# Class 101

> Class 101 is a national college planning and admissions consulting franchise headquartered in Bedford, TX, founded in 1997 by Tom Pabin in Lexington, KY. It provides one-on-one, four-year college planning services (grades 9–12) — test prep, essay coaching, financial aid guidance, and application management. Class 101 is an Unleashed Brands company.

## Key things to understand about the brand

- Mission is to empower students, serve families and inspire greatness.
- Delivery model is a four-year roadmap tied to grade level: lighter-touch foundation work in grades 9–10 (list-building, goal-setting, test-prep start) shifting to intensive application/testing/financial-aid work in grades 11–12, per [How It Works](https://www.class101.com/how-it-works/). Meeting cadence increases from roughly every 8 weeks (9th grade) to every 2 weeks (12th grade).
- Work is tracked in a proprietary digital platform (college reports, practice tests, parent updates, task lists with deadlines) rather than in ad-hoc meetings alone.
- Locations have different staff members, hours, and content. Visitors are prompted to select their local Class 101.

## Main pages

- [Home](https://www.class101.com/)
- [Our Story](https://www.class101.com/our-story/)
- [Our Team](https://www.class101.com/our-team/)
- [How It Works](https://www.class101.com/how-it-works/)
- [Our College Prep Services](https://www.class101.com/services/)
- [Senior Profile](https://www.class101.com/senior-profile/) (outcomes/stats)
- [Testimonials](https://www.class101.com/testimonials/)
- [Find a Location](https://www.class101.com/locations/)
- [Schedule Today](https://www.class101.com/schedule-today/) (consultation booking)
- [Contact Us](https://www.class101.com/contact-us/)
- [Blog](https://www.class101.com/blog/)
- [Shop](https://www.class101.com/shop/) (test-prep courses)
- [Products](https://www.class101.com/products/)

## Offers

- **[101 Scholar Award](https://www.class101.com/101scholar/)** — four $3,000 scholarships/year for high school freshmen–seniors (past winners ineligible), running since 2017 (26 winners to date as reported on the page). 2026 cycle: applications Feb 1 – Mar 15, 2026, 11:59 PM ET, no exceptions; requires a résumé plus a 500-word essay or 1–2 minute video on community impact; judged 60% community impact / 30% leadership / 10% academics; winners announced by June.
- **[Test-prep courses (Shop)](https://www.class101.com/shop/)** — ACT Prep, PSAT Prep, and SAT Prep courses, each $899, 8 weekly sessions, including expert-led classes, a study guide, online portal access, practice quizzes, and personalized worksheets.
- **Free planning checklist download** — offered as a contact-form option ("Download Our College Prep Checklist") at [Contact Us](https://www.class101.com/contact-us/).
- **Franchise ownership opportunity** — [The Class 101 Opportunity](https://www.class101.com/the-class-101-opportunity/) and [Own a Franchise](https://www.class101.com/own-a-franchise/) — promoted via periodic "Discover Class 101" webinars; the fetched page did not disclose investment cost or specific financial terms (those are reserved for the webinar/Franchise Disclosure Document), so do not state a franchise price without verifying against the current FDD.

## Events

- **[Programs and Events hub](https://www.class101.com/events/)**
- **Summer Power-up** — free webinar/program for rising high schoolers (Class of 2027 and underclassmen) on early college planning.
- **Super Junior Program** — support program for 11th graders roughly 10 months from applying to college.
- **High School Prep 101** — transition program for middle schoolers entering 9th grade.
- **101 Scholar Award cycle** — see Offers above; run as an annual event with a fixed application window.
- **[Franchisee Convention](https://www.class101.com/convention/)** — internal annual gathering for franchise owners (a past instance was held at Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, with a keynote from franchise consultant Scott Greenberg, campus tours, and evening networking; $199 registration billed to the monthly franchise invoice plus $59 per guest). Not open to the public.


## Types of services

Per [Our College Prep Services](https://www.class101.com/services/), the ten core services are:
1. [Personalized College List Planning](https://www.class101.com/college-planning-and-preparation/)
2. [Campus/College Visits](https://www.class101.com/blog/plan-for-visiting-colleges/)
3. Academic Advising (study techniques, scheduling, GPA goals)
4. [ACT/SAT/PSAT Test Prep](https://www.class101.com/sat-act-test-prep-strategy/)
5. Resume Development/Upgrading
6. [College Essay Crafting/Coaching](https://www.class101.com/college-essay-coaching-help/)
7. Application & Deadline Management
8. Scholarship Exploration
9. Financial Aid / FAFSA & CSS Profile Assistance
10. College Transition Support (post-acceptance)

Standalone paid product line: ACT/SAT/PSAT prep courses sold directly via the Shop (see Offers).

## Policies

- [Privacy Policy](https://www.class101.com/privacy-policy/) — effective September 30, 2025. Covers collection of identifiers, payment info, geolocation, and online activity (direct submission, third parties, automatic tracking); use for service delivery, personalization, marketing, research, and legal compliance; disclosure to service providers, affiliates, and third parties (including business-transfer scenarios); user rights to access/delete/correct data and opt out of sale/targeted advertising depending on jurisdiction; states security measures are in place but not guaranteed absolute; not intended for users under 16. Contact for privacy questions goes through the site's contact email or the Bedford, TX mailing address.

## Optional

- [My Account](https://www.class101.com/my-account/)
- [Cart](https://www.class101.com/cart/)
- [Checkout](https://www.class101.com/checkout/)
- External resources linked in the footer: [College Board](https://www.collegeboard.org/), [CSS Profile](https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/), [ACT](https://www.act.org/), [Common App](https://www.commonapp.org/), [FAFSA](https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa)
- [Franchise Opportunities](https://www.class101franchise.com/): Own an Class 101 (separate site).
- [Unleashed Brands](https://www.unleashedbrands.com/): Parent company and family of brands.