Advantage College PlanningFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING franchise requires a total initial investment of $71K – $101K, including a $40K franchise fee. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $71K – $101K
- 18th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 29th pct Business Serv…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 5
- 11th pct Business Serv…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Business Services avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchised units fell from 4 to 0 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $71K – $101K including a $40K franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 57/100.
- No Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING FRANCHISING, INC.
- CEO title
- Co-Founder and President
- Brooke Daly
- CEO experience
- 2009 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- NC
- HQ
- 3675 Green Level Road West, Suite 202, Apex, NC 27523
- Auditor
- REESE CPA LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $7K
- vs $25K prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate college planning advisory services, helping high school students and families navigate college selection, applications, and financial aid optimization. Day-to-day work includes client consultations, application strategy development, college research assistance, and FAFSA guidance. Revenue typically derives from service fees, tuition planning packages, or retainer-based advising relationships.
- CEO
- Brooke Daly
- Headquarters
- NC
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 4
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing · 17 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
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $20K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- The greater of 7% of Gross Revenues or a minimum royalty …
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | The greater of 7% of Gross Revenues or minimum royalty per FTE consultant |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $150 |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Business Services averages
How Advantage College Planning Compares
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
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 80%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +100.0%
- Net unit change last year
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 20 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.
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.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
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)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
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: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 57 / 100 rating
- 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
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Population-based Tiers/Zip Codes |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| 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 | North Carolina |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 27 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 19 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 4 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- CollegePlannerPro
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: CollegePlannerPro
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
23 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
ADVANTAGE COLLEGE PLANNING · FDD (2024) PDF
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 does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
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 risk score of 57 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. 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
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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.