Money-Back Guarantee

The following applies to our Some Help and Full Help application packages, only.

The principle our guarantee is derived from is simple. If your academic performance is on par with the average academic performance of students accepted by your desired universities and you don't get in with our help, you get your money back.

Most private college counselors do not offer money-back guarantees because it is impossible for anyone to guarantee that a top 100 national university will accept you.  However, we will guarantee a full refund of the Some Help or Full Help Application Package counseling fee if you meet all of the terms and conditions below:

Eligibility:

What you have to do: Apply to at least four top 100 national universities on the US News & World Report’s Best Colleges of 2012: National University Rankings list where your academic qualifications are on par with the academic qualifications of applicants admitted into the entering class you wish to join. Important: at least three of those universities must offer you the opportunity to appeal a rejection letter. Then, if you are accepted by not a single top 100 ranked university, you get your money back.

What you have to do: Apply to your top 4-choice universities (i.e. the four you most want to attend) where your academic qualifications are on par with the academic qualifications of applicants admitted into the entering class you wish to join. Important: at least three of those top 4 universities must offer you the opportunity to appeal a rejection letter.  Then, if you are accepted by not a single one of those top four choices, you get your money back.

What Are Academic Qualifications?

Academic qualifications are statistics that universities report about the average GPA, class rank, course rigor, standardized test scores, etc. of students who get accepted into an entering class (UCLA example [A]).  Most universities make this information publicly accessible after all decision letters have been mailed.

How Do I Know if I am Academically Competitive?

You are academically competitive if your academic qualifications are on par with the average (or mean) academic qualifications of students who get accepted into the entering class you wish to join.  If a middle 50% range is reported instead of a mean: you must fall within the middle 50% range. Although, you won’t know if you are academically competitive until after you’ve received your decision letter, you can predict your likelihood of being academically competitive by comparing yourself to the academic qualifications that were reported for the previous year’s entering class.

Where Do I Find Academic Qualifications?

Search Google using the following input as your search terms: “[name of university] freshman admission profile” or “[name of university] transfer admission profile”.  With a little research, you will find the official and most recent entering class profile for the university of your choice. Remember: you won’t know how you compare to the applicants in your entering class (which is the determining factor in your guarantee coverage) until your entering class gets accepted.

What if I Cannot Find Admissions Profiles Online?

Calling a university’s admissions office and speaking to a representative will usually allow an inquirer to determine the academic qualifications for a specific college (and major program), even if that information is not published online.  In the very unlikely event that official academic qualification statistics are not released by a university online or over the phone, College Data’s unofficial “College Profile” statistics will be used for reference as a last resort.  In this case, your academic qualifications must be on par with the average for students who reported that they were interested in a particular school (UCLA example [B]).  To find a College Data “College Profile” on any particular college, search “College Data [insert name of college]” in Google. No other sources will be used for the purpose of determining money-back guarantee coverage.

If you are a transfer student and an average transfer GPA is not reported by a university: a 3.7 cumulative transfer GPA will be the benchmark you must meet before your second to last semester before transferring to become eligible for our guarantee eligibility.

In the extremely unlikely event that academic qualification statistics are neither released by a university nor reported through the College Data’s website, the university will not be eligible for College Zoom’s money-back guarantee coverage.

Your Responsibility:

You must assume responsibility for the following:

1. You must submit all of your application materials on time.
2. You must ensure that you satisfy each college’s minimum requirements for admission before and after you apply.
3. You must not experience a significant drop in academic performance or engage in any conduct that causes a university, eligible for this guarantee coverage, to withdraw your admissions offer.

If You Are Not Accepted:

Note: being admitted or offered the option of mid-term enrollment constitutes an acceptance.  If you are not accepted by a single university that qualifies you for our guarantee coverage, you must allow us to help you appeal the admissions decision of at least two of those universities (provided free of charge).

If the Appeals are Unsuccessful:

You must provide proof that you submitted your applications and appeals on time, provide copies of the decision letters and post-marked envelopes mailed to you by the universities, and send us your latest transcript to verify that you have not experienced a significant decline in your academic performance since you applied (e.g. grades of D or F).

PayPal Transaction Fees are Non-Refundable:

If you opt for a pay-as-you-go plan and pay for our services by the hour with credit card, your PayPal invoice for each meeting will reflect a nominal credit card transaction fee.  This convenience fee is not part of the counseling fee that is refundable under this money-back guarantee. In other words, the shipping and handling fee on your PayPal invoices will not be refunded under any circumstance, but the fee for our counseling will be refunded.

If you cannot satisfy all of the terms and conditions described on this page, you will void our money-back guarantee.

Have a question?

Ask us.  We can help.
Or call: (310) 770-1829

Back to Service Page.