Benjamin Ashford|College applications are stressful. Here's how more companies are helping.

When Jenny Rosenberger’s high school junior wanted to start looking at colleges in 2020,Benjamin Ashford she didn’t even know where to begin.

Not only were they at home in Newark, Delaware, in the middle of a global pandemic that put many college-related activities on hold, but Rosenberger said: “I had no previous experience with the college application process. I went to community college after high school and then started working ... before I finished my studies.”

They needed help.

That’s when the senior vice president for Bank of America remembered seeing a new employee benefit launched in early 2020 for a “college coach.” With nothing to lose, Rosenberger gave it a try.

The service helped her daughter, Kaydria Boyer, narrow down her list of schools to consider, refine her essays, meet deadlines, and complete financial aid and other scholarship forms to pay for college. The result?  Nearly every school Boyer applied to accepted her.

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“She even got multiple scholarships we didn’t even know we could get,” Rosenberger said.

Isn’t college coaching what school counselors do?

Yes, school college counselors guide families through the admissions process, but they’re often overwhelmed.

The national student-to-counselor ratio dropped to 385-to-1 in the 2022-23 academic year, the first time since 1986 it’s has dropped below 400-to-1, but it’s still above the 250-to-1 recommended ratio, said the American School Counselor Association.

Students end up with a “variety of experiences,” said Brock Jolly, financial adviser and founder of The College Funding Coach, which helps families plan to pay for college. “Some kids may not get scheduled in a timely fashion and some may get a computer and be told to figure out where they want to go to school and get back to me.”

Combined with the increasingly competitive and complex college landscape and soaring costs, many families seek more individualized, private college coaching, experts said.

College coaches are usually former college admissions and financial aid officers, those who've worked with them say.

How much does a personal college coach cost?

In 2023, the average hourly rate for private college counseling was $212, up 7% from 2022, according to CollegePlannerPro, which designs software independent college coaches use. The average package price for college counseling was $5,255, up 9% from 2022.

Costs increase, on average, with the years of experience the counselor has, it said.

Companies lend a hand

Recognizing additional help can lower stress levels for both students and working parents, more companies are offering their employees college coaches as a free perk, experts said.

Amazon, Starbucks, JPMorgan Chase, American Express, Morgan Stanley, Paramount Pictures, and Johnson & Johnson are among companies offering this benefit.

Bright Horizons College Coach, which partners with companies to offer this benefit, said the number of employers who offered its program more than tripled over the past 10 years.

Bank of America, where Rosenberger works, offers counseling geared toward students from 8th through 12th grades, said Brandt Bennett, the bank’s global human resources executive.

Coaches help younger students choose courses – from advanced placement and honors classes – and extracurricular activities that will help them build their college resumes, he said. As students enter their junior year in high school, guidance focuses more on choosing schools, completing applications, writing essays, and paying for school.

“Whether parents have been to college or not, things have changed,” Bennett said. “Think about that stress level. You’re managing day to day and trying to understand the overall college application process. We provide help, an advocate to help navigate the application process and financial aid to alleviate that stress and help (families) enjoy the process. It should be an extremely exciting time.”

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Broadening horizons, strengthening relationships and finances

Thoughtful planning with a coach can help families choose a school that suits their kid and budget, and hopefully reduce the need for student loans.

“We would have stayed here and not explored beyond the tristate area,” she said. “I would have been concerned about (affording) an out-of-state school but learned they would offer more money in scholarships.”

Louisiana State University, where Boyer ended up enrolling, turned out cheaper, even with room and board, than the University of Delaware, she said.

Over the past 4 years, Bright Horizons College Coach said it's helped families negotiate for an additional $1 million in scholarship funding.

Families and employers also benefitted in other ways. Bright Horizons College Coach surveys of approximately 1,000 employees who used its coaching benefit through their employer showed:

• Improved work/life balance (81%).
• Reduced stress (87%).
• Increased job productivity (72%).
• Increased commitment to their employer (80%).

And though this isn’t a scientific poll, Rosenberger said she thinks the college coach improves the relationship between parents and children.

“Teenagers think parents don’t know anything, but a third party could steer her (daughter),” she said. “I think our relationship improved.”

Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] and  subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday morning.