Build the academic depth universities look for.
Individually designed programmes for students aged 14 to 18, mentored by researchers at Harvard, Oxford, NYU and Columbia.
Research Scholar
8 weeks or longer, one-to-one
Before week 1
Your reading path and project plan
First weeks
Finding your research question
Middle weeks
Building your argument, with written feedback
Final weeks
Your paper, presentation and a written report
Your mentor, found for your question
A doctoral or postdoctoral researcher in your field
Mentored by researchers at
HarvardOxfordNYUColumbiaGeorgetownVanderbilt
Doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, matched to each student's field. Students author every word. Meet the mentors
Strong applications need more than strong grades
For many students, the hardest part of preparing for university is not only achieving good grades. It is developing a clear academic direction, showing intellectual curiosity, and building evidence of independent thinking.
Aldevere helps students turn their interests into structured academic work through guided mentorship, reading and writing set between sessions, and a final project they can confidently discuss in future applications and interviews.
Academic Direction
Students develop a clearer sense of their intellectual interests and how to articulate them confidently.
Research Skills
Students learn to engage with academic sources, form arguments, and develop independent ideas.
Mentor-Led Growth
Sessions with a field-matched mentor, and the work set between them, build confidence, discipline, and intellectual rigour.
Mentors from Harvard, Oxford, NYU, and leading research institutions
Research Scholar mentors include doctoral researchers and postdoctoral scholars at Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, New York University, Columbia, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, and affiliated research hospitals, selected for academic strength, communication ability and subject expertise. Research Scholar mentors are doctoral or postdoctoral researchers; Field Seminars and Academic Essentials are led by researchers or reviewed specialists suited to those formats.
Every student is matched to a mentor whose work fits their question. If no one in our network fits, we recruit someone who does.
Who our mentors are
PhD Candidates
Active doctoral researchers at Harvard, Oxford, Columbia, New York University, and affiliated research institutions
Postdoctoral Researchers
Early-career academics with published research track records
Subject Specialists
Domain experts matched to Field Seminars and Academic Essentials
We confirm mentor suitability for each student's specific interests during the interview.
Explore competitive academic fields
Aldevere supports students across six academic disciplines, covering medicine, AI, economics, law, humanities, and the creative industries. Click any field to see example research questions and what students might produce, or browse our research project ideas across 24 subjects.
Medicine, Life Sciences & Behaviour
Medicine, biology, neuroscience, psychology, public health, and human behaviour.
Explore fieldTechnology, AI & Engineering
Computer science, engineering, AI, data, robotics, infrastructure, and future technology.
Explore fieldEconomics, Business & Innovation
Markets, entrepreneurship, finance, consumer behaviour, strategy, and global business.
Explore fieldPolitics, Law & Global Affairs
Law, public policy, international relations, diplomacy, human rights, and global conflict.
Explore fieldHumanities, Media & Communication
Literature, philosophy, history, media, language, culture, ethics, and communication.
Explore fieldArts, Design & Creative Industries
Art, design, architecture, fashion, film, games, music, culture, and creative business.
Explore fieldThree programmes, each designed for the student
Individually designed research programmes for students aged 14 to 18, with one-to-one mentorship from researchers at Harvard, Oxford, NYU and Columbia. Every programme is written for the student before the first session and looked after by an academic adviser alongside the mentor. After the interview we recommend the one that fits.
Explore all programmesResearch Scholar
One-to-one with a doctoral or postdoctoral researcher in the student's field, over eight weeks or more, from a research question of their own to a finished paper.
Best for
Students with a clear academic interest who want to write a research paper of their own before applying to university.
- A mentor matched to the student's question
- Reading path and project plan written in advance
- At least eight 60-minute sessions over 8 weeks or longer
- Written feedback on outlines and drafts
- A paper of typically 3,000 to 5,000 words
- Presentation, written report and recommendation
Field Seminars
A university-style seminar course in one field: 8 to 10 sessions of reading, discussion and writing for one to three students, ending in a research essay or project.
Best for
Students who want to study a field in depth, including subjects their school does not teach, and finish with a piece of work of their own.
- Syllabus and reading bank written before it starts
- 8 to 10 live sessions with a researcher or specialist
- One to three students per seminar
- Short written responses, with feedback
- Essay or project marked against published criteria
- Written report and recommendation
Academic Essentials
Work on the skills university study depends on, for one to three students, starting with the Academic Readiness Review, a 60-minute session that produces a written plan for the student.
Best for
Students who want stronger academic writing, English for university study and admissions tests (including IELTS, TOEFL and SAT) or study habits, or who want to be ready before they start research.
- Academic Readiness Review and written plan
- Academic writing and essay structure
- English for university study and admissions tests, including IELTS, TOEFL and SAT
- Source use and citation
- Study habits and research-question foundations
- Written report and recommendation
Not sure which programme is right? Take the two-minute Programme Finder for an indicative starting point, or apply for an interview: we look at each student's interests, readiness and goals before recommending a programme.
The programmes are starting points, not a required sequence. The interview decides where each student starts.
How Aldevere works
Apply
Families complete a short enquiry form so we can understand the student's goals, academic interests, and university timeline.
Interview
The student attends, and parents are welcome to join. We assess fit, recommend the right programme, and clarify all expectations before committing.
Mentor Matching
Students are matched to a mentor whose work fits their question: a researcher or reviewed specialist in their field. If no one in our network fits, we recruit someone who does.
The Programme
The programme is written for the student before the first session. Students meet their mentor, with reading and project work set between sessions, while an academic adviser looks after their progress and parents receive updates at set points. Research Scholar runs eight weeks or longer, and a longer programme spaces the sessions out, leaving more time between them for reading and written work.
Final Work and Report
The student finishes a piece of work of their own, and the programme closes with a written report and a recommendation for what comes next.
Designed before the first session, reported on in writing at the end
Whichever programme your child takes, these hold for every student.
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Designed before it begins
Every programme is written for the student before the first session: a syllabus, assessment brief and reading bank for a Field Seminar, a reading path and project plan for Research Scholar, and a written plan from the Academic Readiness Review for Academic Essentials.
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A mentor for the question
Students are matched to a mentor whose work fits their question. If no one in our network fits, we recruit someone who does.
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An academic adviser alongside the mentor
Every student also has an academic adviser, separate from the mentor, who looks after their progress and wellbeing from start to finish.
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Parents kept informed
Parents receive the schedule before the first session, progress updates at set points and whenever they ask, and a debrief at the end.
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A new mentor if the match is not working
If the match is not working, we change the mentor.
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A written report at the end
Every programme ends with a written report on the student's work, covering strengths, next steps and evidence of growth, and a recommendation for what comes next.
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Certificates
Each certificate says Completion only when every session was attended and the final work submitted. It carries its own number, and anyone the student shows it to, such as a university, can verify it at aldevere.com/verify with that number and the student's full name.
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References
Mentors are glad to write a reference for a student who has attended and taken the work seriously.
The student writes every word. Mentors question, teach and give feedback. Our academic integrity policy sets out what that means in practice.
With the family's consent, a referring counsellor is kept informed of the recommendation, the match and the student's progress. How counsellor referrals work.
All of it is included in the fee, with no paid add-ons.
Built by researchers who know the path
Aldevere was founded by David Kors, who managed a supercomputer design initiative on the CMS experiment at CERN and went on to peer-reviewed AI and engineering research at the University of Tokyo. His co-founders bring backgrounds at King's College London and New York University, and the team's experience spans school counselling, applied neuroscience, and international education.
Having navigated competitive academic paths ourselves, we saw how many capable students are held back not by ability, but by the absence of structure, mentorship, and a clear way to turn curiosity into real academic work. Tutoring fixes grades. It rarely builds the independent thinking, research skill, and intellectual confidence that strong universities actually look for.
We built Aldevere to close that gap, pairing ambitious students with mentors from serious academic backgrounds, inside a structured programme that produces work students can speak to with confidence.
Our mentors
Selected for academic strength, communication, and suitability for working with students.
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PhD candidates & researchers
Active in specialist fields at leading universities.
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Postdoctoral scholars
Early-career academics with research track records.
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Subject specialists
Domain experts with experience teaching and mentoring.
We confirm mentor suitability for each student's specific interests during the interview.
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Built on academic integrity
Aldevere builds real academic skills. Every project is student-authored, and students own what they produce.
Our role is to guide students through a genuine learning process. The thinking, writing, and creating are the student's, supported by mentorship, structure, and honest feedback throughout.
Student-Led Work
The student does the thinking, writing, and creating.
Transparent Mentorship
We guide, structure, and provide honest feedback.
Honest Expectations
Skills and intellectual growth that carry well beyond any application.
Frequently asked questions
If you have a question not answered here, read our full FAQ or get in touch through the application form.
Read all questions Ask a Question How is Aldevere different from tutoring?
Tutoring works through a curriculum that already exists. Aldevere works from the student's own question: each programme is written for the student before the first session, supervised by a mentor matched to their field, looked after by an academic adviser, and closed with a written report and a recommendation for what comes next.
Who are the mentors?
Doctoral and postdoctoral researchers from a network that includes researchers at Harvard, Oxford, NYU and Columbia, matched to each student's field, and, for some Field Seminars and Academic Essentials programmes, reviewed specialists in the subject. If no one in our network fits a student's question, we recruit someone who does. Every mentor is reviewed before joining and briefed on our safeguarding policy before working with a student.
What does the student produce at the end?
Research Scholar students write a paper, literature review or policy brief of typically 3,000 to 5,000 words and present it. Field Seminar students write a research essay or complete a project. Every programme ends with a written report on the student's work and a recommendation for what comes next.
What outcomes can families expect?
A finished piece of work the student wrote themselves: specific material for a UCAS personal statement or a Common App essay, and something to discuss in detail at interview. Then a written report on their strengths and next steps, and a recommendation for what comes next. Mentors are glad to write a reference for students who attend and take the work seriously.
Help your child build a clearer academic direction
Apply to Aldevere to learn whether Aldevere is the right fit for your student's goals, interests, and university preparation timeline.
No commitment required. We'll confirm whether Aldevere is a good fit during the interview.