The Best College Admission Counselors of 2026!

The strategy for your kid to get accepted into their dream college has changed. Now, it’s about building the right combination of academics, extracurriculars and communication skills that the admissions officers in each college/major combination are looking for. That’s right, each admissions officer is looking for a specific profile depending on the school’s vision and the requirements of the career major, so a “well rounded” profile is not necessarily better.

Families getting ahead of the game are using college admissions counselor to build their kid’s college profile in a competitive and authentic way. We found the top rated counselors for 2026 according to Trustpilot reviews:

How competitive are college admission rates

Research by Caleb Ren (Harvard College Class of 2021) shows how applications to top colleges have increased constantly in the recent 20 years, and how acceptance rates have declined in the same time range.

How to choose a college admissions counselor

A good college admissions counselor should offer the following services 

  • Build a college list that suits your student’s profile and dreams
  • Conduct strategy sessions to help you with sending your SAT/ACT scores 
  • Plan your senior year courses, extra-curricular activities, and recommendation letters
  • Guidance and support for early action and early decision college applications 
  • Application and essay review 
  • Advise on securing financial aid and FAFSA 
  • Prepare for an interview and follow up with the college about the decision on your application.

Be sure to ask about their background, area of expertise, industry certifications, students previously worked with (and the acceptance rate), any compensation received from colleges in return for student placement and if they help a student fill out the application form or write an essay for admission. Note that the response to the last two questions should be a No. 

Extra points if the counselor has worked in college admission offices at top universities, since they are well aware of the selection process and criteria that the admissions committee considers when it comes to selecting the right applicants.

What to expect on the first call

Your first call with a Counseling company is key to defining your student’s journey for the following years. The goal of the call is to determine the gap between your student’s current profile and the requirements of their target colleges. Expect to share about:

  • Your student’s major/career interest
  • Any list of colleges you’ve already thought about
  • Most recent GPA (unweighted)
  • Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) classes
  • Extracurriculars and passion projects
  • Recognitions, awards and outstanding accomplishments

After the call you should receive a plan to build your student’s college profile across the main categories: academics, extracurriculars and communication skills. This is an opportunity to learn about your kid’s college readiness from a new perspective.

Success story from Empowerly

Additional guides by Empowerly

Counselors recommended to families and students to start working on their college plans in ninth grade so they have all four years of high school to build the right combination of academics, extracurriculars and communication skills. We found these useful college checklist for each year to keep you on track:

We also found a list of free webinars you can signup for. Empowerly publishes more than eight new ones every month covering the college admissions tasks that families should be working on during that time of the year.

Students and families can follow Empowerly on social media for the latest updates on college admissions trends and strategies: Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin!

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