise in the Dean’s Host admissions program at Boston University’s College of Communication, serving for two years as the program’s coordinator. She was also the ’04 commencement speaker for BU’s College of Communication, winning a coveted scholarship from Burston-Marsteller public relations in the process. Her own college admissions essay involved a contrived Wizard of Oz metaphor comparing her life journey at 17 to the yellow brick road. Though it successfully secured her admission, in retrospect she kind of wishes she had hired an essay consultant.

Have a question?  Contact us  for more information about our services and how to start with CEA.

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Category: College Admissions , Essay Tips , Most Popular

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• And much more!

The APPLY NOW! Advantage Program provides 11th graders with in-depth, live-online courses that guide students and parents through the entire college application process.

The program includes access to 16 small-group classes. These sessions go over topics such as finalizing a college list, navigating financial aid and scholarship options, writing personal statements, and so much more.

APPLY NOW! Advantage students also receive access to two Pinnacle Sessions which provide families with personalized, one-on-one guidance from a member of the college counseling team.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do college application essays still matter.

When reviewing college applications, admissions officers see a lot of statistics—test scores, GPA, class rank, etc. Admissions officers can infer a lot of things about you from these items, but these stats don’t effectively show who you are as a person. For this reason, essays are an important component of your application. Compelling essays showcase your writing skills, creativity, and reveal things about you that may show admissions staff that you’re a good fit for a specific college.

Who can help me with writing my essay?

A college essay tutor or editor can help students build a compelling essay that aligns with their college admissions goals. At KD, our college counseling team helps in a variety of ways: brainstorming topics, finding their voice, shaping a story, correcting grammar and spelling mistakes, rewriting for other colleges, and much more.

How many words does my essay need to be?

Word count for personal statements and supplemental essays can vary from college to college. However, several U.S. colleges will accept the Common App®, which recommends 400-600 words for the personal statement (sometimes called the general college application essay). Supplemental essays are typically shorter but can vary by college. When applying, follow directions as closely as possible for each application to maximize your admissions odds.

What format do college application essays use?

Your college application essays will not follow the same formal structure that is expected with high school research papers or persuasive essays. In other words, you won’t need to come up with a thesis and support it with evidence. Instead, personal statements typically tell a story in a creative way. Students don’t often encounter this type of creative writing with their high school assignments, which is why many students find it quite challenging.

KD’s college counseling team is well-versed in teaching students how to craft compelling college admissions essays, and we’ve helped hundreds of students use the essays to strengthen their applications.

What do I write in a personal statement?

A student’s personal statement should tell a story that only he or she can tell. In other words, it needs to reveal something unique about the student’s experience that connects to the chosen essay prompt. With that being said, it’s typically a challenge to do this in a unique way, and there are certain topics that students should avoid.

Read more about choosing a college essay topic , and if you need additional help, consider signing up for a college counseling program .

How do I make my essay stand out?

Our advice is don’t play it safe. Be real. Be yourself. Finding your own unique voice and using that to tell a story about yourself is typically the best move when it comes to writing a good personal statement. Of course, that is easier said than done. Working with a college essay tutor can help guide you in the right direction. Most admissions essays sound like thousands of other admissions essays, and our experienced college counseling team staff can tell you which topics are generic and which align best with your application.

For more advice, read about these steps for how to write a powerful college essay .

How much do college essay consultants charge?

The cost of working with a college essay consultant or editor varies depending on a student’s needs. Families can choose to pay by the hour for one-on-one help or purchase a program that guides students through the entire college application process. For a more accurate description of pricing, explore KD’s college counseling program options or sign up for a free consultation to discuss specific needs with a member of our college counseling team.

When should I start writing my college essays?

Many students start working on their application essays during summer or fall of senior year, but some students begin as early as spring semester of 11th grade. However, there are many factors that may prevent a student from starting at that time, such as extracurricular involvement, a challenging course load, admissions testing, etc. But remember, college applications are time-consuming, and it takes a lot of work to build one that stands out.

To find out when is the best time to start, families can schedule a free consultation to discuss individual admissions goals with our team.

TESTIMONIALS

“My wife and I wanted to thank you profusely for working with (our daughter). She picked Texas A&M, and we are all delighted with the decision. We have visited the college a couple of times and feel it was the right choice for us... We appreciate your patience with her. She could not have gotten here without your help.”

“My wife and I wanted to thank you profusely for working with (our daughter). She picked Texas A&M, and we are all delighted with the decision. We have visited the college a couple of times and feel it was the right... Read more...

Arun K. – Daughter, Class of 2023

“(I wanted) help with writing essays and getting into my dream colleges. (I was most concerned with) keeping up with everything I have to do and meeting all the deadlines. The constant and honest feedback about my essays regardless is what I really appreciated. There was a time that writing essays just clicked, and it was much easier after that.”

“(I wanted) help with writing essays and getting into my dream colleges. (I was most concerned with) keeping up with everything I have to do and meeting all the deadlines. The constant and honest feedback about my essays regardless is what... Read more...

Neha C. – Class of 2022

“ My feedback can only be positive, given how much you helped me get ahead with my application process. I really appreciated how much work both of you put into helping me write the best essay possible, especially reviewing my essays twice to polish them completely. In addition, I have noticed that writing my resume has released a lot of stress off my shoulder when it comes to making sure I have all the things necessary to apply to schools. ”

“ My feedback can only be positive, given how much you helped me get ahead with my application process. I really appreciated how much work both of you put into... Read more...

Claudia A. – Class of 2020

“I shifted toward taking practice tests and going to workshops because I felt those were the best ways to apply the concepts (I was) learning in class. I started applying the tips and tricks that the teachers were showing me in class. In conjunction, those two things helped me raise my score a lot because I was not a math kid before KD or high school. The repetition and being able to practice in a non-stressful environment and simulating that testing experience is something that was very beneficial for me... “The college counseling team was super patient and honest about the work I was submitting. I know for a lot of kids, it’s hard to articulate who you are through 250-300 words. It was definitely... Read more...

“I shifted toward taking practice tests and going to workshops because I felt those were the best ways to apply the concepts (I was) learning in class. I started applying the tips and tricks that the teachers were showing me in... Read more...

Blaine W. – Class of 2021

“Both of my sons have been guided by KD College Prep counselor Steve Peifer on their journey to finding the right college for them, and we could not have had a better experience and outcome. My oldest son is now a rising junior at the University of Miami, and my youngest son is an incoming freshman at Vanderbilt University. Steve’s help in navigating the complicated college landscape and finding the BEST FIT for my two sons is what has made this resource invaluable. “What made the biggest difference for my two sons was the depth and breadth of knowledge Steve has of the many universities and colleges in the U.S. First, by getting to know my kids on a one-on-one basis, he was able to... Read more...

“Both of my sons have been guided by KD College Prep counselor Steve Peifer on their journey to finding the right college for them, and we could not have had a better experience and outcome. My oldest son is now a... Read more...

Julio M. – Parent

“Coming into this whole process, I had absolutely no idea what anything was, and your help was invaluable—your encouraging words, strategic advice, and wholesome stories and jokes really got me through a stressful time! I'm still on the waitlist at Harvard and other schools, but I've really started to immerse into the Emory culture, especially their debate team. Not having to pay for college and still attend a private institution is really a dream come true, and it wouldn't be possible if it were not for you.”

“Coming into this whole process, I had absolutely no idea what anything was, and your help was invaluable—your encouraging words, strategic advice, and wholesome stories and jokes really got me through a stressful time! I'm still on the waitlist at Harvard... Read more...

Shreyas R. – Class of 2020

“The most beneficial guidance I received during my College Counseling experience was being taught that it's completely ok to not know what I want to do with the rest of my life at 17/18 years old. Steve told me that a good school will help me find my path. Also, Steve's knowledge about what colleges were wanting to see in potential admissions candidates was a huge help... “There was not one specific beneficial moment or turning point in my time working with Steve, there were many. He encouraged me during the entire application process and brought to my attention many colleges I wouldn't have considered or heard about without his help.”

“The most beneficial guidance I received during my College Counseling experience was being taught that it's completely ok to not know what I want to do with the rest of my life at 17/18 years old. Steve told me that a... Read more...

Jake W. – Class of 2020

"My initial goals when I first started working with the KD Counseling crew was to compile a list of colleges that I would be somewhat interested in attending and fit my career goals. I think that this step I was by far the most concerned about. I didn’t know how exactly I should go about choosing which places to apply to and if I were to be accepted, if they would fit me. The team did a wonderful job considering my likes and dislikes and helped me compile a list of colleges that suited my tastes and would further my academic career. "After this integral first step, my focus turned towards time management and writing quality essays that would stand out to colleges. I got... Read more...

"My initial goals when I first started working with the KD Counseling crew was to compile a list of colleges that I would be somewhat interested in attending and fit my career goals. I think that this step I was by... Read more...

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A great option if you already know what you want to write about and you’d mostly benefit from an expert admissions consultant helping you perfect your style, tone, and message.

You’re a unique person, with unique experiences and ambitions, but how do you best show this in a response to an essay prompt? With Full Essay Coaching, your expert Admissions Consultant will guide you from beginning to end and make sure your strongest attributes come through clearly and concisely.

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You have a good start on your essay, but you want an expert to help you perfect it? PrepScholar Admissions Consultants are top-notch writers who know exactly what colleges are looking for. No matter your background or school choices, they’ll help you wordsmith and perfect your essay so you can present your thoughts in the best possible manner.

This is an affordable option for lower-stakes situations and almost-ready essays that require some polishing before they’re submissions-ready.

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We personally and thoughtfully recommend the best consultant based on your profile.

We start our work by getting to know you in depth. With the help of our Student Profile Questionnaire, we ask relevant questions about your academic profile, challenges, and admissions goals. To gain a deeper understanding, we also ask thought-provoking questions to get your insights about your formative years, personal interests, hopes, and dreams.

Your questionnaire is personally reviewed by our Head of Admissions, a Harvard and Yale graduate with 10+ years of counseling experience. They have worked closely with all the consultants on our team and understand their areas of specialization and track record. Based on your answers, our Head of Admissions matches you with the best consultant to help you reach your goals.

Our matching process is carefully designed and consistently leads to successful consultant and student matches; as a result, reassignment is virtually never necessary. However, if the need for a reassignment arises, we are happy to accommodate such a request.

Chantine A.

Shahrukh M.

Dominique R.

Pricing tiers.

The Full Essay Coaching and Essay Review services are priced by number of essays.

To choose the right tier, identify the number of essays you would like to work on and select the corresponding option. We recommend fitting multiple essays into one package to save!

*We can also help you with the Common App activities list. All you need to do is count it as an essay.

(or a total of up to 650 words)

$595 full coaching

$195 review only

(or a total of up to 1000 words)

$995 full coaching

$295 review only

(or a total of up to 1500 words)

$1375 full coaching

$435 review only

(or a total of up to 2000 words)

$1735 full coaching

$565 review only

(or a total of up to 2500 words)

$2075 full coaching

$685 review only

(or a total of up to 3000 words)

$2395 full coaching

$795 review only

(or a total of up to 3500 words)

$2705 full coaching

$900 review only

(or a total of up to 4000 words)

$3005 full coaching

$1000 review only

(or a total of up to 4500 words)

$3299 full coaching

$1098 review only

(or a total of up to 5000 words)

$3589 full coaching

$1194 review only

Take The First Step Towards College Admissions Success

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Since our inception, we have prided ourselves on offering a plethora of high-quality free guides, blog articles, and webinars to navigate the college admissions process and SAT/ACT.

Join our Facebook Group where you can ask questions and get the latest tips and advice: Secrets for Getting Into Top Colleges

The flexibility and availability offered to me by my selected tutor as well as her willingness to work with me until we perfected the things needed for my college journey. I would Highly recommend prepscholar to anyone looking for help or improvement in high school.

I really liked the personalized support for my essays and how my consultant took the time to understand me as a person to know how to best reflect myself in my essay. She was also very understanding when I needed more time to work on the draft before another round of revisions

Many of the people that reviewed my essay told me the same thing: show don’t tell. However, they never explained what they meant or how to accomplish that. Lily was really nice and helpful in demonstrating what I needed to change instead of just saying it needed improvement. She was also really nice!

Through the consulting sessions, Laura was able to hone in on Mike’s true values, and the best positioning to colleges.  She helped pick the best activities and way to word the activities on the applications.

After many sessions, the application and essay writing became more natural for Mike. I’m glad to say that his voice fully shines through the essays. His consultant just helped him cut out unneeded information, and help hit the word limit and make the most important points. Shewas an expert at knowing how to position clubs and activities as well.

My consultant did an excellent job helping me tell my story. Over our first week, he provided very helpful feedback on my topic ideas and quickly identified a concept that ended up leading to a well-formed essay. He was also very helpful and encouraging throughout the process, and he provided accurate and specific feedback that helped me create an essay that felt very true to myself. Paradoxically, the essay we created together felt much more genuine than any of the attempts I had made at drafting an essay on my own beforehand!

Prepscholar’s personalized approach to the admissions process is invaluable. Eric’s “show, don’t tell” philosophy is practical and proven. Allen and the Prepscholar team embody this essential value with their own degrees and educational accolades. I trust them with my collegiate future. I would suggest that anyone needing guidance through the admissions process do the same.

From Our Blog:

177 College Essay Examples for 11 Schools + Expert Analysis

How to Write a Perfect “Why This College” Essay

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• College Admissions
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May 16, 2024

How Much Does College Admissions Counseling Cost?

With more and more students turning to private college counselors, one might wonder about the typical cost of enlisting such services.

“You can’t put a price tag on getting into your top college. Or maybe you can. With competition among college applicants as fierce as it has ever been, some students are doing whatever they can to get a leg up — no matter the cost. That’s where private help comes in. A growing number of college counselors offer their expertise — for a price,” writes Jessica Dickler in a piece on private college counseling for  CNBC  entitled “To get in to an Ivy League, more families turn to expensive private consultants.”

While it should be no surprise that private college counselors offer their expertise for a price, just as it should be no surprise when a dentist takes your payment after cleaning your teeth, let’s zero in on the typical fees of private college counselors.

How Much Do Private College Counselors Cost?

Back in 2018, a survey conducted by a college counseling organization discerned the mean college counseling fees across the nation ranged from $850 to $10,000, with average prices in the $4,000-$6,000 range.

But, like in any industry, there are excellent and poor as well as inexpensive and expensive practitioners. There are private college counselors based in Lincoln, Nebraska, and private college counselors based in New York, New York. The cost of an iced latte in Lincoln is not the same fee as the cost of a latte in Manhattan.

In the United States, businesses can charge what they wish. In 2019, Ivy Coach’s managing partner, Brian Taylor, defended capitalism, offering up the “ Quote of the Day ” to The New York Times : “If someone wants to pay a fee that you command, they have that right.”

Ivy Coach Fees: the World’s Leading College Consultancy

The fees of Ivy Coach , perhaps unsurprisingly due to press attention over the years, are significantly higher than this purported range for private college counselors.

Yes, Ivy Coach’s fees for college consulting have been featured in  The New York Times , on  the cover of a Sunday edition of  The New York Post , and even the subject of commentary on  CNBC .

That said, Ivy Coach’s fees, which tend to increase yearly and are based on the firm’s track record built over the last three decades, are not always reported correctly. Additionally, Ivy Coach’s fees vary based on the number of colleges families enlist the firm’s assistance with to optimize their case for admission. Working directly with the firm’s Founder or Managing Partner is also a more expensive option.

Yet Ivy Coach, while unapologetic about the firm’s fees which can often inspire dropped jaws in America’s free market economy, understands that the costs are  not  for everyone.

As Ivy Coach’s Brian Taylor said candidly on  Nightline  in an interview with Juju Chang, “Not everyone  needs  a private college counselor. And if they just used some common sense — and so many times they  don’t  use common sense — they  can  beat this process.”

College Consultant Fees FAQ

How can ivy coach justify charging more than the annual cost of college tuition.

We justify Ivy Coach’s fees with three words: our track record. Also, we can only work with so many students each year. We are not in the business of working with the masses. Thus our fees are our fees are our fees.

Why does Ivy Coach charge so much more than its competitors?

Our fees are not based on other private college consultancies. Our fees are based on Ivy Coach’s track record and service demand.

You helped my child earn admission to Harvard a few years ago, but now your fees are higher. Why is Ivy Coach not rewarding my loyalty?

We appreciate your loyalty just as we hope you appreciate our success. Your child earned admission to Harvard with our assistance. As we joke at Ivy Coach, “We always get the siblings. We usually get the cousins. We rarely get the friends.” Parents don’t want to acknowledge their children had help earning admission to the colleges of their dreams — and that’s ok!

You are permitted to use www.ivycoach.com (including the content of the Blog) for your personal, non-commercial use only. You must not copy, download, print, or otherwise distribute the content on our site without the prior written consent of Ivy Coach, Inc.

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Home » San Diego State University » How Much Do College Essay Consultants Charge?

How Much Do College Essay Consultants Charge?

Table of Contents

The cost of a college essay advisor will depend on many different things. Like the exact services you need, your location, and the advisor themselves, of course. On average, advisors charge about $150 per hour , and comprehensive package fees range from as low as $1000 to a high of $10,000.

How much does a college essay editor cost?

Services like EssayEdge and TopAdmit can run you close to $200 for editing a single essay of fewer than 400 words. I’ve seen prices as high as $379 after various upsells.

Who can I pay to write a college essay?

Yes, you can pay professional essay writers at SharkPapers.com to write your college essay. Paying someone to write your papers is not easy. All it takes is contacting a legitimate and professional academic writing service like SharkPapers.com that can provide expert writers in your field of study right away!

Are college essay services worth it?

Are Essay Writing Services Worth it? Writing services usually provide students with professionally-written academic papers, because they hire writers who have excellent writing skills. Using college essay services is absolutely worth it if you have an important paper due and the deadline is looming around the corner .

What is the best college essay review service?

Choose the Best Essay Writing Service for Your Paper

• PaperHelp — Best college paper writing service overall.
• EssayPro — Best writers, best bidding platform.
• JustDoMyEssay — Best for research papers and dissertations.
• GradeMiners — Best for last-minute college papers.
• EssayFactory — Best for UK students.

Can you get caught using an essay writing service?

Your essay will be safe if you purchase it from responsible sellers like EssayBox, 99Papers and many more. These companies will submit a plagiarism-free essay, and hence there will be any chances of getting caught . It is not wrong to seek help if you cannot write the article.

How much should I pay someone to write an essay?

The average cost of hiring someone to write your paper is $15-$40 . However, it can vary, depending upon the requirements of the assignment or the experience of the writer.

Are college essay writing services legal?

Essay writing services are legal but tutors don’t allow them. Most companies, however, have a strong ethical policy that guides their writing practice. They recognize that it is against their policy to trade, sell or transfer your content to third parties without prior notice.

Can professors tell if you bought an essay?

Can a professor tell if you bought a paper online? They short answer is – Yes. Most professors use a plagiarism checker like TurnItIn to identify if a paper has been used before.

Can I pay someone to write my college essay Reddit?

No, paying someone to write an essay is not illegal . You can get your paper done by professional writers who hold a degree in the subject you choose.

What is the most reliable essay writing service?

Best Essay Writing Service Reviews 2022

How long should a college essay be?

The primary essay for your college application, often called a personal statement, is typically around 400-600 words . The Common App personal statement — which is used as the primary application essay by more than 800 colleges — must be 250-650 words.

Can you pay someone to do your essay?

Yes, it is legal , hiring someone to write your essay for you is not the same as copying someone’s work without giving them the due credit. If you feel I am getting someone to write my essay entails doing something illegal, you are safe.

Can turnitin detect essays bought online?

Turnitin cannot detect original essays written from scratch, even if you’ve bought it online . It’s good at flagging plagiarized papers, paper sourced from public databases already cached by their system.

Is essay Pro cheating?

EssayPro’s Honor Code The EssayPro platform does not appreciate and will not engage in any type of academic dishonesty nor facilitate cheating , the commitment of fraud, and the obtaining of unearned grades or degrees.

How much should I pay for a 500 word essay?

All things considered, 500 words is a fairly short article length, appropriate for a short newsletter article or personal profile. A typical rate for this would be $75-$200 , but it could range much lower or higher depending on the factors mentioned above.

How much is a 2 page essay?

The average length of your school essay is around two pages. It usually contains 600-700 words . Hence, not too much space left for creative thought in 2 page essay examples you may find. It is essential to be able to express your thoughts comprehensively and coherently.

How much is a 5 paragraph essay?

500 to 800 words For standardized tests, students usually have to write a five paragraph essay, which should be 500 to 800 words long and include an introductory paragraph, three supporting paragraphs and a concluding paragraph.

Can you get in trouble for buying an essay?

Although most students don’t see buying papers online as something bad, educators keep criticizing essay writing services. They claim that buying papers online is a form of plagiarism . And if students get caught on submitting someone else’s papers as their own, the consequences can be severe.

Can you get in trouble for using EssayPro?

There is no doubt that EssayPro is a legit service , which is proved by their 142k-subs FB page and good reviews on reputable sites like Sitejabber and TrustPilot. Except for some negative feedback, most EssayPro reviews clearly show the majority of satisfied customers.

Will my instructor tell if I hired an online essay writer?

And to do it successfully, they need to submit without a teacher detecting the purchase. If a paper is well-written, a teacher cannot tell if you paid someone to write it . This is because a professional writer will follow instructions, incorporate your course materials and use your writing tone to ensure consistency.

By Paul Arnold

Paul Arnold is an education expert with over 25 years of experience in the field. He has worked in both public and private schools, as well as colleges and universities. Paul is passionate about helping students learn and grow, and he has written extensively on the topic of education. He currently works as a professor at a local college.

When he's not teaching or writing, Paul enjoys spending time with his wife and two children. He also likes playing golf and watching sports. Paul is a big fan of the Boston Celtics and New England Patriots.

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35 Best College Admissions Con­sul­tants 2025 Best College Admissions Consulting Services

Updated: September 16, 2024

A recent College Consensus poll found that the majority of Americans still believe college is the best path to a satisfying future. But getting into college can be a real challenge. The best admissions consultant programs offer practical tools that assist students in choosing the right career path . A college admissions consultant’s job is to help students evaluate their career goals and then match them to a degree program that will provide them with the skills and abilities they will need to reach their goals.

Many students enroll in generic degree programs because they aren’t quite sure what career they want. Some start school and then explore their options once they have taken a few courses. It isn’t until they have gotten a taste of what their degree program is really like that they make the final decision concerning their final career choice.

Who is Using College Admissions Consultants?

Many parents might think college admissions advisors are just for the wealthy, or for super-driven students who want to get in to an Ivy League school or one of the most prestigious research institutions. But, high-profile scandals at elite schools notwithstanding, that’s not at all the case.

College admissions are competitive, the process can be long and confusing, and many parents don’t know how to get their kids into college. This is especially true for parents who didn’t go to college themselves. That’s why the best college admissions consultants offer a range of pricing options and services, from essay help to a complete package. So, parents and students have a lot of possibilities.

How Did We Choose the Best Admissions Consultants?

We approached the College Consensus listing of the best admissions consultants with certain expectations:

• transparency about services
• transparency about pricing
• free consultations
• reputable college placements for clients

While it it difficult to directly compare organizations with different services, we feel confident that all of the following meet basic standards of quality. Do your own research before making any financial decisions.

NOTE: This article is not a quantitative ranking. The college admissions counseling programs featured here are presented in alphabetical order.

Interested in an MBA? See our list of the Best MBA Admissions Consulting Firms .

Accepted Professional Admissions Consulting Firm

Personalized attention from these top college admissions consultants every step of the way ensures you have everything you need to move forward with your education. Each consultant is highly skilled in identifying untapped potential and will help you get on the right path. The complete college application package includes school choice evaluation, essay strategy and editing, resume critique, application review, waitlist support, and decision counseling.

• Services: College Admissions, Grad School Admissions, MBA Admissions, Med School Admissions, Healthcare Admissions, Law School Admissions
• Price: $16,480 for Gold Package, $20,480 for Platinum Package
• Free Consultation:  yes, initial consultation is free
• Consulting Model: individual
• Admissions Experience: clients accepted to Harvard, Yale, NYU, Cornell, Brown, and Johns Hopkins
• Member: Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC)

Admissionado College Admissions Consulting Firm

The top college admissions consultants at Admissionado give students the best chance at being accepted by the university they feel will provide support for their education. Telling their stories in the best way possible is the key to gaining access to the highest quality education.

• Services: College Admissions, MBA Admissions
• Price: Silver $2050, Gold $3320, Platinum $5370
• Free Consultation: yes
• Consulting Model: Team-based approach
• Admissions Experience: clients accepted to Stanford, UT Austin, and Middlebury College

Admit Advantage College Admission Consulting

• Services: College Counseling
• Price: not published on website
• Consulting Model: team based approach
• Admissions Experience: clients accepted to ivy league colleges Stanford , Harvard , and Yale .

American College Admissions Consultants College Admission Consulting

Francine E. Block , President of American College Admissions Consultants, has over 25 years of experience. A former admissions officer for the University of Vermont, she is an expert at helping students and families navigate the college admissions maze. And, American College Admissions Consultants has a proven track record of helping clients get into their dream schools.

• Services: College Placement Assistance, Personal Assessment
• Admissions Experience: clients accepted to New York University, University of Michigan, Boston University
• Membership: American Institute of Certified Educational Planners (AICEP), National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA)

Anna Ivey Consulting College Admissions Consulting Firm

Additionally, Anna Ivey’s experienced admissions consultants assist students in enhancing their writing skills when it comes to producing an essay that portrays the vision they have for their future. With the guidance of an admissions consultant, students are able to dramatically increase their chances of getting into the college of their choice.

• Services: College Admissions, Law School Admissions, Speaking Engagements
• Price: not available on website

Barrier Breakers Admissions Advisings

Formerly S. Montgomery Admissions Consulting, Barrier Breakers is a nonprofit providing admissions advising services for students regardless of race, income, or other background. Students on the school lunch program may also qualify for pro bono or sliding scale advising programs.

Barrier Breakers has also helped students earn more than $95 million in scholarships. Military, first-generation, and other marginalized students may qualify for financial help.

• Services: college undergraduate admissions, Law School Consulting
• Price: sliding scale
• Free Consultation: not published
• Admissions Experience: clients accepted to American University, Quinnipiac School of Law, Howard University School of Law

Bright Horizons College Coach College Admissions Consulting

Another game-changer for students is writing their admissions essays. With competition being fierce, students need to continually find ways to make themselves stand out above their peers. A good admissions consultant, from Bright Horizons College Coach, can make that happen. Bright Horizons admissions coaches give students what they need to succeed.

• Services: College Admissions, Medical School Admissions, Transfer Admissions
• Price: not available on the Bright Horizons College Coach website

C2 Education College Admissions Consulting

Admissions consultants at C2 help students choose the right courses to challenge and inspire them. They also help students identify extracurricular activities that highlight their talents, passion for their career, and commitment to improving their lives on every level. With the right essay and application answers, students can increase their chances of approval dramatically.

• Services: College Admissions, High School Tutoring, Exam Prep
• Price: not published
• Member: National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)

College Wise A Different Kind of College Application Experience

At College Wise, students overcome the obstacles many students may face when they start the application process. Many students are at risk of being denied because they don’t have the skills or abilities to present themselves in a professional manner.

• Services: College Admissions Counseling, Tutoring, Test Prep
• Price: not listed
• Free Consultation: yes, initial consultation is free
• Admissions Experience: clients accepted to UCLA, University of Edinburgh, Tufts University

College Zoom Helping Students Get Into Dream Colleges

Students receive the counseling they need that allows them to accentuate their potential and give themselves the boost they need to breeze through the college enrollment process. The chances of being accepted by the college of their choosing are much higher if the student works with an admissions consultant.

• Services: College Admissions, Transfer Counseling
• Price: comprehensive packages starting at $3,000
• Admissions Experience: clients accepted to Harvard, Yale, UCLA

Command Education College Consulting Services

Command Education’s admissions consultants learn everything they can about the student. The one-on-one counseling allows students to produce quality enrollment essays and complete the application so that all of their strengths and abilities are highlighted, showing their full potential.

• Services: College Admissions, SAT and ACT T est Prep Services
• Member: National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC)

Crimson Education College Admissions Consulting

Admissions consultants at Crimson Education are able to improve a student’s chances of acceptance by helping them overcome common challenges many students face during the enrollment process. Programs offer academic support, full application strategy, and comprehensive application essay support. Additionally, students are taught how to use extracurricular activities to their fullest advantage as well as choose the right classes to keep them challenged and focused on the future.

• Services: College Admissions, College Sport Recruitment, Graduate School Applications

DC College Counseling College Admissions Consulting

• Services: college admissions counselors
• Price: basic plan $10,000
• Free Consultation: website does not say

Elite Advantage Prep College Admissions Consultants

An admissions consultant often works with high school students to allow them the opportunity to add extracurricular activities and courses that will make them more appealing to the college of their choice. Including these things and improving their ability to tell their story through their admissions essay and application for admission to the university or college.

• Services: General Consulting , College List Development, Academic and Activity Resume Planning, Essay Review
• Price: starting at $350 for a la carte services, application packages start at $3,000
• Member: member of NJACAC and an associate member of IECA

Empowerly College Admissions Consulting

Consultants at Empowerly get to know each student. They provide them with the help they need to create the most proficient and accurate application and essay possible. Students can begin using the counseling services while they are still in high school. Which gives them the advantage of building a more powerful resume and including more activities that may improve the odds of being accepted to their favorite school.

• Services: College Admissions Counseling, Financial Planning Assistance, Essay Editing

Flex College Prep College Admissions Consulting Firm

Additionally, Flex College Prep uses the latest technology to allow admissions consultants the tools they need to guide the student through the application process. Each student is unique and requires that their own ambitions and passions be taken into consideration. The top college admission consultants at Flex regularly take the real SAT and ACT, so they are always up-to-date on test changes.

• Services: College Admissions Services, Test Prep

HS2 Academy College Admissions Consulting Firm

Admissions consultants of HS2 Academy give students the confidence they need to apply to the university of their choice with confidence. Counseling sessions can include tutoring, test prep, essay prep, and the creation of a complete and thorough resume. With the odds being more for denial than acceptance, students can rely on the academy to provide them with every possible advantage.

• Services: College Counseling, Standardized Test Preparation ( SAT/ACT/PSAT/AP ), and one-on-one tutoring in class subjects
• Member: some counselors are members of the National Association for College Admission Counseling

Ilumin Education College Admission Consulting

By starting early, students gain the best advantage possible of being able to attend the college of their choice. This means taking the right courses that will direct them towards their specific career choice. It also includes taking part in extracurricular activities that will show positive social skills and a commitment to the community. It allows students to build a much stronger resume.

• Services: College Admissions Counseling, Life Coaching
• Admissions Experience: clients accepted to MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, Dartmouth University

InGenius Prep College Admissions Consulting Firm

The best admissions consultants offer guidance on how to create a stellar resume and powerful admissions essay. Each student works hand in hand with a consultant to create everything they need to show how committed they are at succeeding in school and achieving their goals. InGenius Prep works hard to ensure that each student it works with is able to get accepted by the college of their choice.

• Services: College Admissions, Grad School Admissions, Business School Admissions, Medical School Admissions, Private High School Admissions, Career Counseling
• Admissions Experience: clients accepted to University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University
• Member: National Association for College Admission Counseling

Ivy Coach Admissions Counselors for Elite College Admissions

Better test scores, a detailed resume, and a well-written admissions essay are all key factors for being accepted by the schools you apply to. You must be able to portray both your commitment and passion for learning in such a way that you are able to convince the school that you will be an asset to their programs and advance your career after graduation.

• Services: College Admissions Counseling, Graduate School Admissions Counseling
• Consulting Model: individual and team
• Admissions Experience: clients accepted to Columbia University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania

Ivy Wise Educational Consulting Company

The best admissions consultants go to great lengths to ensure that each student has what they need to be considered by the school or schools they are most interested in attending. Students are given valuable resources they can use to improve their overall chances of being accepted by the college they want to go to. The benefits each student receives will not only improve their chances of being accepted, they will also boost their ability to get any scholarships they may apply for.

• Services: College Admissions Consulting Services for universities in the US, UK, and Canada
• Consulting Model: team based
• Admissions Experience: clients accepted to Amherst College, Brown University, Washington University in St. Louis

Marks Education Academic Counseling and Test Prep Tutoring Services

The best admissions consultants are able to provide much-needed counseling to high school students who want to improve their chances of attending the school of their choice. Consultants can help students choose classes that will help them improve their chances of being accepted. By encouraging the student to explore extracurricular activities that will broaden their horizons, the consultants are able to move ahead when it comes to preparing for college.

• Services: College Educational Planning Services, Graduate School Educational Planning
• Price: $4,500 for Fundamentals Package
• Admissions Experience: clients accepted to Pepperdine University, Drexel University, Rice University

Menlo Coaching College Admissions Consulting

Students receive the tutoring they need to improve their grades and score higher on placement tests. In order to beat out the competition, students must be able to prove that they have the passion and commitment to put their studies first. They must be able to tell their story convincingly enough to show the school what they are made of and what they want to do with their lives.

• Services: College Admissions, Professional MBA admissions consulting for business schools
• Price: not available
• Admissions Experience: clients accepted to Bowdoin College, UCLA

Midwest College Consulting College Admissions Coaches

The best admissions consultants at Midwest are able to help students find the right classes to help them strengthen their chances of being accepted by the college they most want to attend. Consultants offer advice on how to write a powerful admissions essay that will effectively tell their story and detail their goals for the future.

• Services: College Admissions
• Free Consultation: no
• Admissions Experience: clients accepted to Arizona State University,  Virginia Tech, University of Miami, University of Miami

Prep Expert Expert College Admissions Consulting for Students and Families

Prep Expert gives students the academic support they need to get higher scores on their placement tests. Earning higher grades on placement tests not only improves a student’s chances of being accepted by their favorite school, it also helps them when it comes to applying for scholarships and grants they will need to help pay for their tuition.

• Services: College Admissions, SAT and ACT Tutoring Services
• Price: comprehensive packages starting at $6,999

Prepory College Admissions Consultants

Additionally, Prepory offers tutoring services and test prep courses that students can rely on to help them boost their grades and improve their chances of receiving scholarships and grants they apply for. Counselors help students tell their stories so they can highlight their achievements and showcase the career goals they have set for themselves.

• Price: standard hourly rate is $300 and counseling programs start at $4,500
• Member: NACAC

PrepScholar Best College Admissions Consultants

PrepScholar understands what students need to achieve the goals they have set for themselves. This often involves helping them write essays that not only tell their stories but also highlight their achievements. Essays are meant to explore why a student is choosing a certain degree program and what makes them a valuable asset to the school.

• Price: starting at $4,895 for Annual Mentorship Package

Princeton Review Best College Admissions Consultants

In order for students to improve their chances of being accepted to the college of their choice, they need to start planning early. This means choosing the right classes and participating in extracurricular activities that help to showcase the student’s natural talents. And college admission consultants at the Princeton Review know students also need to be able to write an essay that tells their story in a compelling and concise manner.

• Services: College Admissions, Medical School Admissions
• Price: $3,499 for Ultimate Admissions Package
• Admissions Experience: Princeton Review clients are accepted to Columbia University, Georgetown University

Quad Education College Admission Consulting

• Services: Tutoring for Standardized Tests, Personalized Admissions Consulting
• Consulting Model: team
• Admissions Experience: Ivy League admissions include Dartmouth College, Cornell University, Yale University. Clients accepted to Art & Design Colleges including the Pratt Institute, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Berklee College of Music
• Membership: NACAC

Shemmassian Academic Consulting College Admissions Advising

Shemmassian Academic Counseling gives students an opportunity to apply to their school of choice and have the confidence they need to succeed at every level. The work they do to improve their chances of being accepted by the school of their choice can also help them earn the scholarships they apply for.

• Services:  College Admissions, Medical School Admissions
• Free Consultation:  yes
• Consulting Model:  individual
• Admissions Experience: clients accepted to Yale, MIT, and UCLA

Solomon Admissions Consulting Best College Admissions Consultants

Additionally, Solomon Admissions Consulting gives students an opportunity to start planning for their future while they are still in high school. Students are provided with both tutoring and test prep options that will enable them to keep their grades high and their odds for acceptance higher. With the right admissions consultant, students can feel confident that they will have everything they need.

• Admissions Experience: clients accepted to Princeton University, MIT, UC Berkeley

Spark Admissions Top College Admissions Consultants

Spark Admissions offer students the resources they need to learn how to communicate their stories and present a fully developed package. Students are able to share their hopes for the future as well as their achievements and how committed they are to building a solid and strong career path.

• Services: College Admissions, College Athletic Recruiting, Art, Film & Music School Consulting Services, Students with Learning Differences
• Price: base price $9795
• Admissions Experience: clients accepted to Harvard, University of Virginia, Emory University

Testive by A-List Education Experienced College Admissions Consultants

College admissions coaches at Testive offer help with financial aid, enrollment essays, and creating the perfect resume. Essay writing courses allow students to explore their creative side while the best admissions consultants work with them to make sure they have access to each and every advantage. They also offer advising packages to assist students with the graduate school admissions process.

• Services: College Admissions, Graduate School Admissions, SAT/ACT Tutoring Services, Grad Entrance Exam Tutoring, Academic Tutoring
• Price: hourly services are $300 per hour with 10, 20 and 30 hours packages

Top Tier Admissions Best College Admissions Consultants

Top Tier Admissions consultants offer tutoring sessions and test prep that will allow them to improve their grades as well as their chances of earning scholarships that will help them pay for their education. Another benefit associated with admissions consulting is helping students write an admissions essay that will tell their story and show their compassion and commitment to the career they have chosen.

• Services: College Application Essay Guidance
• Price: Not published
• Admissions Experience: clients accepted to Carnegie Mellon University, George Washington University, US Naval Academy

Varsity Tutors Admissions Consulting

College admissions counselors at Varsity Tutors provide students with resources they can use to improve the odds of being accepted by the college of their choice. With Varsity Tutors, students receive the guidance they need to write effective admissions essays and also improve their test scores. When students start planning for their future early, they are able to start building their resume and building a career path that they can build on throughout their time in college.

And Varsity Tutors has the best admissions consultants available to help students plan for their future. Students have access to the tools and resources they need to improve their grades and give themselves the opportunities and challenges they need to succeed on every level when it comes to their careers and personal lives.

• Services: college undergraduate admissions
• Price: $4,700 for the Comprehensive Package
• Admissions Experience: clients accepted to Northwestern, Duke, Stanford

What is a College Admissions Consultant?

When students need help applying to universities or colleges and require assistance during the interview or financial aid application process, an admissions consultant may be hired. While high school guidance counselors provide some college application support and advice, most schools need counselors for the express purpose of advising university-bound students through the challenging process as an admissions consultant does. 

The best college admissions consultants take students from the exploratory phase through the multiple application and interview steps and follow up with students as they navigate college acceptances and secure financial aid and scholarships. This degreed professional may work independently or with a firm or an agency. Still, all will be well-versed in the “inside track” information needed to get into a wide variety of colleges and universities successfully.

What Makes a College Admissions Consultant Worth It?

A college admissions consultant is a great resource for students looking to get accepted into their dream school. These professionals can provide valuable guidance and assistance throughout the entire admissions process, from choosing a school, applying to schools, preparing for standardized tests, securing financing for college, and more.

Each student’s situation is unique and as such, a college admissions consultant can provide tailored advice that’s beneficial to the student’s specific circumstances. Additionally, college admissions consultants can also provide behind-the-scenes insights into the colleges’ admissions processes, popular majors, course requirements and much more. Ultimately, a college admissions consultant can help your application stand out among admissions committees and makes an impressive impact.

How Can a College Admissions Consultant Help Me?

If you are a high school student trying to plan for your future, an admissions consultant can help you in many ways. They can help you submit an application that will give you an edge when you apply for college. Improving your grades and scoring high on placement tests is a must when it comes to being accepted at the school of your choice. So, many companies offer academic tutoring and test prep services.

An admissions consultant is also valuable when writing an essay that speaks volumes about your character, commitment, and willingness to succeed at reaching your career goals. Your consultant can help you through the entire college admissions process. Working through any challenges you may face, they will help you build a resume that will get you into your favorite college and propel you forward after you graduate with your degree.

What are the Advantages of Hiring College Admissions Counseling Services?

When you hire a college admissions counselor it makes it easier for you to navigate the college admissions process. Many college counseling services hire former admissions officers with a wealth of expertise and knowledge. So, hiring a college admissions counselor or a college admissions consulting firm basically gives you access to a network of resources that allows them to efficiently provide personalized guidance. These professionals use their wealth of experience to streamline the process for prospective students. As a result, using college admissions services typically increases the chances of acceptance and also helps reduce stress and anxiety.

What are the Types of College Admissions Consultants? 

The top college admissions advisors may work for themselves for for a consulting firm. Below are the general types of consultants and college admissions consulting firms.

Independent College Admissions Consultants

These Individual Consultants are self-employed professionals who specialize in assisting prospective students with college admissions.

Small Firms 

Small college admissions consulting firms may be better able to Zero In on the unique needs of their clients and provide more specialized and tailored advice. Additionally, a boutique firm have consultants who specialize in specific areas such as SAT/ACT prep, college application essays, or college visits.

Large Education Consulting Firms

Most college admissions consulting firms offer different packages and a la carte services. These organizations typically assist with college admissions, including school selection, application guidance, and financial aid counseling. Generally, speaking, the larger the firm, the more options aspiring college students  may have.

What are the Services Offered by the Best College Admissions Consultants?

Students that use a college admissions consultant can expect to receive multiple services when one is employed to help in this process. They offer a range of services for helping students gain admission. Below are some benefits that are potentially included when an admission consultant. 

College Selection

Developing a college list and selecting the right schools for a student’s academic and personal goals is essential. Most college admissions consultants can also help to assemble and fine-tune a customized college list. 

Application Strategy 

A college admissions consultant can also help you outline academic and extracurricular accomplishments to create a successful application strategy. Additionally, your consultant can help you create a timeline for what needs to be done and when and an application budget so you can stay on track financially through the application process and college admissions process. 

College Essay Coaching

Drafting an authentic college essay takes work. A practical and persuasive essay can be the difference between acceptance and denial. However, college admissions consultants can ensure that an article reaches its desired effect. 

Financial Aid and Scholarships

Calculating the actual cost of a college education and discovering ways to reduce the financial burden is essential. Additionally a college admissions advisor can assist families with financial aid advice and finding the best options for financing higher education. Some also help with scholarship and financial aid applications.

Exam Preparation

Preparing for the college admissions entrance exams such as the SAT and ACT can be the difference between acceptance and denial. College admissions consultants can guide to help students get ready for these tests. 

Interview Preparation

Most schools will require applicants to participate in an interview process, either on campus or via Skype. Many consultants use   mock interviews to improve these skills.

Career Planning and Major Selection

College advisers, faculty, and family members are all great resources when choosing a major. So when you navigate the competitive college admissions landscape, collect opinions, weigh options, and don’t be afraid to ask questions and get advice.

Who Can Benefit from a College Admissions Consultant?

Anyone who needs help navigating the complex college admissions process can benefit from working with a college admissions consultant. This includes students with unique backgrounds or circumstances like student-athletes, first-generation, international, and individuals with learning differences. First-time college applicants and students targeting competitive schools can also benefit.

Students find help deciding their educational goals, finding the right college to apply to, researching program options, writing college applications and essays, developing an application strategy, preparing for college admissions interviews, and negotiating financial aid packages. College admissions consultants provide personalized guidance to students of all backgrounds to help ensure that the admissions process goes smoothly. 

First-Generation College Students

Most first generation students who are the first in the family to attend college need extra assistance and guidance. College Admissions Consultants can help first-generation college students with each step of the college admissions process, providing support through every stage, from researching and applying to schools, writing essays, optimizing financial aid packages, and more. College Admissions Consultants may also be familiar with specific scholarships, grants, or supports for which first-generation college students may qualify. Ultimately, a College Admissions Consultant can be an invaluable resource to support and enable a successful college journey.

Student-Athletes

College Admissions Consultants can help student-athletes in a variety of ways. They provide personalized advice about the application process, including choosing the right college, selecting appropriate classes and majors, writing compelling personal statements, and ensuring all application parts are completed thoroughly and on time. College Admissions Consultants also uniquely understand the NCAA and D1 admission process. They can help student-athletes craft their athletic profiles to make the most of their college applications. This expertise can prove invaluable as student-athletes navigate the college admissions process.

International Students

With the high-stakes nature of the college admissions process, it can take time for an international student to figure out the best way to stand out and make a strong impression on admissions officers. International students often face unique challenges when getting into college in the United States. This is where College Admissions Consultants can provide timely advice and help to maximize their chances of admission success. By working with someone familiar with the American college admissions process and experienced in working with international applicants, international students can quickly identify potential obstacles to their success and create strategies to overcome them.

Students with Learning Differences

A College Admissions Consultant could give students with learning differences the guidance and expertise they need to ensure that their applications are competitive with other applicants. They can provide applications that accurately reflect students’ abilities, strengths, and interests. Specialized consultants can help students identify appropriate accommodations and explain the differences to admissions boards to ensure their needs are adequately understood and addressed. Overall, a consultant can give students with learning differences the confidence and representation they need to get into the college of their dreams.

What Should You Look for When Hiring a College Admissions Coach? 

You decided to use a consultant, so how do you choose a college admissions consultant? When selecting a college admissions consultant, it is essential to research and compare different options. Before choosing a consultant, you should determine your expectations, budget, and needs. 

Look for consultants specializing in a specific college admissions field, such as SAT or ACT preparation, essay writing, or interview prep. Additionally, it would help if you asked for references from past clients to ensure that the consultant is qualified to assist with your college admission process. Ultimately, the most crucial aspect of hiring a college admissions consultant is finding someone you trust and feel is a good fit for your situation.

How Much Do College Admissions Consulting Services Cost?

The cost of college admissions consulting services will vary depending on the type of service, the level of service provided, and the provider. For example, some companies offer comprehensive coaching packages that may cost up to a few thousand dollars. Others may offer more limited services for a few hundred dollars. You should research different services and decide which fits your needs and budget best.

What are the Typical Pricing Structures for College Admissions Consultants?

Pay structures vary. For example, some college admissions consultants might charge a flat fee for easy-to-tackle admissions essays and quick applications. In contrast, other consultants might charge an hourly fee for more comprehensive services such as essay editing, test prep, mock interviews, and extracurricular help. Many firms offer a free initial evaluation of a student’s credentials to discuss the options in the future. 

Expect hourly service rates to range from $50 to $300 per hour, with some higher-priced applicants providing more personalized and strategic guidance. Generally speaking, if a consultant offers more comprehensive services such as essay editing, test preparation, and mock interviews, the total cost of services might go up to $4,000 or even higher. 

Some college admissions consultants may also have a package with a fixed fee, which includes a set amount of hours or services. Different packages may be available for other student needs or budgets. An expensive comprehensive admissions consulting package may cost over $50,000. However, the average cost for a complete admissions package from a national firm is around $3,000 to $7,000.

When Should You Start to Work with a College Admissions Consultant?

Many parents and students want to know when is the right time to begin a college coaching service. College admissions is a daunting task, so students and parents should start early. The earlier you start working with an expert college application consultant, the better. Ideally, it would help to start working with them a year before your intended college enrollment date. This will give you enough time to complete a comprehensive application, assemble a robust package, and save yourself some stress. 

Remember that an experienced college application consultant can help you with guidance related to your college and primary selection, financial aid options, and other pertinent areas.

Is a College Admissions Consultant Worth It?

A consultant can be helpful if you want personalized advice and support in the college admissions process and a knowledgeable resource to guide you. They can also help you identify schools that may be a good fit for you and assist you in preparing your applications.  However, it is essential to weigh the cost and the availability of support when deciding to hire a college admissions counselor. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide whether or not you think a college admissions consultant is worth the cost.

What If I Can’t Afford a College Admissions Consultant?

In the hyper-competitive world of college admissions, students can their families can be pressured into thinking that the only thing that matters is getting into the highest-tier school and that a costly consultant is their only option. However, that’s not always the case. There are many consulting and counseling services with various pricing tiers, packages, and financial help. But for some low income students hiring a consultant is outside the budget. But, don’t despair.

First of all, at College Consensus, we’re big believers in the value of starting small and local. That’s why we strongly recommend that students who are conscious of their money or don’t feel confident about getting into their first choice take a year or two and  attend community college . One dirty little secret about the higher-tier schools is that it is often  easier to transfer in  than to get accepted as a first-year student. First-year students who didn’t cut it have dropped out, and colleges need enrollment to keep their doors open. 

There are also many other options, like  taking a gap year  to work or intern. Consider enrolling in a  pre-college summer program , which can help you make connections at the college you want to attend and build more robust recommendations. There are many ways of building up your application than just paying a consultant. 

Why Do Parents and Students Choose to Pay for a College Admissions Counseling Service?

Each high school in the US has at least one guidance counselor. Unfortunately, the ratio of guidance counselors to students is low. Usually, these counselors must be better trained and motivated to help students. In many cases, they need more understanding of the business and industry needs, which will NOT enable them to guide their students to appropriate college majors and degrees for the student’s future success.

The general perception is that much college admissions material is available online. However, the problem is that this material is scattered, not updated, organized for easy consumption, often inaccurate, and difficult to find when needed. The “insider college admissions track” is not known just by perusing this material.

Professional Organizations for College Admissions Consultants 

• National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) 
• Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) 
• Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA) 
• Association for College Admission Counseling (AACAC) 
• National College Access Network (NCAN) 
• American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) 
• Enrollment Management Association (EMA) 
• American College Counseling Association (ACCA) 
• Collegiate Admission and Retention Professionals (C.A.R.P.) 
• National Independent Educational Consultants Association (NIECA)

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When students need help applying to universities or colleges and require assistance during the interview or financial aid application process, an admissions consultant may be hired. While high school guidance counselors provide some college application support and advice, most schools need counselors for the express purpose of advising university-bound students through the challenging process as an admissions consultant does. 

A college admissions consultant is a great resource for students looking to get accepted into their dream school. These professionals can provide valuable guidance and assistance throughout the entire admissions process:

• choosing a school
• applying to schools
• choosing extracurriculars
• writing application essays
• preparing for standardized tests
• securing financing for college

Each student’s situation is unique and as such, a college admissions consultant can provide tailored advice that’s beneficial to the student’s specific circumstances. Additionally, college admissions consultants can also provide behind-the-scenes insights into the colleges’ admissions processes, popular majors, course requirements and much more.

Ultimately, a college admissions consultant can help your application stand out among admissions committees and makes an impressive impact.

When you hire a college admissions counselor it makes it easier for you to navigate the college admissions process. Many college counseling services hire former admissions officers with a wealth of expertise and knowledge.

So, hiring a college admissions counselor or a college admissions consulting firm basically gives you access to a network of resources that allows them to efficiently provide personalized guidance. These professionals use their wealth of experience to streamline the process for prospective students.

As a result, using college admissions services typically increases the chances of acceptance and also helps reduce stress and anxiety.

What are the Types of College Admissions Consultants? 

Individual consultants are self-employed professionals who specialize in assisting prospective students with college admissions.

Small Firms 

Small college admissions consulting firms may be better able to zero in on the unique needs of their clients and provide more specialized and tailored advice. Additionally, a boutique firm has consultants who specialize in specific areas such as SAT/ACT prep, college application essays, or college visits.

Most college admissions consulting firms offer different packages and a la carte services. These organizations typically assist with college admissions, including school selection, application guidance, and financial aid counseling. Generally, speaking, the larger the firm, the more options aspiring college students may have.

Students that use a college admissions consultant can expect to receive multiple services when one is employed to help in this process. They offer a range of services for helping students gain admission. Below are some benefits that are potentially included when an admission consultant. 

Developing a college list and selecting the right schools for a student’s academic and personal goals is essential. Most college admissions consultants can also help to assemble and fine-tune a customized college list. 

Application Strategy 

A college admissions consultant can also help you outline academic and extracurricular accomplishments to create a successful application strategy. Additionally, your consultant can help you create a timeline for what needs to be done and when and an application budget so you can stay on track financially through the application process and college admissions process. 

Drafting an authentic college essay takes work. A practical and persuasive essay can be the difference between acceptance and denial. However, college admissions consultants can ensure that an article reaches its desired effect. 

Preparing for the college admissions entrance exams such as the SAT and ACT can be the difference between acceptance and denial. College admissions consultants can guide to help students get ready for these tests. 

Most schools will require applicants to participate in an interview process, either on campus or via Skype. Many consultants use   mock interviews to improve these skills.

Students find help deciding their educational goals, finding the right college to apply to, researching program options, writing college applications and essays, developing an application strategy, preparing for college admissions interviews, and negotiating financial aid packages. College admissions consultants provide personalized guidance to students of all backgrounds to help ensure that the admissions process goes smoothly. 

What Should You Look for When Hiring a College Admissions Coach? 

You decided to use a consultant, so how do you choose a college admissions consultant? When selecting a college admissions consultant, it is essential to research and compare different options. Before choosing a consultant, you should determine your expectations, budget, and needs. 

Look for consultants specializing in a specific college admissions field, such as SAT or ACT preparation, essay writing, or interview prep. Additionally, it would help if you asked for references from past clients to ensure that the consultant is qualified to assist with your college admission process.

Ultimately, the most crucial aspect of hiring a college admissions consultant is finding someone you trust and feel is a good fit for your situation.

Pay structures vary. For example, some college admissions consultants might charge a flat fee for easy-to-tackle admissions essays and quick applications. In contrast, other consultants might charge an hourly fee for more comprehensive services such as essay editing, test prep, mock interviews, and extracurricular help. Many firms offer a free initial evaluation of a student’s credentials to discuss the options in the future. 

Expect hourly service rates to range from $50 to $300 per hour, with some higher-priced applicants providing more personalized and strategic guidance. Generally speaking, if a consultant offers more comprehensive services such as essay editing, test preparation, and mock interviews, the total cost of services might go up to $4,000 or even higher. 

Many parents and students want to know when is the right time to begin a college coaching service. College admissions is a daunting task, so students and parents should start early. The earlier you start working with an expert college application consultant, the better. Ideally, it would help to start working with them a year before your intended college enrollment date. This will give you enough time to complete a comprehensive application, assemble a robust package, and save yourself some stress. 

A consultant can be helpful if you want personalized advice and support in the college admissions process and a knowledgeable resource to guide you. They can also help you identify schools that may be a good fit for you and assist you in preparing your applications. However, it is essential to weigh the cost and the availability of support when deciding to hire a college admissions counselor. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide whether or not you think a college admissions consultant is worth the cost.

First of all, at College Consensus, we’re big believers in the value of starting small and local. That’s why we strongly recommend that students who are conscious of their money or don’t feel confident about getting into their first choice take a year or two and  attend community college . One dirty little secret about the higher-tier schools is that it is often  easier to transfer in  than to get accepted as a first-year student. First-year students who didn’t cut it have dropped out, and colleges need enrollment to keep their doors open. 

There are also many other options, like  taking a gap year  to work or intern. Consider enrolling in a  pre-college summer program , which can help you make connections at the college you want to attend and build more robust recommendations. There are many ways of building up your application than just paying a consultant. 

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What do college admissions consultants cost?

$1.5 million for a college consulting package. ( Yes, that happened. )

Guaranteed admission to Yale.

That’s normal, right?

If you’re considering hiring a college admissions consultant, please don’t get ready to sell your house and liquidate your retirement.

Here’s what you need to know about college consultant fee structures, average costs, hidden costs, and benefits.

College Consultant Fees

Like at a restaurant where you pay per item, you pay the consultant for the product or service you want. For example, your college consultant might offer help on essays, financial aid form completion, interview prep, and college list creation. If your college consultant offers an à la carte fee structure, you pay one price for the essay help, one price for the financial aid form completion, one price for interview prep, and one price for the college list.

This allows you to pick and choose only the services you need. If, for example, your family won’t be applying for financial aid and already have a college list you’re happy with, then simply pay for the essay help and admissions interview prep.

Range of fees: À la carte services (essay review, college lists, test prep, etc.) can cost anywhere between $500 on the lower end to $5,000 on the higher end.

Like lawyers or therapists, some college consultants bill you hourly for their work on whatever you want. Every time you need help with some aspect of the college application process, set up a meeting with the consultant and get billed by the hour for his or her expertise.

This allows you to “pay-as-you-go” and give your child space to complete as many aspects of the application as possible herself. Only when she has a specific question or needs a second review of her essays will you need to hire the consultant.

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If the service you purchase requires research, such as college list creation, you can expect the consultant to also bill you for the hours spent researching, not just the hour-long meeting with you.

The upside of the hourly rate payment structure is that you can communicate how much time you want the consultant to spend. For example, if your child’s essay has already been reviewed by 5 teachers at school, but she wants another expert look, you can ask for just an hour of review. This can help you save money.

The downside is that some college consultants may not put as much prep time into your meetings, since they are not getting paid for meeting prep. It’s possible you’d spend the first half of the meeting getting your college consultant caught up with your situation before actually getting the expertise you paid for. Another downside is that your consultant might charge you for emails or phone calls, which can get costly.

Range of fees: On the lowest end, college consultants may charge as low as $85 per hour to as high as $1,000 per hour. The average, however, lies around $300 per hour.

Comprehensive

Like a combo meal for which you pay one price for the main course, sides, and drink, you pay one fee for all the services you need. Unlike the hourly rate structure, the comprehensive or package plan doesn’t use the number of hours worked to bill you. A comprehensive plan might include college list creation, unlimited meetings, unlimited essay reviews, interview prep, application review, major/career selection, recommendation letter prep, extracurricular planning, SAT/ACT/AP prep, and more. For these full packages, the consultant will charge a flat fee.

Depending on the college consultant, you might pay that flat fee all upfront, spread over a certain number of months, or within a certain number of payments.

For example, if your consultant charges you $10,000 for a comprehensive package, you might negotiate paying that fee once a month over the course of the year-long service, so $833 per month over 12 months.

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What does a typical college admissions consultant cost?

By Eric Eng

For students that are determined to get into the best schools in the United States, sometimes the best tool at his or her disposal is a college admissions consultant. In recent years, admissions consultants for students who want to get into schools in the Ivy League or other top 10 institutions have become quite popular. For those reasons, you might be wondering what a great college admissions consultant costs. Well, the answer is a bit more complex than a simple number.

Luckily, here at AdmissionSight , we make it our top priority to help high schoolers all over the world in any way we can. Whether you are a student, or a parent of a student, and are wondering what it costs to have an admissions consultant working in your corner, then you have come to the right place! But before we go over the price, let’s quickly break down what students should expect from any college admissions consultant that they end up working with.

What you’re paying for

In the United States, the college application landscape has become very different over the last several decades. In fact, back in the day, it wasn’t really seen as a required part of life to go to college or university at all. People could get perfectly good jobs with good pay without any degree beyond a high school degree. Now, the circumstances are very different. Students commit more time and energy now than they ever have before to being attractive applicants in the eyes of college admissions officers because getting into a great school can have a major impact on an individual’s life.

That fact is the same reason why families are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars per year to attend a school. Earning a four-year degree is seen as a crucial investment in life. And that’s exactly how people who end up working with admissions consultants see that partnership: It’s an investment.

So, what are you investing in? Quite a few things, it turns out.

Truly, one of the most important benefits that students get out of working with top college admissions consultants is the experience that comes along with them. The truth is that for many students, the application process – and all that goes into it – is something of a mystery. Sure, you can read breakdowns (not so different from this one) that will start to scratch the surface of what students should be aiming to do to increase their chances of getting into a great school, but there will always be a bit of doubt regarding whether or not that student is on the right track.

When students start working with college admissions consultants from an early age, they are able to go through their high school years knowing that they are putting themselves in the best position to gain acceptance to schools like Harvard, University of Chicago, Stanford and so much more. Experience leads to confidence and confidence leads to success. While nothing is ever a guarantee when it comes to applying to some of the most competitive schools in the world, this experience can end up playing a major role in a student’s success.

Their time and insight

For high school students, it’s often quite hard to know what the best way is to guarantee success. Should a student be focusing more on earning top grades or taking more challenging courses? Should a student be focusing on a lot of different activities out of the classroom or just a few?

What kinds of schools should a student target base on their interests? These are really important questions that high school students should be asking. While the high school counselor is traditionally thought of when it comes to helping guide high schoolers to make the right decisions regarding these questions and more, counselors are famously overworked and quite unavailable.

In fact, the vast majority of states in the United States do not follow the recommended ratio of 250 students per school counselor.

That’s where consultants come in. When parents of a high school student decide to team up with a trained and experienced consultant, they are going to be getting someone who their student will constantly be able to bounce ideas off of. Whether it’s about taking one kind of AP course or another, investing time in a sports team or academic competition, or anything in between, a great college admissions consultant will be there every step of the way.

The same can be said when it comes to an admissions consultant’s role during the actual application process. During this time, admissions consultants will be able to offer incredible insight when it comes to how many schools a student should apply to, how to craft the most memorable and impactful personal statements and essays and so much more.

While consultants can come with a hefty price tag (as you will soon find out), the insight and attention that they can offer often prove invaluable.

Their connections

Finally, college admissions consultants offer a certain number of connections that are otherwise quite hard to find. After all, a large number of consultants attended Ivy League or top-10 schools that the most intelligent and determined students dream of attending. For those reasons, consultants can often put the students that they work within touch with people who attended – or currently attend such schools.

Surely, these connections are not going to help a student who doesn’t have the grades or test scores to get into a top-10 school, but it can absolutely give students the inspiration and encouragement that they need to push for those lofty goals.

In the end, working with a college admissions consultant gives students just another tool in their arsenal to help them achieve their college application goals. Whether that’s going to an Ivy League school like Harvard or Yale, a top public school like Michigan or UCLA, or a top liberal arts school like Bard or Oberlin, a student who works with an admissions consultant is going to know how to achieve the goals that they have set better than the vast majority of students that they are competing with.

How much does a college counselor cost?

The cost of a college consultant is going to entirely depend on the fee structure of the company that you end up going with as well as how much work they put into helping a specific student with the college admissions process.

The truth is that there are a lot of variances in terms of how long an admissions officer is going to work with. a specific student. Some consultants will be paid for just a few hours to review a student’s college list, other counselors will be working with the same student for years as they approach the time that they will actually be applying to schools!

The vast majority of providers within the industry in terms of pricing. Others will offer their different rates and packages after consultation. Overall, prices tend to range from around $950 per hour for a la carte sessions to thousands of dollars for packages that include college application assistance for students, ranging from anywhere between $25,000 to well over $100,000!

Without a doubt, the price tag can be a hefty one and it can be a hard decision to invest in something like this for some families. However, there is no doubt that working with a counselor can offer incredible benefits for students who go down that path.

For example, consider the fact that 75 percent of the high school students that have worked with AdmissionSight have been accepted to either an Ivy League school or an otherwise top-10 school in the United States. While the student will still have to keep up their end of the deal and take their curriculum seriously, working with an admissions consultant will offer them a plethora of tools that can and will help them do their best. The lifetime value of a degree from an Ivy League, Stanford , MIT, or UChicago cannot be understated.

One thing that we always stress with the students that are interested in working with an admissions consultant is that there has to be a great fit. The student should also know that there is quite a lot that they will have to do to make sure that they are getting the most out of the experience as well.

Here is what every high school student should be prepared for when they want to work with an admissions counselor to make sure that they get the very most out of the entire experience.

Consider going with a consultant package

While you may think that the best way to get value out of working with a college admissions consultant is to work with one who has a track record of success and has the acceptance letters to show for it. A college admissions consultant who has both the prerequisite background and provide tangible, actionable milestones  instead of merely high level advice will help tremendously.

These package services offer a lot of consistency and – honestly – more commitment from the admissions consultant as well. The reason why is primarily because these admission consultant packages mean that a student and the consultant are going to be working with one another for quite some time.

On top of that, a package is going to give the consultant the time that they need to get to know the student that they are working with. This means that they are going to be able to best apply their expertise and experience to help the student in the way that he or she needs the most help!

Whether it’s just a couple of months or several years, these packages are going to give the student the very best chance that they can get to apply to the right schools and get into those schools to continue their education at the best place for them.

Take their advice to heart

No matter how great a consultant is, their work is only going to be truly worth it if the student is ready and willing to take their guidance and advice to heart. No student is able to get into schools like Yale , Princeton, and Caltech by accident. It takes a whole lot of dedication and even more work. That fact is true whether a high school student is going to be working with a college admissions consultant or not.

In fact, working with a college admissions consultant is a lot like working with a school tutor. The admissions consultant is going to make their number one priority to give every student that they work with the tools that they need to succeed. But it is always going to be in the hands of the student to put those tools to use and apply them to the way that they approach their responsibilities in the classroom, outside of the classroom, and beyond.

Arrive for in-person or remote meetings on time and prepared

For any student who is looking to get the most out of working with a college admissions consultant, one really important way to make sure that the student is getting the most out of the experience is to – of course – show up on time to all of the scheduled meetings.

Beyond that, students should not simply be waiting to receive information from the admissions counselor. Instead, one great way for a student to make sure that they are getting the most out of the experience is to have questions of their own! This will give the students time to think about the task at hand and really internalize the answers that they get.

Remember, when it comes to working with an admissions consultant, every student is going to get out as much as they put in. Admissions consultants love helping students gain confidence and reach their goals, but not even the best consultant can force a student to do that. A determined student who is passionate about their education and their future is always going to work better alongside a consultant than a student who feels as though their education is a chore.

What to look for in a college admissions consultant

The perfect consultant is going to be somewhat different for every high school student. For that reason, it is really important that any parent who is interested in finding a consultant for their child do their due diligence to find the right fit. Here are a few important things to look out for when you are in the process of vetting different consultants.

Find one that matches your child’s learning style

The relationship between an admissions consultant and a student that they work with has to be built off of mutual respect and understanding. As you vet different options, make sure to take stock of how each option interacts and communicates with your child.

Find one that has a proven background in the field

Not every admissions consultant has to have a professional history working as an admissions officer per se, but you should make sure that you know about their expertise and their track record of success. There are going to be a lot of options out there for you to look at, and doing the work necessary to make sure that you have made the right choice, in the end, is crucial to the success of the partnership overall.

For that reason, look into their history and find some information about them – or the service – online so you can feel wholly confident about your choice.

Beware of options that make promises or guarantees

This is something to look out for in a more negative way, perhaps, but that does not mean it is any less important. Be wary of groups that “guarantee” that your child will be able to get into the school of his or her choice. That is especially true if the school is a highly selective one. No doubt, working with an admissions consultant improves any student’s chances of success, but it’s also crucial that everyone involved enters the partnership with realistic goals and standards. That approach is what will most likely render ultimate success!

Consider AdmissionSight for your college admissions consulting needs

Here at AdmissionSIght, we love helping the next generation continue their education where they dream of going. Thanks to our experience, our expertise, and our knowledge within the industry, we know that we can help make a difference for students everywhere. If you are interested in seeing what our trained consultants bring to the table, contact us today for a free consultation.

Want to assess your chances of admission? Take our FREE chances calculator today!

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College Admissions Counseling

Applying for college? Our college counselors can help!

Our Counseling Services

We provide 1-1 strategic college application guidance for every step of the admissions process. Our programs often include, but are not limited to:

• College research and list building
• Extra-curricular, internship and summer planning
• High school course selection
• Personal statement & supplemental essay guidance
• Specialty admissions (STEM, Business, BS/MD, Athletic etc.)
• SAT/ACT test prep
• AP and academic tutoring
• Financial aid consulting (merit and need-based)
• Skill building for middle school students
• International admissions including Canada and the UK

Our Counselors

Our counselors deliver holistic support, tailored to the unique needs of your family, that puts student wellbeing at the center of the process and ensures that every student gains acceptance to a college where they will thrive.  Collegewise counselors come from a variety of backgrounds. Many are former admissions officers, high school counselors, professors, teachers, and graduate degree holders.

Select a group below to see the steps you need to take to get into the school of your dreams.

8th & 9th

10th & 11th

12th & Transfer

Here is How You Get Into College

Find the right admissions support.

Should your family hire a college counselor? Would you benefit from the experience and insight of admissions experts? These are important questions, and together we’ll support your student and help you navigate the admissions landscape.

Maximize Your High School Years

Establish the foundation for a competitive college application through curated writing assignments, activity planning, and personalized timelines for standardized testing.

Lay the Groundwork

From choosing the right classes, to improving your test scores, to learning how to communicate effectively to teachers and counselors, we’ll help your student hone important skills as they start their path towards college.

Thrive in High School

The most successful high school students make an impact doing things they enjoy. We help students identify their strengths, find opportunities to utilize and enhance them, and connect those skills to the bigger picture of college admissions.

Become a Competitive College Applicant

Students who work with Collegewise will build on their individual strengths and create strong study skills and habits so they can thrive both in and out of the classroom. With a combination of guidance from our leadership team, in-person meetings, online resources, and a personalized student dashboard, you'll never have to worry that your student has missed a step.

What makes your student special? Success in high school is about more than good grades and strong test scores. The college admissions process should inspire them to bring out their very best and connect their strengths to the bigger picture.

Create a Strategic Admissions Plan

Do you understand colleges and what it takes to get into them? From college research, to essays, to course selection and testing, you’ll have admissions experts in your corner offering valuable feedback to ensure your student submits a strong application.

Apply to College!

Ready to confidently hit submit and avoid that last-minute panic? With a combination of guidance from our leadership team, in-person meetings, online resources, and our proprietary and groundbreaking student dashboard, you'll never have to worry that your student has missed a step.

Make Your Final College Decision

Having too many great college acceptances to choose from is a problem we want every student to have. We’ll help your student evaluate their options and make the right choice about where to spend the next four years.

Get Matched With A Counselor

Should your family hire a college counselor? Would you benefit from the experience and insight of an admissions expert? These are important questions, and together we’ll match your student with a Collegewise counselor who can help you navigate the admissions landscape.

Identify and Meet Your Goals

Tailor time with your counselor to focus on your needs, whether that’s finalizing a college list, major exploration, application review, or additional guidance.

Essay Brainstorming and Editing

Work with your counselor to draft a unique personal statement and strong short answers that have been thoroughly reviewed and proofread.

Finalize a Competitive Application

Craft an application that will make you stand out to admissions officers. Keep track of everything with Wise(r)net, our proprietary and groundbreaking online platform.

Apply and Make Your Final College Decision

Your counselor will help you weigh your options and select a college that will help you reach your academic goals.

" Just saying that I loved my experience with Collegewise would be an understatement. My counselor was amazing helping me find a college that suited me and helping me take the right steps to get in where I wanted to get in. I honestly feel that Collegewise made my applications and essays fulfill their potential and really made me look like the college candidate I wanted to look like. Without his help, I probably wouldn't have gotten into some of the schools I did end up getting into."

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Question Do I need a Collegewise admissions counselor?

It depends! If you’re not an admissions expert yourself, want to make sure that your teen has all the components in place to ensure a great outcome, and would like to remove the stress from the process, then working with a trusted expert to take on the college planning process could be a great option for you. A great college counselor will get to know your goals and guide your student through all aspects of the admissions process, including;

• Developing their applicant profile
• Helping them choose where to apply
• Editing and refining essays
• Polishing their applications
• And more! 

Question 
How much does college counseling cost?

The cost of college counseling can depend upon the level of support you’re looking for. At Collegewise we tailor programs to the unique needs of each family, that’s why we offer a free consultation for people who are interested in working with us. During your consultation, we take the time to get to know your family and then make a program recommendation based upon your goals and budget. Check out our blog post for more information about the cost of different types of college counseling.

https://go.collegewise.com/college-counseling-cost

Question When's the best time to get started with college counseling?

At Collegewise we work with students from 8 th grade through to senior year. The earlier students get started the more we can help to guide them in making the right choices for high school course selection, extracurricular's, internships, success skills development and a whole range of other areas. Starting earlier can also lead to a more calm and streamlined approach to the process.

Ready to Get Started?

Finding a College Counselor: What to look for in a College Admissions Consultant?

Finding a college counselor.

There are many benefits of college counseling in the admissions process. A qualified college admissions consultant or college counselor provides students with valuable guidance in their college journey. Especially for those students seeking acceptance to elite universities, the expertise of a college admissions consultant can help take your application to the next level. However, a college counselor can also guide students toward choosing and applying to a school that’s their perfect fit—regardless of the school’s status. 

Of course, if looking for the professional guidance of a college admissions consultant, you’ll want to be sure that you’re receiving college counseling from a vetted professional, with proven experience to guide you through the admissions process.

In this guide, we’ll give you everything you need to know to find a college admissions consultant or college counselor that meets your needs. Whether you’re dealing with international college admissions or looking to get into an Ivy , there’s a college admissions counselor for you! But, before we get into college admissions counseling, let’s look at some college admissions trends as they play a huge role in the college admissions process.

State of College Admissions

One benefit of using college counseling services is that college counselors understand both the college admissions process and college admissions trends. More specifically, a college admissions counselor will know how to use this knowledge to increase your admissions odds. However, even without receiving college admissions counseling, all students should be aware of current admissions trends as they begin the application process. 

Increases in applications and tuition costs

Forbes notes that the popularity of early applications has increased. This means more students are getting ahead of the college admissions process by applying Restrictive Early Action, Early Decision, and Early Action. For example, NYU noted a 14% increase in early applicants in 2023. 

However, college applications in general are also increasing. The Common Application reported that from 2019-20 to 2022-23 there was a 30% increase in total applications. As such, there are more deferrals as well as students being placed on waitlists. 

College costs and tuition are continuing to increase as well. From 2003-2023, tuition for in-state students increased by 175% and tuition at private universities increased by 134%. This makes it extremely important for students and families to consider their financial capacities when it comes to tuition and college costs. College costs and tuition play a significant role in the college to which students apply. 

College Admissions and AI

Additionally, the college admissions process is adjusting due to rapid changes in technology—namely, ChatGPT. 1 in 5 students admitted to using this tool to complete their schoolwork. Consequently, colleges are also having to deal with AI in applications. Therefore, many are looking for alternatives to the college admissions essay, such as videos or interviews.   

With all of these trends in the admissions process, college admissions are now more competitive than ever. For this reason, many who have the financial means to do so are seeking out professional college admissions counseling. A college advisor will use these trends in conjunction with a student’s personal needs and preferences to find a school that fits.  

Understanding College Counseling Services

College admissions advice from a trusted college counselor can mean the difference between an acceptance and rejection letter. So, why is college counseling so valuable? A college admissions consultant offers students a tailored admissions plan that will help them throughout the entire college journey. They guide in creating a college list, completing essays, keeping students on track, and finding and applying for scholarships or financial aid. 

With admissions being so competitive nowadays, a college advisor can certainly help students gain admission to their dream school. The expertise that a college admissions counselor can provide will streamline a student’s application process. 

Getting Accepted to Your Dream School

Much of the allure of finding a college advisor is maximizing your chances of getting into your dream school. However, even without a college counselor, you can optimize your application to better stand out in the application process. Here are some strategies you should apply (with or without the help of college counseling) to help you submit the best application possible: 

Strategies for Submitting the Best Application

Focus on academics.

Throughout your high school career, do your best to earn the highest grades possible. Take IB and AP courses in subjects that interest you and in which you excel. While current college trends note that standardized tests are no longer a large factor in admissions, GPA and class ranking will matter to many schools. Taking advanced courses also shows that you’re capable of handling a rigorous course load—an important quality that admissions officers look for in applicants. 

Get involved in extracurriculars

When considering activities to get involved in, the earlier you start, the better! However, it’s not quantity when it comes to extracurriculars—it’s quality that matters. This means that you should focus on extracurriculars that you are truly passionate about. Consistency is everything, and having that will only be possible if you really care about the activities you get involved in. In fact, a college advisor will stress the importance of telling a story with your extracurriculars. 

Show community participation

Whether looking at national or international college admissions, they’ll want to see that you are an active participant in your community. Community involvement may go hand-in-hand with your extracurriculars. However, if it doesn’t, be sure to show that you care about your community and are interested in improving it. Remember that community can mean a wide variety of things—don’t think that running a soup kitchen is the only way to give back to the community. 

Write meaningful essays

While the college admissions essay may change because of advances in AI, for now, it is still extremely important. The college admissions essay is a great opportunity for students to share more about themselves that hasn’t been seen elsewhere in their application. It’s also a great way to show off your creative writing skills. College counseling will stress this aspect of the admission process, and a college advisor will provide students with ample feedback in this area. 

Have a cohesive narrative

Every piece of your application should fit together–just like a puzzle. You want to build on your application narrative with every piece of information that you add to the application. For example, you might want to portray your passion for art and social justice. Your extracurriculars, community involvement, and essays should all portray that. 

Craft an excellent candidate profile

Your candidate profile is an important aspect of your application. It is a three-sentence summary about yourself that should show colleges why you should be admitted. This is one aspect of an application that can truly benefit from the experience and knowledge of a college counselor.

Overall, your application should be balanced and well-rounded. College admissions officers will evaluate applications holistically. Therefore every part of your application plays an important role. Gaining the advice and guidance of a reputable college admissions counseling service can help elevate your application to the next level. In particular, the guidance of a college advisor in vital pieces such as the application narrative and candidate profile. 

How College Consultants can help

While you can find plenty of online resources to help guide you in your college application journey, hiring a college advisor will truly streamline the process. A college counselor provides each student with a personalized strategy to get into their dream school. Additionally, a college admissions advisor can help you create a college list that will meet your personal preferences and needs. Since there is no one-size-fits-all process to the higher education process, a college counselor will get to know you first, understand your goals, and guide you down the best pathway. 

The best college admissions consultants will get you excited about finding and attending your dream school. Especially since finding the right fit can be a challenge when students feel overwhelmed by the whole process. A college admissions advisor will help with planning and organization to keep students on track. And, most importantly, a college counselor can give you the best tips to make your application stand out. 

Admissions expertise

A college admissions advisor has expert insight into the admissions process. A college counselor will often have gone through the rigorous application process themselves. In fact, many of the best college admissions consultants have attended the top universities in the nation. Some of the best college admissions consultants have also held positions in admissions offices at elite universities.  For example, CollegeAdvisor has 300+ Admissions Experts and former Admissions Officers from top colleges like Yale University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, and many more. Therefore, these are some of the most valuable people you can connect to when seeking out college admissions counseling. 

What is College Counseling?

College counseling services have been placed in the spotlight in recent years—namely due to a Hollywood scandal . Essentially, they were accused of dodging the normal admissions process. This placed a negative light on college counseling services. Since the ethics of hiring college counseling services has been placed into question, if seeking them out, you’ll want to make sure they are trusted professionals. Of course, this is not what college admissions counseling is all about. The best college admissions consultants will simply help students highlight the best parts of themselves and guide them with expert college admissions advice. 

Benefits of college counseling

College counseling services can have a high price tag. However, it is because of the benefit that their college admissions advice offers hopeful applicants—especially those looking to get into the best universities in the nation. A college counselor can help students with everything from creating the best college list for them to crafting a competitive application. In particular, a college admissions consultant can be especially beneficial when it comes to the more tedious aspects of the admission process, such as filing your FAFSA or looking at financial aid options. Additionally, a college counselor can also help those interested in international college admissions navigate the process.  

However, the greatest benefit of college admissions counseling services is the level of expertise and personalized attention they offer their clients. Of course, that’s not to say that a college admissions counselor can move mountains. While college admissions counseling can help your application stand out, a college admissions counselor can’t guarantee admissions. And, they certainly can’t fill out the application for you!

What Do College Counselors Do?

A college admissions counselor offers a broad range of services through virtual or in-person meetings. College counseling services include:

College Counseling Services

• Helping students find their best-fit school
• Creating a personalized admissions strategy
• Building a compelling application narrative
• Explaining complicated steps of the process
• And helping you choose which admissions offer to accept!

In addition, they also help with more niché areas such as international college admissions and school-specific college admissions essays.

What to expect from college counseling

The frequency with which you meet with your college admissions consultant will vary based on your agreement and at what point of the admissions process you’re at. However, the check-ins you can expect will be based on your tailored admissions strategy and plan. The best college admissions consultant will keep you on track throughout the application process. They may even serve as a writing coach to help get you to the best versions of your college essays possible. 

An integral part of the role of a college counselor is understanding your interests and goals—or helping you understand them. Your future goals and current preferences play an important part in finding the best school for you. The best college admissions consultant will learn more about you so they can give you the best services.

Want to learn more? We’ll get into the specific services that a college counselor can offer in the following sections. 

College Search & Selection

One of the first steps of the process that your college admissions counselor will help with is finding schools that fit your needs. For starters, this can mean exploring your preference between a small school or a large public university . Your college counselor will look at your academic and extracurricular achievements, interests, preferences, needs, and future goals. By combining a myriad of factors, these professionals will provide college counseling that steers you toward schools that will be the best fit for you. 

A college counselor not only helps students search for schools that fit their needs. They also help provide them with a well-balanced college list. College admissions counseling can also help students make informed decisions on which school to select in the end. They’ll guide you in deciphering which financial package and admissions would be best for your long-term goals. Of course, ultimately, your college admissions consultant serves as a knowledgeable guide. The final decision of where to go to school is yours. 

College Application Timeline Support

Another important aspect that a college advisor can help with is keeping students on track to complete their applications on time. A college admissions consultant will help students in managing their various application deadlines , as well as understand the requirements at each school. 

A college counselor can also help students decide which application deadline is best for them. They provide strategic planning for Early Decision, Early Action, and Regular Decision deadlines. They may even help you seek out schools with rolling admissions if they think that’s best! A college admissions counselor will also offer advice on comparing financial aid options and packages after admission.  

College Essay Advice

Writing college essays is often the most stressful part of the college application process. So, it makes sense that one of the most frequently used services offered by college admissions consultants is essay editing.

A college counselor will help students craft compelling essays. A large part of this process includes helping them choose essay topics for personal statements and supplemental essays. Students will also want to look at free college essay examples on their own. However, the valuable advice of a college counselor will help students much more than simply skimming free college essay examples. 

Focusing and polishing your essays

The best college admissions consultants will also help you stay on track with your candidate profile and application narrative. Namely, the college admissions consultant is entrusted with making sure that you craft a well-rounded and cohesive application that will stand out to admissions officers. If your essay doesn’t support your overall narrative, they’ll help you revise your essay until you have one that does.

College admissions counseling services will provide students with essay reviews and feedback. This specific, individual feedback does a lot more for you than simply reading free college essay examples. Of course, it is not your college counselor’s job to write your essays for you. But, they will be able to give you the feedback you need to get your essays to their best version possible. While you may use spellcheck and Grammarly to help you with minor mechanical errors, these tools don’t compare to the personalized feedback and attention that a college admissions consultant will provide.  

Identifying College Scholarships & Financial Aid Support

Assisting in searching for scholarships is another way that a college admissions consultant can help their clients. How to pay for college is a large concern for many families. Therefore, you’ll want to do all you can to lessen the financial burden.

For one thing, you can search for a myriad of different merit scholarships. There are plenty of scholarships out there, but it can feel overwhelming to find them. This is where the knowledge of a college counselor can really help you get ahead. Additionally, certain colleges will have better financial aid packages or more scholarship opportunities than others. While you can certainly do your own research, a college counselor will streamline the process.

How to apply for scholarships

Here are some application tips for scholarship success: 

Meet the deadlines

Different scholarships will have different deadlines–and you can’t get the scholarship if you don’t meet the deadline.  So, be sure to stay organized and stick to your application timeline!

Prepare early

There may be various requirements for scholarship applications. Just like a college application, you will likely write essays and may need to get letters of recommendation. Be sure you start working on your applications early!

Highlight your amazing attributes

Give yourself some credit for all of your amazing accomplishments—without outright bragging about them. Talk about the qualities and experiences that make you the perfect person to receive the scholarship. You may also touch on how it will aid you in your future goals. Overall, you want to craft an application that shows you are a passionate, qualified, and motivated candidate. 

Apply to many!

You’ll want to apply to as many scholarships as you can. This is why it’s important to plan ahead and create a realistic timeline—something a college admissions consultant can help with. Seek out scholarships that seem like a good fit, and get busy on those apps.

Students will also need to fill out the FAFSA by the deadline in order to apply for federal financial aid. This year’s FAFSA deadline is June 30, 2024. This application can feel overwhelming, but college counseling will help answer any question you might have. You’ll also want to fill out the CSS Profile . This is an online application used by some schools to award scholarships and non-federal aid. It opens on October 1, but deadlines will vary by school.

Free CollegeAdvisor Resources

The best way to learn more about what a college admissions consultant or college counselor has to offer is by checking out their free resources. For instance, here at CollegeAdvisor, we have an extensive library of free resources. You might be familiar with our articles and guides since you’re reading one right now! In addition to this article, we offer a myriad of information that can help you get into your dream school–and it’s all free and available online.

In fact, we have webinars, guides, and articles that dissect every possible part of the college process. Our webinars cover topics such as building a strong extracurricular resume , navigating financial aid and scholarships, and understanding the new test-optional landscape. These webinars are led by experts, often former admissions officers at top colleges. Additionally, they often feature our college admissions consultants, who speak to their own experiences with college admissions.

College application guides

Many of our guides feature free college essay examples, which can help you learn how to craft the best essay. Indeed, we offer A LOT of college essay advice. From essay topics to writing tips to college essay examples from many Ivy League schools, we have ample resources to aid you in writing your best essays. 

Beyond providing free college essay examples, these guides can walk you through every step of the college process. Struggling to build your college list ? We’ll help you brainstorm potential schools and offer tips on deciding which ones to apply to. Still don’t know what kind of schools you’re looking for? Our guides on the best small colleges and the best public universities can help you narrow it down. Worried about getting into your dream school? Check out our guides on Ivy League acceptance rates, college deadlines , and how to finance your college experience. And if you’re coming in late, don’t worry—we’ve got a guide on colleges with rolling admissions to get you accepted to a school you love.

Advice you can trust

Most importantly, all CollegeAdvisor content is written by senior college admissions consultants and college counselors who’ve been through the process. They’re experts in the field. These kinds of free tools (webinars, articles, and guides) are a great start to planning your college journey.

While they’re certainly not a substitute for personalized college counseling, they can serve as an excellent supplement. Regardless of if you choose to work with a formal college counselor, they’re certainly valuable resources. In any case, be sure to take advantage of the many free resources available online to help you during the application process.

How Much Does A College Counselor Cost?

College counselors’ prices can vary widely—but don’t worry, most college admissions consultants aren’t charging $120,000 a year. However, in recent years many are seeing the true value of college counseling. In fact, some companies are even offering independent college counseling as a benefit for their employees. 

But, there’s certainly no denying that college counseling isn’t necessarily “cheap”. According to the Independent Educational Consultants Association, the average price for college counselors is around $140/hour.  However, college admissions consultants generally charge in three ways: hourly, per college admissions cycle, or through a package. 

Unpacking college counseling costs

College counselors who charge by the hour may charge you for things like meetings or time spent researching or editing college admissions essays. Essentially, you will be charged for any services that they provide as part of their college counseling offering. The total cost will be based on the total number of hours your college counselor spends working on you/your application.

Some college counselors may ask for a lump sum for the whole college admission cycle or a school year. For these college admissions consultants, you can purchase all of their services at once without having to worry about keeping track of the hourly pay. Of course, this will require a larger up-front cost. 

Other college counseling companies have their students and families purchase packages. These packages contain services like a certain number of hours dedicated to college admissions essay editing, meetings, and so on. With packages, you know exactly what you’re getting from your college admissions consultant, and how much you’re paying for each aspect of the college counseling process.

Paying for college counseling services

Some larger college counselor companies also provide scholarships or financial aid for students who aren’t in the position to pay for a college admissions consultant. For example, CollegeAdvisor has the Scholars Program , which provides free college counseling for lower-income and first-generation students. 

Regardless of how you pay for college admissions counseling, think of the payment as an investment in your future. Compared to the cost of college, hiring a college counselor is a relatively low price that can highly pay off in the future. 

Your college experience can have a big effect on your life. Consider the potential financial gain of graduating with an advanced degree, and even the emotional bonds and life experience that you gain by attending a college where you can thrive. An investment in college counseling is a way to reduce anxiety around the college process and make sure that you end up at a school that’s the best fit for you. 

How Do I Choose A College Admissions Counselor?

So, you know you want to work with a college admissions consultant, but what features should you be looking for? Similar to your ideal school, your ideal counselor should be a good fit. You’ll want to connect with someone who can not only help you achieve your educational goals but also with whom you feel comfortable having by your side for this important journey.

Qualities to look for in a college counselor

One of the biggest things you should look for in a college counselor is whether they can make the college process less stressful . No matter how good they are, college counselors can’t guarantee admission. However, they can make sure that you feel more prepared to take on your college applications and are confident in your application.

College counselors should also know what they’re talking about. College admissions consultants will be helping you in every step of the college admissions process. Refining your college list , creating an admissions strategy , helping brainstorm and edit your college admissions essays, and navigating financial aid. You want someone who is an expert in all of these categories. 

Finding college counselors

One way to find a trustworthy college counselor is to go through a large, established company like CollegeAdvisor which is powered by U.S. News & World Report. Though some college counselors work alone, there are large companies that hire many different college advisors. By working with a company that’s specifically designed to train college admissions consultants, you take less of a risk on your college counselor. 

You can also check if your college counselor is accredited with the National Association for College Admission Counseling. NACAC does a background check when assessing advisors’ qualifications and can provide families with reassurance that their college advisor is the real deal.

Often, college counselors and college admissions consultants are graduates from top schools. This is a good sign, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that your counselor will be a good tutor or know how to translate their experience into actionable feedback. Look for a college counselor who, in addition to personal admissions success, has some experience with tutoring, college admissions essay editing, or college admissions counseling.

Exploring College Counseling Reviews & Ratings

It can seem difficult to tell whether a college admissions consultant has the right credentials to help you get into your dream school. Another way to learn more about potential college counselors is to read reviews.

One review site you can use when fielding potential college admissions consultants is TrustPilot. TrustPilot is a general review site for companies in many different sectors, including educational consultants . If you search for a college counseling company, you can find its client reviews. 

Additionally, TrustPilot allows you to see reviews of individual college counselors. For example, on CollegeAdvisor’s TrustPilot, many college admissions consultants are referenced by name. CollegeAdvisor also has an article with reviews and spotlights on different students’ success stories. 

Alternatively, don’t underestimate word-of-mouth reviews! Ask friends, family, and acquaintances whether they worked with a college admissions consultant who they were impressed by. These types of recommendations can be especially helpful if your friend has similar goals to yours, like majoring in a specific subject or wanting to get into a certain school. 

How to read reviews

Even if a company has a lot of good reviews, it’s still good to read them with a critical eye. Again, what’s most important is that your college admissions consultant can make the process less stressful and help you prepare the best possible application.

Ultimately, you need to think about your personal goals: what do you want out of a college counselor? In what areas do you need support? A five-star review doesn’t necessarily mean that the college advisor will be the right one for you. Once you’ve done your research, you’re ready for the next step in your search for a college counselor–a meeting!

Questions To Ask A College Admissions Counselor

Now that you’ve tracked down potential college advisors, you’ll likely want to ask them some questions. An introductory meeting is a great opportunity for you to learn more about a potential college counselor. Once you’ve had a conversation, both of you can then decide if you are a good fit for one another.

Communicating your needs and goals

First, make sure that your college advisor understands your personal needs and goals. This means you must define your goals and be able to communicate them to your college admissions consultant. Every student is different, and you want to make sure that you and your college admissions consultant are on the same page about what you want to gain from this process.

You can also look for a college admissions counselor who has special training in your areas of interest. For example, some college admissions consultants may be experienced in working with first-generation students, athletes, STEM majors, or students interested in international college admissions. College counseling is only useful if it serves your needs. So it’s important to know what those needs are and ask your counselor about them in your first meeting. 

Aligning on strategy

It’s also important to know the college admissions consultant’s strategy. They likely have a certain approach that they have used with students in the past, and it’s good to learn more about what that approach is. They will also have a success rate: how many of their students have gained admission to one of their top choice schools?

Some college admissions counselors will work with students who want to get into Ivies. But that doesn’t mean that they’re better than counselors whose students get into other schools. Whatever your dream school is, that’s the one that your college advisor should be focused on.

Choosing the right College Counselor for You!

Finding the best person for your college counseling experience is paramount. You’ll want to look for a college admissions counselor who you get along with and feel comfortable around. More than that, you want someone experienced who has expertise in the areas that you’re interested in.

You also want to make sure that you and your counselor are aligned in achieving your goals. That requires being on the same page about the expectations of college advising. Talk about what success looks like to you and make sure your counselor feels confident they can help you reach your goals. That way, you can effectively work together to reach them.

In the next section, we’ll cover specific steps to help you select the best college consultant for you. 

Five Steps to Selecting the Best College Consultant

5 steps to selecting the best college consultant.

We’ve looked at various aspects of finding a college counselor so far. Now, we want to leave you with five tips to guide you in selecting your best college consultant. 

1. Determine Your Needs and Goals

Your college admissions counseling will be most successful if you can communicate your goals with your college admissions advisor. Take a look at your academic profile and your GPA, and think about what you want out of a college experience. Do you want college admissions counseling to help you get into an Ivy League school, or do you have your heart set on your flagship state school? Are you seeking out college counseling because you’re nervous about writing essays, or are you confident in essay writing but have no idea where you want to go to school? 

When you start college counseling, it’s okay not to know everything—that’s what the experts are here for! But, as much as you can, take inventory of what you’re looking for out of college admissions counseling.

Additionally, identify the areas where you want the most help. One of the best parts of college admission counseling is that you have someone in your corner who can offer guidance and support on all parts of the college admissions process. Are you overwhelmed by figuring out where you want to go to school, or struggling to navigate the scholarship process? Do you have no idea how to present yourself? Are you worried that you haven’t done the right extracurriculars? 

If this sounds like you, you’re not alone—many students come to college counseling with these anxieties. Once you’ve thought about what you’re looking for out of college admissions counseling and where you might need some guidance, you can start researching who you want to work with.

2. Research and Compile a List of Consultants

The next step to finding the right person to work with on your college counseling journey is to do your research. Go online and look for different reviews and resources to find recommended college admissions counseling companies. 

However, your search shouldn’t just be online—talk to your friends about college admissions counselors or college advisors that they’ve worked with. To find the best college admissions consultants, you want to get as many recommendations as possible. But, keep in mind that the best college admissions consultants for you depend on your goals. If you’re looking for an expert in international college admissions or in working with D1 athletes, you may need to do a little more digging. 

When you’re reading college admissions counseling reviews, see if you can figure out what kind of students the college admissions counselors worked with before. Try to work with someone who has a strong track record with students similar to you. This process will be easier if you go through a large college admissions counseling company since they will have many different counselors available that they can offer you. 

3. Evaluate Their Credentials and Experience

To find the right college admissions counselor, it’s crucial to evaluate their credentials and experience. There are many people who offer college admissions counseling, so college counseling services can vary widely. 

First, check the college admissions advisor’s educational background. They should have at least a bachelor’s degree and some may have other degrees in teaching or relevant fields. Next, look at whether the college admissions advisor has any professional certifications. This may include membership in the Independent Educational Consultants Association or the National Association for College Admission Counseling. 

You should also look at how many years they have been providing college counseling services. The best college admissions consultants don’t need to have been working as a college counselor for ten years, but you’ll probably want someone who has done this before—especially if you’re hiring someone independently. If you go through a company, you can place more confidence in the company’s track record, even if your individual counselor is newer to the profession. 

The best college admissions consultants also won’t be coy about their success stories. Does the counselor you’re looking at have reviews or testimonials? Do they have any case studies on their website that demonstrate effectiveness? Can you speak to anyone who has worked with this counselor before? It’s important to do as much research on the backend so that you know that the college counseling services you’re paying for are right for you. 

4. Schedule Consultations and Ask the Right Questions

Once you’ve found some potential college advisors, schedule consultations. Often, these consultations are free, but even if there’s a small fee it might be worth it. In these consultations, communicate your goals for the college admissions process. 

You want to get a feel for their approach. Anyone can give college admissions advice: you’re looking for a defined strategy for how this counselor plans to approach the college process. You should ask specific questions about their services, especially areas that may be unique to you. 

For example, have they worked in international college admissions? Or have they ever gotten students into music conservatory programs? It’s important to know as much about their background as possible, and how your counselor’s experience aligns with your goals.

Don’t forget to ask questions about their availability. If they work another job in addition to college counseling, they may only be able to meet at night or on weekends. They may also be working with other students. Be sure that your schedules align before moving forward with a counselor. 

5. Consider Compatibility and Communication Style

Finally, as you’re doing your introductory call, reflect on your comfort level with the consultant. Did you two have a good rapport? Did you enjoy talking with them and like the way they framed the college process? The last thing you want to feel is uncomfortable and unsupported, so don’t rush into an agreement with a college counselor if you have any misgivings about how well your personalities mesh. 

It can also be good to take note of their responsiveness: did they send an email right after your meeting summarizing what you talked about? How quick were they to respond initially and to schedule the meeting? You don’t want to have to pester your advisor or track them down—the last thing you want is an advisor who adds more stress to your college process.

Finding A College Counselor – Final Thoughts

The college application process can be incredibly daunting, and many students don’t know where to start. You can read college admissions advice on the internet, go over countless free college essay examples, and ask your friends and family for tips. However, it can be incredibly valuable to use college counseling services and work with someone whose whole job is supporting you through the process. 

Though some people worry about the ethics of using college counseling services, there’s no denying that having a college advisor in your corner can be a huge relief. Whether you’re struggling to navigate international college admissions or trying to figure out how to get into your dream school, college counselors can provide expert college admissions advice, emotional support, and reassurance, and maximize your chances of admission. 

Whether you’re set on working with a college counselor or you’re still on the fence, CollegeAdvisor can help. You can set up an introductory call to learn more about CollegeAdvisor’s expert counselors and exclusive offerings. Sign up now to take the next steps toward your educational journey!

This article was written by Sarah Kaminski and advisor, Rachel Kahn . Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.

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