The single largest weight, because it is the outcome families are paying for. We count only verified placements — students whose enrollment we can cross-check against firm-published lists, public records, or direct outreach.

• Verified Top-20 acceptance rate across the cohort, cross-checked against public matriculation lists
• Year-over-year placement consistency over the last three admissions cycles
• Match-vs-reach yield ratio, normalized for the firm's stated client academic profile

A firm is its counselors. We look past the founder's bio and audit the people families actually work with: their backgrounds, their caseloads, and how often they pick up the phone.

• Independently verified academic credentials and prior admissions or institutional experience
• Active client-to-counselor ratio (not the founder's, the line counselor's)
• Median response time to client inquiries during the application window

Surveys conducted at least 90 days after the admissions cycle closes, when the gloss has worn off and families know whether they got what they paid for. We never use mid-process surveys — they reflect hope, not outcome.

• Post-process survey scores collected 90+ days after decisions are released
• Net Promoter Score from a representative sample of the firm's recent client base
• Sibling-referral and repeat-engagement rate as a longitudinal trust signal

A high price isn't penalized — an opaque one is. We score the transparency of the fee structure, the alignment between price and verified outcome, and the terms of the contract families are asked to sign.

• Clarity and disclosure of the full fee structure before contract signing
• Price-to-verified-outcome ratio relative to comparable firms in the same tier
• Refund policy, exit clauses, and arbitration terms in the standard client contract

A small weight, but a real one. Families paying premium rates deserve premium hygiene — predictable onboarding, scheduled check-ins, and written documentation they can reference six months later.

• Onboarding clarity — a written scope, timeline, and counselor assignment within the first two weeks
• Cadence and reliability of scheduled check-ins through the full application cycle
• Quality and accessibility of written documentation families can reference post-cycle

A small weight that can collapse the score. A firm caught making unsupported guarantees, paying for placements, or laundering its results through a sister brand will fail this section — and any score above 7.0 becomes unavailable to it.

• Marketing honesty across the firm's website, brochures, and prospective-client materials
• Validity of any admissions guarantees, success rates, or outcome claims being advertised
• Absence of pay-to-play practices, undisclosed referral fees, or third-party kickbacks