YRI vs Crimson Education is a comparison between a research program and an admissions consultancy that sells research as one part of a larger package. Crimson's research mentorship is now sold as Indigo Research, with one-on-one tiers of 10, 20 or 45 mentor hours and tuition from $3,900, while Crimson's full admissions program is one that Crimson says most families budget $40,000 to $70,000 for. The YRI Fellowship is $2,997 for 10 weeks of weekly one-on-one work with a PhD mentor, built to get a first-author paper into IEEE, Springer or Elsevier journals and conferences; YRI's Top 1% Profile, at $9,997, is the program built for Ivy League admissions.
We run YRI, so read this with that in mind. Facts about Crimson and Indigo Research come from their own pages and named third-party sources as of November 2026, linked in the Sources section. Opinions are marked. Our Crimson Research Institute review covers Crimson's research program in more depth.
What Crimson Education offers for research
Crimson Education is a university admissions consultancy founded in 2013 and headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand. Its research mentorship program was called the Crimson Research Institute. As of November 2026, Crimson's research landing pages market Indigo Research, with the Crimson Education copyright in the footer. Indigo sells four formats:
- One-on-one online mentorship in three tiers: Explorer (10 hours, about 3 months), Researcher (20 hours, about 6 months) and Innovator (45 hours, about 12 months).
- IRIS, a six-week online group course with up to 13 students per course.
- Indigo at Oxford, a two-week residential program.
- Innovator Global Lab, a two-week wet lab program in Pasadena, New York or Singapore.
Research is also one of seven components of Crimson's comprehensive admissions program, alongside college strategy, academics, honors and awards, essays, work experience and a capstone project.
YRI vs Crimson at a glance
| Crimson (Indigo Research 1:1) | YRI Fellowship | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | From $3,900 (Explorer); higher tiers not published | $2,997, or 3 payments of $999 |
| Inside an admissions package | Crimson says most families budget $40,000 to $70,000 | YRI's Top 1% Profile, $9,997, is the admissions program |
| Length | About 3, 6 or 12 months by tier | 10 weeks, then free help until published |
| Mentor time | 10, 20 or 45 hours by tier | Weekly 1:1 sessions with a PhD mentor |
| Designed outcome | Literature review, or a paper at higher tiers | First-author paper in IEEE, Springer or Elsevier venues |
| Publication support | None, 3 hours or 6 hours by tier | Editing team on every draft, publishing team until published |
| Competition prep | Science fair coaching as an optional add-on | ISEF and JSHS preparation included; 73% place |
| Publication rate | Not published | 87% of Fellows publish |
| College credit | Two UCSB Extension credits | None |
| Scholarships | Indigo says none currently | Case by case |
What each option costs
Crimson Education does not post a fixed price for its admissions program. Its pricing page says most families budget $40,000 to $70,000 for the comprehensive program, that multi-year programs cost more, and that exact pricing comes from a call with an Academic Advisor. Third-party sources report Crimson packages from $25,000 to $200,000.
Indigo Research, bought directly, lists one-on-one tuition from $3,900 and IRIS from $4,200, with no scholarships at the moment. The $3,900 starting figure covers the Explorer tier, which includes no publication support and is designed to end in a literature review or short essay. Prices for the Researcher and Innovator tiers, which include journal submission support, are not published.
YRI Fellowship: $2,997, or three payments of $999. That covers weekly 1:1 sessions with a PhD mentor, an editing team on every draft, a publishing team that handles submission to IEEE, Springer or Elsevier venues, ISEF and JSHS preparation, a mentor letter of recommendation, and help at no extra cost until the paper is published. Scholarships are considered case by case. See the pricing page.
YRI Top 1% Profile: $9,997. This is YRI's program for families aiming at Ivy League admissions. It runs 6 to 9 months, takes 8 families a year, and YRI's founder works with each family personally. Details are on the Top 1% Profile page.
The practical point: if your family wants research, compare the YRI Fellowship with Indigo's Researcher or Innovator tier. If your family wants a full admissions plan, compare YRI's Top 1% Profile with Crimson's package, and ask Crimson to itemize the research component.
Who mentors your student
Indigo lists faculty and PhD mentors from well-known universities, including an assistant professor at Northwestern, a professor at Princeton, a lecturer at MIT Sloan and a Harvard PhD candidate. Students are matched after a profile assessment.
YRI matches each Fellow with a PhD mentor whose own research is in the student's field, from a network of more than 1,000 PhD mentors. The student meets the mentor 1:1 every week, and the editing and publishing teams work alongside the mentor until the paper is accepted.
What your student finishes with
Crimson and Indigo: outcomes depend on the tier, from a literature review at Explorer to a primary-source paper aimed at a competition or selective journal at Innovator. Indigo names the International Journal of High School Research, Curieux Academic Journal, the Journal of Student Research and its own journal, Convergence. Every Indigo program carries two UCSB Extension credits. Indigo's academic integrity page says it cannot guarantee publication.
YRI: a first-author paper submitted to IEEE, Springer or Elsevier journals and conferences, and a competition entry built on the same work. 87% of Fellows publish, 73% place at science competitions, and Fellows have been admitted to Brown, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Caltech and Harvard.
One example: Sadaf S. joined YRI the summer before senior year with no research experience. In 10 weeks she completed original research on neural network optimization with her PhD mentor, the paper was accepted at an IEEE conference, and it became the centerpiece of her college applications. She was admitted to Brown and Johns Hopkins.
How research fits a college application
Crimson's model puts research inside a broader consulting relationship, which suits families who want one firm to run every part of the application. YRI's model treats the research as the differentiator: a paper an admissions reader can look up, and a science fair result from the same work. Our guide on whether college consultants are worth it covers the broader question of paying for admissions help.
Our opinion: a published, first-author paper is one of the few parts of an application that a reader can verify independently. Whichever route you choose, make sure the research component ends in something verifiable.
Who should choose Crimson Education
- Your family wants one firm to manage the whole admissions process, from course selection to essays, and the budget fits.
- You are already working with Crimson and want research inside that plan.
- College credit from UCSB Extension matters to you.
- You want an in-person research option, at Oxford or in a wet lab.
- Your student is exploring, and a 10-hour literature review is the right first step.
Who should choose YRI
- The goal is a first-author paper in an IEEE, Springer or Elsevier venue, at one published price under $3,000.
- You want ISEF and JSHS preparation included rather than added on.
- You want help that continues until the paper is published, without an hourly cap.
- You want Ivy League admissions strategy with the founder involved personally, through the Top 1% Profile at $9,997.
Questions to ask both
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Crimson Education or YRI better for research?
For research alone, they are built differently. Crimson sells research through Indigo Research in hour-based tiers from $3,900, and as one part of admissions packages. The YRI Fellowship is $2,997 for weekly one-on-one PhD mentorship aimed at a first-author paper in IEEE, Springer or Elsevier venues, and 87% of Fellows publish.
How much does Crimson Education cost?
Crimson's pricing page says most families budget $40,000 to $70,000 for its comprehensive program, with exact pricing from a call. Indigo Research one-on-one tuition starts at $3,900. Higher tier prices are not published.
Is the Crimson Research Institute the same as Indigo Research?
In practice, yes, as of November 2026. Crimson's research pages market Indigo Research. Our Indigo Research review covers the tiers in detail.
Does YRI offer admissions consulting?
YRI's Top 1% Profile, at $9,997, is built for Ivy League admissions. It runs 6 to 9 months for 8 families a year, and the founder works with each family personally.
How much does the YRI Fellowship cost?
$2,997, or three payments of $999, with scholarships case by case. It includes the PhD mentor, editing, submission, ISEF and JSHS preparation, a mentor letter and help until the paper is published.
How the YRI Fellowship helps your student publish
If what you want from research is a published paper, science fair results and a stronger college application, the YRI Fellowship is built for that goal. Your student meets a PhD mentor 1:1 every week for 10 weeks, the editing team reviews every draft, and the publishing team submits the paper to IEEE, Springer or Elsevier journals and conferences. ISEF and JSHS preparation and a mentor letter of recommendation are included, and help continues free until the paper is published. No research experience is needed, and decisions come within 48 hours.
See how the YRI Fellowship works, review the pricing page, or, if Ivy League admissions is the goal, look at the Top 1% Profile.
Sources
- Crimson Education: How much does Crimson cost (budget range, research as a program component, pricing by call)
- Crimson Education UK: Indigo Research landing page (tracks, UCSB credit)
- Indigo Research: High School Research Program (Explorer, Researcher and Innovator tiers, tuition from $3,900, scholarships)
- Indigo Research: homepage (formats, mentors, journals)
- Indigo Research: IRIS (six weeks, 13 spots, tuition from $4,200)
- Indigo Research: Academic integrity (no guaranteed publication, Convergence journal)
- Wikipedia: Crimson Education (founding, headquarters, reported package prices)
- Orbit: Is Crimson Education worth it (reported $25,000 to $200,000)
- YRI: Crimson Research Institute review
- YRI Fellowship: program details
- YRI Fellowship: pricing
- YRI: Top 1% Profile
- YRI case study: Sadaf S., IEEE published and admitted to Brown
