Pricing
What does college consulting cost?
How consultants price their work, what our fixed annual rates include, and how to tell whether you need a consultant at all.
Hourly vs. package pricing
Most college consultants price their work one of two ways. Neither is right for everyone.
Hourly
You pay for each session as you book it.
You pay only for the time you use.
A good fit for one defined task, like a final read of a nearly finished application.
The total is hard to predict until the season is over.
Work between sessions, like revisions and research, may be billed on top, or may not happen at all.
Package (fixed rate)
You pay one price for a set number of hours and a defined scope of work.
You know the full cost up front, with no hourly meter running.
Work between sessions, like essay revisions and college-list research, is part of the price.
One counselor can stay with you through the whole season.
You commit to a scope at the start of the year.
If you only need one thing, a package can be more than you need.
We use both: fixed annual packages for ongoing counseling, and an hourly Application Review for families who only need expert eyes before they submit.
What we charge, with the math shown
Every package is one fixed price for the year, billed once. No hourly meter, no surprise overages.
Grades 7–8
Get A Headstart
$1,550 ÷ 8 live hours ≈ $194 per hour
8 hrs of live 1:1 sessions
≈4 hrs of work between sessions
Grades 9–10 and 11–12
Frontier
$1,950 ÷ 10 live hours ≈ $195 per hour
10 hrs of live 1:1 sessions
≈4 hrs of work between sessions
Stellar
$3,950 ÷ 20 live hours ≈ $198 per hour
20 hrs of live 1:1 sessions
≈13 hrs of work between sessions
Champion
$6,900 ÷ 35 live hours ≈ $197 per hour
35 hrs of live 1:1 sessions
≈30 hrs of work between sessions
Application Review: hourly
For students who only need expert eyes on a nearly finished application. You schedule exactly the number of sessions you need, 100% online. How application review works
What you're paying for
What a package includes, and which packages include it.
Live 1:1 sessions
Virtual one-on-one meetings with a dedicated counselor who knows your story — not a rotating team.
Every packageWork between sessions
Essay revisions, college-list research, and scholarship digging you never see on an invoice.
Every packageFinancial aid strategy
Built into every engagement, not offered as an add-on.
Every packageA fit guarantee
If you decide within your first two sessions that we are not the right match, we refund your package in full.
Every packagePriority email access
Questions answered between meetings. Response times depend on the package.
Grades 9–12 packagesSAT/ACT testing strategy
A testing plan and timeline: which test, when, and how it fits around the rest of the year.
Grades 9–12 packagesEssay review and coaching
Feedback on your essays, with dedicated revision sessions in the larger packages.
Grades 11–12 packagesInterview preparation
Preparation and mock interviews, so your student walks in ready.
Grades 11–12 packagesCollege list and roadmap
A personalized college list and an application plan built around it.
Stellar and Champion packagesFamily guidance sessions
Time with parents to plan the move into high school together.
Grades 7–8 packageWhen you may not need a consultant
Plenty of students apply well without one. You may not need us if:
Your school counselor has the time to know your student well and to help with the college list and essays.
Your student is applying mainly to colleges that admit on published GPA and test criteria, where there are few judgment calls to make.
Your student plans well on their own, has a balanced list, and has an honest reader for their essays.
The fee would come out of money your family will need for college itself. Free help is real: your school counselor, each college’s admissions and financial aid offices, and our free guides. Browse the free college prep guides
You only need one thing, such as a final read before you submit. An hourly review is a much smaller commitment than a year-long package. See how hourly application review works
Questions about cost
Do we pay monthly?
No. Each package is one fixed price for the year, billed once, not monthly.
Are there extra fees or overages?
No overages. Packages are fixed annual rates, not open-ended hourly billing, so you know the full cost up front. The grades 7–8 package lists one optional add-on, Magnet School Application Support.
Is a bigger package a volume discount?
No. Every package works out to about $194–$198 per live hour, so a larger package is not a volume discount — it simply includes more work between sessions, like essay revisions, college list research, and scholarship support.
Is financial aid help extra?
No. Financial aid strategy is built into every engagement, not offered as an add-on.
Can we get hourly help instead of a package?
For application review, yes. It is billed hourly, and you schedule exactly the number of sessions you need.
Is college consulting worth the cost?
It depends on what your family needs. It’s worth it when your student will use what a package includes — strategy, revisions, list research, aid planning — and no one else has the time to give them that attention. It is not a way to buy an admissions decision: no consultant can ethically guarantee an outcome.
Do you offer a refund or money-back guarantee?
Yes, with one honest limit: we will never tie a refund to an admissions decision, because no consultant can ethically guarantee an outcome. What we do guarantee is fit. If you decide within your first two sessions that we are not the right match, we refund your package in full, no questions asked. After that, you can cancel at any time and receive a refund for your unused hours, with hours already used billed at our standard single-session rate.
Not sure what you need?
Schedule a free consultation and we’ll tell you honestly whether we’re the right fit for your family.
Schedule a free consultation