Founded in 1999, Collegewise is on a mission to help students access the transformative power of higher education. As the largest private college counseling company in the United States, Collegewise leverages the power of more than 130 admissions experts to help students identify the best possible fit of a university they can flourish in while also bringing fun into the college application process. Over the last 25 years, Collegewise experts have studied the changing landscape, identified the stressors and pain points of the whole process, and designed an approach to give more than 36,000 students the right information and tools to help guide them toward college. Collegewise prides itself on how much experience its counselors have (they hire and train the top talent in the space) and the tools they offer students, and this approach has brought incredibly happy successes with their students, which is why 9 out of 10 families recommend Collegewise to their friends.
Collegewise (collegewise.com) has 606 customer reviews on Five Star Index, with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5.
Also known as
collegewise.com
Website
collegewise.com
Category
HR & Recruiting
Listed on Five Star Index
2026
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The company replied to 99% of reviews.
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Most recent review: October 2026.
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My son worked with Courtney Jusko at Collegewise on his college applications and clarifying what he wanted. She did a great job drawing him out and helping narrow his choices. As a parent, it was a huge relief—I didn’t have the bandwidth to guide him through the college application process myself.
Response from CollegewiseJan 27, 2026
Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re so glad Courtney was able to help your son gain clarity and narrow his choices, and that her support brought you some much-needed peace of mind along the way. We appreciate your trust in Collegewise!
BM
Bonnie M.
A Path to the Right Fit
Working with Christina Mangano at Collegewise was truly life-changing for our kids. From our very first meeting, she transformed what felt like an overwhelming, high-stress college process into something thoughtful, manageable, and even empowering. Her calm, compassionate approach immediately put our entire family at ease.
Christina worked with both of my children, who had very different needs. Her ability to meet each of them exactly where they were was remarkable. Our daughter is dyslexic and has attentional weaknesses. Christina instinctively understood what she needed from the onset. She broke the process into manageable steps, explained everything patiently, and helped her identify not just where she 'could' get in, but what she should actually be looking for in a school. The combination of steady emotional support and clear, strategic guidance set our daughter up for long-term success and confidence.
Our son, a recruited athlete and a classic procrastinator, presented a completely different challenge for Christina and still she handled it with equal parts insight, organization, and good humor. She helped him thoughtfully weigh competing at D1 versus D3 schools, while also encouraging him to consider what life might look like if he chose a different path altogether. Just as importantly, she kept him on top of deadlines, saving us from countless family arguments and a lot of unnecessary stress.
Watching friends’ families make frantic, extremely expensive decisions based on limited or inaccurate information made us especially grateful to be working with Christina. We always felt informed, grounded, and in control, knowing we had a full-picture and an up-to-date understanding of the process.
Today, both of our kids are thriving at schools that are excellent fits for them. They each received substantial merit scholarships that we wouldn’t even have even known to pursue without Christina’s guidance. She came highly recommended to us, and we have since enthusiastically recommended her to many others. The investment in working with Christina paid for itself many times over, and we are profoundly grateful for the impact she’s had on our children’s lives and futures. Christina is the absolute BEST!
Response from CollegewiseJan 27, 2026
Thank you so much for sharing this thoughtful review! We’re incredibly grateful for your trust and so glad Christina was able to support both of your children throughout their college application process. It’s wonderful to hear that they’re thriving at schools that are truly great fits. We appreciate your kind words and your enthusiastic recommendations!
CA
Carrie
We started working with Collegewise Summer before Senior Year
We started working with Collegewise during the Summer before my daughters Senior year. Elizabeth Majors is our College counselor assigned to us and we have been extremely happy working with her through this entire college process. She has given my daughter step by step instructions and timelines to keep her on track with deadlines and task. Liz has completely treated my daughter as her own through this somewhat frustrating process from beginning to end. She continues to provide her with so much encouragement and empathy no matter what news she receives and helps her in overcoming some of her feelings. Her knowledge is amazing about it all coming from a Mom who knows none of this and she has been very patient with us both. We are truly grateful for Liz and all of her guidance and support she has and is continuing to give to us. We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with Liz for my senior daughter as she makes her final decision and of course starting to work with my freshman daughter soon!
Response from CollegewiseJan 27, 2026
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We’re so glad that working with Liz provided the support and guidance your daughter needed throughout her application process.
SA
SA
Sarah Turner
Sarah Turner was my counselor and she was the best!! She was extremely helpful, especially throughout the essay brainstorming process, and supportive of my ideas. She also ensured that I stayed on track and started the application process early. With her help, I got into my top school!
Response from CollegewiseJan 27, 2026
Yay - we're so glad you got into your top school with the help of Sarah! Thanks so much for trusting Collegewise with your college application journey!
RK
Rebecca K.
CollegeWise is a Game-Changer!
Working with CollegeWise and our counselor, Ida Lonnqvist, was an absolute game-changer for our college application process. Ida not only helped us to focus and organize our timeline - but she also made the process enjoyable and FUN for our family! We highly recommend working with her and CollegeWise!
Response from CollegewiseJan 16, 2026
We're so glad that Ida and the Collegewise team was able to make the process enjoyable and fun for your family! Thank you for your recommendation!
VI
Victoria
Great Experience with Collegewise
Overall, Collegewise offers great resources to support students, and I 100% recommend working with them!
Specifically, I am so grateful to have worked with Lynne O'Shaughnessy throughout my college process. She consistently helped me stay calm and confident during such a stressful time. At the same time, she made sure that I stayed organized and on top of every deadline. Her guidance and feedback truly strengthened my applications. I’m extremely grateful for her support.
Response from CollegewiseJan 16, 2026
Thank you so much for sharing this. We’re so glad Lynne was able to support you with both structure and encouragement during such a demanding time. We’re proud of the work you put in and grateful you trusted Collegewise to be part of your journey!!
MM
Marcela M.
Highly recommended!
We truly could not be happier with our experience at Collegewise. Lynne O'Shaughnessy was our daughter's counselor, and she was exceptional in every way. She brought professionalism, clarity, and structure to a complex and stressful process, while always remaining deeply human, supportive, and understanding. She offered constant support, thoughtful guidance, and genuine care for our daughter and our family every step of the way. The outcome was the one we were hoping for, and we are so grateful for Lynne’s expertise and kindness.
Response from CollegewiseJan 16, 2026
Thank you so much for sharing this. We’re thrilled to hear how meaningful your experience was and how impactful Lynne’s guidance was for your daughter and your family!
SG
SG
Highly recommend Sarah!!
Our daughter worked with Sarah and we are extremely pleased with how the process worked from start to finish. Sarah is extremely knowledgeable, professional, respectful, and patient! She was quick to respond to questions, flexible, and was great to work with all around. These qualities, and the fact that Sarah is very easy to talk to, made the college application process smooth for our daughter and with limited stress. Sarah's depth of experience was invaluable and our daughter's school counselor was also extremely impressed with the support our daughter received, esp with the common app essays.
Response from CollegewiseJan 16, 2026
Thank you for sharing your experience! Sarah will be thrilled to hear your kind words, and we're so happy your family felt supported throughout the process.