
Matthew Riley
College admissions counselor and SAT/ACT tutor, online from Washington
| Hourly rate range | $150 to $225 an hour |
|---|---|
| Focus areas | |
| Works with | Students and Parents |
| Based in | Washington, United States |
| Sessions | Online |
| Credentials | HECA member |
| Practice | Ivy Academic Prep |
Matthew Riley is an independent college admissions consultant who helps students and parents with the application process. He is the senior admissions counselor at Ivy Academic Prep, which offers online one-on-one counseling and SAT and ACT tutoring. The team has helped students get into Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT and Columbia. Packages cover school lists, essays, interviews and scholarships. Riley also supports transfer and graduate school applicants.
What Matthew helps with
Ivy Academic Prep helps students build strong college applications and raise their test scores. Work covers strategy, essays and testing.
- Building a college list
- Writing and revising admissions essays
- Preparing for admissions interviews
- Finding scholarships
- Applying to summer programs
- Building activities lists and resumes
- Planning transfer and graduate school applications
- Improving SAT and ACT scores
Who Matthew works with
Clients are high school students applying to selective colleges, and their parents. The firm also works with transfer applicants and graduate school applicants. One client was returning to school after years away. Some students start in 9th grade, and others come for help with essays at one school.
How Matthew works
Students in the full package meet with their counselor in regular sessions. In 9th and 10th grade, meetings are regular. In most of 11th and 12th grade, they meet about every 2 to 3 weeks. Essays get 6 drafts each. Senior counselor Dr. Riley also gives guidance. Essay-only packages include two 1-hour online sessions and written feedback on up to 4 drafts. Sessions run online by video.
Background and qualifications
Matthew Riley is a member of HECA and works as an independent college consultant. He is the senior admissions counselor at Ivy Academic Prep. The firm says its counselors and tutors have experience with Ivy League applications and have placed students in top 20 colleges. Students have been admitted to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT and Columbia.
Matthew Riley pricing
Programs and services
- Full admissions counseling packages
- Essay review package
- Transfer and graduate school application package
- Hourly admissions consultations
- SAT, ACT and PSAT tutoring
- Free admissions checklists for grades 9 to 11
Matthew Riley reviews
The CoachVouch take
Offers both admissions counseling and SAT/ACT tutoring, with a senior counselor overseeing each student's work.
Best for students aiming at selective colleges who want help from 9th grade through the final application.
Common questions
How much does Matthew Riley charge?
Coaching with Matthew runs $150 to $225 an hour. Message Matthew from this page for an exact quote.
What does Matthew Riley help with?
Matthew Riley helps with building a college list, writing and revising admissions essays, preparing for admissions interviews and finding scholarships.
Does Matthew Riley coach online?
Matthew is based in Washington, United States. Sessions are online.
Is Matthew Riley certified?
Matthew Riley lists: HECA member.
Does Matthew Riley work with transfer and graduate school applicants?
Yes. Ivy Academic Prep has a package for transfer and graduate applicants. It covers course choice, extracurriculars, recommendation letters and essays.
Are sessions online?
Yes. Counseling and tutoring are one-on-one and held online by video.
How do I contact Matthew Riley?
Send Matthew a message from this page. It's free and takes a minute.
Similar coaches to compare
Tick "Compare" to message several coaches at once.

Robert Dannenhold
Robert Dannenhold is an independent college consultant with Collegeology, LLC in Seattle, Washington. He helps high school students and their parents plan for college, from picking schools to finishing applications. The team has helped over 1,000 students and families from the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Seattle magazine chose Collegeology as its 2010 pick for college advising. Robert has worked with clients since 1972 and is a HECA member.

AdmissionSight
AdmissionSight is an admissions consulting firm that helps students and parents apply to Ivy League and other top universities. The team covers college, transfer, graduate and MBA applications. Founder Eric Eng has over 15 years of experience and graduated from Princeton. He works one-on-one with only 15 students per year. Senior consultants include graduates of Harvard, Stanford and Carnegie Mellon. Services also include essay editing, extracurricular planning and test tutoring.

Colleen Paparella
Colleen Paparella is a college admissions consultant who helps students and parents through the college application process. She founded DC College Counseling in McLean, Virginia, and leads a team of counselors. She spent the first decade of her career in undergraduate admissions and independent school counseling, including six years as a Director of College Counseling. She has a special interest in gifted and twice-exceptional students, and in students with ADHD, autism, and anxiety.

Meri Khnkoyan
Meri Khnkoyan is an independent college admissions consultant who helps students and parents through the U.S. application process. She founded College Who Consulting and focuses on immigrant families who are new to the system. She went through the process herself without family guidance. She takes only a few families a year and personally reads every application. Her students earned 82 offers across 45 schools in the 2025-2026 cycle.
Browse related
Last updated September 2026. Request a correction.