Many college admissions consulting firms promise expert guidance and outstanding results. This is precisely why an honest Union Hall Advising review matters.
In my opinion, Union Hall Advising is exceptional enough to deserve a closer look—but only after asking hard questions based on experience that students and parents should consider before committing.
Pros & Cons (In Short)
Before we look at the details, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons. This will help families decide if UnionHallAdvising is right for them.
| ✅ PROS | ⚠️ CONS |
|---|---|
| Their “Blueprint” vs. “Complete” setup makes it easy to choose between a one-time strategy plan and full support. | Their outcome claims are hard to verify from the summary alone. |
| Union Hall Advising covers the complete admissions workflow (story and positioning, list strategy, essays, interviews, application review). | If you mainly need a few essay edits or interview practice, a comprehensive package from Union Hall Advising could be more than you need. |
| If writing and revision are the main problems, unlimited essay revisions can be very helpful. | “Narrative” focus may not fit every student. |
In short, Union Hall Advising seems like a good fit for students who want big-picture guidance and ongoing support. But it may not be ideal for those who only need help with a few specific tasks. While some of their previous clients appreciate the structure, others feel that the approach is excessive.
Now that you’ve seen the quick pros and cons, let’s move on to the full review.
What Are the Main Services of Union Hall Advising?
Union Hall Advising appears to be a comprehensive, full-service admissions consulting firm. From what I’ve seen, they spend a lot of time helping students understand what their application is really saying. Then, they ensure that the message is consistent throughout, from the college list to the essays to the final submissions.
This firm doesn’t try to sell a quick fix or last-minute rescue. Instead, the focus is on planning ahead, making smart choices early, and keeping things consistent all the way through the application cycle. That method is excellent for students who have solid grades and activities but aren’t quite sure how to piece it all together on their applications.
However, this approach tends to click best with families who already get how competitive admissions are. If you’re applying for the first time, you can look forward to getting more step-by-step guidance than what this model usually offers.
What’s Included in Those Packages?
Union Hall Advising advertises two main service tracks.
Blueprint (strategy-only, short engagement)
You fill out a detailed intake form, they review your background, and then you have a one-hour call with their Head of Admissions Advising. After that, you walk away with a clear plan and a list of next steps.
Complete Service (strategy and ongoing support)
This full-support option includes regular one-on-one meetings, college list building, early decision, and early action planning. The package also covers recommender guidance, test strategy (including test-optional choices), interview prep, and essay support with unlimited revisions.
On top of that, experts from UnionHallAdvising.com help with application reviews, deadlines, summer programs, or internships. You can also expect some guidance with financial aid strategy, waitlists, and more extras.
As I know from general practice, that’s a very broad menu. That can be great, or it can turn into “everything and the kitchen sink,” where families end up paying for a lot they don’t use.
Who Is on the Union Hall Advising Team?
Union Hall says you’ll be paired with an experienced, dedicated advisor, and they claim each advisor has helped hundreds of students. They also reference a “Head of Admissions Advising” as part of the Blueprint process.
However, the advisor bios on their website are not clearly listed in a way that lets a family quickly verify the background, caseload, and track record of each advisor.
From a parent’s perspective, this is a significant oversight because, in this field, the advisor you receive is as important as the package name.
Do They Offer Any Extra Services?
The Complete Service includes a few add-ons, at least according to the information on the paper. We’ve already mentioned some of them above:
- Extracurricular positioning and enhancement plans.
- Awards and honors planning, application creation.
- Financial aid strategy and offer optimization.
- Waitlist and deferral help for high-stress moments when families tend to panic.
Still, in my opinion, these services feel more reactive than built-in. They appear only when a student reaches a specific situation, rather than being part of a clearly structured process from the start.
Does Union Hall Avising Have Any FREE Services?
Yes, but it’s mostly the standard “get-to-know-us” content you’d expect from a premium admissions firm.
- Union Hall Avising promotes free daily webinars with an admissions expert and live Q&A. In reality, these sessions tend to stay fairly high-level.
- There’s also a free guide featured on their homepage, plus a newsletter signup. Again, helpful for general awareness, but not something that replaces real guidance.
- Finally, the free consultation appears everywhere on the UnionHallAvising.com. As is common in the industry, the goal is to diagnose the student quickly and move toward a paid package.
As you can see, these free resources are good for getting started, but you shouldn’t expect much personalization until you start paying.
Union Hall Avising Pricing and Guarantees
Union Hall Advising doesn’t publicly list its prices, which usually indicates that it’s in the premium market. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does set the bar high.
They also mention strong outcomes, including acceptance rates above national averages. We should always read these claims carefully. If the definitions of terms such as student profile, school range, or admissions cycle are unclear, these statements are more like marketing signals than anything you can count on.
And like most reputable firms, Union Hall Advising doesn’t guarantee admission to any school. If you’re a parent expecting things to go a certain way, you should rethink that.
Their Professionalism in Terms of Union Hall Advising Reviews
If you start digging for reviews, one thing becomes obvious pretty fast: there just aren’t that many out there.
Yes, UnionHallAdvising.com features positive parent testimonials, and they sound reassuring. Still, from my experience, anything published on a company’s own site should be read as marketing first, feedback second.
What also stands out is the lack of visibility on big reviews on third-party platforms. If you’re used to checking star ratings before committing, you won’t find much to go on there.
As always, Reddit is honestly where the most useful feedback shows up. Some people clearly like the advisors and say the focus on fit helped them calm down and make better choices. To be fair, though, such reviews are incredibly rare.
Other reviewers on Reddit weren’t as happy. I’ve seen posts complaining about small but annoying things like missed errors in essays, slow replies, and confusion around payments. That screams disaster.
The Worst Sides of Union Hall Advising That They Should Work On
Of course, the biggest issue is pricing. You don’t see numbers upfront. We have to get on a call just to find out what it costs, and that alone can create pressure. I’ve seen parents walk into those calls just to ask questions and suddenly feel rushed to decide.
Another thing that bothered me was who the advisor actually is. The “experienced advisor” sounds great, but it’s vague. We’d like to see names, backgrounds, and a sense of how many students that person is handling at the same time.
Well, how could we not mention the most common problem among such companies? The marketing claims from UnionHallAdvising look impressive, but without context, it’s hard to know what that really means. They should add more specifics, like which schools, which students, and which year.
And while the whole story-first approach works for some students, it’s not universal. In real-life situations, plenty of students don’t need a big narrative. They need someone to fix activity descriptions, tighten school-specific essays, and make sure deadlines don’t slip.
Finally, the Complete Service can be a lot. It covers everything, which is excellent in theory. But if your student is applying to a reasonable number of schools and already writes well, you may end up paying for support you barely use.
Our Verdict
Union Hall Advising looks like a legit, process-driven admissions consulting option with a wide service menu. They place strong emphasis on essays and thoughtful attention to list strategy and financial aid.
However, it is worth considering the negative reviews from their previous clients. Some downsides of UnionHallAdvising.com to keep in mind: pricing isn’t transparent upfront, it’s not always obvious who your advisor will be, and the big success claims don’t come with much detail. Plus, the whole package is obviously more than some families actually need.
Before committing, I’d recommend checking other independent takes, including reviews on BestMBAConsulting, to get a fuller picture.
FAQ About Union Hall Advising
How much do Union Hall Advising services cost?
Union Hall Advising doesn’t publish prices publicly. You usually need a consultation call to get exact numbers, so that costs can vary based on the package and level of support.
Is Union Hall Advising a reputable company?
Yes, Union Hall Advising appears reputable based on its long presence, client testimonials, and visibility in the admissions space, though independent reviews are limited.
Does UnionHallAdvising.com guarantee acceptance?
Like most ethical admissions consultants, they don’t guarantee admission to any college. They offer guidance and strategy, not outcomes.
Is Union Hall Advising worth it?
It can be worth it for strong students who need polish and positioning. For students who need heavy structure or basic coaching, it may feel underwhelming.
Is Union Hall Advising legitimate?
It’s a legitimate admissions consulting firm with real advisors and paying clients, but families should still do a careful comparison before committing.