CollegeAdvisor.com

College admissions advising backed by U.S. News & World Report

CollegeAdvisor.com is a college admissions advising service for U.S. universities founded in 2019 and acquired by U.S. News & World Report. The company presents itself as the only admissions service with direct access to U.S. News data, journalism, and recommendations, and its free web portal runs on that publication's information about U.S. colleges, including tuition, acceptance rates, standout programs, and enrollment figures.

Programs by grade level and type of support

The firm organizes its offerings into programs differentiated by school stage and goal: a program for 9th and 10th grade, another for 11th grade, and another for 12th grade, plus essay editing packages, an MBA program, and the Scholars Program. Its working method combines personalized advisor assignments with one-on-one video call sessions, in which students work on building their extracurricular profile, developing their college list, and writing essays. Students can also turn to an essay review team, an interview prep team, and a full application dry run for a comprehensive review.

Advisor network and team profile

The team is made up of more than 300 admissions experts and former admissions officers from elite universities such as Stanford, Georgetown, Princeton, Columbia, Rice, and USC. Among the profiles the company highlights are Amber Bisnauth (Stanford), Dr. Aya Waller-Bey (Georgetown), Brandon Mack (Rice), Manuel Castaño (Princeton), and Frank Ranieri (Columbia). The firm notes that each advisor is selected for their expertise, empathy, and commitment to families.

Reported results

According to data published by the company itself, its students are, on average, more than four times more likely to be admitted to top-tier universities such as Stanford, UPenn, and Vanderbilt. The site breaks down increases by institution: 3.2x at Columbia, 2.7x at Dartmouth, 2.9x at UPenn, 2.8x at Cornell, 2.5x at Stanford, 2.6x at Duke, 4.1x at Johns Hopkins, and 4.0x at UCLA. These figures correspond to students who met core academic criteria during the last four admissions cycles (3.9+ unweighted GPA and 1500+ SAT or 34+ ACT). The company has accumulated more than 6,400 admissions to Top 50 universities, more than 400 to the Ivy League, and more than 1,700 to the Top 25, plus more than $100 million in scholarships and financial aid awarded.

International reach and access

CollegeAdvisor.com works with students throughout the United States and with international students from more than 70 countries seeking admission to U.S. universities. Since its founding, it has served more than 10,000 students. The company states that its packages are priced lower than those of its competitors, with the goal of making private advising more accessible.

Free resources and scholarship program

The firm offers hundreds of free resources, including webinars, essay guides, sample college essays, and admissions tools. Its portal allows users to track applications, build college lists, and explore more than 1,000 extracurricular opportunities. The CollegeAdvisor Scholars Program provides free comprehensive college advising each year to high-achieving students with demonstrated financial need.

Corporate structure and editorial activity

The company operates under the legal name USN College Advisor, Inc. and is part of the U.S. News group, which acquired it and later added TeenLife. CollegeAdvisor.com states that it is an equal opportunity employer, without discrimination based on race, religion, color, sex, national origin, citizenship, uniform service member status, age, disability, sexual and gender orientation, genetic information, or any other protected status under applicable federal, state, and local laws.