How Much Does a College Admissions Consultant Cost?

Pricing in this industry is unusually opaque. Most firms will not name a number until you have spent thirty minutes on a call with a salesperson. That is not an accident, and it is not necessarily malice, but it does put you at a disadvantage. This guide collects what is actually published, explains the models behind the numbers, and gives you a way to compare quotes that arrive in different shapes.

What firms actually publish

We checked the public websites of the major national firms on 27 August 2026. Five publish real numbers. The rest do not. Here is what was on the record.

That last row deserves to be stated plainly rather than buried. InGenius Prep publishes this site, and it does not publish its prices. You will learn what a package costs by asking on a call, the same as with most of its competitors. You are entitled to weigh that against firms that put numbers on a page.

Why the silence

There are three real reasons and one bad one.

• Packages are genuinely variable. A rising senior applying to eighteen schools with three supplemental essays each is a different amount of work than a sophomore on a two-year plan. Firms that price by scope cannot post one number honestly.
• Counselor seniority changes the cost. A firm that assigns a Former Admissions Officer from a highly selective university pays that person more than it pays a recent graduate. The price follows.
• Regional variation. Independent counselors in the Bay Area and the Northeast charge more than the same experience level charges in most of the country.
• And the bad reason: a published price invites comparison, and a call lets a salesperson establish value before naming a figure. Firms know this.

The four pricing models

Almost every quote you receive will be one of these. Identify which you are looking at before you compare anything.

Hourly

Common among independent counselors and some smaller firms. Marks Education publishes $525 per hour. Rates across the industry commonly run from about $200 to well above $600. Hourly is honest and flexible, and it makes budgeting hard, because nobody knows in September how many hours November will take.

Package by grade or by year

You buy a defined scope for one academic year. Marks Education's grade-level packages and Admissionado's grade 9-11 mentorship both work this way. Easy to compare across firms, provided you read what is included.

Package by application count

PrepScholar's $9,495 to $15,995 structure and Admissionado's one-school versus ten-school tiers are the clearest examples. This model punishes indecision: adding schools in December costs money.

Multi-year comprehensive

The highest tier at most firms. Two to four years of counseling, usually including course selection, activity planning, testing strategy, and the full application. This is where five-figure numbers become normal and where the range across firms is widest.

What actually moves the number

• Years of runway. Starting in ninth grade costs more in total than starting in twelfth, and usually less per year.
• Who is assigned to your student. Ask for the specific person, not the category. A firm may quote one price for a Former Admissions Officer and another for a Graduate Coach, or bundle both in a 2-on-1 structure.
• Number of applications. Fifteen schools is roughly twice the essay work of eight.
• Contact hours and response time. A package with unlimited email turnaround inside 24 hours costs more than one with six scheduled calls.
• Add-ons. Interview preparation, research or publication support, athletic recruiting, and financial aid strategy are frequently priced separately.

Turning a vague quote into a comparable one

When a firm will not publish, you have to extract the number yourself. Ask these, in this order, and write down the answers.

1. What is the total cost, in dollars, for the scope we just described?
2. How many counselor hours does that include, and what happens when we exceed them?
3. Which items are outside the package and priced separately?
4. Is the price locked for the full contract term, or does it reset each year?
5. What is the payment schedule, and what is the refund policy if we stop in month three?
6. Who specifically will work with my student, and does the price change if that person changes?

One last comparison

Before you sign anything, price the alternative honestly. A capable public school counselor, a well-organized parent, and a student willing to start essays in June cost nothing. Consulting is worth paying for when it buys expertise you do not have, time you cannot spare, or a second adult in the room who is not the student's parent. Decide which of those you are buying, then find the lowest price that delivers it.