Scholarships We Love: RefactorU's Diversity Scholarship

Table of Contents

• Diversity in Tech
• The Scholarship
• What it takes
• Nitty Gritty
• Why We Think It’s Awesome

RefactorU is a coding bootcamp in Boulder, CO, offering 10-week full-time immersive programs in full stack JavaScript. RefactorU has recently announced a new diversity scholarship to help close the diversity gap in the tech industry, and give opportunities to people who may otherwise not be able to afford it.

Diversity in Tech

Only 16% of people working in computing and mathematical jobs identify as black, African American or Latino, and only 25% are women. There is a huge disparity in this industry, and edtech companies like RefactorU are taking steps to change this.

“We know that for everyone who does succeed, there are often many more who do not, despite similar skills, talents, and hard work,” RefactorU CEO Sean Daken says. “Being born in the wrong place, at the wrong time, into a set of circumstances completely beyond one’s control should not define a person’s life and career, but it often does.”

That’s why RefactorU is offering a diversity scholarship for people who are underrepresented in tech.

“We recognize that structural inequality exists, and we are committed to reducing that inequality,” Sean says.

The Scholarship

There are three diversity scholarships awarded per RefactorU cohort. One for $4000, and two for $1300. RefactorU tuition costs $13,500.

RefactorU believes creative people make the best coders, so they are looking for people with creativity, resilience, and a passion for building things.

What it takes

• You identify as a woman and/or minority per the U.S. federal definition: all persons classified as Black, Hispanic, American Indian or Alaskan Native, and Asian or Pacific Islander.
• Apply for and gain acceptance into RefactorU’s full-stack immersive bootcamp
• Submit a 1000-word essay on an assigned topic
• Submit a 500-word personal statement including samples of how you have overcome personal and professional obstacles in the past.
• The winner of the essay competition will receive a $4,000 RefactorU and two runners-up will receive $1,300.

Nitty Gritty

• This scholarship applies only to RefactorU’s Immersive Full Stack JavaScript bootcamp
• Applications, essays, and personal statements will be judged by a panel of to-be-determined judges.
• You must be accepted into the RefactorU program before you apply for this scholarship

Why We Think It’s Awesome

We have talked to many RefactorU graduates (like Clayton and Ilana) who have gone on to get great jobs and really change their lives. This new scholarship is opening up that opportunity to more people who may not have taken the plunge and gone to bootcamp if they’d had to pay full price. We hope that this helps to balance the current inequalities in the tech industry.

Find out more and read RefactorU reviews on Course Report. Check out the RefactorU website.