The world’s leading college admissions consultants.
We’ve ranked the top 10 college admissions consultants.
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INDEPENDENT RANKING OF TOP COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CONSULTANTS
2025
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
San Francisco, CA
What people are saying: #DataDrivenAdmissions, #CustomizedSupport, #Comprehensive Guidance
Since its founding, Empowerly has been helping students get into their top schools through their data-driven approach and mission to empower students. With a large team of expert college admissions counselors, Empowerly offers insightful knowledge into college admissions. Unlike many traditional counseling services, Empowerly’s comprehensive offerings and technology help students stand out in an increasingly competitive landscape.
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
Oak Brook, IL
What people are saying: #PersonalizedCare, #TeamExpertise, #CollaborativeService
Delivering big results with a personal touch, HelloCollege provides comprehensive services in college admissions and academic support. Since their founding, they have guided over 4,000 students. With an emphasis on personalized care, HelloCollege not only focuses on their students getting into their dream schools, but also their long-term success. This college admissions consulting company is great for students and families looking for personal, customizable guidance.
07
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.
08
Houston, TX
What people are saying: #Experienced, #IndividualizedGuidance, #Specialized
Ivy Scholars is a full-service, end-to-end strategy and execution college admissions advisory firm. They provide 1:1 coaching to students and parents on candidacy building and college applications. Ivy Scholars doesn’t place a limit on its students’ counseling. This strategy has proven successful with their students seeing amazing results when applying to top tier universities.
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.