Premium Prep, Llc

What Premium Prep, Llc does

Premium Prep, LLC is a privately held, founder-led US college admissions counseling firm founded in 1999 by Alyse Levine, headquartered implicitly in the United States and operating under multiple DBAs including Premium Prep, Premium Prep College Counseling, Premium Prep Academy, and Premium Prep Consulting Group. The company delivers one-on-one, human-expert college admissions guidance to high school students (Grades 9-12) and their families, structured into three program areas: Planning & Research (Comprehensive Assessment, College List, College Visits), Academics & Growth (High School Curriculum, Extracurriculars, Summer Planning), and Application Process (The Application, Essays, Interview Prep, Financial Aid & Scholarships). Service is delivered by a roster of 50+ counselors and writing specialists whose resumes include elite high schools, prestigious colleges, and prior college admissions office experience.

The underlying technology is not a platform: there is no proprietary software layer, no AI/ML component, and no mobile or web application. Service delivery is consultation-based, with intake via Calendly and direct sales of build-your-own modular packages. A content-marketing layer (50+ blog articles, video library, two free interactive assessments, a five-day email mini-course) functions as a top-of-funnel lead-generation engine rather than a productized SaaS surface. Outcomes are tracked in a proprietary database covering 65+ colleges, where the firm reports a 94% top-three admit rate and admit-rate advantages ranging from 2x to 17x versus national benchmarks.

Revenue mechanics consist of customized professional-services packages priced individually against each family's selected services and budget; no price list is publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is hybrid: sales-led (free strategy consultation followed by custom plan), event-driven (college fairs and high school visits), and community-led (educational blog, free resources, email courses). Customer acquisition is decentralized across thousands of individual families with no enterprise anchors, and Premium Prep has guided 3,500+ students cumulatively since founding. The operating footprint is US-focused with no disclosed geographies outside the US.

Name

Premium Prep, Llc

Legal name

Premium Prep, LLC

Website

https://premiumprep.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Premium Prep, LLC is a US-based, founder-led college admissions counseling firm founded in 1999 that delivers one-on-one expert guidance to high school students (Grades 9-12) and their families via 50+ counselors, structured across assessment, list-building, application, essay, interview, and financial-aid services sold as customized packages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

College Admissions Counseling

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Undergraduate (First-Year) Admissions Counseling (EDANAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

College & Career Counseling (Admissions, Scholarships, Pathways) (EDAJALAE), College Readiness & Admissions Prep Centers (Small-Group Workshops) (EDANAHAI)

Keywords

• College admissions counseling
• College application coaching
• College list planning
• College essay support
• Financial aid guidance

Headquarters

HQ city

Chapel Hill

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, Others

Revenue model

1. College Counseling Services: Customized counseling packages where families choose services that fit their student's needs and budget. Services include Comprehensive Assessment, College List Building, Application Management, Essay Support, Interview Prep, Financial Aid Guidance, Extracurricular Planning, and High School Curriculum Advice.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Premium Prep provides personalized, one-on-one college admissions counseling for high school students and their families through a phased program covering Comprehensive Assessment, College List building, High School Curriculum advice, Extracurriculars & Summer Planning, Application management, Essays, Interview Prep, and Financial Aid & Scholarships. Services are delivered by 50+ expert counselors and packaged as customized plans that families can build around their student's needs and budget. The company also runs the PrepUp Scholarship Program and free resources including readiness assessments, a video library, a blog, and a 5-day email course.

Product overview

Premium Prep is a professional college admissions counseling service offering a comprehensive, multi-phase program designed to support students from freshman year through senior year. The core service is the College Counseling Program, which is structured around three connected areas: Planning & Research (Comprehensive Assessment, College List, College Visits), Academics & Growth (High School Curriculum, Extracurriculars, Summer Planning), and Application Process (The Application, Essays, Interview Prep, Financial Aid & Scholarships). These services are delivered by 50+ expert counselors through personalized one-on-one guidance. In addition to the core counseling program, Premium Prep offers the PrepUp Scholarship Program for merit-based financial assistance, along with free resources including a College Readiness Assessment, Application Readiness Assessment, Video Library, Blog, and a Mini-Program called '5 Days to Your Best College List' email course.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PrepUp Scholarship Program: Scholarship program offered by Premium Prep for students

Products and services

• Comprehensive Assessment Diagnostic assessment service that helps students discover strengths and find an optimal college admissions path; serves as the cornerstone of Premium Prep's counseling approach for high school students and families.
• The College List Strategic college list development service that helps students build a balanced list of target, reach, and safety schools based on their academic profile and preferences.
• High School Curriculum Academic planning service that helps students select courses aligned with their ambitions and future college applications.
• Extracurriculars & Summer Planning Guidance service that helps students identify meaningful activities and summer opportunities that build authentic profiles for college applications.
• The Application End-to-end application management service where counselors guide students through every component of the college application from activity lists to short answers.
• Essays Expert writing support service providing guidance on personal statements and supplemental essays from brainstorming through final proofreading.
• Interview Prep Mock interview and coaching service helping students gain experience and essential feedback to perform well in college interviews.
• Financial Aid & Scholarships Financial guidance service that helps families navigate scholarships, grants, and financial aid applications including FAFSA.
• College Visits & Demonstrating Interest Strategic guidance service that teaches students when, how, and why to demonstrate interest through campus visits and other engagement activities.
• PrepUp Scholarship Program Merit-based scholarship initiative administered by Premium Prep that provides financial assistance to qualifying students.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• College Success PlanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremium Prep and College Success Plan partnered to create a helpful checklist for rising college freshmen, guiding students through their senior year from August through the month they arrive on campus. The partnership provides comprehensive coverage of the college transition process including application deadlines, enrollment decisions, health requirements, housing, and orientation.
• StudyLabminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStudyLab co-wrote the blog post 'How to Stand Out on Your College Application' with Premium Prep. StudyLab offers hundreds of scholarship opportunities and student resources that complement Premium Prep's counseling services.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• IvyWise: IvyWise is a premium college admissions counseling and test prep firm serving high-school students and families seeking placement at elite institutions. It competes directly with Premium Prep on individualized counselor-led packages and elite-school outcomes positioning.
• College Coach: College Coach (formerly Carabba Group) provides one-on-one college admissions counseling with a large national network of former admissions officers. It is a direct competitor in the high-touch, individualized counseling category.
• Empowerly: Empowerly combines college admissions counseling with AI-driven personalization and data science, serving students targeting selective universities. It is a direct competitor pairing counseling with technology-enabled tools.
• Admissionado: Admissionado is a college admissions consulting firm offering one-on-one counseling, essay review, and interview prep for selective college applicants. It competes directly on the same high-touch counseling value proposition.
• Compass Education Group: Compass offers individualized college admissions counseling, test prep, and subject tutoring targeted at highly selective college applicants. It competes with Premium Prep on elite outcomes and counselor-quality positioning.
• Top Tier Admissions: Top Tier Admissions provides private college admissions counseling with a focus on Ivy League and top-tier outcomes. Its service model, pricing structure, and target customer are closely aligned with Premium Prep's.

Emerging players

• CollegeVine: CollegeVine started as a peer-support admissions community and has expanded into counselor-led admissions advising and an AI-powered college search/recommendation engine. It is an emerging competitor that combines content, community, and paid counseling.
• College Confidential: College Confidential is a long-running online community and resource hub for college admissions, increasingly offering paid counseling partnerships. It competes with Premium Prep for attention and intent at the top of the funnel rather than on full-service packages.

Broad incumbents

• The Princeton Review: The Princeton Review is a broad incumbent in test prep and admissions services, offering standardized test prep, tutoring, and admissions counseling at scale. It overlaps with Premium Prep on admissions counseling but competes primarily on test prep.
• Veritas Prep: Veritas Prep provides test prep (SAT, ACT, GMAT) and admissions advisory services. It competes with Premium Prep on the admissions counseling layer while operating a broader test-prep portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Premium Prep, Llc