UniversityTutor.com

What UniversityTutor.com is

UniversityTutor.com is an open tutoring directory for learners: students and parents search it for a private tutor by subject, location and session type, then contact that tutor directly and for free. It is not a tutoring company that employs tutors or runs the lessons. The About page says it was founded in 2004 by Brian Armstrong while he was attending Rice University and studying computer science, and that its objective is "to become the world's largest tutoring directory for contacting tutors and companies for free."

The directory works in both directions. Students look for help, and tutors create a profile to be found. The home page describes it as "a site for high school and college students as well as younger learners to find a specialized tutor in the subjects they are struggling with," and adds that it "is also a platform for tutors who are looking for students." Both independent tutors and tutoring companies are listed, and the About page says students "are welcome to contact both."

Size and reach

The About page states: "More than 129,000 tutors are listed on our directory across over 10,000 cities and 125 countries." The home page gives a slightly different running figure, 121,160 tutors in 10,052 cities worldwide, and elsewhere "over 100,000 tutors in cities across the globe." The city pages show how deep the supply goes in large US metros: the Boston page counts 2,688 tutors, the Dallas page 1,375 and the Miami page 1,287.

The site groups tutors under city pages it calls "Popular International Locations": Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Miami, Montreal, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Sydney, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington DC. Outside those hubs, the reach depends on who has signed up nearby, and the online option is the way around a thin local list.

What a student finds

The search box takes a subject, a location and a session type, either online or in person. The "Popular Online Subjects" list covers ACT, Algebra, Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, English, French, Geometry, GRE, ISEE, LSAT, Mandarin Chinese, Math, MCAT, Physics, Precalculus, Reading, SAT, Spanish, SSAT, Statistics and Writing. The home page adds college subjects such as college algebra, physics and statistics, specialized topics like differential equations, and languages including Hebrew and Armenian. K-12 learners can find help in math, English, writing, science and history.

Test prep gets its own section on the home page, which runs from the ISEE and SSAT for private school admissions, through the ACT and SAT for college readiness, to the GMAT, GRE, LSAT and MCAT for graduate programs. Beyond subject help, the home page says a tutor can work on reading comprehension, study habits and time management.

On a city page, each tutor card shows a first name and last initial, the town, an education line (degrees and universities as the tutor entered them) and a short excerpt from the tutor's experience statement, with buttons to begin contact or view the full profile. The About page says students can choose "with reviews from past students and filtering by subject, education, and more." Contacting a tutor creates a client account for the student, according to the FAQ. City pages also carry a short "Need help selecting a tutor? We can help." form that starts by asking when the student wants to begin: right away, within a few days, within a few weeks, or not sure.

Lessons happen wherever the two sides agree. The About page says: "We won't ask you to come to our offices or travel out of your way. The tutors on this site can meet where it's convenient for you, your home, a library, a coffee shop, etc." The home page puts the order of events plainly: "After discussing and agreeing on pricing, you and your tutor make a plan on schedule and where you decide," with sessions possible "before school, after school, evenings and weekends," in person or online.

Money: what students pay and what tutors keep

Contacting a tutor costs nothing. The home page says "it is always free to contact a tutor," and for tutors: "Tutors always keep 100% of what they make." Each tutor sets a rate and agrees it with the student; the city pages show no rates on the tutor cards.

The FAQ is explicit that the directory stays out of the payment: "You get paid directly by the student. UniversityTutor.com is not involved in any transactions between tutors and students." It adds that "(unlike most tutoring companies) we will never take a percentage of your earnings." On methods, it says: "Most tutors accept cash or check. Some tutors also send invoices to students via Paypal. This allows the student to pay by credit card and for you to deposit funds directly to your bank account."

Because the site processes no payments, it has no refund policy of its own. The FAQ's advice to tutors fills in how the first lesson tends to work: "Many tutors have an unofficial money back guarantee on the first hour of tutoring anyway," and it suggests tutors avoid doing more than one hour with a new client before being paid. The site also tells tutors it will not withhold or report taxes for them, since they are not its employees or contractors.

Trust, vetting and support

The site does not screen ordinary tutors. The About page says: "We are an open directory that does not opine on the tutors on the platform and so we ask that you use your best judgement when you contact tutors and do your own assessment or background checks as needed." In the same spirit, the FAQ answers "Am I old enough or qualified enough to tutor?" by saying the site does not hire tutors and only provides "a website where people can find each other."

There is one screened group. Tutors with a green star on their photo are Local Ambassadors, tutors from around the United States who act as advocates for the website and local press contacts. The FAQ says they "undergo screening and an application process" and are currently hand selected.

Reviews come from students who log in after working with a tutor; the site sends automated reminder emails a few weeks after a student makes contact. A "Beware Of Scams" note warns that people have occasionally tried to use the site for scams, as on Craigslist or Facebook. Tutors with a complaint about a student can email support, and the FAQ says: "We do take action against specific students who are not using the site honestly."

Support is by email only. The About page states: "We do not provide phone support and so please direct all questions to our email."

What tutors get

A tutor signs up, fills in a profile and sets it to public. The FAQ says only public profiles appear in search, and at least the first four sections of the "My Profile" tab must be completed first; a new public profile takes about five minutes to be indexed. Location comes from the address in the "Basic Info" section and is placed with Google Maps, and a tutor may give only a nearby intersection or zip code for privacy. A profile photo is optional, square, under 5 MB, in JPEG, GIF or PNG.

The site is candid about demand: "Some tutors get numerous contacts within the first week and some never get a single one." It offers no paid featured placement ("we do not offer any sort of featured or promoted status") and instead points tutors to free marketing resources under My Account, then Marketing. Search order is set by an algorithm that changes over time. Tutors do not need a car; they state in the availability section where they can meet, though the FAQ notes that "tutors who are available to travel may get more contacts and work."

Who it suits

UniversityTutor.com suits a student or parent who wants a wide choice of local or online tutors, is happy to read profiles and reviews, and will check a tutor's background themselves. It fits test prep and college coursework well, given the range of exams and subjects the site lists, and it suits both one-off help before an exam and weekly sessions over a term.

It suits independent tutors who want students without paying a commission, accept that contacts may be slow to arrive, and can handle their own invoicing, payment collection and taxes.

It is a poor fit for a family that wants the platform to vet tutors, process payments, mediate disputes or refund a bad session. None of that is part of the model: the site connects people, and the arrangement after first contact is between student and tutor.