Cambodia Investment Review
Success Admissions, a fast-growing Myanmar-based college counseling firm, is rapidly gaining traction across Southeast Asia as rising numbers of parents pursue high-stakes university admissions for their children. Founded in 2022 by Brown University and Oxford alumnus Thaw Zin Aung Gyi, the firm has quickly evolved into one of the region’s most recognised providers of admissions mentoring for students targeting the world’s most competitive universities, including MIT, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge, and the Ivy League.
As the company begins accelerating its regional footprint, Cambodia is emerging as a priority market. “We’ve seen Cambodian families becoming increasingly strategic about global education,” said Thaw Zin. “Our core value is helping students not only get into top institutions, but to build the kind of mindset and capability that will help them thrive once they are there.”
Targeting parents who plan years ahead
While most Southeast Asian students typically set their sights on universities in Australia and New Zealand, Success Admissions has tailored its program for families prioritising the United States and the United Kingdom — markets with single-digit acceptance rates and intense competition. The approach places significant weight on early preparation.
“We prefer to start with students as early as eighth or ninth grade,” Thaw Zin explained. “The earlier we identify academic strengths, shape subject selection, and build long-term exposure through internships and research, the better the final portfolio. Admissions today is no longer about a perfect GPA — it’s about demonstrating potential.”
The company’s network of mentors includes counselors who are alumni of Brown, Oxford, NYU, Franklin and Marshall and other leading institutions. Their remit spans academic strategy, essay development, storytelling, extracurricular planning, and overall admissions management.
Competing on affordability in a premium-priced sector
The education consulting industry has become associated with high fees, particularly in hubs such as Singapore and the United States where advisory services can reach USD 150–400 per hour. According to Thaw Zin, this market trend risks widening the inequality gap in global education access.
“Admissions consulting should not be a luxury product,” he said. “We deliberately price our services between USD 65 and USD 180 an hour depending on the counselor because the value of guidance diminishes once fees exceed USD 200. Students can use AI to boost writing today — what matters most is mentorship, direction, and experience.”
Success Admissions supplements its core advisory services with a wide range of value-added programs designed to strengthen student portfolios in ways that resonate with top admissions offices. These include research projects supervised by PhD mentors, publication opportunities, virtual internships with US startups and Asian financial companies, and preparation for global case competitions and business pitch competitions.
The company also maintains B2B partnerships with Cambodian international schools and educational organisations, typically through referral-based collaboration. This model allows students to access the firm without shifting financial responsibility back to schools.
Turning high-achieving students into “A-tier applicants”
Success Admissions frames its mission around building “A-tier students” — individuals who demonstrate independence, curiosity, and global awareness rather than just strong academic transcripts.
Key components of the development model:
• Research programs supervised by PhD mentors with publication potential
• Internships with U.S. and Asian companies to build professional maturity
• Case competitions and public speaking programs to strengthen critical thinking and communication
• Structured portfolio development to reinforce narrative clarity and personal identity
“We are not building perfect test-takers — we are building credible young professionals,” Thaw Zin said. “Universities like MIT or Stanford don’t just look for straight-A students. They look for problem solvers, founders, researchers, and young people who show they can overcome adversity and lead.”
Built during instability — now scaling into regional markets
Success Admissions was founded during a period of civil conflict in Myanmar and operated through power cuts, internet shutdowns, security disruptions and school closures. Despite those conditions, the company has supported more than 600 students in securing admissions to highly selective programs at MIT, Oxford, Stanford, Princeton, Brown, and Northwestern.
Thaw Zin attributes the company’s growth to a combination of affordability, cultural awareness, and highly structured mentorship. “Parents in Southeast Asia think differently from parents in the West. Education decisions here are family-driven, emotionally loaded, and often involve relocation. You can’t succeed in this market without cultural context,” he said.
The company now works with students from Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, India, the UK, and the US, and is preparing to scale further. Beyond Success Admissions, Thaw Zin also leads education ventures, including Success Abroad, Strive Forward, and Unifi, all aimed at forming an ASEAN-wide access ecosystem for students and institutions. He is also the co-founder of an international school in Myanmar offering both the UK and Canadian curricula through IGCSE, A-Levels, and the OSSD programs.
The outlook for Cambodian families
As more Cambodian parents explore overseas education, Thaw Zin emphasises planning early, focusing on more than just grades, and leveraging accessible tools rather than expensive consultants.
“Academic performance gets a student to the starting line — but experience, curiosity, and capability win the race,” he said. “A family does not need to spend a fortune. What they need is structured guidance, a strong portfolio, and the right timeline.”
