Frequently asked questions

Luminao is a marketplace that connects high school students with college students, each a verified college student, for essay coaching and application help. Think of it as peer-to-peer mentorship for the college process.

Create a free account, browse mentor profiles, and book your first session. No payment required until you book.

You can browse mentors on the public site without logging in, but you'll need an account to message or book a session.

Filter by school, focus area, and price. Read each mentor's bio, see their sample essays, and check their reviews. Every review comes from a student who actually had the session, but many mentors are new, so some don't have reviews yet. A free 15-minute intro is a low-pressure way to check the fit.

Sessions are 1-hour live video calls. You and your mentor discuss your essay, brainstorm ideas, or go through a draft together. You set the agenda.

Absolutely. Some students use different mentors for different essays or schools. There's no limit.

Contact us within 24 hours and we'll issue a full refund. No questions asked.

We accept all major credit and debit cards via Stripe. Apple Pay and Google Pay are also supported.

You're charged when you confirm a booking. If you cancel 24 hours or more before the start, or your mentor cancels, you're refunded in full automatically. If you cancel later than that, it isn't refunded automatically; email support@luminao.app. If your mentor doesn't show up, email support@luminao.app within 24 hours of the session and we'll refund you in full.

No. Luminao is pay-per-session for students. There are no monthly fees.

Mentors are college students. Every mentor signs up with their college email, and we review each profile before it goes live.

Yes. Mentors help students brainstorm, find their voice, and give feedback on structure and storytelling — the same role a parent, teacher, or school counselor might play. Students write their own essays. We have a strict academic integrity policy, and mentors agree to it when they sign up.

You pay per session at the mentor's listed rate. There are no subscriptions or long-term commitments. You can pay by card and receive a receipt for every booking.

Sessions are private between the student and mentor and are not recorded. We encourage students to share their session notes and the feedback they received with parents.

Contact us within 24 hours of any session and we'll make it right with a full refund, no questions asked.

We collect only the minimum information needed to run the platform. Payment is handled by Stripe. We never sell personal data. See our privacy policy for details.

Any student currently enrolled at an accredited US college or university with an official .edu email address, and we review each profile before it goes live. There's no GPA requirement or specific major requirement.

Sign up with your .edu email address, then upload a résumé and a photo of your student ID. We review them before you're listed.

Yes, a short one. Sign up with your .edu email, build your profile, and upload a résumé and a photo of your student ID. We review them before you're listed on the marketplace.

No. You just need to have gone through the college application process yourself. Students want authentic peer advice, not formal instruction.

You choose your own rate during profile setup and can change it at any time, within Luminao's price caps.

You keep 80% of every order — essay edits and video sessions alike. What you make depends on the rate you set and how many sessions you take.

A flat 20% on every order; you keep the other 80%. For example, a $60 video session earns you $48, and a 700-word essay at 8¢ a word costs the student $56 and earns you $44.80.

For video sessions, your 80% goes to your Stripe account about a day after the session. For essay edits, it goes when you deliver. Stripe then pays your bank, usually in about 2 business days. A new Stripe account's first payout can take 7–14 days. Connect a bank account from your mentor dashboard.

Yes. You open time slots on your Luminao calendar and close them whenever you want. Students can only book slots you've made available.

Sessions are 1-hour video calls. The student sets the agenda — usually brainstorming, essay review, or supplement writing. You give honest feedback from your own experience.

No. Our academic integrity policy is clear: mentors give feedback and guidance, students write their own essays — the same role played by school counselors and English teachers. Mentors agree to this policy when they sign up.

If a student misses their booked session without cancelling in advance, you're still paid for the session.

You can cancel a session from your dashboard any time before it starts. The student is emailed right away and, if they paid, refunded in full automatically.

As many as you want. There's no minimum or maximum. You choose how many sessions to take.