What is the Crimson Access Opportunity Scholarship
Awarded annually, our CAO Scholarship provides high-achieving students who have financial need with free access to Crimson’s renowned US admissions consulting services. In the past 4 application cycles, CAO has supported a diverse community of over 350 students from more than 65 countries. CAO’s track record in prestigious university admissions includes 80+ Ivy League acceptances, with over USD $75 million awarded in financial support.
What Kind of Support do CAO Students Receive?
CAO students will be offered a spot either in the Edge Program or Collective Program. Please read more about the two different programs below:
CAO Edge Program
Our most exclusive offering. Edge gives a select group of students 1:1 guidance from top admissions experts, including former Ivy League admissions officers. From strategy to essays to financial aid, every detail of your application is optimized for success.
- Strategy Consulting: 8 hours of guidance to develop your application strategy for 4 universities.
- Financial Aid Consulting: 5 hours of support focused on financial aid applications.
- Essay Consulting: 16 hours of support for your essays for 4 universities.
CAO Collective Program
Combines independent learning with personalized 1:1 support. CAO Collective students work with mentors and alongside peers across every step of the U.S. application journey.
- Strategy Consulting: 5 hours of guidance to develop your application strategy for 3 universities.
- Financial Aid Consulting: 3 hours of support focused on financial aid applications.
- Essay Consulting: 8 hours of support for your essays for 3 universities.
- Recorded Masterclasses by former admissions officers, essay mentors, and financial aid advisors, and exclusive resources developed by admissions experts.
Students in both programs will be able to join 6 office hours with former admissions officers.
CAO Students Don’t Just Apply to Top Schools. They Get In.
Our recipients have received offers from the most competitive universities in the United States, including Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, UPenn, Dartmouth, Cornell, Duke, UChicago, NYU, Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkeley, Tufts, Bowdoin, and more.
Who Should Apply for CAO?
Age
We are looking for high school students who plan to start university in the fall term of 2027. We also welcome students on a gap year who intend to start university in the fall term of 2027. We do not support transfer or younger students.
Location
We welcome students from all around the world! CAO supports students from every country and nationality. We encourage you to apply no matter where you are located.
We look for students who:
01
Show strong academic performance, english proficiency and a consistent record of taking on challenging coursework — who strive for excellence and are prepared to succeed in a rigorous university environment.
02
Demonstrate financial need — specifically students whose families can contribute less than 30,000 USD towards their education per year.
03
Are passionate, focused, and determined to earn their place at a world-class institution
04
Demonstrate strong extracurricular involvement, leadership skills, and academic honors.
