Spark Admissions, established in 2013 by Dr. Rachel Rubin and Rachel Blankstein near Boston, has become a premier college admissions consulting company with impressive success rates. Their structured yet adaptive process has led to significantly higher acceptance rates compared to national averages for many top universities.

With an advantage factor of 7x, Spark Admissions reports acceptance rates significantly higher than national averages—most notably, a 48% acceptance rate to Harvard University (28 of 58 applicants) compared to the 3% national rate. These unparalleled results have cemented Spark’s reputation as the nation’s top college admissions consulting firm, widely recognized as the best in the industry.

Functioning as an “admissions think tank,” Spark continuously analyzes trends and requirements to create customized application strategies. Their experienced consultants provide comprehensive, personalized guidance tailored to each student’s unique strengths while leveraging deep institutional knowledge of elite universities’ preferences.

Spark Admissions claims to have “the highest college admissions success rate in the country,” with admissions rates 8 times higher than the national average for Ivy League schools and 6 times higher for many top 50 colleges and universities.

Students choose Spark Admissions for their reported ability to help applicants secure spots at dream schools, even as acceptance rates at top institutions continue to decline nationwide. The company maintains a perfect five-star Google review rating, with over 85 reviews reflecting client satisfaction with their approach and results.

Case Study Highlight

Alexandra*
Alexandra came to Spark Admissions when she was a bright, thoughtful ninth-grader interested in STEM—particularly computer science.

As a first-generation immigrant, she would be the first in her family to attend a U.S. college. Her parents sought an experienced admissions counselor to help navigate the college process.

We immediately recognized Alexandra’s potential. However, we also knew her quiet nature would make it difficult to stand out among STEM applicants at highly competitive colleges.

*Student’s name changed for privacy

What We Did

Alexandra’s Spark Admissions counselor:

Identified and helped her secure high-level computer science internships at Harvard and MIT;
Helped her cultivate leadership skills as captain of three STEM-related teams;
Encouraged her to step outside her comfort zone and build confidence with acting—an interest that set her apart from other STEM applicants;
Helped apply her computer science skills to her passion for environmental preservation via unique volunteer opportunities;
Counseled her on high school class selection and study habits to maintain outstanding grades;
Guided her in developing exceptional college applications and additional materials highlighting her high-caliber research experience.

Admissions Result

Alexandra was accepted Early Decision to Dartmouth College, her top-choice school.

Glowing Testimonials

Our family has used Spark Admissions for both of our children, who have successfully gotten into their top choice colleges. Spark Admissions has guided our family step by step through this arduous process, starting at the end of the sophomore year. They provided advice on how to create a narrative and how to reach all the milestones to substantiate this narrative through extracurricular activities and internships. They help with crafting resumes and with brainstorming essay topics. Overall it was a great and very successful experience.

Liza L.

We feel so lucky that our daughter was able to work with Spark Admissions for the college process. We started early with just a couple of meetings towards the beginning of high school, and then more involved counseling later to help decide on a college list and edit applications. Emily Herring gave solid advice and was patient and supportive during the application process – our daughter was accepted to her top choice ED (Duke), but Emily also made sure that she was ready to submit her RD applications if the news hadn’t been good. As parents, we appreciated that Spark kept such careful track of hours to make sure we felt that the time spent was as efficient as possible. We know that nothing in college admissions is guaranteed, regardless of qualifications. Emily worked with our daughter to put together a cohesive application to show how she would be an asset to the schools on her list. We are eternally grateful to her and Spark!

K. Bat