Short answer: there is no single best counselor in Riyadh, because the firms serving the city are built for different families. Crimson Education and InGenius Prep are large international operations. Princeton Review and the specialist tutors do test prep, not strategy. Independent counselors vary enormously. Himmah Prep, which is us, is a small firm of Ivy League-educated counselors running multi-year US and UK strategy for Gulf students. Below is what each actually is, with the questions that separate them.
The five options, honestly
Crimson Education
The largest international admissions firm, founded in New Zealand, with a Riyadh presence since 2024. Big team, former admissions officers available, strong brand, and a global results page with over a thousand Ivy League offers. Packages are multi-year and sit at the top of the market. Best for families who want the biggest name and a large support team, and who will ask exactly how many hours with the lead counselor are included, because that number is often smaller than the package suggests.
InGenius Prep
A US firm with counselors in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran and a large roster of former admissions officers. Similar model and price level to Crimson, with a strong US focus. Best for a family set on the US only who wants the former-admissions-officer angle.
Princeton Review and SAT specialists
Princeton Review Middle East, Manhattan Review, SATisfactory and the independent tutors are test-prep businesses. They raise scores and do it well, but they do not build a school list, plan summers or coach essays. Best when the only gap is the score. Many families combine a test-prep provider with a strategist, which works if someone is coordinating the two.
Independent counselors
Riyadh has dozens, from excellent former school counselors to people reselling templates. Prices range from a few thousand to tens of thousands of riyals. The quality question is simple: where did this person go to university, and how many students have they taken through a full cycle? Ask for two families you can call.
Himmah Prep
Us. Founded in 2020 by Harvard and UPenn graduates; every counselor holds an Ivy League degree. One named counselor stays with the student from Grade 10 to submission, and SAT prep, essays, leadership work and summer planning all run from that counselor's plan. We apply to the US and UK in the same cycle and know how Saudi, American, British and IB curricula read to each. Our students have been admitted to all eight Ivies, every top-20 US university, Oxford and Cambridge, and every student who completed the programme since 2020 was admitted to a university on their list. Our three plans sit in the multi-year band, below the large firms. Best for a family that wants depth and one accountable person rather than a brand and a team. The results page has the specifics.
The questions that separate them
- Who reads the essays, and where did they go to university? Not who sells the package.
- How many hours with the lead counselor are included? Get the number in writing.
- Can you show me a Saudi student's full two-year plan? Anonymised is fine. If they cannot, they have not run one.
- What happens if my child's grades slip in Grade 11? The answer tells you whether they adapt or run a template.
- Will you tell me if a target is unrealistic? The honest firms say yes and give an example.
A note on the word “best”
Every firm on this list, including ours, will have a family for whom it was the best choice and a family for whom it was the wrong one. The large firms suit families who want scale and are comfortable paying for the brand. A small firm suits families who want one person who knows the student. Pick the shape first, then the name.
If you want our read
The free 30-minute consultation ends with a candid assessment and a first school list, whether or not you choose us. We would rather a Riyadh family pick the right firm than pick us for the wrong reasons. Related: what a counselor actually costs in Saudi Arabia, and when to start.