Best University Coding Bootcamps: Ultimate Guide + Market Research

Table of Contents

• Our Tips: Choosing the Best University Coding Bootcamp
• Research: Growth of University Coding Bootcamps 2015–2021
• Does FAFSA cover coding bootcamps?
• University Coding Bootcamps That Offer College Credit
• Universities with Internal Coding Bootcamps (offer college credit)
• Bootcamps + Continuing Education Departments (Without College Credit)
• Powered by Trilogy Education
• Powered by QuickStart
• Powered by Stack Education
• Powered by Noodle Partners
• EQUIP Partnerships
• Community College Coding Bootcamps
• Where do we go from here?

You've heard of household bootcamps like Hack Reactor, General Assembly, and Flatiron School – but have you noticed universities that offer coding bootcamps? Universities have now been partnering with coding bootcamps since 2016, but these university coding bootcamps aren't all the same! Research your options below and find out which coding bootcamps offer college credit, which are part-time to accommodate your schedule, and read our tips for choosing the best university coding bootcamp for you. 

Our Tips: Choosing the Best University Coding Bootcamp

1. Ask for Student Outcomes! Yes, the prestige of a university being involved with a coding bootcamp is impressive – but the appeal of a coding bootcamp is that you get relevant, hands-on training that employers are looking for. If your goal is to get a job after graduating, then be sure to ask the bootcamp for data about their alumni. What's the graduation rate? What percentage of graduates are employed within 3 months? What's their average starting salary? These are all questions you can ask to be sure that the bootcamp will help you get a job after graduating. 
2. Understand who will be teaching the course. Most often, a bootcamp instructor will be teaching this course – this means you can expect to learn from someone with real-world, professional experience. But if you're expecting a university professor, then be sure to ask about this upfront. 
3. Research the bootcamp itself. It can be easy to get caught up in fancy university names. After all, if an Ivy League university is associated with the bootcamp, it has to be the best, right? Wrong! Do as much research as you would for an independent bootcamp. 

Research: Growth of University Coding Bootcamps 2015–2021

In 2021, there are about 120 university bootcamps in the Course Report directory (and counting)! The leading OPM is Trilogy Education (owned by 2U), followed by Quickstart and Fullstack Academy, as well as HackerU. Between 2019-2020, university bootcamp market has grown by 73%, from 64 university bootcamps in 2019 to 120 university bootcamps in 2020. 

Does FAFSA cover coding bootcamps?

Generally, no. Because coding bootcamps are unaccredited, they are not eligible for traditional student loans, Pell Grants, or FAFSA. Instead, bootcamp students use private loans through lenders like Skills Fund, Climb Credit, and Sallie Mae. There are a couple of exceptions – Dominican University + Make School students are eligible for financial aid – students should fill out the FAFSA and will receive a financial aid package within 2-7 days. In the Bachelor of Science degree offered by Alliant International University in partnership with Sabio, student financial aid (FAFSA) is available for eligible applicants.

University Coding Bootcamps That Offer College Credit

These are partnerships where a coding bootcamp either offers classes on the university campus, taught by the bootcamp’s own professors, or students can study at the coding bootcamp campus but get college credit. Some of these partnerships also allow students to use the GI Bill to pay for coding bootcamp tuition.

1. Wyncode + Lynn University

Wyncode has partnered with Lynn University to offer university credits to students who graduate from the nine-week web development bootcamp. Graduate students can apply the 9-week Wyncode bootcamp toward the 36 credits required for a master’s degree. 

2. Flatiron School + Yale University

Yale Summer Session is collaborating with Flatiron School to offer a Web Development Bootcamp for Summer 2019, which will carry two Yale College credits. The course is called CPSC S115 Intro to Full-Stack Web Development and available only to current Yale students. 

3. Epicodus + Warner Pacific University

Portland coding bootcamp Epicodus has partnered with Warner Pacific University to create a program called sourceU, where students take introductory college classes through the university, then do Epicodus' 27-week web and mobile development course. Students then take an additional 4 months of WPU courses, before graduating with an Associate's Degree.

4. Sabio + Alliant International University

In the Bachelor of Science degree offered by Alliant International University in partnership with Sabio, students are considered full-time and receive about 20 hours of credit.

Universities with Internal Coding Bootcamps (offer college credit)

A number of universities have now launched internal coding bootcamps themselves, and are not affiliated with an outside education provider.

1. University of Redlands Coding Boot Camp

Redlands Coding Boot Camp, aka Fundamentals of Full Stack CSCS 300, is a 12-week bootcamp developed and offered by University of Redlands in California. Graduates can earn 8 units of undergraduate credit

2. University of Saint Katherine's San Diego Code School

University of Saint Katherine's San Diego Code School offers a 16-week, part-time, full stack web development course in San Marcos, California.  No college credit is awarded. 

3. San Diego Knowledge University

San Diego Knowledge University offers a full-stack web development program. No college credit is awarded, but San Diego Knowledge University is a nationally accredited and state-approved university. Post-911 GI Bill accepted for veterans, military servicemen and women

4. Westcliff University Full Stack Coding Bootcamp

Westcliff University offers a 24-week, online Full Stack Coding Bootcamp that is taught by Westcliff faculty. Bootcamp students that are also currently enrolled at Westcliff University can earn up to 18 college credits towards their degree.

Bootcamps + Continuing Education Departments (Without College Credit)

1. DevPoint Labs + University of Utah

DevPoint Labs has partnered with the University of Utah's Professional Education department to provide a full-time 11-week web development program, aimed at adults who want to change careers. The program will cost $9,995 with scholarship opportunities for women and minority groups. The partnership has allowed DevPoint Labs to lower the cost of the program which is usually $11,000. The program launches in May 2017 and will take place at the University of Utah Sandy Center. Trilogy Education also offers a 24-week part-time bootcamp at the University of Utah – see below.

2. Fullstack Academy + Cal Poly

Fullstack Academy has partnered with Cal Poly's Extended Education Department to launch the Cal Poly Extended Education Coding Bootcamp. The coding bootcamp is a 6-month, online, part-time, full stack software development bootcamp. It costs $11,910.

2. Revature + Several Universities (University of Missouri + City University of New York + Queens College + University of Maryland University College)

Revature offers its free 12-week coding program at the University of Missouri, the City University of New York, Queens College and the University of Maryland University College. The program covers Java and .NET and graduates of the program are guaranteed employment with Revature, get professional certification, and placed in software engineering jobs. Students can also take RevaturePro, a free self-paced online coding program.

3. Software Guild + Several Universities (Kent State University + Oregon State University + University of Georgia)

Software Guild has partnered with three universities to offer a master-apprentice 10 to 14-month online coding bootcamp where students spend around 20 hours per week in a collaborative and flexible online learning environment. Students will have regular access to instructors and teacher assistants for guidance. See the school websites: Baker University, Kent State Coding Boot Camp, Oregon State Coding Boot Camp, University of Georgia, University of West Florida.

4. Coding Dojo + Grantham University

Coding Dojo has partnered with Grantham University to offer courses in front end development, back end development, and data science. Grantham University employees and their spouses can enroll in this bootcamp at a reduced tuition. 

Powered by Trilogy Education

Several universities have partnered with Trilogy Education to launch part-time bootcamps in their continuing education departments. Each bootcamp is usually offered on the university campus through the school’s department of continuing education. Graduates are not eligible for college credit but will receive a certificate of completion from the host university.

1. Rice University Boot Camps

2. The Coding Boot Camp at UCR Extension

3. UW Coding Boot Camp

4. Columbia Engineering Boot Camps

5. Tecnológico de Monterrey Boot Camps

6. Penn LPS Coding Boot Camp

7. University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps

8. UC Davis Boot Camps

9. USC Viterbi Data Analytics Boot Camp

10. University of Minnesota Boot Camps

11. University of Richmond Boot Camps

12. UMass Amherst Coding Boot Camp

13. UNH Coding Boot Camp

14. University of Utah Professional Education Coding Boot Camp

15. KU Boot Camps

16. University of Denver Boot Camps

17. University of Arizona Boot Camps

18. SMU Boot Camps

19. Case Western Reserve University Boot Camps

20. UC Irvine Boot Camps

21. Berkeley Boot Camps

22. UC San Diego Extension Boot Camps

23. UNC Charlotte Boot Camps

24. Northwestern Boot Camps

25. UNC-Chapel Hill Boot Camps

26. UCLA Extension Boot Camps

27. UT Austin Boot Camps

28. UCF Boot Camps

29. Rutgers Bootcamps

Powered by QuickStart

A number of universities have partnered with course provider QuickStart which provides curriculum for coding bootcamps, data science bootcamps and cybersecurity bootcamps. The bootcamps are run through each school's​ continuing education department, and some graduates may be eligible for certifications.

1. Texas A&M University Bootcamp

2. Wagner College

3. UT Arlington Bootcamps

4. Santa Clara University Bootcamps

5. James Madison University Bootcamps

6. Colorado State University Pueblo Bootcamps

7. Hofstra University Bootcamps

8. Becker College

9. Florida Atlantic University

10. Northeastern Illinois University Bootcamps

Powered by Stack Education

A number of universities have partnered with course provider Stack Education which provides curriculum for coding bootcamps, data science bootcamps, UX design bootcamps, digital marketing bootcamps, and more. The bootcamps are run through each school's​ continuing education department, and some graduates may be eligible for certifications.

1. Worcester State University Coding Bootcamp

2. Emerson College Coding Bootcamp

3. Framingham State University Coding Bootcamp

4. Becker College Coding Bootcamp

5. Merrimack College Coding Bootcamp

Powered by Noodle Partners

A number of universities like University of Virginia have partnered with Online Program Manager Noodle Partners, which (along with General Assembly), powers online web development bootcamps. 

EQUIP Partnerships

Curious about EQUIP? In essence, a university partnered with a coding bootcamp and a quality assurance entity (QAE), and as a result, students could effectively get financial aid and/or college credit for completing a coding bootcamp. The DOE called these partnerships “test sites” and announced awarded $17M in grants in August 2016 (see Trend #4 for more information). We haven’t heard an update on EQUIP since August 2016, but we’ll update this article if that changes. Some say that financial aid is a great idea for coding bootcamps. Others, like Jordan Weissmann at Slate, say that expanding the financial aid system will “ruin coding bootcamps.”

1. Flatiron School

Flatiron School partners with SUNY Empire State College to offer a certificate program in web development.

2. Zip Code Wilmington

Zip Code Wilmington will partner with Wilmington University to offer a 12-week software development bootcamp

3. Epicodus

Epicodus will partner with Marylhurst University to offer a 27-week web and mobile development certificate program.

Community College Coding Bootcamps

1. Deep Dive Coding Bootcamp

The Deep Dive Coding Bootcamp is a 10-week web development bootcamp taught at the CNM STEMulus Center in downtown Albuquerque. The STEMulus Center is powered by Central New Mexico Community College. As a non-credit program, graduates receive a certificate of completion, which is not a degree.

Where do we go from here?

These examples are proof that collaboration between bootcamps and universities takes many nuanced forms. There isn’t a cookie-cutter formula that schools can apply to create a partnership. The partnership has to fit the needs of students and benefit both the bootcamp and the university. Some coding bootcamps have also been acquired by universities – check out our coding bootcamp acquisitions article.

FURTHER READING:

• Coding Bootcamp vs College
• CS Degrees vs Coding Bootcamps
• Coding Bootcamp vs Self-Study

Did we miss a collaboration that you know about? Leave us a comment below!