What is a college admissions consulting agreement?
Families hire admissions consultants during one of the most anxious years of a teenager's life, often for a significant fee. That's exactly why the terms should be written down: what the package includes, how many meetings and colleges it covers, who is responsible for hitting each deadline, and what happens to the money if the family stops halfway or the dream school says no.
This agreement is signed by all three people involved. It describes the package — comprehensive, essay-only or hourly — with the meetings and number of applications covered, and makes clear the consultant is independent of any college. The student and parent stay in charge of submitting through the student's own accounts. A plain honesty section says the student writes their own essays and reports everything accurately, and the consultant can walk away from anything dishonest. Admission isn't guaranteed, and the agreement gives a cooling-off refund window, a fair partial refund after that, a meeting rescheduling rule and strong privacy for the student's grades, essays and family details.
- Best for
- Independent college counselors, essay coaches and admissions consultancies
- Signed by
- The consultant, the parent or guardian, and the student
- Packages
- Comprehensive, essay-only or hourly
- Length
- 2 to 3 pages
When to use a college admissions consulting agreement
- A family signing up for a full junior-to-senior-year counseling package
- A student who only wants help with the personal statement and supplements
- A parent booking a few hourly sessions to build a balanced college list
- An international student applying to universities abroad
- A transfer student or gap-year applicant reapplying with a consultant's help
What you fill in
16 blanks, then the name and email of each person who signs: consultant, parent or guardian, student.
1 The parties
- Consultant (your business or name)*
- Parent or guardian's full name*
- Student's full name*
- Student's current school and grade
2 The package
- Application cycle*
- Package* a comprehensive package · an essay-only package · an hourly arrangement
- What is included*
- Meetings included
- Number of applications supported
- Package ends
3 Fees
- Currency*
- Package fee or hourly rate*
- Payment*
- Full refund if cancelled within (days of signing)*
4 Other terms
- Meetings can be moved up to (hours before)*
- Governing law*
5 Who signs
- Consultant signature and date · The admissions consultant or consulting business.
- Parent or guardian signature and date · The parent or guardian who is paying. If the student is an adult paying for themselves, you can remove this signer in the editor.
- Student signature and date · The student applying. They sign to accept the honesty commitments.
What the college admissions consulting agreement covers
- Services
- Deadlines and responsibilities
- Honesty in applications
- No guaranteed admission
- Fees and refunds
- Privacy
- General
Using the college admissions consulting agreement, step by step
1 Name everyone
Enter the parent or guardian and the student, the student's school and grade, and the application cycle. All three of you sign.
2 Describe the package
Choose comprehensive, essay-only or hourly, edit what's included, and add the number of meetings, the number of colleges supported and when the package ends.
3 Fees and refunds
Enter the package fee or hourly rate and how it's paid — in full or in instalments — and the number of days the family has to cancel for a full refund.
4 Send
Set the meeting rescheduling window and the governing law, then send it. Each person signs from their own link and gets the signed copy.
Tips before you send it
- Give the family the deadline calendar in writing at the first meeting, and say again that submitting is their job.
- Have the student sign too. It makes the honesty commitments theirs, not just their parents'.
- If you're a member of a professional association for educational consultants, follow its code alongside this agreement.
- Keep essay feedback as comments and questions. It protects the student and you if a college asks how an essay was written.
Sign it online in minutes
- Fill in the blanks. Names, dates and amounts go straight into the agreement — the preview shows exactly where.
- Name who signs. Tick “This is me” for your own part. FileIt builds the PDF with every signature, date box on the right line, and you can check or move anything before sending.
- Send it. Each signer gets a secure link and signs from any device — no account needed. The signed PDF, with an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion, is filed in your vault and emailed to everyone.
College admissions consulting agreement: frequently asked questions
Does an admissions consultant guarantee acceptance?
No, and this agreement says so plainly. Colleges make their own decisions, so the fee is for advice and support, and isn't refunded because of an admission or scholarship decision.
Will the consultant write the student's essays?
No. The consultant can brainstorm, ask questions, comment and suggest edits, but the student writes their own essays. Activities, grades and family information must also be reported accurately.
Can we get a refund if we stop?
Yes. There's a full refund (less any meetings held) within the cancellation window you set. After that, the unused part of a package is refunded in proportion, less a reasonable charge for the assessment and planning already done.
Does the student need to sign?
The template includes the student as a signer so they accept the honesty and responsibility sections themselves. If the student is an adult paying for their own consulting, you can remove the parent signer in the editor. Electronic signatures are generally valid for a service agreement like this in the US (ESIGN Act and UETA) and many other countries.
Is this template free?
Yes. It's free in the FileIt eSignature app. The parent and student each sign from an emailed link, with no account needed.