Luxury isn’t just about where you stay anymore — it’s how you strategize the most important four years of your child’s life.
That ethos takes center stage this fall as IvyWise, a leading educational consultancy firm, launches a college tour that’s a far cry from going campus to campus in the family SUV. Designed for high-net-worth families with college-bound teens, the $300,000 all-inclusive tour blends five-star accommodations, tailored admissions strategy, and Gulfstream jet travel into one seamless journey through America’s most selective campuses.
Let’s be clear: This is not your average college road trip. Forget stuffing brochures into a rental car cup holder or navigating back-to-back tours with a cranky teen in tow. With The Elevation Experience, IvyWise reimagines the process as a concierge-guided rite of passage with MIT admissions insight over dinner and Georgetown application strategy at 40,000 feet.
The Jet-Set Itinerary
Launching in October, the inaugural four-day tour begins in New York City, where participants (one student and one guardian per family) check into the Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown before kicking off campus visits to NYU and Columbia. From there, it’s on to Princeton, Yale, MIT, Harvard, and Georgetown — all navigated via a private Gulfstream G650 jet. Each leg of the journey features private tarmac pickups, chauffeured transfers, and curated meals. Families stay at top-tier hotels, including the Four Seasons Hotel Boston, and every aspect is handled by a dedicated tour coordinator.
“What we find is that families really want this time to bond with their children, and they don't want to think about all of the logistics and the minutia of travel,” said Kat Cohen, IvyWise’s founder and CEO. “We take out that stress that can pop up between parents and students, and we make sure that we are directing parents and students on the best way to visit the schools, make an impact while they're at the schools, and then take the next steps so they can be together and bond.”
A Full Strategy Suite
Before students even board the plane, IvyWise counselors (all former admissions officers from schools like Yale, MIT, and Georgetown) begin preparing tailored research reports. These aren’t generic school profiles. Each dossier is crafted based on the student’s academic interests, extracurriculars, and potential fit, identifying everything from professors to research labs and relevant campus resources.
During the tour, students are prepped with custom questions to ask during info sessions and campus tours: a practice that often makes a memorable impression with admissions staff. Once the trip concludes, the guidance continues with seniors receiving detailed application reviews by the counselors who once made those very admissions decisions. Younger students get strategic roadmaps to follow leading up to application season.
“The admissions officers know who in the audience really is prepared and who's done their research, and they actually remember students who come on these visits,” Cohen said. “Those research reports are really important. They also help the student.”
High-Touch, High-Impact
While IvyWise has long served families from over 90 countries, this new program is as much about peace of mind as it is about prestige.
It also helps families explore a broader set of options. While the Northeast tour sticks to top-name institutions like Harvard and Yale, future tours are already in the works to include schools across the West Coast, Midwest, Southeast, and Europe.
“There are more aspirational schools today than there have ever been, which is wonderful,” Cohen said. “When we do future tours, we'll be able to see lots of other places that are not necessarily Ivy League schools. Even on this tour, they're not all Ivy League schools.”
A New Category of College Travel
In a world where families are accustomed to Aman resorts, private aviation, and Michelin-starred tasting menus, it was only a matter of time before luxury permeated the college tour experience.
IvyWise is leaning into that shift not just with elite access but also polished touches. The tour includes everything from VIP hotel services and curated dining to even a forthcoming designer luggage partnership.
While $300,000 may raise eyebrows, Cohen is quick to note that the figure reflects the combined value of extensive counseling services, luxury travel, expert strategy, and lifelong admissions insight.
“Certainly people who can afford their own private jet could take their own private jet somewhere, but they wouldn't have an IvyWise counselor on board,” said Cohen. “In terms of services before, during and after, the value is a very high take-home value.”
For those already enrolled in IvyWise’s services, discounted pricing is available based on their existing packages, but space is limited. The October tour caps at seven families (plus the IvyWise counselor), and interest has already generated a waitlist.
“We want to make sure it's bespoke,” Cohen said before later adding: “Ultimately, this is what sets this tour apart.”
Anyone interested in joining the tour can contact IvyWise at (212) 262-3500 or inquiries@ivywise.com.
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