Is Crimson Education's research program worth it? It can be, if you understand what you are buying. The Crimson Research Institute (CRI) is now sold under the name Indigo Research, Crimson's research arm. Its one-on-one online track comes in three tiers of 10, 20 or 45 mentor hours over roughly 3 to 12 months, tuition starts at $3,900 with no scholarships, and the entry tier is designed to end in a literature review, not a paper. Inside a Crimson admissions package, research is one component of a program that Crimson says most families budget $40,000 to $70,000 for.
This review is written by a competitor, YRI Fellowship, and we say that upfront. Facts about Crimson and Indigo Research come from Crimson's and Indigo's own pages and named third-party sources as of November 2026, all linked in the Sources section. Opinions are marked.
What the Crimson Research Institute is now
Crimson Education is a university admissions consultancy founded in 2013 and headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand. The Crimson Research Institute was its research mentorship program. In November 2026 the CRI service page on Crimson's site redirects to a general services page, and Crimson's regional landing pages for research all carry the Indigo Research name, with the Crimson Education copyright in the footer. Indigo says it has mentored more than 3,900 students since 2019.
Indigo Research sells four formats:
- One-on-one online mentorship. A student is matched with a PhD teaching fellow or faculty mentor and works on any topic over a flexible 3 to 12 months.
- IRIS Intensive. A six-week online group course, three hours twice a week with a professor, capped at 13 students per course, in subjects such as neuroscience, AI, economics and genetics. Summer and winter cohorts run July 6 to August 17, 2026 and December 14, 2026 to January 25, 2027.
- Indigo at Oxford. A two-week residential program at Oxford, working 1:1 with Oxford PhDs, ending in a research showcase.
- Innovator Global Lab. A two-week wet lab program in Pasadena, New York or Singapore for ages 15 to 19, with virtual preparation before and publishing support after.
Mentors listed on Indigo's pages include an assistant professor of chemistry at Northwestern, a professor of sociology at Princeton, a lecturer at MIT Sloan and a Harvard PhD candidate. An older CRI mentor job listing described the pool as master's graduates with teaching experience from top-10 US or UK universities, PhD candidates from top-30 US or top-20 UK universities, and postdocs or faculty, with students expected to do six to nine hours of independent work per mentor hour.
What each one-on-one tier includes
Indigo's one-on-one page is unusually specific about what each tier buys, which is helpful:
| Explorer | Researcher | Innovator | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:1 mentor hours | 10 (about 3 months) | 20 (about 6 months) | 45 (about 12 months) |
| Publication support | None | 3 hours, submission to 2 journals | 6 hours, submission to 3 journals |
| Science fair coaching | Not available | Optional add-on | Optional add-on |
| Original data collection | Not available | Not available | Supported |
| Designed outcome | Literature review or short academic essay | Paper with secondary source analysis | Paper with primary source analysis |
| Stated goal | Self-publish or blog | High school or collegiate journal | Competition or highly selective journal |
| UCSB Extension credit | Two credits | Two credits | Two credits |
The journals Indigo names on its pages are the International Journal of High School Research (140+ Indigo papers), Curieux Academic Journal, the Journal of Student Research and its own journal, Convergence, launched with the New York Academy of Sciences. Indigo's academic integrity page states that it cannot guarantee publication or student outcomes. See our guide to journals that publish high school research for how these venues differ from professional peer-reviewed ones.
What Crimson's research program costs
| Program | Published price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Indigo one-on-one mentorship | Tuition starts at $3,900, no scholarships | Indigo Research site |
| IRIS Intensive (6-week group) | Tuition starts at $4,200, no scholarships | Indigo Research site |
| Indigo at Oxford, Innovator Global Lab | Not published, quoted on a call | Crimson campaign pages |
| CRI Summer Program (2022 listing) | $3,800 for 6 weeks, groups of 3 to 10, no financial aid | SummerApply, dated |
| Crimson comprehensive admissions program | "Most families budget $40,000 to $70,000"; multi-year programs cost more | Crimson pricing page |
| Crimson packages, third-party reports | $25,000 to $200,000 reported | Wikipedia, Orbit |
Two things stand out. Indigo's starting prices cover the Explorer tier, so a family that wants a paper with publication support is in the Researcher or Innovator tier, and those prices are not published. And Crimson's own pricing page says exact pricing comes from a call with an Academic Advisor. For the wider market, see how much research programs cost.
How research bundles with admissions consulting
This is the part most reviews skip. On Crimson's pricing page, Research Projects is one of seven components of its admissions program, alongside College Strategy, Academic Acceleration, Honors and Awards, Essays, Work Experience and Capstone Project. Crimson describes the research component as students "working with Harvard, Stanford, MIT and Oxford researchers to publish original papers," and explains that a program starting in 9th grade costs more because a published paper or national award "takes years to build."
In practice, that means two ways to buy the same mentorship: directly from Indigo at a published starting price, or inside a Crimson package where it is one line of a much larger quote. Families comparing the two should ask for the research component to be itemized. Our guide on whether college consultants are worth it covers the broader question.
Where Crimson is strong
- Transparent tiers. The Explorer, Researcher and Innovator table above is clearer about deliverables than most competitors publish.
- Mentor credentials. Named faculty and PhD mentors from well-known universities, with an honor code that students, parents and mentors sign.
- Format choice. 1:1 online, a group intensive, a two-week Oxford residential and a wet lab option under one roof.
- College credit. Two UCSB Extension credits for completing the paper and presenting at Indigo's conference.
- Scale and track record. 3,900+ students since 2019 and a dedicated journal partnership.
- Integrated strategy. For a family already paying for Crimson consulting, the research sits inside a plan built around early deadlines.
Where families should look closer
- The entry price buys a literature review. At $3,900 the Explorer tier includes no publication support and its stated goal is to "self-publish or blog." A paper with journal submission starts at the Researcher tier, whose price is not public.
- Publication support is capped in hours. Three or six hours and two or three journal submissions. Peer review often returns revisions, and it is worth asking what happens when the hours run out.
- The venues are student journals. IJHSR, Curieux and JSR publish high school work and are respected for that, but they are not the IEEE, Springer or Elsevier venues a professor would list.
- Outcome figures are admissions rates, not publication rates. Indigo publishes a 33.19% Ivy League admit rate for alumni and 140+ IJHSR papers, but not the share of students who publish.
- Total cost inside Crimson is high. Research is one piece of a $40,000 to $70,000 program, and Crimson says exact pricing requires a consultation.
Opinion: none of this makes Crimson's research weak. It reflects a product built to feed a consulting relationship, which suits some families and not others. For a checklist that applies to any program, see how to tell if a research program is legit.
How YRI compares, since you will ask
YRI Fellowship is a research program and nothing else. It is ten weeks of one-on-one work with a PhD mentor matched by field, aimed at a first-author paper submitted to a peer-reviewed IEEE, Springer or Elsevier venue, with ISEF and JSHS preparation and a mentor letter of recommendation included. It costs $2,997, or three monthly payments, with scholarships case by case, and mentorship continues at no extra cost after week ten until the paper is published. 87% of Fellows publish and 73% place at competitions.
| Indigo Research (Crimson) 1:1 | YRI Fellowship | |
|---|---|---|
| Published price | From $3,900 (Explorer); paper tiers not published | $2,997, everything included |
| Mentor time | 10, 20 or 45 hours by tier | Weekly 1:1 sessions over 10 weeks, then continued support |
| Designed outcome | Literature review, or paper at higher tiers | First-author paper submitted to a peer-reviewed venue |
| Target venues | IJHSR, Curieux, JSR, Convergence | IEEE, Springer, Elsevier |
| Publication support | 0, 3 or 6 hours by tier | Until published, no extra cost |
| Competition prep | Optional add-on | ISEF and JSHS prep included |
| Publication rate | Not published | 87% of Fellows publish |
| Scholarships | None currently | Case by case; 3-month plan |
| College credit | Two UCSB Extension credits | None |
| Admissions consulting | Available through Crimson at $40,000 to $70,000 | None |
For the same comparison against other mentorship companies, read our Lumiere Education review and Polygence review, or the full ranking of the best research programs for high school students.
Who should pick Crimson
- Your family is already working with Crimson on admissions and wants research inside that plan.
- Your child is exploring and a 10-hour literature review is the right first step.
- College credit from UCSB Extension matters to you.
- You want an in-person option, at Oxford or in a wet lab, and the price is not a constraint.
Who should pick YRI
- The goal is a first-author paper at a professional peer-reviewed venue, not a student journal.
- You want ISEF and JSHS preparation included rather than added on.
- You want support to continue through revisions until the paper is accepted, with no hourly cap.
- You want one published price under $3,000 with a payment plan.
Five questions to ask before paying
If a published paper is the goal, apply to the YRI Fellowship. The application takes ten minutes and there is no fee.
Download the YRI Fellowship brochure
The program, the outcomes, the mentors and the tuition, in one PDF you can read with your family.
Related guides
- Are college consultants worth it?
- Lumiere Education review and Polygence review
- How much research programs cost
- Journals that publish high school research
- How to tell if a research program is legit
- Best research programs for high school students
- Indigo Research review: the program Crimson now sells
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Crimson Research Institute the same as Indigo Research?
In November 2026, yes in practice. Crimson's CRI service page redirects to its general services page, and Crimson's research landing pages market Indigo Research, which carries the Crimson Education copyright. Indigo says it has mentored 3,900+ students since 2019.
How much does Crimson Education's research program cost?
Indigo's one-on-one mentorship starts at $3,900 and the IRIS six-week group intensive starts at $4,200, with no scholarships. Prices for the higher tiers and the in-person programs are quoted on a call. Crimson's full admissions program, which includes research as one component, is one that Crimson says most families budget $40,000 to $70,000 for.
Does Crimson get students published?
Indigo reports 140+ student papers in the International Journal of High School Research and names Curieux Academic Journal, the Journal of Student Research and its own journal, Convergence. Its academic integrity page says it cannot guarantee publication, and no publication rate is published.
Who are the Crimson Research Institute mentors?
Indigo lists faculty and PhD mentors from universities including Northwestern, Princeton, MIT Sloan, Stanford, Harvard, Purdue and UNC Charlotte. Students are matched after a profile assessment and can request an alternative mentor.
How long is the Crimson research program?
The one-on-one track runs about 3, 6 or 12 months for 10, 20 or 45 mentor hours. IRIS Intensive is six weeks. Indigo at Oxford and the Innovator Global Lab are two weeks in person with virtual work before and after.
Does Crimson Education offer financial aid for research?
Indigo's pages say it does not currently offer scholarships. If research is being bought inside a Crimson admissions package, ask the advisor directly whether any aid applies to that component.
Is Crimson Education worth it for research alone?
Opinion: for a family that wants a literature review and college credit, the Explorer tier is a reasonable product. For a family that wants a paper at a professional peer-reviewed venue, the higher tiers are unpriced and the venues are student journals, so compare carefully.
What is a good alternative to the Crimson Research Institute?
YRI Fellowship is $2,997 for ten weeks of 1:1 PhD mentorship, a first-author paper submitted to an IEEE, Springer or Elsevier venue, ISEF and JSHS preparation, and support until the paper is published. 87% of Fellows publish. Apply here.
Sources
- Crimson Education: How Much Does Crimson Cost? (budget range, research as a program component)
- Crimson Education: Crimson Research Institute service page (redirects to services page with Research Projects section and journal examples)
- Crimson Education UK: Indigo Research landing page (tracks, 3,900+ students, IJHSR papers, UCSB credit)
- Crimson Education UAE: Indigo Research landing page (grades 9 to 12, Innovator Global Lab)
- Crimson Education Singapore: Innovator Global Lab 2026 (dates, ages, online 1:1 option)
- Indigo Research: homepage (formats, mentors, tuition from $3,900, no scholarships)
- Indigo Research: 1:1 online research mentorship (Explorer, Researcher, Innovator tiers)
- Indigo Research: IRIS Intensive (6 weeks, 13 spots, tuition from $4,200, cohort dates)
- Indigo Research: Academic integrity (no guaranteed publication, Convergence journal)
- WayUp: CRI Mentor job listing (hours per student, modules, mentor qualifications)
- SummerApply: Crimson Research Institute Summer Program (2022 listing, $3,800)
- Wikipedia: Crimson Education (founding, headquarters, reported package prices)
- Orbit: Is Crimson Education worth it in 2026 (reported $25,000 to $200,000)
- Lumiere Education: Is Crimson Education worth it (no fixed price listed)