What 351 Trustpilot reviews say about Empowerly
A 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot is high enough to look suspicious. So we wanted to know what families really think.
So we read the 20 most recent reviews on Empowerly’s Trustpilot profile. Not all of them were good. Three were one-star reviews.
Below, we include what happy families mention, along with what unhappy ones do. Most importantly, we provide a brief response explaining what we’ve changed and how. We also respond to each complaint. Where we’ve fixed something, we say so. Where we haven’t, we mention that too.
If you want the shorter version on pricing and fit, it’s on our reviews page.
Empowerly’s Trustpilot reviews: an honest assessment
As of November 10, 2026, Empowerly had a TrustScore of 4.8 across 351 Trustpilot reviews. Of those, 321 gave us five stars, and another 17 gave us four. Eleven families gave one or two stars, and two gave three stars.
Those 11 low ratings make up about 3% of our total score. Most college counseling companies would skip them. We won’t. We want you to know what went wrong and what we’re doing to address it.
How Empowerly collects Trustpilot reviews
Empowerly has never bought a review or paid anyone to write one. Families receive nothing for leaving a review: no discount, gift card, or entry into a drawing.
We email every family a link to Trustpilot and ask for an honest review. Nobody gets screened out, so unhappy families get the link too.
Trustpilot shows where each review comes from. Of the 20 most recent, eight arrived through our link, and 12 were posted without one. Our Trustpilot profile also notes that we invite customers to review “whether [their experience was] positive or negative.”
We can’t delete a review. We can flag one that breaks Trustpilot‘s rules, such as a review from someone who never worked with us, and Trustpilot decides what happens next. The three one-star reviews below are still up.
What our five-star reviews have in common
Read our recent reviews, and one thing stands out: Empowerly families praise their counselors.
Every counseling company, ours included, likes to talk about Ivy League and public Ivy admits. The counselor is who gets a student there.
Read Ethan’s full unprompted review on Trustpilot
Bluntness comes up more than we expected. We’re glad. A college counselor selling your child on pipe dreams is a bad counselor.
A parent who worked with the same Empowerly counselor for three years wrote that he’ll tell families when they’re aiming too high.
Read Jeannie’s full unprompted review on Trustpilot
Fit matters as much as credentials in college counseling. Unlike our competitors, Empowerly lets families meet more than one counselor before choosing, and the families who mention it credit it with a good match.
Read Qing’s full unprompted review on Trustpilot
What the reviews say about the results
Outcome reviews exist, and they name the schools where our students got in, including Stanford, Yale, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Michigan, etc. Most college counseling companies sell you the same list of prestigious acceptances.
Here’s a more measured five-star review.
Read Nischay’s full unprompted review on Trustpilot
“In part” is the honest claim here. A student who got into Penn did most of the work, and a counseling company that claims otherwise is lying. But the “in part” still counts. At a school as selective as Penn, partial credit makes a real difference.
Families also boast about our AdCom Review, where a former admissions officer reads the finished application and makes suggestions before it's submitted. It may be the most important step in the process.
Read Hasini's full unprompted review on Trustpilot
Of course, not everyone loves working with Empowerly. It would be disingenuous to share only the positive experiences.
Here are our one-star reviews.
What our one-star reviews say
Three complaints show up, and we’ll answer each one.
One parent called our services “generic” and said the price was too high for what they received. They also said canceling was harder than the 60-day window suggested.
Read Amy’s full review on Trustpilot
We would argue our services are far from “generic.” Our team includes former admissions officers and readers from Brown, Duke, Stanford, and UC Berkeley, plus counselors who went to every Ivy League school. That gives families insight into how admissions decisions get made.
As for our price tag, we’re considerably less expensive than many of our competitors. We also understand that not everyone wants to pay a five-figure price for private counseling, regardless of its benefits. That said, our students earned more than $12 million in scholarships last year, so counseling often pays for itself.
But let’s get to the root of Amy’s complaint: our cancellation policy. Here it is in plain terms: every family can easily cancel within our 60-day window by contacting our support services. No questions asked.
Another parent was turned off by our sales follow-up. According to her account, after browsing the site, she received repeated texts and emails to confirm a consultation. Then, she got a call before the consultation even happened.
Read Carol’s full review on Trustpilot
The parent was right. We contacted her too often. Since April 2026, we’ve capped how often we call, text, and email prospective families. We apologize to Carol.
Yet another parent expected in-person internships, while most of ours are fully remote.
Read Nancy’s full review on Trustpilot
Most of our professional internships are remote at startups, and in-person placements depend on cohort and location. Many families like the flexibility. If you need an in-person internship, ask about it during your consultation.
Are Empowerly’s Trustpilot reviews real?
Yes. All of Empowerly’s Trustpilot reviews are written by families and students, and Trustpilot shows which ones came through an Empowerly invitation and which were posted unprompted. We can’t delete negative reviews, but we do reach out to any displeased families as quickly as possible.
The next question is more important: do our positive reviews resemble your family?
Who Empowerly isn’t right for, based on the reviews
Families who prefer a lowest-cost option. Former admissions officers pressure-test every application in our AdCom Review, and experienced essay reviewers work alongside your counselor. That costs more than a basic service.
If you only want feedback on your application, rather than a hands-on, proactive approach from a team of hundreds with specialized backgrounds in STEM and Business admissions, Empowerly isn’t the right fit.
Families who want a counselor in the room. Our counselors work remotely, and many of our programs are remote-first (like our Startup Internship Program and Research Scholars Program). If you prefer in-person counseling or programs, another company might be a better fit.
Families who want the option to leave mid-year. Few college counseling companies offer month-to-month contracts, and we don’t either. Please read our cancellation policy above and ask about it during your consultation.
Who Empowerly is right for
Empowerly is built for families aiming for highly selective colleges and programs. If you want a standout application for your target and reach schools, we offer packages built around your needs and profile.
Ask us about any review on this page or on Trustpilot
Bring the one-star review that worries you to a free consultation and ask about it directly. Worst-case scenario? Either way, you’ll leave with a written plan.