Sherpa

Sherpa 2026–2027 is now available!

Your college counselor inside the Common App.

Get expert guidance beside your Common App for the 2026–2027 cycle. 24/7 help on activities, essays, college supplements, and more.

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** No credit card required.

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  • Trust

    10,000+ students

    across previous application cycles

  • Founders

    Princeton, MIT & Columbia

    alumni built Sherpa to be accessible

  • Guidance

    Powered by AI

    grounded in real admissions counseling expertise

Rising stakes

Admissions is more competitive than ever. Everyone deserves an equal shot.

Acceptance rates keep falling. Applicant pools keep growing. And the students getting the most help are usually the ones who can already afford it. Everyone else is left to figure it out alone — or with no real help at all.

  • Harder to stand out

    When more students apply and fewer spots open up, a strong application isn’t enough on its own — your story has to be clear, coherent, and distinctly yours.

  • Stressful, confusing, and lonely

    Navigating Common App means essays, activities, deadlines, and supplements with constant second-guessing. Students need someone to turn to for advice — not another generic tip list.

  • Private counseling isn’t for everyone

    Private counselors run $200+ an hour, often thousands or even tens of thousands over the course of a couple months. The students who’d benefit most from expert guidance are usually the ones who can least afford it.

Meet Sherpa

Thinks like an admissions counselor. But lives in your Common App.

Sherpa reads your entire application like a human counselor would — so that your Common App activities, academics, essays, and college supplements tell one coherent story.

  • Holistic application guidance

    Sherpa’s answers are shaped by your entire application, catching gaps and finding connections you might miss.

  • Right inside your Common App

    Sherpa runs as a Chrome side panel next to your Common App, with no extra tabs to manage and minimal copy-pasting.

  • Essay help in Common App or Docs

    You can brainstorm, draft, and revise directly inside Common App or a linked Google Doc — Sherpa will be right there when you need it.

  • School-specific supplement support

    Open any college on your list to get help from a specialized counselor built for that school’s supplemental questions.

  • Ask — or highlight to ask

    Sherpa is easy to use, just type a question in the chat, or highlight any text on a Common App page to ask about it.

  • Available whenever you need it

    Whether it’s midnight or a free period between classes, Sherpa’s there — no appointments, no waiting room, no time limit.

  • Simple, accessible pricing

    Just $199 — less than an hour with a private counselor — covers everything you need through the entire 2026–2027 college application cycle. See full pricing

How it works

Get started in three easy steps.

Sherpa only takes a few minutes to set up. We've designed it to sit seamlessly beside your Common App workflow — and be there when you need it.

  1. 1

    Sign in & install

    Continue with your Google account, then install the Sherpa Chrome extension.

  2. 2

    Sync your Common App

    Connect your application — new or already in progress — and Sherpa will sync it.

  3. 3

    Ask, anytime, anywhere

    Ask questions, highlight text, work on essays, explore college supplements, and more — day or night.

Testimonials

What students and parents say about us.

Hear directly from students and parents who used Sherpa during past application cycles, in their own words.

“We were quoted $11k for two months of counseling for my son who's applying to college this year. It was outrageous, and there was no way we could afford it. I'm glad we found Sherpa.”
Nina M.Parent · 2024–25

1/7

FAQs

Any questions?

Here are answers to common questions. If you still need help, contact us at help@applysherpa.com.

How much does Sherpa cost?+
Sherpa 2026–2027 is $199 for the full application cycle — less than an hour with many private counselors. You can try Sherpa free with no credit card. More details on the pricing can be found here.
Does Sherpa write my essays for me?+
No. Sherpa helps you brainstorm, revise, and stay consistent across your application — it does not ghostwrite. Your voice stays yours; the goal is clearer thinking, not a finished essay someone else wrote.
Who is Sherpa for?+
Sherpa is for Common App first-year applicants; transfer and Coalition applicants aren’t supported yet.
Does Sherpa work in any browser?+
No. Sherpa is a Chrome extension, so it runs in Google Chrome beside the Common App. Other browsers aren’t supported yet.
Is Sherpa AI?+
Yes — but it’s not a generic chatbot. Sherpa is grounded in real admissions counseling expertise, understands your Common App as you fill it out, and answers with your whole application in mind.
How is Sherpa different from a traditional college counselor?+
A great human counselor offers deep, personal attention, but that usually comes with a high price tag and limited availability — private counselors often charge $200 or more an hour. Sherpa works differently: it’s always on, considers your entire application at once, and costs $199 for the entire cycle instead of an hourly rate.
Is Sherpa a replacement for a human counselor?+
No. Sherpa doesn’t replace the judgment, advocacy, or long-term planning a human counselor can offer — it’s built to give you affordable, always-available help with the application in front of you. Some families use Sherpa alongside a school or private counselor; others rely on it because private counseling isn’t realistic for them.
Will colleges know I used Sherpa?+
No. Sherpa is private help beside Common App. Nothing is submitted to colleges for you, and schools aren’t notified that you used Sherpa. What they see is the application you choose to send.
How does Sherpa use my application data?+
After you consent, Sherpa syncs with your Common App so it has a full picture of who you are and what you’re working toward. That context stays with your account to guide you in-product. Your data is never sold or used outside of helping you with your college applications. More details can be found in our Privacy Policy.

Let us be your guide.

Install Sherpa inside the Common App and get expert guidance to help you reach your goals — start free, no credit card required.

Get started for freeLearn more about Sherpa