College Advisory Service

Name

College Advisory Service

Legal name

College Advisory Service

Website

https://collegeadvisoryservice.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

College Admissions Consulting

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Undergraduate (First-Year) Admissions Counseling (EDANAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Resume / Activities List / Portfolio Development (EDANAEAG)

Keywords

• College admissions consulting
• College application guidance
• Educational consulting services
• College planning advisory
• College admissions counseling

Headquarters

HQ city

Bainbridge Island

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Advisory Services: One-time package fees for comprehensive college advisory services including planning, application guidance, essay support, and unlimited application meetings depending on package level.
2. Admissions Overview Meeting: One-time fee for 90-minute overview meeting covering admissions profile review, test selection guidance, and introduction to college fit evaluation.
3. Hourly Consultation: Hourly billing for general questions and early consultation meetings available on limited basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

College Advisory Service delivers personalized one-on-one college admissions advisory services to high school students and their families. Engagements cover admissions profile assessment, college selection and fit evaluation, standardized testing guidance, essay planning and development, and application support, delivered as tiered packages or hourly consultations and supported by proprietary online planning tools and workbook resources.

Product overview

College Advisory Service is a single-service educational consulting firm offering personalized college admissions advisory services. The company provides a tiered service model comprising an Admissions and College Planning Overview (entry consultation), a Basic Guidance Plan (fundamental support with limited hours), and a Comprehensive Guidance Plan (full-service unlimited support). All plans are delivered through direct mentorship by founder Pam Shor, augmented by proprietary CAS-branded tools including the CAS College Planning Workbook Resources and CAS Online College Planning Tools. Additional services such as Early Consultation and hourly General Questions sessions are available as add-on consulting hours. The company operates exclusively on Bainbridge Island, Washington, serving students and families nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Admissions and College Planning Overview A 90-minute consultation meeting that provides an overview of the college admissions process, evaluating the student's academic and extracurricular profile, discussing standardized testing options, and addressing financial aid fundamentals. Includes an information packet and a Personality/Career Assessment Report. Priced at $500. Targeted at families beginning to evaluate college planning needs.
• Basic Guidance Plan A foundational guidance package for families seeking college selection advice and basic application guidance. Includes a carefully crafted college list, application process review, essay planning support and 5 hours of application support. Additional guidance available hourly if needed. Priced at $5,000.
• Comprehensive Guidance Plan An extensive full-service guidance package providing robust support throughout the college selection and application process. Includes college fit assessments, guided college research, standardized testing review, a carefully prepared college list, essay workshops, and unlimited application support meetings. Includes access to CAS Online College Planning Tools and CAS College Planning Workbook Resources. Priced at $6,000.
• Additional Services (Hourly Consultation) Supplementary consulting services including Early Consultation for planning the high school years ahead of the application process, and General Questions hourly meetings on a limited basis. Billed at $195/hour.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students gain acceptance to first choice schools
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• HECA (Higher Education Consultants Association)minorOthersProfessional membership organization for independent educational consultants. Membership provides credibility, networking opportunities, and access to industry best practices.
• PNACAC (Pacific Northwest Association for College Admission Counseling)minorOthersRegional professional organization serving college admission professionals in the Pacific Northwest. Membership supports professional development and regional networking.
• SACCminorOthersProfessional membership organization (Specific acronym not fully identified in sources). Affiliation provides additional professional credibility.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• IvyWise: Premium college admissions counseling firm offering one-on-one advisory, test prep, and tutoring services. Most directly comparable to College Advisory Service in business model, price point, and selective-institution positioning.
• InGenius Prep: Boutique admissions and tutoring company offering individualized college counseling with a global consultant network. Comparable as a premium, package-based admissions advisory targeting selective-institution families.
• College Essay Guy: Founder-led college application advisory brand focused on essay coaching, with online courses and 1:1 services. Comparable in that it sells personalized admissions support with a strong founder brand and tiered offerings.

Broad incumbents

• The Princeton Review: Long-established test prep, tutoring, and admissions services brand serving the same college-bound student segment. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same space, though it operates at much larger scale and through standardized offerings.
• Kaplan: Large incumbent offering test prep, admissions consulting, and tutoring. Comparable in serving college-bound families, but as a generalist portfolio player rather than a boutique counselor.
• College Board: Non-profit operator of the SAT and College Planning tools used by the same target families. Comparable because it directly addresses college planning and admissions, though as a mission-driven incumbent rather than a paid advisor.

Emerging players

• Revolution Prep: Test prep and academic tutoring provider that has expanded into admissions counseling. Overlaps with CAS on college-bound student services, with a broader test-prep portfolio but similar end customer.
• PrepScholar: Online test prep and admissions guidance platform combining self-paced content with personalized programs. Comparable because it directly serves the same families with admissions and testing support, though delivered through a digital rather than one-on-one model.

Others

• College Confidential: Online community and resource site for college-bound students and families. Comparable as an adjacent channel that influences how families research admissions decisions and discover counseling services like CAS.
• Counselmore: SaaS platform used by College Advisory Service for student login and college planning workflow. Comparable as an enabling technology partner that other independent counselors also use, making it an ecosystem peer rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/college-advisory-service

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 College Advisory Service