Most of the popular coding bootcamps in the US and online boast high job placement rates, which should give a piece of mind to someone contemplating attending a bootcamp with the goal of finding employment in tech.
In addition, many bootcamps also offer job guarantees, mainly in the form of deferred tuition or tuition refund in case the graduate of their program is not able to find employment within a set period of time (often 6-9 months)
These programs provide extra safety and confidence for job seekers planning on attending a bootcamp. We thus compiled a list of the best coding bootcamps with job guarantee policies to help you find a program you would feel most comfortable attending. So let’s dive right in!
What Is a Job Guarantee?
A job guarantee is a policy offered by coding bootcamps where the students get their tuition back or do not pay deferred tuition if they remain unemployed after completing their program.
The best coding bootcamps with job guarantees offer great curriculums and resources to help students build a successful career in tech.
The best coding bootcamps with job guarantees typically offer employment assistance and support to their students, such as career coaching, mock interviews, resume assistance, and job search support.
This is in addition to helping their best students land jobs through a network of partner companies.
As such, coding bootcamps with job guarantee do their best to get you a job after the bootcamp both to improve their statistics and to not lose any profit.
What Are the Terms of a Job Guarantee?
A job guarantee isn’t as simple as not staying unemployed for 6 months post-graduation and receiveing your tuition back.
Coding bootcamps often put forward many conditions and prerequisites for students to be eligible for a tuition refund. These may include the following terms:
- As soon as you graduate, you’ll gain access to career services for up to a period of six months. You may opt-in or out of the offered student services support; however if you choose not to participate, it will affect your eligibility.
- Earn your degree from a bootcamp in half a year or even less. Fulfill all the course qualifications and go through all the career services checkpoints along the way.
- Be at least 21 years of age.
- Be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident.
- Legally possess the right to work in the United States for a period of no less than two years without requiring any form of visa assistance or sponsorship.
- Demonstrate excellent proficiency in both spoken and written English during the interview and selection process to prove your capabilities.
- Be able to pass employer background checks during the hiring process.
- Pay tuition using a month-to-month, upfront, or loan payment plan.
- Live in or within a one-hour commuting distance of one of the major tech cities.
- Achieve a minimum of 75% on all quizzes and projects assigned by your mentor.
- Have a bachelor’s degree in any subject.
As you can see, there are many requirements and conditions attached to a job guarantee, so you need to make sure to carefully read each bootcamp’s job guarantee policy prior to enrollment.
Things to Pay Attention to in the Terms of a Job Guarantee
Be careful when examining the job guarantee terms and conditions of each coding bootcamp. Look for answers to the following questions and make note of them:
- Does the school guarantee you a job or a job offer? (big difference!)
- Can you repeat a section of the course or even the entire course?
- Are contract, part-time, non-developer, non-technical, or the school’s own job offers counted as “offers?”
- Does the program guarantee a full or partial refund?
- What graduation requirements are there (final exams, project work, time commitment)?
- Are there prerequisites to be eligible for the job guarantee? (city you live in, English skills, college degree, age)?
- What are the job search requirements? (ie. networking, proof of a minimum number of applications, time limit, reporting back to the bootcamp with updates)
Once you have a better understanding of the job guarantee and the associated rules, you’ll be able to make an informed decision as to whether or not it’s worth enrolling in a coding bootcamp with a job guarantee.
Best Coding Bootcamps with Job Guarantee
All right, now that we have a better understanding of what job guarantees entail, let’s take a look at some of the best coding bootcamps offering this type of guarantee.
In-Person Bootcamps
1. Codeup
16 weeks | $17,500 | San Antonio, TX
Codeup offers a full-stack program to assist non-techies in becoming entry-level software developers and leapfrogging into their dream tech career. To ensure that students’ investment pays off, Codeup provides 100% tuition reimbursement to any refund-eligible graduate of the program who does not receive a qualifying job offer within 180 days after graduation.
2. Revature
12 weeks | Free | Reston, VA; Scottsdale, AZ; New York, NY
Revature is an inventive talent technology company supplying reliable professionals to corporate and government partners. All those who effectively complete the program will be guaranteed placement in the workforce at a Revature client organization. As such, students must pass stringent hireability criteria before being admitted into the school.
Online Bootcamps
1. CareerFoundry
6 months | $4000 | Online
Master the fundamentals of UX design, UI design, full-stack web development, data analytics, digital marketing and product management with CareerFoundry’s courses. If you don’t find a job in your new career within 6 months after graduating – they’ll give you back all your tuition money.
2. Springboard
6 months | $16,000-$42,950 | Online
Springboard is an online learning platform that helps students develop the skill sets necessary to become successful in some of today’s most desirable tech careers. Through comprehensive, mentor-led programs such as software engineering, data science, UI/UX design, cybersecurity and tech sales – you’ll be ready to take on a career with confidence. Springboard will provide you with up to 6 months of post-graduation career counseling and guarantee a full tuition refund if, after that time, you are still unable to find employment (as long as the criteria are met).
3. Thinkful
4-6 months | $9,000-14,000 | Online
With Thinkful’s Flexible or Full-Time Web Development Bootcamps, you can master full-stack web development faster than ever before. Each program is tailored to your individual learning style with 1-on-1 mentorship and a structured curriculum; plus, if you don’t secure a qualifying job within 6 months of graduating, the tuition fee will be fully refunded.
4. Texas A&M University Bootcamp
6 months | $7,900 | Online
Texas A&M University Bootcamp is pleased to provide its students with a Job Guarantee – if you don’t receive a “Qualifying Position” in your field of study within 6 months after graduation, then we will refund 100% of your tuition. There are certain criteria that must be met for eligibility – discover them here.
5. Coding Temple
10-52 weeks | $5,000-$15,000 | Online
Coding Temple offers a wide range of courses, from data science and web development to engineering immersion and full-stack development. With their strong career services team providing individualized attention to all students as they learn through projects suited for a professional portfolio, there is no wonder why they boast such an impressive job placement rate post-graduation. Plus, if you don’t find a job in tech nine months after graduating, your tuition will be refunded.
6. Designlab
19-38 weeks | $7,246-$9,677 | Online
Designlab offers UX and UI bootcamp programs that are perfect for those who want to start or advance their design career. An individual mentor from a well-established pool of experts working in leading tech companies will be assigned to each student, ensuring they receive the best support possible. Furthermore, if students don’t gain employment within six months of graduating, they guarantee a full tuition refund.
Deferred Tuition Bootcamps
1. Launch School
8-16+ months | $199/month (upfront) – $299/month (deferred) | Online
Launch School’s deliberate and comprehensive web development program is designed to help students steadily progress from fundamental coding skills, through project-building and portfolio creation. Under the Deferred Payment Plan, once you successfully secure a job that pays $60k or more in the year following graduation – tuition fees are then due. However, should it take longer than 12 months for you to find such employment – no tuition payments will be required.
2. Bloom Institute of Technology
30 weeks | $0 Upfront | Online
Ready to launch your career in web development? Bloom Institute of Technology’s online coding bootcamps are the perfect way to get started. BloomTech’s live instructors and pair programming environment will give you the skills and experience needed for success. And with their unique pricing model, they make it easy: if you don’t earn more than $50,000 per year within two years after graduation, there is no cost. Once you reach that goal, however, they ask that 17% of your income be paid back over a two-year period – up to $30,000 maximum.
3. Holberton School
2 years Full-time | $0 Upfront | San Francisco, CA
Holberton School proudly presents its two-year higher-education program to become a full-stack software engineer, and with Venmo Education, there are no upfront costs while attending the school. That’s right – you only start making payments once your education is complete and you begin working. The monthly payments are income-based for three years following graduation; all set at an agreeable fixed percentage of your salary.
4. App Academy
16-24+ weeks | $0 Upfront | New York, NY; San Francisco, CA; Online
App Academy is an accelerated 16-to-24-week program focused on mastering Ruby on Rails and JavaScript. The school has a proven track record with a near-perfect job placement rate of 98%. Once you start earning $50,000 annually, the tuition fee is derived from 15% of your earnings every month with a cap of $31,000 for the next three years; no deposit or fees are due until then.
Can I Get Financial Aid for Coding Bootcamps?
While financial aid for bootcamps is not available on the federal level the same way college aid is, there are many financing options and scholarships available for many coding bootcamps.
Most common financial aid options for coding bootcamps include scholarships, monthly installment plans, employer sponsorship, deferred tuition, income share agreements, and private loans.
The best way to learn about financial aid for each of the coding bootcamps is to visit their websites and explore their financing options. Alternatively, reach out to their admissions teams who will be able to provide you with more information.
As always, it’s important to read all the terms and conditions of the payment plan before signing up for a coding bootcamp to make sure it’s the right fit for you.
What is the average salary after coding bootcamp?
Different coding bootcamps report different average salaries by their graduates.
From their first job post bootcamp, the average bootcamp grad earns a generous $69,079 starting salary.
Even more promisingly though, on average they earn an impressive $80,943 in their second role and then further increase this figure to reach a whopping sum of $99,229 in their third employment, according to Course Report.
These are general averages, so make sure to check out the website of each program you are interested in, as most bootcamps report average post-graduation salaries in their outcome statistics.
Do employers like coding bootcamps?
Employers are eager to hire coding bootcamp graduates due to their abundance of skills and knowledge which make them quite well-suited for the job.
The evidence is clear – bootcamp graduates are in high demand. A recent survey by Indeed showed that a staggering 80% of American businesses have employed at least one graduate from this type of program.
Moreover, the majority of human resource managers reported they would undoubtedly employ them again if the opportunity arose.
These graduates have already proven themselves by completing an intensive and fast-paced coding bootcamp, and employers know that they can hit the ground running.
Conclusion
When looking for coding bootcamps, a job guarantee can be an extremely attractive proposition. It takes away the uncertainty that comes with learning a new skill and gives learners the confidence to know that their investment will pay off.
With 12 of the best coding bootcamps with job guarantees in 2023, you’re sure to find the perfect fit. From established bootcamps with years of experience to up-and-coming programs that provide cutting-edge skills and knowledge, there is a program to meet every student’s needs and expectations.
With careful research and consideration, you can make an informed decision and take the first step towards a new career. Good luck!
Elmar Mammadov is a software developer, tech startup founder, and computer science career specialist. He is the founder of CS Careerline and a true career changer who has previously pursued careers in medicine and neuroscience.
Due to his interest in programming and years of past personal experience in coding, he decided to break into the tech industry by attending a Master’s in Computer Science for career changers at University of Pennsylvania. Elmar passionately writes and coaches about breaking into the tech industry and computer science in general.
