The world’s leading college admissions consultants.
We’ve ranked the top 10 college admissions consultants.
Unbiased research rankings
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INDEPENDENT RANKING OF TOP COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CONSULTANTS
2024
01
New York, NY
What people are saying: #Private, #FormerAdmissionsDeans, #Expensive
Founded by the former Dean of Admissions of both Harvard University and Columbia University, Deans of Admissions is the highest-end of college admissions consulting. Their team is full of former senior admissions leaders; they are the very definition of insider knowledge. There is probably no company on the planet more capable of getting your kid into a top university than this one. They have a proven track record of success in guiding the children of the global elite for over 20 years.
02
New York, NY
What people are saying: #ThoughtLeaders, #Expensive, #FamilyBusiness
Ivy Coach provides college counseling to students seeking admission to Ivy League institutions, as well as other highly selective universities. They work with students across the United States and around the world, providing long-term services or short-term assistance. Ivy Coach offers SAT/ACT tutoring, as well as college counseling as early as middle school. Known for their Unlimited Package that costs over $100,000, Ivy Coach is one of the most prestigious college admissions counseling companies.
03
Miami, FL
What people are saying: #ExcellentOutcomes, #FairPricing, #RepeatCustomers
Prepory works with families and corporate partners on a global scale, delivering world-class college admissions coaching to guide students into their dream schools. Prepory’s core services include undergraduate admissions, transfer admissions, and career development counseling. Founded in 2012, Prepory has made waves through its admissions results, unique approach, and a high volume of referral and returning family customers.
04
New York, NY
What people are saying: #Elite, #Expensive, #Global
For over 20 years, IvyWise has been dedicated to leading students to top institutions. IvyWise’s team has over 250 years of combined experience, working with thousands of students. A substantial majority of IvyWise students are accepted into one or more of their top three choice schools.
05
Concord, MA
What people are saying: #ExamPrepLeaders, #International, #Consistency
Top Tier Admissions is a company devoted to empowering students from around the world in the undergraduate and graduate school admissions process. Top Tier Admissions offers private college counseling as early as eighth grade, 4-day, and 3-day long college application boot camps, SAT and ACT tutoring, and AP exam tutoring in a variety of subjects.
06
New York, NY
What people are saying: #Scholarly, #BehavioralApproach, #Flexible
Command Education’s founder worked as a research assistant for four years at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, where a survey of 44,000 high schoolers found that the words they use most to describe how they feel at school are “tired” (39%),
“stressed” (29%), and “bored” (26%), but want to feel “happy,” “energized,” and “excited.” Command Education works with students to reduce stress and refocus their energy on what they are truly passionate about. Command Education reports that 100% of their students feel empowered and proud to pursue their ambitions.
07
Hoboken, NJ
What people are saying: #International, #SmallBusiness, #Experienced
Preminente college counseling services provides individualized educational consulting to a selected and capped clientele. Members of the consulting team include former top college and graduate school admissions officers, Ivy League graduates, published authors, former Division I and professional athletes, noted artists, and graduates from top law and graduate schools.The Preminente team works with students at top boarding, private, and public schools throughout the U.S., Europe, South America, Central America, and Asia.
08
Santa Monica, CA
What people are saying: #Organized, #Transparent, #Boutique
College Zoom studied “miracle students” and received development funding from the University of Southern California to develop methods for results-oriented college counseling. Through innovative methods, College Zoom gives students with lower grades and ACT/SAT scores a measurable advantage of being admitted into highly selective universities. College Zoom helps students’ uniquely demonstrate a college’s definition of “fit,” to earn admission to their dream schools.
09
New York, NY
What people are saying: #Holistic, #Robust, #Structure
Solomon Admissions Consulting offers valued insight and expertise on the entire college admissions process. With an all-star team of counselors, Solomon Admissions ensures that every aspect of the student’s application aligns with their strategic positioning narrative.
10
Bethesda, MD
What people are saying: #FullService, #TutoringFocus, #RegionalEmphasis
Marks Education offers an exemplary Tutoring Division, counseling services for K-12 students, and undergraduate, graduate, and professional school admissions coaching. With three locations in Bethesda, Maryland, McLean, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., Marks Education is able to provide in-person services to regional students and remote services nationwide. Their focus on highlighting the unique potential of each student builds “thought leaders.”
College Admissions Consultant...Worth it? What to look for When Hiring.
The mission of the Top College Admissions Consultants ranking is to assist parents, students, and educators in analyzing the college admissions counseling programs best suited for their needs. Given the diverse selection of companies providing college counseling services, Top College Admissions Consultants provides a resource to help inform your selection process for a college admissions consultant.
Is it worth hiring a college admissions consultant?
College admissions consultants guide students to stand out amongst the college applicant pool admissions officers are evaluating. With increasing academic standards and college expenses, the college admissions process can feel emotional for most students and families. The application process is very detailed and can be confusing to navigate. A private college counselor guarantees you are following the right steps to sending in completed applications that showcase your strengths and interests in the best light.
What to look for when hiring a college admissions advisor?
College admissions consulting can be the turning point for a lot of students and can mean the difference when aiming to gain admission to dream schools. It is important to consider many factors before hiring a college admissions advisor. Below, Top College Admissions Consultants has listed questions and details to consider when finding the right admissions experts for your student and family.
What are your goals?
College admissions counseling is focused on setting and meeting goals. When choosing a college admissions counseling service, it’s important to set clear goals on what you hope to achieve from working with a college admissions consultant.
Where are you in the college application process? How much do you know about college applications? What are your academic and collegiate goals or do you need
guidance in discovering those? Are you looking for a college consultant who is more of a mentor or someone to edit your application materials or both?
These are all questions that will help you focus on what exactly you hope to accomplish while working with a college admissions consultant. Different consulting services will offer their personalized, unique approaches to the college admissions process. For this reason, Top College Admissions Consultants has provided an extensive review of the top ten programs listing both their strengths and weaknesses to help you determine if certain counseling qualities coincide with your goals.
Have a conversation first
Before making decisions, we encourage students and families to request a preliminary meeting or phone conversation with the college admissions consulting programs they are interested in. This will help you better understand a program and if it is the right fit for the student. The best college admissions consultant is not always who is number one, rather one who will best meet the needs of the particular student.
This is the time to ask all the important questions. What services do you offer? How often do consultants and students meet? What are your different programs/packages, one-on-one and group sessions? Do you offer assistance with financial aid? What is your pricing? What is your team’s background in college admissions? What is your success rate?
Once you know your own goals, it is essential to fully understand the mission and goals of the consulting programs you are interested in to determine if it will be an exciting and successful partnership.
Do they offer the services you need?
All college admissions consulting firms offer different services, packages, workshops, bootcamps, and personalized counseling. Along with college application services, many college counselors help throughout the high school student's experience by focusing on raising test scores through test prep, raising GPA, building on extracurricular activities, developing capstone projects, and expanding on community service. The strength of a student's application also comes from their involvement and standing in high school. If you are looking strictly for college application assistance, most college admissions firms will offer comprehensive packages that tackle the application essays (including supplemental), college list, and interview prep to help you stand out among admissions committees and increase your chances of being admitted into selective colleges.
When seeking guidance on undergraduate admissions or graduate school applications, examine if their services help you meet your goals? Even if your goals are unclear, many college admissions coaching programs provide services to help you discover your goals.
Are they accessible? It’s also important to note the location of the service provider when choosing your college admissions consultant. Many college consulting companies will provide virtual counseling to students, while others provide in-person services. When deciding the right program for you, take into consideration which of these two methods best fit your needs. How much do they cost? When choosing between college admissions coaches, you want to find the company that provides all the services you or your student needs within your budget.
For reference, Top College Admissions Consultants has listed the services that each of the highlighted companies offer. This gives you insight into the different kinds of programs consultants provide to help you determine what you are specifically looking for in a college admissions coach.
Are they the right fit for you?
Most importantly, are they the right fit for you? Regardless of a ranking or level of prestige, the best college coach is the one who meets you where you are and pushes you to grow. With an abundance of college admissions counseling companies, each company has its unique approach and its success stories, but not all of them will make you feel challenged and excited. You want to feel challenged and excited. Top College Admissions Consultants encourages you to consider and review what is most important to you and ultimately choose the college admissions coach that is the right fit for you.
Key Takeaways about Admissions Consultants
Hiring private college admissions counselors helps students build a road map to their dream schools. When looking into hiring a college admissions consultant it’s important to ensure your goals align with the programs and services they offer and that they are the right fit for you. Ultimately, a top consultant will not only offer college admissions help, but also instill life-long professional skills. Depending on the consulting service you seek, you can also find guidance in getting the most out of your high school experience. Top College Admissions Consultants has listed the leading consultants to help you begin your journey on finding the right advisor to guide you to your dream school.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do college admissions consultants do?
College admissions consultants help their students achieve their goals in the following ways:
- Developing an extracurricular and academic plan for high school.
- Finding the best college fit for the student.
- Assisting the student in getting admitted into top institutions.
- Placing the student on the right path towards success in their future endeavors.
- Securing financial aid.
How can parents tell the difference between great and sub-par college admission coaching services?
Great college admissions coaches spend time thoroughly educating students on the application process, building their confidence, and preparing them for future success in their collegiate and post-collegiate careers. By enhancing their student’s decision making skills, creating strategic plans for the admissions process, and consulting the student every step of the way, great college admissions consultants help their students achieve results.
It’s important to ensure college admissions consulting organizations are acting ethically. They follow local, state, and federal laws regarding the treatment of students and client confidentiality. The application is of the student’s own merit and work.No organization can guarantee you college admissions.
All of the companies listed in Top College Admissions Consultants’ rankings provide high quality admissions counseling services.
How much do college admissions consulting services cost?
According to IECA data, the average hourly rate for a college admissions consultant in 2017 was $200. 15% of consultants charge less, while a quarter of them charge more. Comprehensive packages range from as low as $850 to as high as $10,000. These statistics are on average and do not represent all consulting organizations’ fees. Pricing in the industry can vary greatly depending on the service provider and only a few organizations are transparent about their pricing. Please contact the firms listed above directly to learn more about their fees.
Is Top College Admissions Consultants a college admissions consultant or do you only provide rankings?
Top College Admissions Consultants does not provide college admissions counseling services.
I only need help with the application process - are there providers that act as a college application consultant?
While services offered vary among the top college admissions consultant firms listed, several do provide college application support specifically. Please contact the firms listed directly to further understand the extent of their services.
When is the right time to begin college coaching services?
- We encourage students to begin working with college coaching services as early as possible. Most programs will support you regardless of where you are in the college admissions process.
- To optimize opportunities and growth, we recommend you start working with a college consultant by 9th grade to begin creating a college action plan at the beginning of the student’s high school career.
Why pay for a college admissions counseling service?
School counselors are often working with hundreds of students focusing most of their time on high school academics. A college consultant is focused on college admissions and works with a much smaller population of students, thus can provide hyper-tailored support.This provides the student with one-on-one attention and guidance throughout the college admissions process. This includes college lists, college applications, college essays, college financing, and more. Working with a college admissions consultant helps students build a strong profile and application.
Do college admissions consulting companies provide tutoring services?
Not all college admissions consulting companies provide academic tutoring. Some consultants provide writing intensives and test preparations as part of their college admissions counseling. While others provide tutoring as a separate service from their college prep consultation. Please reach out to the firms listed to further understand the extent of their services.
Is there a disadvantage in virtual counseling versus in person coaching for the college admissions process?
Most companies provide virtual counseling and students achieve the same results through remote or in-person coaching. With so many updated tools, the quality of your college admissions coaching experience is not hindered by a virtual experience. It allows you and your family to access the best consultants regardless of your geographic location.
Are college admissions consultants only for academically high-achieving students who want guidance to a top collegiate institution?
College admissions consultants help students actualize their potential in personal and academic goals. Although some admissions consulting firms are selective about the students they work with, most programs guide students to their best choice schools regardless of a university’s standing. With the mentorship of a college admissions coach, students will experience a growing number of collegiate opportunities that are unique to their individual strengths and potential.
I cannot afford a college admissions coach? How can I still have access to these resources?
Some college admissions consulting companies offer scholarships to lower income, first generation students. Some of the organizations listed in Top College Admissions Consultants provide pro-bono services. Please reach out to each firm to learn more about pro-bono services for low income students or scholarship opportunities they might have.
Does a college admissions coach guarantee college entrance?
Although most college admissions consultants have incredible success rates, these service providers cannot guarantee college entrance. If a college admissions consultant guarantees success, they are likely not acting ethically. College admissions counselors optimize a student’s potential of gaining admission to universities.