We hired The Ivy Institute for college admissions counseling, paying a total of $21,500. The agreement included a money-back guarantee for $15,000 if our son was not accepted into any of his top-eight college choices. Unfortunately, he was not accepted into any of them, so we sought a refund as per the company's policy.Our attempts to get a refund began in June 2025. The owner, Michael, initially claimed the refund had already been processed a month prior, but we never received the funds. He then "reissued" the refund, which also never arrived. Over the next two months, we were given various excuses for the delay, including "unexpected financial periods" and "significant expenses," and were repeatedly promised payment dates that were never met.In August 2025, after months of chasing the refund, The Ivy Institute sent a partial payment of $7,500. However, they then refused to send the remaining half of the money. Michael claimed that we had breached a "crucial part" of our understanding by not removing our negative public reviews. This was a misrepresentation of our agreement, as we had explicitly stated we would update our reviews upon receiving the full refund.This entire process has been incredibly frustrating and filled with what we consider to be bad faith actions. The company made serious accusations that our son's essays were "100% AI-generated," which they claimed was the reason for his rejections. This excuse was only brought up after we requested a refund and despite the fact that their own staff had edited and approved the essays for submission. To make matters worse, the owner, Michael, sent a threatening email in June 2025, stating that if we did not remove our negative review, he would share his "findings" about the AI content with our son's colleges, potentially leading to rescinded offers and our son being "blacklisted."We have all the documentation to support our claims, including emails from Ivy Institute staff working on the essays and an email from Michael himself committing to a refund despite his unsubstantiated accusations. Given their refusal to process the remaining refund and their threatening communications, we will now file legal action.
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Ranked #1 year after year, The Ivy Institute is the most trusted name in elite college admissions. With hundreds of successful acceptances to Harvard, Stanford, MIT, UPenn, Princeton, and more, our results speak for themselves — and we’re the only firm offering a money-back guarantee.
Our expert team of former Ivy League admissions officers delivers insider strategy, personalized guidance, and unmatched insight. Every applicant receives a data-driven, custom admissions plan crafted to maximize their unique strengths.
From essays and interviews to extracurricular strategy and school selection, we handle every detail with precision — and a proven formula that consistently gets students into the world’s most selective schools.
Other firms make promises. We deliver results — or your money back. When the goal is the Ivy League or top 10 universities, trust the name that sets the standard: The Ivy Institute.See more
