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14 Best College Essay Services for 2024 (40 Services Reviewed)

Not sure which college application essay coaching and editing service is the best? We compared the top 40 services, created in-depth reviews for 14 of them, and narrowed it down to the 4 best that will help guide you through the process of writing amazing college application essays.

What is the Best College Essay Service?

• PrepMaven  – best college application essay service overall
• College Essay Mentor  – best for individual consultants
• The College Essay Guy  – best for unlimited essay assistance
• College Vine  – best of the big platforms

The best of the rest:

Individual essay consultants:

• College Essay Editor  – small editing team
• Allison Karpf  – former English teacher helping students
• Your College Vision  – former journalist with more affordable rates
• The College Guru  – good on paper but unresponsive
• Sofia Zapiola – budget-friendly application assistance

Mid-size teams:

• Lotus Learning  – focus on health sciences

Large platforms:

• Study Point  – larger platform with mystery editors
• Ivy Select  – larger platform with mystery editors
• Empowerly  – larger platform with mystery editors
• BeMo  – expensive and aggressive with wrong expertise

Schedule a college essay consultation

Best College Application Essay Services in 2024

#1 – prepmaven.

Our Verdict — Best College Essay Assistance Overall Price: $79–349/hour (minimum $510 package) PrepMaven’s one-on-one college essay assistance is the best option overall. Founded by brothers and Princeton grads Greg and Kevin, almost all of PrepMaven’s essay coaches have Ivy-League experience, primarily from Princeton and Harvard. All essay coaches also undergo a thorough training program in PrepMaven’s methods, developed by professional writers with deep understanding of the college admissions process, for helping students to discover the most compelling stories for their essays. Unlike other services, PrepMaven offers college essay assistance at several different price points. At the most accessible rate, students can work with current Ivy-League undergraduates who specialize in writing and have recently aced the college application process. At higher rates, students can work with coaches who are both Ivy-League grads and professional writers (screenwriters, journalists, editors) with many years of experience helping students to craft compelling essays. Interested students can even work directly with founders Greg and Kevin, who have over 15 years of experience helping students through the entire essay-writing process. PrepMaven’s services combine many of the best features of other good options into one, and it’s hard to beat their experience.

Sign up for PrepMaven’s college essay help now

Any student wanting college essay help, at any point in the process, with a range of budgets.

At a glance:

• Cost: $85–349/hour (minimum $510 package)
• Writing coach qualifications: Princeton graduates and professional writers (or current Princeton students); all trained

What we like:

• Ivy League experience —most of their writing coaches are Princeton grads or current students, with some from Harvard and other Ivies
• Different pricing options to meet different families’ circumstances
• More flexible and greater capacity to take on new students compared to individual consultants

Sign up for PrepMaven’s college essay help

#2 – College Essay Mentor

Our Verdict — Best of the Individual Consultants Price: unknown but high Some college essay consulting services consist of just one expert. Of these individual essay consultants, Chris Hunt at College Essay Mentor is our favorite. He combines writing experience as a journalist for the Economist and the Wall Street Journal with personal experience as a graduate of Dartmouth. However, he only works with a small number of students each year, and students need to apply to work with him — he only accepts students with top grades and test scores who are already strong applicants for top schools. Chris offers the option for one-time written feedback, but this only gives big-picture generalizations. (And written-only feedback is always limited.) In order for help with the essay process, students need to purchase a complete essay package.

Students with top grades and test scores who want to work with a one-person business, who have a sizable budget, and who are ready to get started early.

• Cost: $210 for a one-time written essay feedback (big picture only), then $110 per draft feedback; pricing for essay process packages unknown
• Essay coach qualifications: professional journalist, Dartmouth grad
• Professional writing experience as a journalist
• Extensive experience working with college applicants
• Partners with Debra Felix, former Director of Admissions at Columbia, for full application review

What we don’t like:

• One-on-one work is limited to very high-achieving students, who need to apply with a resume : “I limit my one-on-one work to students who I believe will be strong applicants to elite universities. As a rule, this means having high grades in challenging classes, a test score of ACT 34+ or SAT 1500+, and substantial activities outside of the classroom.”
• Works with a limited number of students (60 per year), so often no availability
• All-or-nothing packages don’t allow students to work with Chris for just a few hours or for part of the essay-writing process
• Secretive about pricing (he’ll only give pricing details once he’s reviewed the student’s resume and agreed to work with them), but we expect the minimum cost of working one-on-one to be several thousand dollars

#3 – The College Essay Guy

Our Verdict — Best for Unlimited Essay Assistance Price: $7400 for application for 10 schools We’re fans of Ethan Sawyer, the original “college essay guy”— his book, College Essay Essentials , is a great guide to the essay-writing process. Ethan doesn’t work directly with many students these days, but he now has a team of consultants who help students follow his principles. Their assistance is really all-or-nothing — they prefer to work with students from the very beginning of the process, and their minimum package is $4900, which includes assistance with essays for three schools. If students are applying to ten schools (a more realistic number for students aiming at competitive colleges), the fee is a hefty $7400.

Students who want unlimited help through the entire process, who have a sizable budget.

• Cost: $4900 (supplemental essays for 3 schools) – $7400 (supplemental essays for 10 schools)
• Essay coach qualifications: mix of Ivy grads and former teachers, some writers/screenwriters; all trained
• Great free resources about the essay-writing process
• Their Matchlighters Scholars Program gives back to the community by providing admissions consulting for select qualifying students
• All-or-nothing packages have a high minimum fee and don’t work for students who want just a few hours of feedback or help with just part of the process

#4 – College Vine

Our Verdict — Best of the Big Platforms Price: $170–190/hour There are plenty of large platforms with large stables of part-time tutors and coaches available to work with students. Of these big platforms, we think CollegeVine has the best offerings. Compared to other large companies, CollegeVine provides more information about their tutors, and students can pick individual tutors to work with from their roster. However, this model is really just a way of finding individual tutors to hire. Tutors don’t receive any training and don’t share a common approach, so it’s a mixed bag. Their rates are fairly high for part-time tutors who don’t have specific expertise and training in college essay consulting. We also recommend working with college essay consultants with a clear code of ethics stating that they will not make edits directly on the essay documents for the students. It’s unclear to what degree the editors with CollegeVine follow these principles.

Students who want to work with a big company.

• Cost: $170–190/hour
• Essay coach qualifications: no specific qualifications, but a few are Ivy League graduates
• Possible to select individual editors to work with from their roster
• No training or common approach for tutors
• Editors are part-time , with no option to work with full-time college admissions experts
• Relatively expensive for this level of expertise

College Essay Editing Alternatives (that Didn’t Make the Cut)

Individual essay consultants, #5 – college essay editor.

Our Verdict — Small Editing Team Price: Roughly $5,950 for application to 10 schools College Essay Editor comprises two graduates of Stanford. This means that they have personal experience applying to highly competitive schools. One member of the team also has a college counseling certification, which is a good background for college essays. Based on their website, they appear to focus on the editing and proofreading phase of the essay-writing process. This can be helpful to students, but we recommend working with a service who can help students to uncover their values and brainstorm really great material that allows them to really shine—and if this doesn’t happen at the beginning of the process, it’s much harder to add in later on.

• Cost: $195/1000 words for proofreading, $495/1000 words for 3 rounds of editing and proofreading, or $595/1000 words for unlimited rounds of editing and proofreading; for the purposes of comparison, complete applications to 10 competitive colleges would be around 9,650 words, or $5950.
• Writing coach qualifications: Stanford graduates, one of which has college counseling certification
• Editors are graduates of Stanford University , and one is a member of NACAC, the national association of college counselors
• They focus on editing and proofreading only , not on the crucial earlier steps of brainstorming and strategy
• Small team with very limited availability

#6 – Allison Karpf

Our Verdict — Former English Teacher Helping Students Price: $300/hour or $3000 package for application to one school Another option for students looking to hire an individual consultant is Allison Karpf. Allison is a former high school English teacher and a graduate of UC Berkeley who also holds a Masters of Education from Stanford. Her rates are definitely on the higher side, especially for someone who doesn’t have a professional writing background, but she does have extensive experience working with students to craft their essays.

• Cost:  $300/hour or $3000 unlimited counseling (includes supplemental essays for one college)
• Essay coach qualifications: former high school English teacher; Berkeley grad, Stanford MEd
• Lots of experience helping students improve their college essays
• Very quick to respond to client requests
• No professional writing experience or Ivy-Plus undergraduate experience
• High rates relative to other options
• Limited availability , since she works alone

#7 – Your College Vision

Our Verdict: Former Journalist with More Affordable Rates Price: $150/hour (minimum 10 hours), or $3800 package for application to seven schools Laurie Lande is another individual consultant who helps students through the essay-writing process. She comes recommended by other consultants like Chris from College Essay Mentor . Laurie did not herself attend a highly competitive school, so she doesn’t have that personal experience of going through the selective admissions process, but she does have a professional writing background as a journalist for the Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong.

• Cost: $150/hour (for 10 hours), or $3800 package for application to seven schools
• Essay coach qualifications: journalism background
• Affordable pricing , relative to other options
• Professional writing background as a journalist for the Wall Street Journal
• Not a graduate of a highly selective school

#8 – The College Guru

Our Verdict — Good on Paper but Unresponsive Price: unknown Yet another individual essay consultant is Geanine Thompson from The College Guru. Geanine attended Dartmouth as an undergraduate and also holds an MBA from Duke. She also has a professional writing background as an assistant book editor at Berkley Publishing Group. Like Greg and Kevin at PrepMaven , she combines experience in the business world and at Wall Street firms with experience in education.

• Cost: unknown
• Essay coach qualifications: former assistant book editor; Dartmouth grad, Duke MBA
• Dartmouth graduate and former book editor
• Not responsive to emails and client requests

#9 – Sofia Zapiola

Our Verdict — A budget-friendly, personal essay editor. Price: From $65/hour Yet another individual essay consultant is Sofia Zapiola, who offers a mix of essay editing and college application counseling services.

• Cost: From $65/hour
• Essay coach qualifications: M.A. from Harvard; certificate in College Counseling from UC San Diego.
• Individual approach, budget-friendly rates, commitment to working within families’ budgets.
• Very few testimonials, so it’s difficult to evaluate how effective she is.

Mid-size Teams

#10 – lotus learning.

Our Verdict — Focus on Health Sciences Price: $165/hour Founded by a Harvard grad who is a former teacher and veteran of the publishing industry, Lotus learning offers college essay help in the Boston area. They have a small team of tutors, mostly recent grads from good but not Ivy-Plus colleges, and mostly with focus in health sciences.

• Cost: $165/hour (minimum 8 hours)
• Essay coach qualifications: tutors are recent grads, but not Ivy-Plus schools
• Reasonable pricing with flexible packages
• Essay editors aren’t graduates of Ivy-Plus schools and don’t have professional writing experience

Large platforms

#11 – study point.

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: unknown Study Point is a larger essay editing service. They claim to have several decades of experience helping students to craft their college essays, but they do not give information about who their essay coaches are and what qualifications they might have.

• Essay coach qualifications: unknown
• Larger company with several decades of experience
• Unclear who the essay coaches are
• Secretive about pricing

#12 – Ivy Select

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: unknown Ivy Select is another larger essay editing service. They do not give information about who their essay coaches are and what qualifications they might have.

• Long list of impressive (but anonymous) testimonials
• Only work with “top students”
• No information on their website about who the editors are
• No professional writing experience

#13 – Empowerly

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: unknown Empowerly has over 60 college counselors who each work with an average of 5 students per year, in order to have more time to devote to each student. Their counselors come from “different educational backgrounds,” and while they do not provide specific biographical details we can assume that most of their essay coaches did not attend highly selective schools.

• Cost: $3550 minimum package
• Essay coach qualifications: college counselors
• Counselors work with just a few students per year
• You have to upgrade to “Empowerly Elite” to guarantee a counselor with a more selective educational background

#14 – BeMo

Our Verdict — Expensive and Aggressive with Wrong Expertise Price: $2997–12797 BeMo is a large admissions company based in Toronto, Canada. They focus primarily on admissions to medical schools and science graduate programs in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia. Their rates are expensive, and they justify these by pointing out potential high earnings decades later as a doctor. Past customers have commented that their “school selection consultation” doesn’t provide any information specific to the individual student or schools. They do provide a training process for their essay consultants, but their essay consultants do not have training as college counselors, do not have experience as professional writers, and did not attend Ivy-Plus schools . They have been known to be very aggressive with their marketing emails, and have included some strange language in their sales pitches that seems inappropriate for high school students.

• Cost: €2997/silver (one hour consultation and then unlimited written essay review for one application, no supplemental essays), €4797/gold (one hour consultation and then unlimited written essay review, incl. supplemental essays for up to 10 schools; waitlist letter, scholarship applications), €8797/platinum (unlimited consults), €12797/titanium (unlimited consults)
• They have more of an international scope
• High prices
• Not focused on undergrad admissions

Top 40 College Essay Services Considered

• College Essay Editor
• The College Essay Guy
• College Vine
• College Essay Mentor
• Study Point
• Allison Karpf
• The College Guru
• Lotus Learning
• Summit Prep
• Sofia Zapiola
• Ivy Global / New Summits
• College Essay Solutions
• Your College Vision
• Essay Edge*
• ServicEscape*
• PapersForge*
• QuickWriter*
• JustEditMyEssay*
• JustDoMyEsssay*
• ExpertWriting*
• SpeedyPaper*
• GradeMiners*

* A number of services will edit essays directly for students, or even write portions of the essay for students. We do not condone this. Admissions officers can tell when essays have been written or edited by adults and this can have severe consequences. We have excluded these services from our reviews.

Why are college application essays important?

Can a great college essay alone get you into Harvard?

No. You’ll need your grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities (as well as letters of recommendation and interview) to be outstanding.

But can a mediocre essay be the reason you didn’t get into Harvard?

Yes. There are thousands of amazingly-qualified students who graduate from high school each year. Great grades and test scores might be a prerequisite for admission to a competitive college, but they alone aren’t enough.

College essays are a key component of a student’s application . When done well, they transform a collection of numbers—GPA, class rank, SAT or ACT scores , number of AP classes taken, AP scores—into a glimpse of a real, individual person.

Essays do many things. Good college essays can highlight extracurricular achievements which otherwise would be overlooked in a sterile list. Strong essays often indicate the student’s future plans —how they plan to leave a mark on their college campus and on the world. They can shine a light on unique challenges that a student may have had to face on their journey.

College admissions officers only have a few minutes to spend on each application. College essays need to be original, interesting, and memorable . They need to grab the attention of the admissions officer and persuade them that this is the student out of hundreds or thousands of other similarly-qualified applicants who should be admitted.

College admissions essays are usually unlike any other kind of writing that students have done before. They’re a combination of memoir and marketing pitch, and they need to be creative but also highly strategic. That’s a tough assignment!

What’s more, students are left to figure this assignment out on their own. A thoughtful and generous high school English teacher may provide guidance or offer to read essays and give feedback, but these teachers are responsible for many students, and they’re (usually) not experts in admissions strategies.

Why work with a college essay service?

You may want to consider a college essay service if:

• You have no idea where to start in order to write your college application essays
• You feel overwhelmed by all of the different ideas you have and don’t know what would be the most strategic for college admissions—and what topics to definitely avoid for college essays
• You don’t know how to craft a compelling story
• You’re not sure how to edit and refine what you’ve written
• You have a hard time keeping yourself on track and want an external structure to hold you accountable
• You’re tired of conflict between students and parents about college essays
• You’re aiming at a competitive college (not just the Ivy League!) and know that you need your essays to be outstanding
• Your grades, test scores, and extracurriculars aren’t exceptional, so you need your essay to make your essay stand out from the pack
• You’re unfamiliar with the US college admissions process (a common situation for international students and first-generation families in the US)

Any of these are strong reasons to consider working with a college essay service!

It’s important to note that a good college essay service will not write your college application essays for you . This is unethical and illegal. 

A good college essay service will guide you through each step of the process , teaching you how to self-reflect and write well while sharing insider insight about admissions strategy .

What makes a good college essay service?

We strongly believe that students need to write their own college essays , and we do not condone plagiarism or “buying” a college essay.

However, writing college application essays requires a completely new set of skills that is rarely taught in high school!

Writing a personal essay is much more creative than simply writing a good paper for English class. It requires a compelling narrative and a great deal of writing craft . A good essay service will teach how to do this kind of writing.

There are many college essay services that will provide only written feedback to students, usually in the form of comments added to an essay draft. (Remember, it’s important that students write their own essays, so avoid any college essay service that will make edits directly to an essay document .)

Written comments can be an effective component of good essay coaching. However, writing college essays is a deeply personal process , and it’s incredibly difficult to guide a student through the process of self-reflection, brainstorming, and planning purely through written comments.

In addition, a great college essay coach will teach students how to do this entire process of brainstorming, planning, outlining, writing, and revising . It’s difficult to learn why an essay coach is advising certain changes through written comments alone.

For these reasons, look for a college essay service with live, one-on-one services , not just written feedback. These days, it’s easy to work with the best college essay consultants in the country over Zoom!

Students need to reflect on their goals, their passions, and what drives them to be the person they are. This requires a great deal of self-awareness and self-analysis . An experienced college essay coach can help draw these ideas out of students through tested introspection techniques and brainstorming exercises .

On top of all of that, students need to be cognizant of which traits and accomplishments will be most appealing to colleges , and which stories will be cliche and boring. Personal statements and supplementary essays need to fit together to tell a cohesive story, and they need to work together with the rest of the student’s application (extracurriculars, grades, and other accomplishments).

In other words, there’s a great deal of strategy here! An experienced college essay service can help students decide how to present themselves in the best possible light .

Furthermore, most students don’t know how to edit effectively . A really top-notch college essay service will also teach students how to edit their own writing —how to reorder sections for better flow, cut unnecessary words to meet a word count, eliminate passive verbs, and make their writing vivid and exciting. Our students are routinely amazed by how transformative this step can be, and how much they learn by doing it together with the essay coach.

Finally, the best college essay services can also help students to make a writing plan and keep them on track , so that parents don’t have to be involved directly.

Ready to work on your college essays? Schedule a free 15- to 30-minute consultation with Jessica or one of our founders.

Best overall: PrepMaven’s

Best for individual consultants: College Essay Mentor

Best for unlimited essay assistance: The College Essay Guy

Best of the big platforms: College Vine

Ready to work on college essays with one of our experienced writing coaches? Schedule a free test prep consultation with Jessica (Director of Tutoring) or one of our founders to see what would be the best fit for your family.

It’s always best to start early and not wait until the last minute to write your college essays! Remember that essays can be used to earn scholarships as well as college admission, so a few months of writing now can pay off with up to $300,000 in tuition saved later. 

We work with students at all stages of the writing process, from I-have-no-idea-what-to-write to final edits. To start working with an Ivy-League writing coach today, set up a quick free consultation with our team.

Schedule a free college essay consultation

Related College Essay Posts

• 14 Best College Essay Services for 2023 (40 Services Reviewed)
• How to Get into Harvard 2023-2024
• Hot to Get into Princeton 2023-2024
• How to Get into Yale 2023-2024
• How to Answer the UC Personal Insight Questions
• 11 College Essays That Worked
• How to Start a College Essay
• The Diamond Strategy: How We Help Students Write College Essays that Get Them Into Princeton (And Other Ivy League Schools)
• What is the College Essay? Your Complete Guide for 2023
• College Essay Brainstorming: Where to Start
• How to Write a ‘Why This College’ Essay + Examples that Worked for the Ivy League
• 9 Ways to (Quickly) Improve Your College Essay

Emily graduated  summa cum laude  from Princeton University and holds an MA from the University of Notre Dame. She was a National Merit Scholar and has won numerous academic prizes and fellowships. A veteran of the publishing industry, she has helped professors at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton revise their books and articles. Over the last decade, Emily has successfully mentored hundreds of students in all aspects of the college admissions process, including the SAT, ACT, and college application essay. 

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Work with an independent reviewer to improve your college essays. Essay experts go beyond editing for grammar and language. They know what colleges are really looking for, and can help your teen write essays that actually resonate with admissions officers. They can help you develop the right topics, avoid clichés, and showcase yourself with the right narrative.

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What are families saying about CollegeVine?

“Sophie clearly went above and beyond, taking the time to absorb and reflect upon an essay that was complex in form.”

“Aja was extremely well-versed about the application process and UPenn's requirements. She also was patient to answer our random college questions.”

“Olga was terrific, she’s very knowledgeable and her response time was amazingly quick! She was a plaesure to work with!”

Where is CollegeVine available?

CollegeVine is available to students and families all over the world, though our focus is on colleges and universities located in the United States. Advisors are required to live within the United States in order to list services on CollegeVine.

What kind of services do advisors on CollegeVine offer?

Advisors on CollegeVine offer a wide range of services focused on helping students and families navigate the college admissions process. You can get help with building a school list, planning out college visits, crafting a resume, improving your extracurriculars, writing essays, preparing for interviews, creating a plan to pay for college, and so much more! To learn more about the services each advisor offers, visit their profile.

Can I work with multiple advisors?

Yes! You’re welcome to work with as many advisors as you like—thanks to CollegeVine’s collaboration tools, each advisor you work with will be able to access your profile and school list to help you make the best decisions on your journey to college.

I'm an IEC looking to expand my business—can I start advising on CollegeVine?

We're always looking for more advisors to join the network. You can apply to start advising on CollegeVine here!

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Christopher Null

The Write Stuff: 4 College Admissions Essay Editing Services Reviewed

Looking for good news about the college admissions process these days? You won't find much of it. Not only has the cost of attending college doubled on average since the 1980s, but also it's gotten considerably harder to get in. The majority of colleges in America have witnessed a plummeting acceptance rate as the number of student applications has exploded. Fifty years ago you had a 20 percent shot at getting into Harvard (all things equal, of course). Now the Crimson's acceptance rate is about 5 percent. In the last 10 years alone, the acceptance rate at many major universities has been cut in half . It's almost enough to make a kid consider trying out for the rowing team .

As if applicants didn't have enough to stress about, colleges have been making it more onerous to apply—requiring additional interviews, recommendations, and SAT Subject Tests. But the most burdensome of them all is an old standby: the application essay.

Essay requirements vary widely from school to school. The 150-plus members of the Coalition for College (which includes Harvard and Vanderbilt) requires a single 500-word essay selected from prompts such as "Describe a time when you made a meaningful contribution to others in which the greater good was your focus. Discuss the challenges and rewards of making your contribution." Those with eyes on the University of California system must write a whopping four essays, with prompts such as "Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced."

Students can reuse essays with other colleges if the prompts are similar enough—or if the schools happen to be members of the same application partnership—but you'd be surprised how seldom this occurs. My daughter found that out the hard way, when she learned that she'd have to write 12 separate essays to cover just five schools.

What's a kid to do who doesn't have parents who both work full-time as writers and editors? Just run their essay through Microsoft grammar check and hope for the best? Good luck. The acceptance rate at the University of Chicago has dropped 81 percent in the last 12 years. It doesn't take a Rhodes scholar to know that if you don't put your best foot forward, you may as well not even bother.

All of this led me to the curious world of online editing services. While you can hire a consultant to help guide your child through this overwhelming maze, these consultants are expensive and much of their work involves managing the complex application process, figuring out which colleges are a good fit, and brainstorming essay topics. If you just need help whipping an already written essay into better shape, an online editor might be a better (and much cheaper) fit.

To be sure, some of these services are exorbitantly expensive. Services like EssayEdge and TopAdmit can run you close to $200 for editing a single essay of fewer than 400 words. I've seen prices as high as $379 after various upsells. Word for word, that's more than what my editor at WIRED makes. (Hi, Mike!)

The good news is there are plenty of more affordable options available. I tested four of them, all reasonably priced and seemingly legitimate. Most of these services charge based on a combination of the word count of the original essay and the turnaround time required. I used the same raw essay from my daughter as a test piece for each of the four services, and requested the slowest turnaround time each of them offered to minimize the cost. I submitted her 383-word raw essay at the same time to each of the services, on a Wednesday afternoon. I gave all the services minimal guidance with my submission, noting only (when prompted) that this was a college application essay. All four of the services allow you to upload a Microsoft Word document and receive a red-lined and comment-filled Word document in return.

David Nield

Parker Hall

Carlton Reid

When I received the revised essays, I reviewed them along with my wife (also a professional writer) and my daughter, the author. The reviews were done blind, without indicating the source of any of the edits, and we all rated each essay on a 1 to 10 scale. I also threw in a copy that I roughly edited. For the sake of comparison, the raw essay scored an average of 4.8, while my edit garnered a 6.9.

Here's what the various services cost, and how well they performed.

Note: When you buy something using the retail links in our stories, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Read more about how this works.

Total price: $13.91, 48-hour turnaround promised. Edit received within 24 hours.

Scribendi offers seven different turnaround time tiers, but its 72-hour and one-week turnarounds were the same price as the 48-hour turnaround. A four-hour turnaround was quoted at $28.53. Scribendi returned both a changes-tracked version of the document and a "clean" version with all edits accepted. Scribendi's edit was not just the fastest, it was incredibly thorough—almost nitpicky—with 16 comments or prompts to the writer suggesting avenues for additional content or revisions that were beyond the scope of a simple edit. Oddly, the final edit didn't resonate with readers, who largely felt it was somewhat awkward and clunky in its overall flow. That said, the editor's notes and the service's overall speed were a big plusses.

Readers' rating: 5.0

Total price: $13.90, three-day turnaround promised. Edit received after two days.

Elite Editing has an Advanced Editing service for $40, but the $13.90 plan I chose offers only "basic editing," which doesn't include "suggested rewrites to eliminate awkward phrasing, repetition, passive voice, etc." and "taking into account your original assignment." Three days is the standard turnaround; one-day turnaround for the Basic Editing plan would have cost $19.90. The site crashed when I checked out, but my payment and submission both went through successfully. As promised, Elite's edit was indeed basic. Its editor made the fewest changes of any of the services and left only three comments, one of which was about whether the use of indentations and double-spacing was appropriate. While Elite's edits were correct, they weren't terribly deep—although that was enough to propel it to a second-place finish from the readers.

Readers' rating: 5.7

Total price: $15.32, five-day turnaround promised. Edit received after four days.

Wordvice has eight different pricing tiers, with rates as low as 4 cents per word for a seven-day turnaround, though that tier was limited to materials longer than 3,000 words. The five-day turnaround tier was only marginally more expensive. When I received Wordvice's edited document, I was offered an upsell for a "second look" (basically another edit) for 30 percent off. Wordvice's embedded commentary was nearly as thorough as Scribendi's, though Wordvice was less obsessive over grammar and more focused on overall clarity. Turns out that was the right move: Wordvice's edit was the overall favorite of the quartet, and the finished draft reads cleanly and clearly.

Readers' rating: 6.3

Total price: $31.33, seven-day turnaround promised. Edit received after four days.

Scribbr initially quoted a price of $25.36, but I shelled out an extra $6 for both the "structure check" and "clarity check" options, despite not really understanding what those were. Prices include a 2 percent surcharge for using a credit card. For those in a hurry, 24-hour turnaround doubles the price. Scribbr seems more focused on editing academic coursework essays than admissions essays, with a relatively formal structure applied to its edits (removing contractions completely, for example). Editor's commentary was sparse, though on target. This draft was the most divisive of the services, earning high marks from my wife but very low marks from my daughter, who thought it stripped the writing of her voice.

Readers' rating: 5.3

Any good college essay has to end with a conclusion, so here are a few takeaways. First, all of the services sent back essays that were, on average, felt to be an improvement over the original draft, with all of them catching numerous spelling and grammatical errors—so students with no professional editing help may do well to consider them, especially given how affordable these services are. That said, also remember that when you engage with an editing service, you're really engaging with a single (anonymous) editor who you won't ever meet or be able to interact with. That editor won't have any level of understanding of the writer's personality beyond what's on the page, and quality will necessarily vary from one editor to another, even within a given editing service.

Further still, remember that editing quality is always going to be subjective, just like any piece of writing. Except for this story, of course. It's amazing.

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Wordvice Ranked “Best College Essay Editing Service” in Essay Editor Review

Getting into a top college or university is not an easy feat these days, even for superb students. Within the past decade, many major universities have cut their acceptance rates by as much as 50%. Increasing numbers of international applications at Ivy League schools and other elite institutions means applicants must not only have impeccable grades and test scores but that they also have a compelling story that distinguishes them from thousands of other shining candidates. Writing a strong admissions essay is essential to getting the attention of the admissions committee and standing out as an applicant at top schools.

But many students forget the importance of essay editing and proofreading after they draft their application essays. The writing must not only be free of grammar and punctuation error but also have natural and appropriate language, flow logically, and contain personal stories and other content that will impress admissions committees enough to get you into your school of choice.

As good as your writing may be, even veteran writers use editors to improve their work and give it that extra ounce of polish. In short,  an unedited essay is less likely to get you into a top school —this is especially true if English is not your first language or if you have limited experience writing essays.

Which editing service should I choose to edit my essay?

One great option is to let a professional editing company revise your work—preferably one that is reputable and employs highly qualified editors but is also affordable and can quickly deliver your edited essay. And according to a 2019 article in  Wired.com , the company that best meets these standards is, in fact,  Wordvice Editing Service .

One  Wired  tech reviewer performed a blind study of four leading editing companies, evaluating them in terms of cost and quality of editing.

“When I received the revised essays, I reviewed them…The reviews were done blind, without indicating the source of any of the edits, and we all rated each essay on a 1 to 10 scale.”

When judged against the revisions completed by the other three top editing companies, the admissions essay sample edited by the Wordvice editor came out on top, earning the highest score according to these rigorous criteria, especially when price was factored in. (We won’t list all the scores here—but let’s just say it wasn’t that close.)

“Total price: $15.32, five-day turnaround promised. Edit received after four days…Wordvice’s edit was the overall favorite of the quartet, and the finished draft reads cleanly and clearly.”

Our staff here at Wordvice had no prior knowledge that this experiment was being conducted, and we were pleasantly shocked to find out that we were featured in a Wired.com article! But we weren’t at all surprised at the results or about the superior performance of our editor.

Our editing quality standards help ensure that every single admissions document we edit and proofread (from editing for Common App Essays to graduate SOP proofreading, to editing for recommendation letters and scholarship applications) is revised thoroughly and with attention to the objectives of the text. We focus on enhancing the elements that make for great writing, even providing constructive marginal comments for authors on improving content and expression.

How To Identify The Best Essay Editing Service

Every essay editing company will claim to be the best among its competitors. However, it takes more than a flashy website and images of professional editors and client reviews (whether real or fake) to assess the validity and quality of their editing services.

Here are some questions to consider when finding the best essay editing service online:

• Does the service have your best interest as a researcher, student, or professional in mind?
• Does it produce the best editing and most thorough correction notes within the requested delivery time?
• Is it trustworthy and does it provide a secure payment method for editing orders?
• Do third-party sites publish their editing service reviews ?
• How long has the editing service been around?

After answering these questions and doing your due diligence, you are sure to end up with a reputable editing service that will edit your essay in a way that will impress admissions committees and help get you into your target college or university.

The best essay editing services will help you achieve the following:

• Sharpen the style and expressions in your admissions essays
• Complete written assignments in English on short notice
• Spend more time on your essay content rather on the proofreading and copy-editing phase
• Feel confident that your application essay or college essay will be ready to submit to professors or admissions officials

Some people claim that getting editing and proofreading will make you a lazier student. On the contrary–a good essay editor will not only correct errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation, but they will also show you how to improve your writing in future essays. But what does being a “good essay editor” mean exactly?

What does it mean to be the “best essay editing service”?

We are happy with the title of “best essay editing service” from an online publication as esteemed as Wired.com. But we can’t help but note that this reviewer chose our standard admissions editing service for this study.

While our basic service still stands head-and-shoulders above the competition, Wordvice’s Premium Admissions Editing Services  are in another league altogether. It offers authors more extensive feedback about content, a full “Admissions Checklist” assessing writing elements, and a review letter explaining any major revisions and how the editor approached these issues. Customers who choose this service have a 95% satisfaction rate , and many choose to come back to Wordvice for editing on their other admissions documents.

“ Wordvice has eight different pricing tiers, with rates as low as 4 cents per word for a seven-day turnaround…The five-day turnaround tier was only marginally more expensive.”

Writing a great application essay can mean the difference between getting accepted into the school of your dreams and becoming just another application in the recycling bin. We would like to thank the team at  Wired.com  for highlighting the importance of editing your admissions essays, and we invite you to try our  professional proofreading and essay editing services  today and see for yourself how professional editing can give you the edge that your writing needs. Although it has been a couple of years since this article came out, our admissions editing service client review rate has only increased.

Best of luck to all college and university applicants in 2023-2024 and Happy Admissions Essay Writing from Wordvice!

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The college essay is one of the most critical parts of your application. It goes beyond your grades and test scores to give schools a sense of your personality and potential—qualities that numbers alone cannot show. A compelling piece that exudes intellectual vitality, vulnerability, and humor can tip the admissions odds in your favor. We'll review your college essay to ensure it's one that admissions officers won't forget.

I Replace adverbs with strong verbs when possible. love really like throwing out the garbage. Most teens dread the exhausting, two-minute trek to the curb, but I find solace "Solace in" is more idiomatic. in on my daily dumpster walk. Every night at 10 PM Every day , I hear my mother lock the entrance, cueing entrance. She cues me to empty out the garbage cans on the main floor. As I lug carry pounds of many losing lotto tickets, candy wrappers, and crushed coffee cups Use stronger imagery to paint a picture of your duties. drinks on my back, I take took a sigh of relief knowing that we’ve survived This is wordy. managed to make it through yet another night shift See extended comment. at the family business.

I’ve worked The tone here is a bit formal compared to the rest of your writing. laboured at the family business since I was being ten years old. Of course, Focus on what you did, not on what you didn't do. I wasn’t a fifth-grade student ringing up customers or reciting the day’s winning lotto numbers like my parents were. I spent Here, the simple past works best. The modal verb is unnecessary. I would've spent most of my time either restocking or eating from the candy aisle—to my parents’ parent's pride and disappointment, respectively. Not until my freshman year did they give me permission to man the cash register, which had mesmerized me for years.

OVERALL COMMENTS:

Hi John! This essay does a great job showcasing not only your knack for software development, but also how your family’s business allowed you to mature a bit quicker than others. However, I'd consider reconstructing the first two paragraphs. The opening of your essay leads me to believe that you'll go on to discuss your experiences at the family business, but from the third paragraph on, you mostly focus on software development. By the end of the essay, the introduction feels distant and irrelevant.

We'll check for errors like dangling modifiers, comma splices, and ambiguous pronouns.

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We'll point out areas your essay falls short and suggest ways to improve your writing.

We'll provide a 2–3 paragraph evaluation of the overall strength of your essay.

I ended up doing a writing session with Mahad, which was beyond helpful. He answered all of my questions about my Common App essay and even took a look at my supplemental essays for the other schools I was applying to. Next Admit stuck with me as I sent essay after essay for review with such a small amount of turnaround time and I could never be more grateful for all the work they do. The feedback is both fair and kind, and I felt better trusting consultants that had just gone through the whole college admissions ordeal and gotten in rather than consultants who hadn’t been through the process in decades.

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Having gone through a rigorous vetting process, our consultants know how to craft a winning application. Many have professional writing experience and have graduated from the nation's most esteemed institutions.

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Justine was amazing. Her feedback and detailed comments were very helpful. She not only pointed out what could be better, but she also provided solutions and tips to make my writing better. I'm glad she edited two of my essays, and I wish she had reviewed them all. She was outstanding and made my experience with Next Admit worth it.

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Very constructive and in-depth feedback! I really appreciate the positive comments alongside the corrections; it gives me confidence knowing that I can write a "decent" essay by myself. Thank you so much Natalia for polishing up my essay and for relieving my anxiety during this application cycle.

Lauren gave very insightful advice on how to improve the communication of my ideas and tweak the structure of my essay to focus on depth rather than breadth. Her comments were extremely detailed and thorough as well. She also returned her feedback on my essay a few days before the one-week deadline which was great!

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Our consultants will provide you with detailed, line-by-line feedback to help improve your essay. Learn where your essay falls flat and how to take it to the next level.

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We'll help you craft a unique, compelling piece that stands out to admissions officers. Having read thousands of essays, our team can help you identify and eliminate clichés.

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We'll keep your original voice and ideas intact. Our detailed feedback will enhance your story and align with your voice, not detract from it.

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Lauren was really helpful in giving detailed feedback! I was really surprised to see how she went through each and every one of my sentences and gave me direct feedback on how to expand my ideas. I feel really confident about submitting my application now thanks to her comments!

I absolutely loved the feedback I received! I had actually worked with another college essay service for my personal statement, and they didn't provide me nearly as much feedback. The suggestions were thorough, and I gained a great understanding of how my essay is perceived.

Fred did a great job of putting himself into the shoes of an admissions officer and offering constructive criticism. He not only pointed out flaws, but also provided great suggestions for fixing them. Thanks for such a comprehensive edit.

Mahad thoroughly edited my essay, and his extensive comment inspired me to completely revamp my essay to make it more unique. I really appreciate his help, and would definitely recommend him.

As usual, these essay edits are incredibly thorough, understandable, and beneficial. I am able to fix mistakes that I would otherwise overlook. Thank you so, so much for the detailed insight and advice!

Super valuable feedback. The edits were very helpful and provided me insight into the parts of my essay that had potential for improvement. I definitely feel much more confident in my essay and more ready to submit my application!

...and hundreds more five-star reviews!

Frequently asked questions.

The college essay is one of the most important parts of your application. Put your best foot forward by having one of our consultants polish your piece, ensuring it reflects your story in the best light possible while maintaining your true voice.

No, but we are here to help you put your best foot forward. Since the admissions process is holistic and unpredictable, a strong essay alone is not enough to guarantee acceptance. However, our consultants will help you feel confident in your writing and tell an engaging story, all while keeping your voice intact.

Yes. We will not share your essay with any third parties or publish it online. Your essay will remain secure in our system.

Because of high order volume, you cannot choose a specific consultant for your essay review. However, our algorithm will match your essay to the optimal consultant based on availability and the schools you're applying to.

No. We will not write your essay for you. We will, however, provide advice to help you write the best essay you can.

After you receive your essay review, you can order a second revision through the Next Admit Portal for 10% off.

Yes. If, for example, you order a three-day review on Friday, you will receive your edits on Monday.

If you are not satisfied with your revisions, please contact us at [email protected]. We will handle all cases on an individual basis.

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The best option if you want to craft the ultimate essay from the ground up or need to discuss your current draft’s narrative. Your admissions consultants will take you from topic planning to final draft.

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A great option if you already know what you want to write about and you’d mostly benefit from an expert admissions consultant helping you perfect your style, tone, and message.

You’re a unique person, with unique experiences and ambitions, but how do you best show this in a response to an essay prompt? With Full Essay Coaching, your expert Admissions Consultant will guide you from beginning to end and make sure your strongest attributes come through clearly and concisely.

This is a great option for the Common App personal statement, reach schools, and other high-stakes situations.

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We get to know you in detail and match you with the perfect consultant

We brainstorm and strategize your essay topic during live, face-to-face calls

We work with you to edit and improve your draft – as many times as it takes

We help you finish with a perfect stand-out essay

You have a good start on your essay, but you want an expert to help you perfect it? PrepScholar Admissions Consultants are top-notch writers who know exactly what colleges are looking for. No matter your background or school choices, they’ll help you wordsmith and perfect your essay so you can present your thoughts in the best possible manner.

This is an affordable option for lower-stakes situations and almost-ready essays that require some polishing before they’re submissions-ready.

Upload your rough essay draft

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Finish with a completely polished essay, see for yourself.

Curious to see the process in action? See two samples of our essay review and revision process for real essays. SAMPLE ONE | SAMPLE TWO

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The Full Essay Coaching and Essay Review services are priced by number of essays.

To choose the right tier, identify the number of essays you would like to work on and select the corresponding option. We recommend fitting multiple essays into one package to save!

*We can also help you with the Common App activities list. All you need to do is count it as an essay.

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We personally and thoughtfully recommend the best consultant based on your profile.

We start our work by getting to know you in depth. With the help of our Student Profile Questionnaire, we ask relevant questions about your academic profile, challenges, and admissions goals. To gain a deeper understanding, we also ask thought-provoking questions to get your insights about your formative years, personal interests, hopes, and dreams.

Your questionnaire is personally reviewed by our Head of Admissions, a Harvard and Yale graduate with 10+ years of counseling experience. They have worked closely with all the consultants on our team and understand their areas of specialization and track record. Based on your answers, our Head of Admissions matches you with the best consultant to help you reach your goals.

Our matching process is carefully designed and consistently leads to successful consultant and student matches; as a result, reassignment is virtually never necessary. However, if the need for a reassignment arises, we are happy to accommodate such a request.

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The flexibility and availability offered to me by my selected tutor as well as her willingness to work with me until we perfected the things needed for my college journey. I would Highly recommend prepscholar to anyone looking for help or improvement in high school.

I really liked the personalized support for my essays and how my consultant took the time to understand me as a person to know how to best reflect myself in my essay. She was also very understanding when I needed more time to work on the draft before another round of revisions

Many of the people that reviewed my essay told me the same thing: show don’t tell. However, they never explained what they meant or how to accomplish that. Lily was really nice and helpful in demonstrating what I needed to change instead of just saying it needed improvement. She was also really nice!

Through the consulting sessions, Laura was able to hone in on Mike’s true values, and the best positioning to colleges.  She helped pick the best activities and way to word the activities on the applications.

After many sessions, the application and essay writing became more natural for Mike. I’m glad to say that his voice fully shines through the essays. His consultant just helped him cut out unneeded information, and help hit the word limit and make the most important points. Shewas an expert at knowing how to position clubs and activities as well.

My consultant did an excellent job helping me tell my story. Over our first week, he provided very helpful feedback on my topic ideas and quickly identified a concept that ended up leading to a well-formed essay. He was also very helpful and encouraging throughout the process, and he provided accurate and specific feedback that helped me create an essay that felt very true to myself. Paradoxically, the essay we created together felt much more genuine than any of the attempts I had made at drafting an essay on my own beforehand!

Prepscholar’s personalized approach to the admissions process is invaluable. Eric’s “show, don’t tell” philosophy is practical and proven. Allen and the Prepscholar team embody this essential value with their own degrees and educational accolades. I trust them with my collegiate future. I would suggest that anyone needing guidance through the admissions process do the same.

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College Essay Review Services: Why You Need Them

Many students consider using college essay review services every year, but they aren't sure if their services are worth it. The short answer is yes; they are more than worth the cost. Whether you're trying to get into one of the  Ivy League Schools , a small college in your community, or one of the  best undergraduate business schools , you will likely be required to write at least one college admissions essay, and it will be an essential part of your application. This blog will talk about the different types of college essays, how important they are, and how college essay review services are your best bet for beating the competition and doing well with this application component. 

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

Article Contents 7 min read

What exactly is a college essay.

There are several different types of college essays, but the most common college admissions essay is the personal statement or  common app essay . This is a short document that is supposed to tell the admissions board about who you are as a candidate and why you are a good fit for their college or university. 

Some schools provide a specific word count for the essays, but it should be between 400 and 650 words unless otherwise stated. It also doesn't follow the same structure as an academic essay. Even though it has an introduction, body, and conclusion, it is not about presenting and supporting an argument. Rather, it is supposed to tell a story that illustrates who you are as a person.

You can think of it as a cover letter for your college application. When you are applying for a job, your resume shows your work history and academic background in the same way that your school transcript and other application components show your GPA and grades for your college application. Your cover letter ( and personal statement) is a bit more personal. They communicate the soft skills and strengths that can't be easily quantified.

College essays also give you a chance to humanize your application and tell the admissions board about the person behind the grades and GPA. Many colleges, like  Columbia University  for example, have a holistic admissions process. This means that they care about your academic background and who are outside of your studies. Your personal statement allows them to learn more about your interests and what you could  contribute to your future campus community.  

College essays are an essential part of the college application process. According to the  National Association for college admission counseling , college essays are an important part of the decision-making process for most institutions in the united states. This information is not surprising considering the amount of information that the admission board can learn about a student from their personal statement and other supplemental essays.

Additionally, it is important to remember that college essays also give students an opportunity to talk to the admissions board. You get to share your story and tell the admissions board why you are a good fit for their school in your own words. You also get to address some of the weaker points of your overall application. For example, if you are trying to  get into college with a low GPA , you can use your college essay to explain the circumstances that led to your subpar grades and the steps you have taken to improve your grades.

College essay review services do a lot more than highlight grammatical inconsistencies in your writing (although this is one of the many things they can help with). They are actual human experts who can have a significant impact on the overall quality of applicants' college essays, thus increasing their chances of getting into college. College essay review services are typically offered by admission experts, such as  college essay advisors , who know the college application process inside and out. They review students' college essays and use their knowledge and training to provide personalized feedback and guidance to help students edit and polish their essays. The aim is to draft a final essay that will be more compelling, making the student a more attractive candidate to colleges.

Your college essays are a representation of you to the admission board. Except for college interviews, this is your only chance to talk to the admission board in your own words. This means that is also the first impression they will have of you. If you submit an essay with grammatical errors and typos, it tells the board that you either did not care enough to review your work or that you did not notice those errors when you did. Either way, it is not a good look for you.

This is where college essay review services come in. College essay advisors can thoroughly verify the grammatical syntax of your sentences, check that your essay is coherent and easy to follow and that it is free of grammatical or spelling errors. 

Highlighting relevant skills

Since college essay review services are run by admission experts, they have an in-depth understanding of the world of college admissions. These essay advisors have not only gone through the process themselves, but they have also helped other students go through it multiple times. Additionally, they are also trained to decipher all the "admissions talk" on college websites so they can actually help you figure out what values and traits specific colleges are looking for.

Furthermore, because they are an objective third party looking at the details of your academic background and experiences, they can easily see which activities and skills can make you a better candidate. For example, if you are applying for a philosophy major, you might think that your love for nature or hiking is irrelevant information to your application. College essay review services can help you understand how you can showcase your experience as a hiker in a way that will appeal to your chosen faculty.

Writing strategies

Writing college essays is not an easy task, and the truth is that most applicants aren't aware that their essay writing skills may be lacking. Unfortunately, high school classes rarely include lessons about writing academic admission essays or personal statements, so even gifted writers or A+ English students don't have the tools needed to write an essay that will impress the college admissions committee.

Without guidance, students often end up writing very generic essays that do not add to their overall application, or they simply go through the details of their high school resume without providing any new information. By working with college essay review services, students have someone at their disposal who can give them the tools and strategies necessary to brainstorm and write great, original college essays.

Developing skills

Most college students start improving their research and writing skills as they write essays in college. However, when you work with a college essay review service, you start with stronger skills than most in that department. Good college essay review services have advisors who will not write the students' essays for them. Instead, they will guide them through the entire process – from brainstorming to drafting and editing- and teach them how to research, write and edit. 

In other words, working with college essay review services allows students to not only improve the quality of their college essays, but also improve their research, writing, and critical thinking skills. All of which are skills that will serve them well during college and beyond.

Preparing college applications is a stressful process, and one of the most anxiety-inducing aspects of it for students is writing college essays. Not only is it time-consuming, but it can get quickly get overwhelming for applicants and those around them. Furthermore, because students do not have access to as much information about the college admissions process, they simply have to trust that the topic they chose and the tips they found online are not leading them astray. 

Working with a professional college essay review service can remove that extra layer of anxiety. Because you are working with an expert, you can rely on the tips and advice they give you because you know it comes from a good source.

Not sure where to start with your common app essay? This video can help:

College essays are a crucial part of the college application process, so if you want to maximize your chances of getting into a top college in this increasingly competitive climate, you need to do everything you can to ensure that you are submitting top-notch essays. The key to doing that is working with college essay review services. The college advisors who run these services can help you highlight your strengths and address any potential red flags in a way that still makes you look good. Furthermore, working with them will help you improve your research and writing skills, which you will definitely need when you get into college.

There are several types of college admission essays, and usually, at least one of them is compulsory. If you are applying to college through common app, for example, you will definitely need to write common app essay.

That will depend on the school you're applying to. Most colleges require one personal statement and one or more secondary essays. You should verify the admission requirements of the schools that you're interested in to find out how many college essays you will be required to write.

Not every Canadian university requires an admissions essay, but quite a few request one.  The University of Toronto , for example, is one of them.

You should stay away from advisors who will write your essay for you. This practice is unethical, and it can have severe consequences for both you, the applicant, and the person who wrote the essay for you.

We recommend that you spend at least six weeks on your college essay. That is enough time to brainstorm, write, review, edit and polish the essay before it is ready for submission.

These services are offered by admission experts who will review your essays and guide you through the process of editing and polishing them. The aim is for the essays you submit with your application to be as compelling as possible, thus increasing your chances of success.

Yes, there are. Not all college essay review services work with international students, but we here at BeMo certainly do. Schedule your free initial consultation to find out how our consultants can help you.

Good college essay review services have qualified advisors who care about helping students, good independent reviews, and a high success rate. Make sure you take the time to peruse the websites of the companies that you are considering.

Yes, they do. College essays are the only application component that tells the admissions committee how you see yourself. They give you a chance to show the admissions board the person behind the extracurriculars and the GPA and remind them that your application is a lot more than just a number.

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The essay you've presented is touching, and it shows a sincere reflection on an individual experience during challenging times. However, there are some areas that could be improved:

1. Clarity and Cohesiveness: Your usage of the 'song' metaphor throughout the essay can be a bit confusing. When reading your essay, clarity is essential. Using a clearer approach to express your thoughts would serve you better. Instead of using a metaphor throughout your essay, use it only in certain parts to create an image or elicit emotion.

2. Set the Stage: While you mention your location change to Australia and your temporary assignment, you don't mention what it is. A sentence or two explaining what this temporary assignment entailed could give more context to your narrative.

3. Specific Examples: You refer to your experiences and lessons learned, such as finding comfort in journal writing and learning guitar. However, it would create a stronger impact if you discuss a specific episode that encapsulates these experiences. For instance, was there a particular entry in your journal that changed your perspective? Did you learn a specific song on the guitar that became your anchor?

4. Concluding Thoughts: Though you conclude with a reflection that you learned to listen to your "slow, warm, and soothing song", the profoundness of this realization might be underplayed. It might be useful to enrich your conclusion by explaining how these experiences will influence your future actions.

5. Word Count: Your essay is concise and does not exceed the recommended word limit. By making these suggested changes, your essay could demonstrate an emotional maturity and self-awareness that will stand out to any admissions committee. The resilience you gained through your experiences will undoubtedly serve you well at Georgetown University.

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The essay brims with passion and communicates a clear sense of what inspires the writer, i.e., music. It paints a vivid picture of how playing music exhilarates the writer and the role it plays in their lives. However, parts of the essay can still be improved to emphasize the candidate's qualities and the effects of their inspiration.

1. Informality: The essay is written in a somewhat casual and informal tone. While this makes the essay sound conversational and genuine, an overly casual tone might not be optimal for a college application. For example, phrases like "Hope that helps and brings a smile to your face." may seem too relaxed. Instead, strive for a balance where your unique voice and personality can still shine through, but where your words reflect mature contemplation and seriousness of purpose.

2. Lack of Personal Experiences: The essay mentions the enjoyment derived from playing the piano but lacks specific anecdotes or detailed experiences that would elevate the narrative. Details such as moments when you mastered a difficult piece, or when your music particularly resonated with a listener would make the passion tangible.

3. Non-Expanded Inspiration: While the essay tells us that the writer finds inspiration in music and revered pianists, it would be beneficial to explain how this inspiration influences other aspects of your life. For instance, does music inspire you to study certain subjects, engage in community service, or view the world in a particular way? This would provide a more well-rounded understanding of your inspiration.

4. Connection to Yale: Since this is for a Yale application, consider mentioning how this passion can be further explored at Yale. Maybe there's a specific course or extracurricular activity you’re excited about. This could help display your interest in the university and how smoothly you'd assimilate academically and socially.

5. Ending: The essay concludes on a slightly abrupt note. A concluding paragraph that encapsulates your source of inspiration and briefly hints at your future aspirations or goals, tying your passion for music back to your vision for your time at Yale or your career, would round off the essay well. This ties your inspiration to your future, presenting a holistic view of why your inspiration is crucial to you.

The essay is a good start. It provides a fair representation of your personality, showing a balance between academic and extracurricular interests, as well as a sense of humor. However, several aspects can be improved for more depth and specificity.

1. Show, Don't Tell: You've mentioned your interests, but it's better to offer relevant experiences that visually depict these activities. For example, instead of simply stating your interest in books and soccer, you could relate an incident where knowledge from a novel strategically played a role in a soccer match.

2. Harvard Reference: The mention about choosing Harvard appears generic lacking depth; it can be applied to any highly reputable university. Instead, illustrate distinct aspects of Harvard that specifically align with your interests or goals. For example, maybe there's a professor within your chosen major with whom you would love to work.

3. Anecdotes or Stories: Adding anecdotes or stories about your community work or your struggle with a bag of gummy bears will not only make the essay more engaging, but it will reveal more about your personality and character.

4. Clearer Transitions: The transitions between different parts of the essay can be smoother and more natural. For instance, you abruptly switch from talking about soccer to Harvard which may confuse readers momentarily. A transitional sentence could mitigate this issue.

5. Values and Character Traits: Try to provide implicit insights into your values or character traits through your experiences and interests. For instance, volunteering indicates a sense of responsibility and commitment to the welfare of others. Your fascination for books could demonstrate intellectual curiosity and open-mindedness.

6. Conclusion: The ending could be more impactful or persuasive. Instead of just hoping for great times at Harvard, you could express enthusiasm about contributing positively to Harvard and its community with your future roommate. Remember, the purpose of this essay is to demonstrate what you would contribute to the Harvard community and how you would engage with your future roommate. Tailoring anecdotes to reveal more about your character and aspirations will allow the essay to resonate better with the committee.

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Yes! Our personal statement editors can help you reduce your word count by up to 25%. You can choose to receive this feedback through direct edits or suggestions in comments – just select your choice when you upload your personal statement.

Our APA experts default to APA 7 for editing and formatting. For the Citation Editing Service you are able to choose between APA 6 and 7.

It is not necessary to reserve a time slot for your edit. As soon as your document is ready to be proofread, you can upload it at any time via our website . Based on your chosen deadline, our editor(s) will then proofread your document within 24 hours, 3 days, or 7 days.

If you are unsure about the availability of our services or are planning to upload a very large document (>13,000 words) with a 24 hour deadline, we recommend that you contact us beforehand via chat or email .

Scribbr is following the guidelines announced by the WHO (World Health Organization). As an online platform, all our services remain available, and we will continue to help students as usual.

Can I still place an order? Will my order be completed within the deadline? Yes, you can still place orders and orders will be delivered within the agreed upon deadline. Scribbr is an online platform – our proofreading & editing services are provided by editors working remotely from all over the world. This means Scribbr can guarantee that we will process your order with the same diligence and professionalism as always. The same holds true for our Plagiarism Checker .

Can I still contact customer support? Yes. Our support team is available from 09.00 to 23.00 CET and happy to answer any questions you might have!

Yes, if your document is longer than 20,000 words, you will get a sample of approximately 2,000 words. This sample edit gives you a first impression of the editor’s editing style and a chance to ask questions and give feedback.

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You will receive the sample edit within 12 hours after placing your order. You then have 24 hours to let us know if you’re happy with the sample or if there’s something you would like the editor to do differently.

Read more about how the sample edit works

When you upload a large document (20,000+ words), we will ask your editor to send a sample edit of approximately 2,000 words as soon as possible. This sample edit gives you a first impression of your editor’s editing style and what you can expect from the service. You will receive it within 12 hours after uploading your order.

Why do we provide you with a sample edit?

We always aim to make you 100% happy, and Proofreading & Editing is a complex service. We want to make sure that our editing style meets your expectations before the editor improves your entire document.

Our editors are trained to follow Scribbr’s academic style . However, your preferences might deviate from our conventions. The sample edit gives you the chance to provide feedback – you can let us know if you’re happy with the sample or if there’s something you would like the editor to do differently.

Once your editor has completed your sample edit, you will receive a notification via email. You have 24 hours to reply to this email and provide us with feedback. If we receive your feedback in time, your editor will go the extra mile and adjust the edit according to your input.

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Give us feedback that will help your editor meet your requirements. For example:

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• “I forgot to mention that my school has the following rules for gendered pronouns.”
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The  Structure  and Clarity Check can only be purchased in conjunction with Proofreading & Editing . Providing feedback on structure and clarity requires extensive knowledge of the text, which the editor acquires while proofreading and editing your text.

However, our Paper Formatting Service,   Citation Editing Service and Plagiarism Checker can be purchased separately.

Yes, Scribbr will proofread the summary in another language as well.

Who will proofread my summary?

If your document contains a summary in a different language, we will send this part to another editor who is a native speaker of that language. The editor will check your summary, applying our standard Proofreading & Editing service.

If you ordered any additional services, such as the Structure Check or Clarity Check, the editor will not apply them to your summary. This is because the summary is a translation of your abstract – you already receive Structure and Clarity feedback on the text in the original language. Therefore, when proofreading your summary, the editor will focus on making sure your language and style is correct.

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We will create a new assignment within your order and send you a confirmation email. This also means that you will receive a separate email/SMS notification from us when the editor has finished proofreading your summary. Once your summary is proofread, you can download it via your Scribbr account and read the editor’s feedback.

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Scribbr specializes in editing study-related documents . We proofread:

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Yes, when you accept all changes and delete all comments your document is ready to be handed in.

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When you’ve finished this, others will no longer be able to see the changes made by the editor.

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Yes, in the order process you can indicate your preference for American, British, or Australian English .

If you don’t choose one, your editor will follow the style of English you currently use. If your editor has any questions about this, we will contact you.

Yes, you can upload your thesis in sections.

We try our best to ensure that the same editor checks all the different sections of your thesis. When you upload a new file, our system recognizes you as a returning customer, and we immediately contact the editor who helped you before.

However, we cannot guarantee that the same editor will be available. Your chances are higher if

• You send us your text as soon as possible and
• You can be flexible about the deadline.

Please note that the shorter your deadline is, the bigger the risk that your previous editor is not available.

If your previous editor isn’t available, then we will inform you immediately and look for another qualified editor. Fear not! Every Scribbr editor follows the  Scribbr Improvement Model  and will deliver high-quality work.

However, every editor has a slightly different editing style, so you may notice small inconsistencies in editing choices. As with every proofreading order, be sure to carefully review your editor’s changes and suggestions as you finalize your text to ensure that everything is as you want it.

The fastest turnaround time is 12 hours.

You can upload your document at any time and choose between three deadlines:

At Scribbr, we promise to make every customer 100% happy with the service we offer. Our philosophy: Your complaint is always justified – no denial, no doubts.

Our customer support team is here to find the solution that helps you the most, whether that’s a free new edit or a refund for the service.

Every Scribbr order comes with our award-winning Proofreading & Editing service , which combines two important stages of the revision process.

For a more comprehensive edit, you can add a Structure Check or Clarity Check to your order. With these building blocks, you can customize the kind of feedback you receive.

You might be familiar with a different set of editing terms. To help you understand what you can expect at Scribbr, we created this table:

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Scribbr not only specializes in proofreading and editing texts in English , but also in several other languages . This way, we help out students from all over the world.

As a global academic writing proofreading service, we work with professional editors  – all native speakers – who edit in the following languages :

This way, you can also have your academic writing proofread and edited in your second language!

Please note that we do not offer Finnish proofreading, but students can still upload English papers on scribbr.fi .

Yes, regardless of the deadline you choose, our editors can proofread your document during weekends and holidays.

Example: If you select the 12-hour service on Saturday, you will receive your edited document back within 12 hours on Sunday.

The footnotes are not automatically included in the word count.

If you want the language errors in your footnotes to be corrected by the editor, you can indicate this in step 3 of the upload process . The words in the footnotes are then automatically added to the total word count.

Need help with your references?

• If you use the APA reference style, you can use our free APA Citation Generator or the articles about APA in our Knowledge Base.
• If you’d like us to check your references for consistency, you can use our Citation Editing Service .

To keep our prices competitive, we do not offer a free trial edit. However, if your document is longer than 30,000 words, we are happy to provide you with a sample edit of 2,000 words to ensure you are satisfied with the editor’s editing style.

Rest assured, our customers are very satisfied with our proofreading services. We’re proud that they have rated us with an excellent 4.6 on Trustpilot. In the unlikely event that you have a less positive experience, we’ll solve that with our 100% happiness guarantee !

After your thesis has been edited , you will receive an email with a link to download the edited document.

The editor has made changes to your document using ‘ Track Changes ’ in Word.  This means that you only have to accept or ignore the changes that are made in the text one by one.

It is also possible to accept all changes at once. However, we strongly advise you not to do so for the following reasons:

• You can learn much by looking at what mistakes you have made.
• The editors do not only change the text, they also place comments when sentences or sometimes even entire paragraphs are unclear. We therefore advise you to read through these comments and take into account your editor’s tips and suggestions.
• Because of the many changes, sometimes there may be double spaces, double periods, or other minor mistakes in a sentence. Checking the changes one by one, you can easily detect these minor errors.

We have written a manual in which we explain step by step how ‘Track Changes’ works.

Check out an example

Our editors are very experienced and will do their utmost to correct all errors in your thesis .

However, with our current rates, an editor can only check your thesis once. This may cause an editor to overlook an error. We can therefore not guarantee that your thesis is 100% error free after you have had your thesis edited.

The editor uses ‘Track Changes’ in Word when editing your thesis.

Don’t know how this works? Then read the following guide  in which we explain step by step how ‘Track Changes’ works.

No, we do not provide you with a clean copy. You will always receive a file edited with tracked changes .

We do this for two main reasons:

• In most papers, there are sentences that the editor cannot edit without additional information from the author. In these cases, your editor will provide guidance but leave you to implement the feedback. If we were to simply accept the changes for you, then these issues would be left unaddressed.
• We believe students should be accountable for their work. Our editors can correct language errors and coach you to be a better writer. However, the end product belongs to you and should reflect your ideas and decisions.

All Scribbr editors are language experts with interests in different subject areas.

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Editors don’t have to be experts in the content of your paper, but they do know how to present it in the best way possible! Our goal is to improve your writing and give you feedback on the readability, structure, logic, and clarity of your text. We know from experience that the most effective editors are specialists in language and academic writing.

We’ve carefully selected and trained all of our editors to proofread theses and other academic documents. Once they’re qualified, we continue to carefully monitor their work to make sure we always deliver the highest quality .

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If you’re planning to apply to schools in the University of California system, you’ll have to complete their Personal Insight Questions, choosing 4 out of 8 questions to answer in up to 350 words apiece. Each prompt requires a specialized approach, which our expert reviewers will help you identify and achieve.

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Best College Admissions Consultants

We use an independent review process to select our recommended products. Advertisers do not influence our selections, but we may earn a commission when you buy through some links on the site. See our affiliate disclosure for details.

Getting into college is no small task, especially if you are aiming for a top tier college or university. More and more people are attending college, and with more students, comes more competition.

A college admissions consultant can help students navigate the difficult process of applying and getting into the best colleges in the United States.

Getting a good SAT or ACT score is important, but it is no longer the only metric used by colleges and universities. These schools are now considering many different factors including GPA, test scores, community service, extracurriculars, courses taken in high school, and the student’s application.

There are so many different options available to students who are looking for a college admissions consultant. Use our reviews of the best college admissions consultants to find the best choice for you.

Best College Admissions Consultant Reviews (2023)

Our picks for best college admissions consultants.

• Most Personalized  –  Prep Expert
• Most Affordable Options  –  Princeton Review

Most Personalized: Prep Expert

TG Recommended

• Students looking for a highly personalized option
• Parents looking to stay involved throughout the whole process
• Experience of admissions director Akbar Rahel

Not Recommended For

• Someone looking for a cheap option

Key Decision Making Factors

Middle of the pack in terms of pricing. Around $250/hour for each of their packages.

4 different options to choose from. One of those is a completely custom package.

Other Features

Experience of admissions director Akbar Rahel is really nice.

Pros and Cons

• Highly customizable
• Experience of Akbar Rahel
• Involvement of parents throughout the process
• Can become expensive

What to Expect – Hands on Walkthrough

Prep Expert is one of the top providers when it comes to ACT and SAT prep – it is no surprise that they also have an incredible admissions consulting program.

For starters, Prep Expert offers the most personalized college admissions packages out there. Students will have the opportunity to sit down, one-on-one, with their admissions consultant and devise the best plan to get into their desired schools.

Not only does Prep Expert offer the most personalized college admissions packages, but they are also very affordable. Prep Expert ends up costing around $250/hour for each of their packages.

The admissions consulting industry is not a cheap industry. This price point puts them in the middle of the pack in terms of cost per hour – a great deal for the amount of personalized attention the student will be receiving.

Prep Expert ensures that parents are kept in the loop throughout the whole process. Parents will be updated on what the admissions consultant and the student are working on. Parents are heavily involved at the beginning of the process.

Students will have the ability to work on whatever they choose with their college admissions consultant but some of the most common services offered include:

• Planning  – Students can plan out their high school schedules, summer programs, test dates, and extracurricular activities.
• School Selection  – Create a list of colleges and universities that best fit your needs.
• Application Strategy  – Craft the best possible application. Stand out from other applications.
• Test Prep  – Students will receive a FREE self-paced ACT or SAT prep course as part of the Prep Expert admissions consulting packages. Prep Experts  ACT prep course  and  SAT prep course  are legit. They were our #1 choice in both categories.
• Essay Help  – Ensure your essays are of the best quality. Students who use Prep Expert will go through 10+ revisions most of the time.
• Anything Else  – If there is something else you want to cover, Prep Expert will ensure you have the resources you need. Things like waitlist letters, interview prep, and letters of recommendations are some examples.

One of the best features of Prep Expert and their admissions consulting programs is their admissions director, Akbar Rahel.

Akbar has a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts from California Berkeley. Akbar has 22 years of college admissions consulting experience, 15 years of tutoring experience, 6 years of teaching experience, and has gotten his students more than $17,000,000 in merit scholarships.

Different Options

Prep Expert offers 4 different college admissions consulting packages. You can review those programs below.

Option#1: Flagship Package – $6,999

• Prep Experts most popular package.
• 25 hours of personalized admissions consulting.
• Free ACT or SAT prep course.
• Recommended for high school juniors and seniors.

Option #2: Gold Package – $9,999

• 40 hours of personalized admissions consulting.
• Recommended for high school juniors or seniors who want to spend some more time with their admissions consultant.

Option #3: Platinum Package – $13,999

• 60 hours of personalized admissions consulting.
• This package is recommended for students who are in 8th grade or beginning their freshman year in high school.

Option #4: Custom Package

• Package for families who have unique needs.
• This could include siblings, students with disabilities, and other special situations.
• Prep Expert wants to help students in different situations succeed.

Key Features

• 4 different options to choose from
• Includes everything from planning extracurriculars to choosing the right school
• Includes major discounts on ACT and SAT prep courses

Key Differences from Other College Admissions Consultants

• Work directly admissions director
• Discounts on prep courses

Why Choose Prep Expert College Admissions

• Highly personalized experience
• Experience of Akbar
• Discounts on ACT and SAT prep included
• Return to Top

Most Affordable Options: Princeton Review

• Students looking for different options based on their needs
• Students who may be earlier in the process
• Students who may need prep materials bundled with their college admissions counseling

Have some very affordable options for students looking for specific things.

7 different options to choose from. Broken down by grade you are in.

Includes things like virtual meetings, messaging with college coaches, and written essay edits.

• # of different options
• Affordable options for specific things
• Not as customizable as Prep Expert

Princeton Review offers some of the best college admissions consultants. They offer a ton of options for students looking for college admissions counseling. Some of their best options are:

Option 1: On-Demand Admissions – $799

Princeton Review recommends this option for students that are freshmen – seniors in high school. This college admissions counseling packing is completely online. Some of the features include:

• 120+ videos and articles that outline the college admissions process
• 25 direct messages with a college admissions consultant
• Written feedback on essay prompts
• Activities list and admissions planner tools
• College research and application tracker tools

Option 2: Ultimate Admissions Package – $3199

This is Princeton Review’s most popular college admissions consultant package. It is the most comprehensive and involves the most student to counselor interaction. Some features include:

• 7 meetings with college admissions counseling team
• 2-3 rounds of written edits on your personal statement
• 2 rounds of written edits on your admissions essay
• Guide you through interview process, deferrals, waitlists, and choosing your final college
• Personalized college list of 20-25 schools – customized to your interests and personality.

Option 3: College List Building – $479

Students can sign up for this program and get help in choosing the best colleges and universities for themselves. This is recommended for high school juniors who already have taken the SAT or ACT at least once. Some features include:

• One hour long virtual meeting with a college admissions counselor to discuss preferences
• A list of 20-25 schools that fit your interests and personality
• Access to interactive tools like the school tracker and activities list

Option 4: Sophomore Edge – $549

This college admissions counseling course is tailored specifically for high school sophomores. Some of the features include:

• Virtual meeting with your college admissions counselor
• Virtual meeting with your college admissions coach
• Look over your transcript and map out the best plan for courses to take in high school
• Review extracurricular activities and create a plan to include summer activities and leadership opportunities
• Create a testing plan for the ACT, SAT, and PSAT.
• 7 different options to choose from
• Options are affordable and can choose specific packages based on your needs
• Can start the process earlier with some of their programs
• Number of options offered
• Options broken down by grade in high school

Why Choose Princeton Review College Admissions

• Number of different options
• Can start the process early in high school

Prep Scholar Review

Prep Scholar

• Someone looking for unlimited counseling time
• Someone looking to not spend a lot of money

The full-service plan is expensive but you do get unlimited counseling hours.

5 different options offered. Can choose based off your needs.

The unlimited counseling time is a really nice feature we like

• Unlimited counseling time
• Interview prep
• No prep products/discounts included

Prep Scholar offers a couple of different college admissions consulting packages. Each of their packages is tailored to specific needs of students. The packages they offer are:

Option 1: Grade 9-11 Mentorship – $4895

This package is perfect for students who are freshmen, sophomores, and juniors in high school. This package is designed to help students in the years before they submit their college applications. Some of the features of this course include:

• Detailed 12-month application plan
• High school coursework planning
• GPA improvement strategy
• Customized test prep strategies for SAT and ACT
• Extracurricular management

Option 2: Complete Package – $6895

Prep Scholar’s complete college admissions consultant package. Everything you need to guide you through the whole college admissions process. Features include:

• Complete student review – getting to know you, what drives you, and what your passionate about.
• School selection strategy
• Tracking of deadlines and requirements
• Full essay service for every school
• Full application review
• Recommendation letter strategies
• Financial aid negotiation
• Final school decision

Option 3: College Essay Services – $195 or $595

Prep Scholar has two difference services they offer for students looking for assistance with their college application essays.

The first service is their essay editing service that is available for $195. This service is tailored for students who know what they want to write about but want a second set of eyes to review their style, tone, and message.

The second service is their full essay service that is available for $595. Students who choose this service will receive help from start to end and will be coached through the essay step-by-step.

Option 4: Application Review Service – $495

This service is for students who have finished their college application but want an expert to review it before they submit it.

Students will submit their common application, activities list, all short answers, and any additional supplements to a Prep Scholar college admissions consultant.

The consultant will return their evaluation and revisions for the student to review. The student will then submit their final college application with peace of mind that everything has been reviewed.

• 5 different options to choose from
• Includes everything from reviewing yourself as a student to negotiating financial aid

Why Choose Prep Scholar College Admissions

Varsity tutors review.

Varsity Tutors

• Someone looking for a complete package
• Someone looking for a dedicated financial aid specialist
• Someone looking for a lot of 1:1 time with your consultant

$4,700 for the program. Pretty solid offering with basic features within the course.

Only 1 option offered. It is a complete option though.

Includes mostly everything that the other courses include but does lack some features.

• Tailored writing exercises to improve your writing
• Application review by a whole team
• Only 1 option offered

Varsity Tutors keeps their offerings very simple – they offer 1 complete option. This option is available for $4,700 and is a complete option that includes mostly everything you will need.

First, you will fill out an information form. The point of this form is to match you with the proper college admissions counselor. Everyone is different and has different needs, so Varsity Tutors has you fill out this form so they can match you with the best potential counselor.

Once you are matched with a counselor, you will have access to things like:

• Guidance on crafting a compelling narrative
• A timeline to keep you on track
• Help selecting schools
• Writing exercises to improve writing
• Personalized essay feedback
• Mock interviews

One unique thing about Varsity Tutors is the emphasis they place on financial aid. You will work with a dedicated financial aid person to help maximize your financial aid opportunities. This specialist will also help you with completing financial aid forms and submitting documents.

• 1 comprehensive option
• Financial aid specialist
• Final application review by a whole team of experts
• A dedicated financial aid specialist

Why Choose Varsity Tutors College Admissions

• Someone looking for a complete package for a decent price

How to Choose a College Admissions Consultant

Selecting the right college admissions counselors can be the difference between getting into your top school of choice or not. There are many important factors to consider when choosing the best college admissions consultant. The most important thing is to consider your own individual needs.

What to Consider When Purchasing A College Admissions Consultant

When considering your own individual needs, it is important to be honest with yourself. Do you or your child need help with the whole college admissions process or just part of the process? Do you or your child only need assistance with the financial aid aspect of the process? These are questions you should be asking yourself before purchasing a college admissions program.

Price is going to be a factor when purchasing college admissions counseling. Most programs are not going to be cheap. You should look at this as an investment in your future. You will pay some money up front, but will reap the benefits down-the-road when you accepted into a top school.

The features within these different college admissions courses will vary. Some programs include everything, while other programs only include parts of the college admissions process. Prep Expert was one of our top choices due to the flexibility and ability to customize your program.

Other Factors to Consider

Some other factors to consider include:

• Financial aid – if this is a big part of your admissions process, you should find a program that will assist you with this.
• Essay assistance – if you need help with all of the writing that is included during the college admissions process, make sure the program you choose includes writing assistance.
• Customization – find a program that works for your specific needs. Many of these providers include a free consultation – ask questions during these consultations to see what they offer and if they are willing to adjust the program to your specific needs.

Do I Need a College Admissions Consultant?

A college admissions consultant may not be for everyone. While a college admissions consultant may make the process easier and help you get into a better school, they are certainly not necessary. Plenty of students are able to get into top school with a consultant.

Here are some alternatives to consider:

• ACT Prep – See our rankings of some ACT prep courses .
• SAT Prep – See our rankings of some SAT prep courses .

Methodology: How We Tested College Admissions Consultants

We looked at 10+ different college admissions consultants before narrowing it down to the best 4. We chose 4 providers because we did not want to overwhelm our users. Each of the 4 providers we chose (besides Varsity Tutors) has multiple different packages and offerings.

After spending time researching these providers, we gave the providers different ratings for 5 different criteria. Each of those criteria are assigned a weight which helps us arrive at a final weighted score.

For more details, read about our independent review process .

FAQs About College Admissions Consultants

Is a college admissions consultant worth it.

College admissions consultants  are great for students who need additional help when applying to colleges. Consultants can help you with all the steps involved in the college admissions process and can even help you get some additional financial aid.

Which college admissions consultant is best?

After reviewing  numerous consultants , we found that Prep Expert and Princeton Review were the best options. These 2 companies have a ton of different options for students looking for college admissions assistance.

What service does a college admissions consultant offer?

College admissions consultants  offer a ton of different services. They can assist students with their college essays, college applications, finding your best fit colleges, and working through the financial aid process.

• Authored By: Dave Evangelisti
• Last Updated February 26, 2024

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EssayPro offers a flexible process for both writers and clients, making it a cost-effective option for students on a budget. You can choose a professional writer based on your needs and budget and select from three main paper types: high school, university, and doctorate. You can also quickly review professional writers’ qualifications before hiring.

MyAdmissionsEssay – The Biggest First-Order Discount

MyAdmissionEssay is a recommended option for those seeking a college paper writing service in the U.S. with fast turnaround and affordable prices.

MyAdmissionEssay is a top choice for a college essay writing service in the U.S. offering quick turnaround at an affordable price. Although it may not be the best option for high-quality college-grade essays, it is suitable for simpler essays and tight deadlines.

With consistent discounts for both new and returning customers, MyAdmissionEssay provides a fast and low-priced option compared to other paper writing services. Despite mainly having ESL writers, they are carefully selected to have skills comparable to native English speakers.

Good reputation

Fast response and support

Quality work for the price

Minimum $10 per page

(275 words, college level, two-week deadline)

MyAdmissionEssay also offers a money-back guarantee, showing their confidence in the quality, customer service, and integrity of their service.

GradeMiners – Personal statements at their best

GradeMiners may not have top-notch essay writers, but it has been improving its services over the past few years. As a result, it has become one of the most sought-after online essay writing services in the US. Its quick turnaround time appeals to customers with tight deadlines.

The essays from GradeMiners require minimal editing due to its vast pool of knowledgeable and experienced writers. They are able to handle various writing projects, including bulk orders, while still maintaining their fast turnaround time.

Not only does GradeMiners offer writing services, but it also assists students of various academic levels with homework, such as problem-solving, making it the ideal essay writing service for high school and college students.

With fast turnaround times to meet pressing deadlines, GradeMiners is a great option for students in demanding courses with multiple projects and limited time. Its experienced writers provide high-quality essays that meet assignment requirements.

Exemplary customer support

Fast turnaround time

Flexible revision and report policies

Discounts for new and returning customers

Minimum $17 per page (275 words, college level, two-week deadline)

The professional paper writers on the site are mostly non-native English speakers, available to hire at student-friendly rates. They cater to a wide range of academic papers, including essays, theses, and issertations.

EssayService – The Fastest Essay Writing Service

There are various essay types with varying specifications and requirements, some of which are more complex and require specialized skills. Personal statement essays are one such example.

Unfortunately, not all essay services in the US can provide top-quality personal statements. However, EssayService is a trustworthy option. EssayService ensures quality by assigning writers who have a degree in the relevant field or a related field to write personal statements.

Personal statements are customized to your needs. This essay writing service has over 300 professional college essay writers who can produce top-notch personal statements. All essays are original and undergo multiple checks to eliminate plagiarism. At EssayService, you can have your paper completed in under 8 hours with minimal editing required.

In addition, EssayService offers free services such as formatting, referencing, and revisions that comply with its revision policy.

Free add-on features

Top-notch personal statement writeups

Progress tracking

Flexible revision policy

Minimum $11 per page for an admission essay / personal statement (275 words, college level, two-week deadline)

Moreover, the tracking feature of EssayService sets it apart from others, allowing you to monitor the progress of your paper in real-time. EssayService can handle virtually any subject within any time frame.

How long does it take a writer to write my essay for me?

The time it takes to complete an essay varies, as different types of essays have different requirements and deadlines. Custom specifications often accompany assignments, particularly for important documents like personal statements for scholarships and applications, or for academic writing like research papers and dissertations. Thus, providing a definite time frame without considering all the details can be difficult. The type of essay affects the time required to complete it. However, some reputable essay writing services are willing to go above and beyond to deliver high-quality essays even under tight deadlines. Some websites offer a turnaround time as short as 3-8 hours, but it’s important to note that these companies may not be the most affordable options. They charge a premium fee to deliver within the specified short time frame. However, even for essays with tight deadlines, essay writing services typically still process orders quickly and efficiently.

Does a professional writer write my essay?

Reputable and trustworthy academic writing companies recognize the importance of producing high-quality essays, and as a result, only hire experienced and knowledgeable experts to handle their writing projects. These writers, who are either native English speakers or skilled English as a Second Language (ESL) specialists, possess skills comparable to those of native speakers. Some essay writing services allow you to choose who will work on your project, providing you with the opportunity to review writers’ credentials and select the one best suited for your essay. Other paper writing websites are transparent about their writer screening and selection process, ensuring customers are aware of the measures the company takes to guarantee the quality of its services. While not all essay writing companies in the U.S. require a degree, many do. This means that professionals with degrees in the relevant field or a related field often write your essay, ensuring a high level of expertise.

Is buying essays online a secure and confidential process?

Buying anything online comes with a risk as there is no guarantee. The online space is prone to scams, so it’s important to be cautious. However, there are many trustworthy companies available, you just need to know where to look. Reputable companies prioritize their customer service as it reflects on their reputation. The reliability and reputation of a paper writing service speaks to its confidentiality and safety for purchasing essays. Look for websites that place high importance on confidentiality and privacy. To find a trustworthy service, read independent reviews from reputable agencies and avoid the reviews on a company’s official site, as negative feedback is unlikely to be posted there. When choosing a legitimate essay writing service, consider its policies, offerings, and core values, as well as the emphasis they place on confidentiality, originality, and privacy.

Are essay writing services legit?

Using a paid essay writing service is both legitimate and safe. It is legal to pay someone to write essays for you, as long as you don’t turn in a plagiarized paper. Reputable companies focus on originality and run multiple plagiarism checks, ensuring you have nothing to worry about in terms of authenticity. However, it’s important to review the website’s Terms and Conditions before hiring an online essay writer. Some services allow you to use the work as your own, while others are intended solely for research and as examples and cannot be submitted as your own work. In this case, you may face legal issues. When searching for a reliable essay writing service, thoroughly review their policies and ask questions about your specific purpose and rights to use the essay.

Can I request a revision if I am not satisfied with my paper?

These writing websites design their services to minimize customer dissatisfaction with their work. They often include free revisions as a value-add to ensure customer satisfaction. These revisions provide an opportunity for the writer to address any concerns and make necessary changes to the paper. However, in the unlikely event of dissatisfaction, it is important to review the company’s policies and guarantees before making a payment. Some services offer limited revisions, and any changes must comply with their policy. Meanwhile, others offer a money-back guarantee in case of customer dissatisfaction. To ensure a positive experience, it is best to avoid low-priced writing services with unclear policies regarding revisions and satisfaction.

Which are the main drawbacks of essay writing sites?

There are potential downsides to hiring an essay ghostwriter, especially if you don’t choose a reputable one. One issue is receiving a paper filled with errors, typos, and grammar mistakes. Not all essay writing companies thoroughly screen and select their writers, which can lead to subpar work. Research and data accuracy are also important factors in essay writing and can pose risks if not done properly. Organization and flow are also crucial in essays, but some companies may divide the work among multiple writers to meet tight deadlines, leading to a disjointed essay. Plagiarism is a common concern in the essay writing industry, but most reputable companies have measures in place to prevent it. This is often reflected in their pricing.

When selecting an essay writing service for your college papers, certain crucial factors should not be overlooked, such as turnaround time, originality, revisions, customer service, pricing, and content quality.

On our list of the best companies, we have Studdit as the overall best essay writing service. Considering its quality writing, quick turnaround time, and fair pricing, it is the most popular and versatile option.

Studdit’s solid research process, editing, proofreading, and formatting make it a top-tier choice. If you are also looking for specific services like personal statement writing and high school homework help, we also cover that in this list.

Student review of WriteMyPapers.org and its services

C ollege life can be challenging for students. Often, we have little time to write quality essays. As a result, we do such tasks overnight and do not provide the best quality. This was the case for me until I started using a pro writing service that made my routine easier and freed my time. I want to say that the WriteMyPapers tool impressed me so much that I decided to leave my review so that other students can simplify their college lives. So, let’s learn how safe and legal this resource is and what it offers in my review of this paper writing helper.

The products and services that I use

This essay writing service provides its customers professional help with various college and university assignments. The task of this website is to complete the papers according to the customer’s requirements so that students can rest and concentrate on other equally important things.

In the process of using this paper writing website, I tried a whole range of services, starting with writing standard college essays and ending with a term paper and thesis. So be sure, I asked this website to write my paper more than once. It is worth noting that the service contains services for absolutely every topic and specialty. This means that specialists are working here who are ready to fulfill an order of any complexity. In addition, the writers on this service are qualified graduate students, professors, and simply competent authors with rich experience.

The website offers authors of three levels: basic, advanced and top. Your choice of performer is a requirement for the completion of the assignment. I was afraid that the chosen performer would not understand me or would perform the task incorrectly. But when my first assignment was done perfectly, I was convinced that only real professionals work here. A big advantage for me as a student was the fact that the writers here work around the clock and on weekends. More than once, I was in such a situation that I did not have time to prepare properly for exams, and this service helped me in the middle of the night and prepared the necessary assignment for me in the morning. You can also contact the support team if you have any questions.

Another interesting service that the service offers is the tracking of your work. For example, when I place lengthy projects with long deadlines, I have the right to monitor their entire workflow and initiate any adjustments, which is important for students. In addition, you can request a plagiarism check report from the writer and get the sources used in your material.

The experience of the authors and the quality of their work

The good news is that this essay writing website works with over 1000 experts in different areas. My advice – check the level of knowledge and competence of the expert before placing an order. Also, make sure that your time zones coincide and that the writer will be able to complete the task on time. Also, the writer should use competent academic language so that your paper will be accepted and receive a high grade. You can discuss all these nuances with a support team.

For me, a pleasant moment is the fact that the service provides free samples. These are samples of the writers’ work so that you can have a better idea of whether the writer’s writing style is to your liking.

Service fees and payment methods

The price of your order depends on the type of order. Many reviewers state that they charge an average price for such services. On the main page of the site, there is a price calculator that you can use to calculate the cost of your order. There you specify the number of pages, type of assignment, terms, and so on, and the system will quickly calculate the price for you.

For example, one page of an undergraduate essay costs $11. The higher your requirements are, the higher the price will also be. As soon as I registered on the site, I received a promo code for a 7% discount on my order. In addition. This academic writing service gives customers discounts depending on the value of their order. If they place an order over $500, they get a 5% discount, for order over $1000, they get a 10% discount.

The services here are provided on a prepaid basis. If you see that your paper needs improvement, you can request a revision or a refund.

Pros and cons of the service

The advantages of WriteMyPapers that I have discovered are:

• A large selection of academic papers, ranging from essays to term papers and dissertations;
• High quality of academic writing;
• Extensive experience and professionalism;
• Anonymity and confidentiality for students;
• The support team investigates every complaint when necessary and takes the right solution to the problem;
• Unique content without plagiarism and use of AI tools;
• A high level of education and professionalism of the writers guarantee the publication of works without grammatical, syntactical, and other mistakes;
• free samples of papers, essay fragments, essays, term papers, and other types of academic materials from the platform’s authors.

Disadvantages of using the service, which I noticed for myself:

• Sometimes, the support team doesn’t answer at once.

The disadvantages I mentioned are just what I observed and felt subjective. I had no problems finding competent writers, and the service thoroughly checked their professional skills.

Ration of this Essay Writing Service on the internet

While looking for a reliable service for ordering academic papers, I went to reputable websites on the Internet and searched for information about what people say about different paper writing websites. For example, on sites such as sitejabber.com, I saw that this platform was rated quite high – 4.52 stars out of 5. Of course, user experience is individual. Someone may want to have all the answers at once, or someone may have miscommunication. However, in general, people left positive feedback; they were satisfied with the quality of the papers they received and the service in general. Many students wrote that they got high grades for the work they received and saved a lot of time.

Final verdict of my review

If you are looking for a reliable writing helper for your academic writing, I highly recommend WriteMyPapers.org. The service has an excellent reputation on the Internet, and you should trust it with your academic assignments. The quality of the services provided is always top-notch, and the site is secure and fraud-proof. Moreover, the service guarantees confidentiality and anonymity. No one will ever know that you asked for writing help. You also do not have to worry about plagiarism and the use of AI tools. Writers write independently, using reliable sources of information. I would like to add that this essay writing service made my college easier and more comfortable. Although I pointed out a few minor drawbacks in my review, I still give it the highest score – 10 out of 10. Order articles, essays, papers, term papers, and other academic works on this writing website and save you money and nerves.

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These websites help students find college scholarships and get free application advice

Applying to college and figuring out how to pay for it can be tough. these websites provide a plethora of free resources for high school students..

It can be stressful to go through the college application process and figure out how to finance that education , whether you're a high school senior applying or a parent who's supporting the process.

Even the thought of looking for scholarships or understanding how much you can earn from work-study can be daunting. It also doesn't help that all the news about the cost of college is depressing, with the total national student loan debt load at $1.388 trillion by the end of 2023, according to Experian — and that's after factoring in various loan forgiveness programs .

The College Board found that the average cost of in-state tuition and fees at a public university was $11,260 per year in 2023. Most students, though, aren't paying the full amount to go to college: The College Board also found that public university students, on average, were spending $2,730 per year on tuition and fees thanks to grant aid.

Financing your college education can be made easier if you know where to seek scholarships and how to apply for aid from the federal government.

What we'll cover

How to find college scholarships.

• Going Merry

Fair Opportunity Project

Other ways to save, bottom line, compare offers to find the best student loan.

$100 million in scholarship funds go unawarded and over $2 billion in student grants go unclaimed each year, according to SoFi . A common misconception is that scholarships are only available for those with exceptional grades or abilities.

"There are lots of different scholarships out there and lots of different types of scholarships," says Jefferson Pestronk , executive director of the Modern States Education Alliance , a philanthropy focused on college accessibility and affordability, and a former director of special initiatives in the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement.

As a result, there are many opportunities for students to save on education, regardless of their grade point average or their standardized testing score. However, it's a double-edged sword.

"You've got to put in the legwork to find the ones that match who you are," Pestronk says. 

CNBC Select has rounded up six scholarship search services that could help you save on school. While these websites and apps are useful, many of the scholarships listed are competitive, so students should also seek out local scholarships, fill out their FAFSA, appeal their pre-existing financial aid package and look into federal student loans.

Going Merry 

Going Merry , now owned by student loan lender Earnest , was first created by Raymond Murthi and Charlie Maynard. Ray saw a gap in the market when helping his girlfriend apply for scholarships for her master's program. Charlie faced similar issues during his undergraduate and master's programs. Together, they were inspired to create an online service that not only aggregates scholarships but also allows users to apply for them directly through the website.

Rather than fill out multiple scholarship forms, high school students can set up a profile by entering some basic information about themselves. Once they've established a profile, they can apply for multiple scholarships through Going Merry. Users can alter the info for each application and may be required to answer different questions depending on the application.

Going Merry will use the information in your profile to recommend scholarships. Users can also use the search function to filter scholarships by categories like number of recipients, the deadline and competitiveness.

Eligible borrowers

Undergraduate and graduate students, parents, half-time students, international and DACA students

Loan amounts

$1,000 minimum (or up to state); maximum up to cost of attendance

Range from 5 to 15 years

Variable and fixed

Borrower protections

9-month grace period

Co-signer required?

Offer student loan refinancing.

Yes - click here for details

Terms apply.

Actual rate and available repayment terms will vary based on your income. Fixed rates range from 5.19% APR to 9.74% APR (excludes 0.25% Auto Pay discount). Variable rates range from 5.99% APR to 9.74% APR (excludes 0.25% Auto Pay discount). Earnest variable interest rate student loan refinance loans are based on a publicly available index, the 30-day Average Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The variable rate is based on the rate published on the 25th day, or the next business day, of the preceding calendar month, rounded to the nearest hundredth of a percent. The rate will not increase more than once per month. The maximum rate for your loan is 9.99% if your loan term is 10 years or less. For loan terms of more than 10 years to 15 years, the interest rate will never exceed 9.95%. For loan terms over 15 years, the interest rate will never exceed 11.95%. Please note, we are not able to offer variable rate loans in AK, IL, MN, NH, OH, TN, and TX. Our lowest rates are only available for our most credit qualified borrowers and contain our .25% auto pay discount from a checking or savings account.

Fastweb (Financial Aid Search Through the Web) says that it was the first scholarship search website . Founded in 1995 by Canadian businessman and entrepreneur Larry Organ, it has over 1.5 million scholarship opportunities listed. Its team of researchers decides which scholarship opportunities are posted and makes sure that none are scams. None of the scholarship applications have fees and none require you to enter personal information. 

Students can set up a profile, and Fastweb will recommend scholarships based on the information provided. There's also a database of scholarships organized by student type, whether you're Black, bilingual, a veteran, etc.

Whenever you apply for a scholarship via FastWeb, you'll be redirected to the specific scholarship website where you can apply. Unlike Going Merry, you'll have to go through the hassle of entering the same information multiple times to apply for different scholarships.

Appily (formerly Cappex) is a website that matches students up with potential scholarships and also helps them discover and learn about different colleges.

Appily, like Fastweb and Going Merry, recommends colleges for students to apply to based on their profile. It also has a comprehensive database of colleges with information about the average net price of a college, acceptance rate, application deadlines and post-grad statistics to help you choose which college is a good fit. 

The website makes a point to educate students about the college process. It has quizzes that help students understand what college majors they might be interested in and explainer articles about specific majors.

For example, the article about social work majors details what type of coursework you might take in college and info on entry-level salaries.

The scholarship search function allows students to search by different factors like ethnicity, first-generation status and the reward amount.

The Fair Opportunity Project was founded in 2016, by Harvard students Luke Heine and Cole Scanlon. They started the organization to help high school students of all socioeconomic backgrounds gain access to college application resources.

The Fair Opportunity Project works a little differently than the other sites, as it doesn't match students to scholarships. Instead, it offers a comprehensive 129-page guide , available in multiple languages, for high school students that includes information about letters of recommendation, how to compile a college list and examples of college essays that worked. 

The Fair Opportunity Project also offers a mentorship program free to students from underserved and underrepresented communities in the United States. Mentors are volunteers who are either current college students or recent college graduates. Students can meet with an advisor for about an hour at a time to get help with college applications, the financial aid process, writing and editing essays and completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) .

Mos is set up like a dating app, but for scholarships.

Students can download the app for free and create a profile by taking short quizzes that ask questions about things like desired majors, GPAs, interests and background. The app then matches students with scholarships that align with their profiles and students can swipe right to save their favorites.

The app provides a summary for each scholarship, including how long the application should take, as well as a brief list of requirements, such as whether it requires an essay. What Mos doesn't do is automatically apply for scholarships on your behalf — it's just a matching tool designed to make finding scholarships easier.

According to its website, Mos' database has over $160 billion in financial aid , some of which is exclusive to the app. Students interested in more personalized support can opt for Mos Premium membership ($9.99 per month or $49.99 per year) to get access to a financial aid advisor who can help with things like filling out scholarship applications, reviewing aid offers and drafting tuition negotiation letters.

Scholly , now owned by student loan lender Sallie Mae , is another free mobile app that matches students with scholarships based on their interests, background and accomplishments. Founder Christopher Gray won $1.3 million in college scholarships and realized how time-consuming the scholarship hunt could be, so he started Scholly to make the process easier.

Students have used the platform to earn over $100 million in scholarships, according to its website. The platform has also provided access to exclusive scholarships from major companies like Amazon and Google.

Users share information about their interests and qualifications, and Scholly provides them with a tailored list of relevant scholarships to consider. Thousands of scholarships are added to its database every month so even long-time users can find new scholarships easily.

Sallie Mae Student Loan

Undergraduate and graduate students, borrowers seeking career training

$1,000 minimum; maximum up to cost of attendance

Range from 10 to 15 years

Deferment and forbearance options available

Between high tuition costs, housing, food and supplies, a degree's sticker price may seem scary. Pestronk recommends finding someone who has been through the college application and financial aid process before to help you better understand your options and plan ahead. 

Students often forget they don't necessarily have to be at an expensive institution for four years to get a bachelor's degree. Students can get college credit through approved classes or college-level examination programs, which can allow students to start their college careers even a year ahead of schedule. 

"That 25% is going to make the difference for a lot of students who otherwise can't afford it," Pestronk says. 

He also highlights College Promise , a non-profit organization that provides "last dollar scholarships" to students who already qualify for financial aid and grants. College Promise programs, which are available in certain geographic areas across the country, then cover the remainder of the student's out-of-pocket costs to allow that student to attend college without cost.

Pestronk recommends that students use tools that estimate how much attending a certain college will cost them and how that translates into loan debt. If you're looking for a private student loan , CNBC Select named College Ave as a top low-interest student loan lender thanks to its competitive interest rates, as well as no application, origination or prepayment fees. Eligible borrowers also receive hardship protections like deferment, forbearance and grace period options.

College Ave

Undergraduate and graduate students, parents

Range from 5 to 20 years

Deferment, forbearance and grace period options available

Only for international students

Compare offers to find the best savings account

Financing your college education doesn't have to be stressful. Scholarships are one way to keep your student loans low, and they may be more attainable than you think. There are thousands of scholarships out there, many of which go unclaimed. You just have to know where to look. 

Money matters — so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox.  Sign up here .

Meet our experts

At CNBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. For this story, we interviewed Jefferson Pestronk, an expert on education affordability. Pestronk is the director of the Modern States Education Alliance , a philanthropy dedicated to making college more affordable and accessible. He has nearly two decades of experience working in education, notably as the vice president for strategy and development at a non-profit organization focused on improving public education in New York City, and as the director of special initiatives in the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement .

Why trust CNBC Select?

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every college scholarship guide is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of financial products .  While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.

Catch up on CNBC Select's in-depth coverage of  credit cards ,  banking  and  money , and follow us on  TikTok ,  Facebook ,  Instagram  and  Twitter  to stay up to date.

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