Advantage College Planning Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $71K – $101K
- Disclosed sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Advantage College Planning is a business services franchise helping families with college selection, applications, and financial aid. Franchisees run local practices, advising students and managing client accounts.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING franchise requires a total initial investment of $71K – $101K, including a $40K – $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: high - issued more than two years ago
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✗ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored5 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $71K – $101K
- 22nd pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 21st pct Business Serv…
- Units
- 5
- 13th pct Business Serv…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Business Services median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $71K – $101K including a $40K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 51/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +2 franchised outlets in the latest year (2 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
- DATAThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Advantage College Planning Franchising, Inc.
- Parent company
- None (no parents or predecessors)
- Predecessor
- None
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- CEO
- Brooke Daly
- CEO experience
- 2009 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- North Carolina
- HQ
- 3675 Green Level Road West, Suite 202, Apex, NC 27523
- Auditor
- REESE CPA LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $25K
- vs $7K prior year
Same owner · FDD Item 1
12 other brands on this site name None (no parents or predecessors) as parent or ultimate parent in their own FDD.
- 9ROUNDC
- AMRAMPA
- AlignLifeC
- Body Alive StudioC
- Ivybrook AcademyA
- JAN-PRO Commercial CleaningA
- ONEZOC
- Once Upon A ChildA
- Original Rainbow ConeC
- Pizza SchmizzaB
- SarahCareF
- True RESTC
Grouped by the owner's name as each filing prints it (this page: the 2024 FDD). Spelling variants of the same group may be listed apart; a brand is never grouped with an owner its filing does not name.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Brooke Daly
- Headquarters
- NC
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 4
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 36% below the typical business services franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown17 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $40K | $50K | |
| Construction, Leasehold Improvements, Furniture and Fixturesnot refundable | $650 | $4K | |
| Equipmentnot refundable | $600 | $1K | |
| Signage (interior and exterior)not refundable | $0 | $200 | |
| Technology Feenot refundable | $1K | $1K | |
| Computer Hardware and Softwarenot refundable | $2K | $4K | |
| Opening Inventorynot refundable | — | — | |
| Rent Deposits | $900 | $5K | |
| Utility Deposits | $0 | $200 | |
| Insurance Deposits and Premiumsnot refundable | $800 | $2K | |
| Pre-opening Travel Expensenot refundable | $700 | $3K | |
| Grand Opening Advertisingnot refundable | $3K | $3K | |
| Professional Fees and Associationsnot refundable | $4K | $5K | |
| Business Permits and Licensesnot refundable | $100 | $500 | |
| Printing, Stationery and Office Suppliesnot refundable | $2K | $2K | |
| Assessmentsnot refundable | $150 | $200 | |
| Additional funds - 3 Months (Working Capital)not refundable | $15K | $20K | |
| Total initial investment | $71K | $101K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $71K – $101K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $20K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $50K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- Set by a formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $150 |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $0 – $0 |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
No financial performance representation
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% (near the Business Services median).
Disclosure
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator retention
Net unit growth of +100.0% over 3 years (2 opened, 0 closed).
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Business Services medians
How Advantage College Planning Compares
Category median of published Business Services brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 5
- Opened
- 2
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 80%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +100.0%
- Net unit change over 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Signed, not yet open
- 0
- 0.00 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 5 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
5 current owners across 5 states.
- CA 1
- FL 1
- ME 1
- NC 1
- NY 1
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Early-stage, undisclosed-revenue franchise with minimal system size, opaque economics, and aggressive royalty terms presents significant execution and profitability risk.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · REESE CPA LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 51 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNo financial performance data disclosed (Item 19) — cannot verify ROI claims or typical unit economics
- 02MINORExtremely small franchise system (5 units) with no growth trend visible — high systemic collapse risk
- 03MINORRoyalty structure penalizes growth: 7% of revenue OR minimum $7,500-$11,000/FTE creates unpredictable cost burden for scaling
- 04MINORHigh initial investment ($70.5K-$100.8K) relative to system maturity and lack of revenue benchmarks
- 05MINORZero franchise fee is unusual and may indicate difficulty attracting franchisees despite other incentives
- 06MINOR10-year term is longer than industry standard (typically 5-7 years), locking franchisee into unproven system
- 07MINOROnly 5 franchises operating limits ability to validate business model or access peer support network
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory sizeℹ | Defined by zip codes; tiered by population (Tier 1: 1,000,000+; Tier 2: 500,000-999,999; Tier 3: up to 499,999) |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 45 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 15 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | NC |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 27 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 19 hrs
- Training location
- Apex, North Carolina
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 4 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee (subject to franchisor acceptance)
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- CollegePlannerPro
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: CollegePlannerPro
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
5 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING franchise?
The total investment to open a ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING franchise ranges from $71K – $101K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING franchise owners earn?
ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING?
ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING is franchised by Advantage College Planning Franchising, Inc.. Its parent company is None (no parents or predecessors). Source: FDD Item 1, 2024 filing.
What is Item 19 in the ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING has 5 total units in the United States, including 4 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 51 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Business Services franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Business Services category
Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.