Ivy Coach Review: High-End College Admission Counseling

Deciding which college to attend is one of the most important decisions you’ll make in your life. Aside from developing your worldview and social network, college has significant financial implications for your future. It can help determine which professional opportunities you’ll have access to and how much you’ll earn as you move through your career.

Depending on your career ambitions, there’s a lot of pressure to get into a good school. College admissions consultants are one resource students are looking to in order to help them land a coveted spot at an elite college. But the cost of admissions consulting can vary substantially from one consultant or firm to the next.

Ivy Coach is an example of a particularly expensive college admissions consulting firm that helps students find placements in top schools.

What Is Ivy Coach?

Ivy Coach is a college admissions consulting firm based in New York City that works with students around the world. Founded in 1992, the company offers students its decades of experience, helping them gain admission to some of the most prestigious schools in the country.

Ivy Coach’s core value proposition is assisting students and their parents as they navigate the admissions process beyond just getting good grades and perfect test scores. This can range from deciding whether or not to apply early decision to determining which schools to apply to in the first place. An Ivy Coach consultant works with you to build a great application package and craft compelling essays that stand out against the competition.

While the firm promotes advising as early as the eighth grade, it isn’t limited to undergraduate advising. Its counselors also help college grads find placement in top medical schools, business schools, law schools, and PhD programs.

In addition to admissions counseling, Ivy Coach also offers other services like test prep and tutoring - but only as part of it complete package. This includes undergraduate exams like the SAT and ACT, as well as tests for advanced degrees like the GMAT and LSAT.

The firm is a member of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling. 

Related: What Is A Good SAT Score?

What Does Ivy Coach Offer?

College admissions at elite universities are more competitive now than ever before. This year, Harvard admitted just 3.41% of applicants, which is the second-lowest admissions rate in the school’s history. Ivy Coach works with students who want to beat the odds to get into their top school.

Its website indicates that, over the last 30 years, all of Ivy Coach's package got into Harvard (26X), Yale (24X), Princeton (25X), Columbia (27X), Dartmouth (28X), Brown (24X), Penn (27X), Cornell (24X), Stanford (27X), and Duke (27X). This means that every single student who applied in each of those colleges for the year received an offer of admissions (i.e. 26 or 27 years out of 30 years) -- whether they had 6/6 students or 8/8 students in a given year. This was confirmed by a member of the Ivy Coach team.

While not giving a specific number, the team at Ivy Coach said "We...have worked with hundreds of students who have earned admission to each of the Ivy League schools over 30 years."

To get a student ready for the application process, Ivy Coach conducts a strategy session to evaluate the student’s academic trajectory and extracurriculars. This process can begin as early as middle school. A consultant will work with the student (and their parents) to develop a strategic plan for the coursework, tests, and activities that will make the student a more noticeable candidate.

Once a student is ready to apply, an Ivy Coach consultant helps the student work through the actual admissions process. This includes developing a personal narrative essay that is tailored to each school and helps the candidate stand out. Consultants also coach students to prepare them for interviews and work with them to get the best letters of recommendation possible.

Are There Any Fees? 

If you’re serious about using Ivy Coach to help you get into your dream school, be prepared to pay up. Before you get started you’ll have to do an evaluation. 

Ivy Coach doesn’t disclose the prices of its services.

Its all-inclusive Unlimited Package, which provides advising and coaching for up to 20 different schools, reportedly costs more than $100,000. Also, there is an FAQ on their site that indicates that their fees are higher than a year's tuition.

The total cost of its services will likely be much higher. In 2019, The New York Times reported that a full consulting package from Ivy Coach can cost as much as $1.5 million.

They do offer a pro bono services to those in the military. These slots are limited. 

Suffice it to say, if you want to work with Ivy Coach, don’t expect its services to come cheap.

How Does Ivy Coach Compare?

How Do I Get Started With Ivy Coach?

Ivy Coach doesn’t maintain an online portal where users can log into. When you’re ready to get started, fill out the contact form on their website. You’ll be asked to provide your contact information as well as answer a couple of questions about your academic status. This will register you for a 20-minute consultation with an Ivy Coach consultant. If you decide to hire Ivy Coach, they’ll work with you directly after that.

Is it Safe and Secure?

Ivy Coach will collect the information you supply via their contact form, but they do not sell that information to third parties. You can learn more from their privacy policy. 

They can accept payments online but it does not maintain an online portal for students and parents to use. Consulting services happen via Zoom. 

How Do I Contact Ivy Coach?

You can set up a free consultation through the contact form on their website. Or if you prefer to email directly you can do so at ashley@ivycoach.com.

Their phone number is 212-600-0312.

Is Ivy Coach Worth It?

It depends. The process of using a college admissions consultant can be valuable, especially if you, or your child, aspires to go to an elite school. If getting into the perfect school is extremely important and you have the funds, then Ivy Coach may be a good fit. 

It states on their website that they only work with students who have a reasonable shot at getting into the schools of their choice. So if they agree to work with you then it's highly likely you will be admitted. 

It also depends on the services you're looking for. The earlier you start, the more their services can help you build a great college admissions resume. 

That said, there are other admissions consulting services that provide similar services at a fraction of the price. 

Ivy Coach Features

Editor's Note: This article has been updated to more accurately reflect Icy Coach's admissions record, as well as what's included in their packages. Ivy Coach also asked that we remove their logo from this article.