Young Scholars

What Young Scholars does

Young Scholars is an educational services company headquartered in San Marino, California, that delivers test preparation, college admissions counseling, and academic tutoring to K-12 and graduate-school students. Its core products consist of SAT, ACT, PSAT, ISEE, SSAT, HSPT, and TOEFL preparation with individually priced practice tests ($100-$199) and multi-week boot camp programs, a multi-tier college counseling program covering undergraduate, transfer, and graduate admissions with essay and financial-aid support, and one-on-one and small-group academic tutoring across all subjects including AP and Honors. The company operates a physical distribution network of six branches across California (San Marino, La Canada, Irvine, Cupertino, Diamond Bar, Fullerton) and one branch in Seoul's Apgujeong district under the wholly owned Young Scholars Korea subsidiary, complemented by online virtual classes and self-serve enrollment through its ysprep.com website.

The company's product portfolio is unusually broad for a regional tutoring provider. Beyond the core three pillars it offers UC-approved online AP courses for high school credit, a GATE (Gifted and Talented) enrichment track, a STEAM program spanning math, physics, biology, and chemistry Olympiad preparation, ESL instruction, math-competition training (AMC, Mathcounts, AIME), chess and creative writing clubs, leadership and passion-research programs, YS certifications from third-party credential issuers (Apple, Microsoft, ESB), and seasonal summer and winter cram programs. It also runs an International Students Program providing guardianship, housing support, and academic management for international students studying in the U.S., and operates cultural centers for Chinese and Korean heritage programming. The underlying technology layer is minimal: the business is delivered primarily through human instructors, with no proprietary software platform, AI components, or API surface disclosed.

Commercially, Young Scholars operates as a direct-to-consumer business combining in-branch and online enrollment with a community-driven, referral-heavy marketing motion targeted at Korean and Chinese American families. Bilingual service delivery in English, Korean, and Chinese, free one-hour consultations as a lead magnet, and a multi-platform social presence (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Red Note, LinkedIn) constitute the primary acquisition channels. Pricing is hybrid: unit pricing for individual practice tests, quote-based pricing for tutoring, counseling, and bundled programs (e.g., the Scholars Package combining DSAT/ACT prep with college and scholarship application support). The company claims 30+ years of admissions experience, 2,000+ Ivy League acceptances, and a 94% top-35 college acceptance rate, and reports 101-250 employees across its U.S. and Korea operations.

Name

Young Scholars

Legal name

Young Scholars

Website

https://ysprep.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Young Scholars is a San Marino, California-based educational services company offering test preparation (SAT/ACT/ISEE/SSAT), college admissions counseling, and academic tutoring through six California branches and one Seoul branch, serving primarily Korean and Chinese American families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Test Prep & College Admissions Consulting

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic Tutoring Services (Subject-Specific & General) (EDAJALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Talent Search Exams Prep (PSAT/NMSQT, scholarship tests) (EDANABAH), Academic English & College Readiness for Adults (EDAAACAF)

Keywords

• Test preparation services
• College admissions counseling
• Academic tutoring services
• AP course programs
• College consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

San Marino

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Test Preparation Services: Revenue from SAT, ACT, PSAT, ISEE, SSAT, HSPT, TOEFL test prep courses including boot camps, practice tests, and tutoring. Practice tests are priced individually (AP Test $199, ISEE/SSAT $100, TOEFL iBT $120) and intensive boot camp programs are offered during summer, winter, and fall sessions.
2. Academic Tutoring: One-on-one and small group tutoring in all subjects including AP and Honors courses. Tutoring is personalized based on each student's unique learning profile and goals. Offered both in-person and online.
3. College Counseling: Comprehensive college admission consulting including application assistance, essay writing, recommendation letters, and financial aid applications. Services offered in-person at branches and online. Includes undergraduate transfer programs and graduate school application programs.
4. AP Courses for HS Credit: Online AP courses for high school credit, fully accredited and UC-approved. Students in grades 9-12 can earn HS and college credits. Classes are completed online at the student's own pace with YS instructor monitoring and support.
5. Package Programs: Comprehensive bundled programs such as the Scholars Package including DSAT and ACT prep, college application consulting, and scholarship application packages. Also includes Package A for UC & Private School Transfer Application Support and Package B for High School Seniors & Early Community College Support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Young Scholars is an educational consultancy delivering in-person and online test preparation (SAT, ACT, PSAT, ISEE, SSAT, HSPT, TOEFL, AP), personalized academic tutoring (K-12 through AP/Honors), and comprehensive college admissions counseling including undergraduate, transfer, and graduate school application support. Services are delivered through six California branches, one Seoul, South Korea branch, and online/virtual platforms, with bilingual offerings in English, Korean, and Chinese targeting primarily Asian American families.

Product overview

Young Scholars is an educational services company offering a comprehensive suite of test preparation, academic tutoring, and college counseling products. The core offerings include the Test Prep Program (SAT, ACT, PSAT, ISEE, SSAT, TOEFL), College Counseling Program (undergraduate, transfer, and graduate application support), and Academic Tutoring with AP Courses for HS Credit. These are supplemented by enrichment programs including GATE (Gifted and Talented), STEAM (Math Olympiad, Physics Olympiad, Biology Olympiad, Chemistry Olympiad, Computer Science), ESL, Math Competitions, Leadership, Research, and Certification programs. The company also offers seasonal programs (Summer, Winter), clubs (Chess, Creative Writing, Public Speech), and cultural centers (Chinese, Korean). With five branches in California and operations in South Korea, the company serves elementary through graduate-level students with both in-person and online delivery options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Test Prep Program

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Prep Expert: Prep Expert is a test prep company focused on SAT, ACT, and AP exam preparation, founded by a perfect-scorer and offering both live online and self-paced courses. It is comparable to Young Scholars' Test Prep Program in product scope and pricing, targeting motivated college-bound students.
• PrepScholar: PrepScholar is an online-only test prep and admissions prep platform focused on SAT, ACT, and graduate exams with adaptive learning technology. It competes directly with Young Scholars' Test Prep Program through a purely online delivery model and similar standardized test focus.
• Compass Education Group: Compass is a Los Angeles-based test prep and college admissions consultancy offering in-person and online tutoring, SAT/ACT prep, and admissions counseling. Its SoCal location, comprehensive service offerings, and premium positioning make it a strong regional direct competitor to Young Scholars' California branches.
• Ivy Wise: Ivy Wise is a New York-based college admissions consultancy offering one-on-one counseling, test prep, and tutoring with a focus on selective college placement. It targets the same affluent, college-bound student demographic as Young Scholars and competes on counselor quality and admissions outcomes, making it one of the closest direct peers.
• Empowerly: Empowerly is a college admissions counseling company with significant Asian American market presence and a network of Ivy League-trained counselors. It offers similar services—counseling, tutoring, and test prep—to the same high-achieving demographic as Young Scholars.
• Crimson Education: Crimson Education is a global college admissions and mentoring company headquartered in New Zealand with a strong Asia-Pacific presence. It targets high-achieving international students—including many from Korea and China—seeking entry to elite U.S. universities, directly overlapping with Young Scholars' Korean operations and International Students Program.
• Revolution Prep: Revolution Prep is an online tutoring and SAT/ACT prep company offering live, small-group instruction and one-on-one tutoring. It is comparable to Young Scholars' online tutoring and test prep offerings, with similar pricing structures and target demographic of college-bound high schoolers.

Broad incumbents

• Kaplan Test Prep: Kaplan is a major incumbent in test prep and admissions services with nationwide classroom and online offerings spanning SAT, ACT, LSAT, MCAT, and graduate exams. It provides broader category competition for Young Scholars but with a much wider, less personalized service model.
• Princeton Review: The Princeton Review is a large, established test prep and admissions services company offering SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, and tutoring across multiple U.S. and international locations. It competes broadly with Young Scholars on standardized test prep and college admissions support but lacks Asian American community focus.

Emerging players

• CollegeVine: CollegeVine is a college admissions platform offering AI-powered counseling, essay review, and admissions consulting with a network of admissions experts. It provides partial overlap with Young Scholars' college counseling service via an online-first, technology-enabled delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ysprep
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ysprep

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Young Scholars