Tutor.com is an online tutoring company founded in 1998 that connects students to tutors in online classrooms. From 2022 to 2025, the company was owned by Primavera Capital Group. As of July 2025, Tutor.com and The Princeton Review are 100% U.S.-owned, operated, and governed. Robert Batten serves as CEO of the company. [1]
Type of site | Education |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York, USA |
| Owner | Tutor.com |
| Industry | Education |
| Products | Online Tutoring, Education, Career Help, Homework Help |
| URL | www.tutor.com |
| Current status | Online |
History
editTutor.com was founded in 1998 by George Cigale.[2] In its early years, the company focused on partnerships with libraries across the United States, which would provide online tutoring to its clients.[2] Tutor.com expanded into multiple markets, including universities, employee benefits, the United States Department of Defense, and additional direct consumer services.[3]
In January 2013, InterActive Corp (IAC) announced the purchase of Tutor.com, for an undisclosed amount.[4] In August 2014, IAC's former subsidiary and Tutor.com's former parent Match Group bought test-preparation service The Princeton Review and combined it with its Tutor.com educational business.[5] In March 2017, Match Group sold The Princeton Review, along with Tutor.com, to ST Unitas, a Korean education company.[6][7] In January 2022, Primavera Capital Group acquired The Princeton Review and Tutor.com from ST Unitas.[3] In March 2024, the Florida Department of Education warned districts against using Tutor.com due to its owner's alleged ties to Chinese nationals.[8] In July 2025, Tutor.com and The Princeton Review became 100% U.S-owned, operated, and governed. Robert Batten serves as CEO of the company.[9]
U.S. military contract
editTutor.com has a longstanding contract with the United States Department of Defense to provide its services free to U.S. military service members and their families.[3] In March 2024, US senators Elise Stefanik and Tom Cotton introduced legislation, the Ban Chinese Communist Party Access to U.S. Military Students Act, to prohibit the U.S. Department of Defense from using Tutor.com.[10] This resulted in Tutor.com being removed from Florida state government issued devices. After Tutor.com became 100% U.S.-owned and operated, it was removed from Florida's Prohibited Applications on Government Devices List, which means it is no longer prohibited from being accessed on Florida state government-issued devices and therefore no longer appears on Florida's official list of banned applications.[11] In fact, a letter from Florida's Commissioner of Education warning that school districts, charter schools, and state colleges should not contract with companies that have ties to China, including Tutor.com, was taken down on November 14, 2025 to acknowledge that Tutor.com is now U.S. owned and it has no concerns about potential student data privacy risks.
Furthermore, the final FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), enacted as Public Law 118-159 on December 23, 2024, includes only a brief mention of online tutoring in Section 854. The detailed amendments previously proposed by senators Stefanik and Cotton to ban Tutor.com were never passed. The final language in Public Law 118-159 applies broadly to all tutoring providers and does not specifically reference Tutor.com.[12] Tutor.com continues to uphold a 30 year history of safeguarding student data and privacy. It complies with all applicable federal and state regulations, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA); adheres to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-171; and has earned a SOC 2 Type II attestation, conducted by an independent CPA firm. To ensure continuous compliance and protection, Tutor.com employs a dedicated Data Security Officer who actively monitors and enforces all security protocols. [13]
Leadership
editTutor.com was founded by in 1998 by George Cigale, who served as CEO through 2013.[14]
Mandy Ginsberg was CEO of The Princeton Review and Tutor.com from 2013 to 2015.[14] She had previously been CEO of Match.com. Ginsberg often appeared in the press to discuss the increasing trend of online tutoring[15][16] with services like Chegg Tutors (InstaEDU), e-Tutor, Bookmytrainings,[17] and Sylvan Learning,[18] and the issues that families face when it comes to homework and preparing for college. Notable appearances include The Today Show segment "What You Need to Know About Tutors" and Parenting.com's article "Key Signs Your Child May Need a Tutor."[19][20]
After the South Korean company ST Unitas acquired The Princeton Review in 2017, Sangje Lee became CEO of The Princeton Review in 2018.[21] In July 2025, Tutor.com and The Princeton Review became 100% U.S-owned, operated, and governed. Robert Batten serves as CEO of the company. [22]
References
edit- ^ "Tutoring and Test Prep for K–12, Higher Education, and Career". www.tutor.com. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
- ^ a b "Introducing George Cigale and Tutor.com". Library Worklife. September 2006. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- ^ a b c Korn, Melissa (8 May 2023). "Chinese Company Now Owns Tutoring Firm Contracted by Military and Schools in U.S.". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ Chozick, Amy (January 6, 2013). "IAC Is Set to Announce Acquisition of Tutor.com". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
- ^ "IAC/InterActive Unit Agrees to Buy Princeton Review name". The Wall Street Journal. July 29, 2014. Archived from the original on September 29, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ Foo, Vivian (February 22, 2017). "Korean ST Unitas to acquire the Princeton Review". Reuters. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018.
- ^ Hyo-sik, Lee (February 14, 2017). "ST Unitas Acquires The Princeton Review". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 2017-02-14. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ Gavino, Yona (2024-03-26). "Florida Dept. of Education warns school districts about use Chinese-owned tutor program". WEAR-TV. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
- ^ "Tutoring and Test Prep for K–12, Higher Education, and Career". www.tutor.com. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
- ^ "Pentagon uses China-owned tutoring company that could weaponize military data, GOP lawmakers say". Fox News. March 22, 2024. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ Services, Florida Department of Management. "Florida Department of Management Services". www.dms.myflorida.com. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
- ^ "[118th Congress Public Law 159] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]". www.govinfo.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-10.
- ^ "About Us". www.tutor.com. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
- ^ a b "IAC Appoints Mandy Ginsberg to Chief Executive Officer of Tutor.com". Tutor.com. April 18, 2013. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- ^ "Mandy Ginsberg Teaches Tutor.com Lessons in Connecting with Consumers". Xconomy. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
- ^ Shellenbarger, Sue (November 12, 2013). "Invasion of the Online Tutors". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
- ^ "One-stop shop for training needs". 2011-07-25. Archived from the original on 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ Fox, Zoe. "Dependable Destinations for Online Tutoring". Mashable.
- ^ "What you need to know about tutors". TODAY. Archived from the original on 2015-04-04. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
- ^ Ginsberg, Mandy. "Key Signs Your Child May Need a Tutor". Parenting.com.
- ^ Hoover, Eric (August 19, 2018). "The Princeton Review Has Laid Off Many Employees. But Revenue Might Not Be Its Only Problem". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- ^ "Tutoring and Test Prep for K–12, Higher Education, and Career". www.tutor.com. Retrieved 2025-10-02.