Your Trusted Partner in College Admissions Counseling
Collegewise is a highly reviewed college admissions consultancy, earning over 600 5-star reviews on Trustpilot. For over 27 years, our team of 130+ expert counselors and tutors, selected from fewer than 1% of applicants, has guided 36,000+ families through a proven, 1-on-1 mentorship process that replaces the stress of college admissions with strategy, structure, and outstanding results.
Your Trusted Partner in College Admissions Counseling
Collegewise is a highly reviewed college admissions consultancy, earning over 600 5-star reviews on Trustpilot. For over 27 years, our team of 130+ expert counselors and tutors, selected from fewer than 1% of applicants, has guided 36,000+ families through a proven, 1-on-1 mentorship process that replaces the stress of college admissions with strategy, structure, and outstanding results.
You don't have to do this alone.
Getting into college has become an anxious rite of passage for too many families. There is so much to keep track of. Requirements change. Trends shift. Everyone in your community has "heard something" that contradicts what you heard last week. Here is what we know: Your teen is only going to do this once. The stakes feel high, and you don't want to make mistakes. You want to be the parent, not the project manager.
As expert college admissions consultants, Collegewise takes that work and worry away. We track every requirement and every trend, so you won't have to. With us in your corner, you can rest easy knowing your student is informed, on track, and on schedule.

Why Families Choose Us
98%
of Our Students Admitted to One of Their Top 5 Colleges
36,000+
Families Guided to Success Since 1999
27+
Years of Proven Experience
$75,500
Average Scholarship & Grant Aid Per Student
Decades of Trust. Top-Reviewed on Trustpilot.
For over 27 years, we've earned trust one family at a time — and it shows: 97% of our Trustpilot reviews are five stars, the highest ratio among leading undergraduate college admissions consultancies. That's not luck. That's nearly three decades of doing the work right.
620+
Five-star reviews on Trustpilot
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We see the person behind the grades.
Transcripts and test scores matter. But they don't tell the whole story. Colleges don't admit spreadsheets. They admit interesting, multifaceted young adults through a holistic admissions process. That's the human you've raised. And that's the person colleges need to see in the application.
We ask the right questions. We listen carefully. We help them tell their story in their own voice. What's confusing and overwhelming for most families is another day at work for us. And we create that same sense of comfort for the families who join our program.
You'll know your teen is being guided by an expert college counselor that you trust who's been here thousands of times before. Because when a student's application authentically reflects who they are? That's when great things happen.
Our Services
Counseling Services
Our comprehensive, 1-on-1 partnership guides your family through the entire admissions journey, from high school course selection to final applications.
Explore OurCounseling Services
Tutoring Services
Our 1-on-1 mentorship helps students master challenging subjects and conquer standardized tests, building the skills and confidence to succeed in high school and beyond.
Explore OurTutoring Services
Essay Support
Our unique, two-expert process pairs your student with an admissions strategist and a dedicated writing mentor, guiding students to craft powerful, authentic personal essays.
Essay Support
Extracurricular
Mentorship
We mentor students to move beyond 'checking boxes' and turn their genuine passions into purposeful, real-world projects that make their application stand out.
Explore OurExtracurricular
Mentorship
While these are our core services, we offer a full suite of specialized programs to meet students wherever they are in their academic journey, including:
















Real Students. Real Outcomes.
We guide students to successful outcomes across the entire spectrum of higher education, from the nation's most selective private universities to top-tier public flagships to excellent liberal arts colleges. Our goal is always the same: help your student gain admission to a college where they will thrive.
Universities and colleges our students have been accepted include:
A Note From Our Founder
Over 27 years, I’ve learned this: When you help a student be authentically themselves, good things happen. Sometimes those good things are at Stanford. Sometimes they're at the state flagship. Sometimes they're at a college you've never heard of. All of them can be great outcomes.
We also want to help as many students as possible access the transformative power of higher education. That's why we provide pro-bono college counseling to 30+ students annually through our scholarship program; why we speak at conferences and high schools; why thousands of families and school counselors attend our free webinars every year.
We even partner with Michelle Obama's Reach Higher to recognize outstanding high school counselors through the Excellence in College Counseling Award.
— Kevin McMullin, Founder & Chief Education Officer
Our Counselors
Collegewise counselors are selected from fewer than 1% of applicants, a team of 130+ former admissions officers, high school teachers, and educators with an average of 10+ years of experience. We hire for one skill above all: the ability to mentor, not just to have achieved.
Being admitted to a top school, or having worked at one selecting students, is a different skill than being a great counselor. The best mentors are the ones who know how to extract the best from each student and help them grow. That's why we make a point of building a team with diverse backgrounds and experiences, people who can draw on each other's knowledge and strengths. Behind every counselor sits the entire Collegewise counselor network, the Hive Mind, sharing insights in real time, so your child benefits not just from one counselor's expertise, but from all of it.

Upcoming Webinars & Events
Every week, Collegewise hosts free webinars led by former admissions officers, industry experts, and executives. With over 1,000 events hosted and 100,000+ parents, students, and educators in attendance, we've helped countless families feel confident about the road to college.

Join us on Wednesday, October 7 at 4:00 PM PT / 7:00 PM ET to learn what parents and students need to know about admissions trends at Texas’s largest universities.
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Join us on Monday, October 12 at 4:00 PM PT / 7:00 PM ET as we walk through successful Common App and UC applications to learn how your teen can craft a compelling story.
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Join us on Tuesday, October 13 at 4:00 PM PT / 7:00 PM ET to learn how artificial intelligence is reshaping college majors and career paths.
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Join us on Monday, October 19 at 4:00 PM PT / 7:00 PM ET to discover how you can best guide your teens through the highly selective college admissions process.
REGISTER NOWFrequently Asked Questions
Families consider Collegewise trusted because the results can be checked. We have guided more than 36,000 families since 1999, and 98% of our students are admitted to one of their top five college choices. On Trustpilot, 97% of our 620+ reviews are five stars, the highest ratio among leading undergraduate admissions consultancies. We are an official ACT partner and a TeenLife partner, and we partner with NVIDIA to offer college counseling to its employees. Our school partners include Glendale Unified School District, Irvine Unified School District, Glenora High School, and Mira Costa High School. We also partnered with Michelle Obama's Reach Higher initiative, which sunset its programming in August 2025. Collegewise is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) (search "Collegewise" in the member directory), exhibits at the NACAC National Conference, and presents at NACAC 2026, including a preconference seminar led by founder Kevin McMullin. Each student works with one dedicated counselor from start to finish, backed by a network of 130+ former admissions officers and specialists.
Holistic admissions means colleges review each applicant as a whole person, not only by grades and test scores. Admissions readers look at the rigor of the courses in the context of the student's school, the depth of their activities, their essays, their recommendations, and what their background adds to the campus community. Each college weighs these factors differently, so the same student can be a strong fit at one school and a weaker fit at another. Read more about how colleges decide
The biggest mistake students make is prioritizing a quantity-focused resume over an authentic, coherent story. Admissions readers tend to favor deep involvement, intellectual curiosity, and clear alignment between a student's passions and achievements rather than generic participation in dozens of unrelated clubs.
The best time to start formal college planning is the summer before or early during 9th grade. Early planning allows students to intentionally build course rigor, cultivate meaningful extracurricular leadership, and establish a balanced testing schedule across all four years, significantly reducing high school stress. Read our guide to college planning for families








