2017 Coding Bootcamp Outcomes & Demographics Report

CODING BOOTCAMP ALUMNI REPORT A $70,698 STARTING SALARY.

Liz Eggleston

Written By Liz Eggleston

Last updated on October 23, 2020

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Overview

Course Report is excited to present the results of our latest and most comprehensive survey of graduates in the coding bootcamp space. We surveyed graduates from 73 qualifying coding schools and received 1,450 qualified graduate responses.

The majority of graduates of coding bootcamps are finding full-time employment, and 80% of graduates surveyed say they've been employed in a job requiring the technical skills learned at bootcamp, with an average salary increase of 50.5% or $23,724. The average starting salary of a bootcamp grad is $70,698. This year's Outcomes & Demographics Study dives into graduates' success, analyzing not only demographics and outcomes, but also how previous experience, income, location, and other factors impact a student's average salary and ability to get a job.

 

Thanks so much to the schools who participated in this study and helped distribute it to their alumni networks!

 

 

Key Findings

In our fourth annual graduate survey, and the most complete cross-school study of its kind in the coding bootcamp industry, we find strong evidence of salary growth, with respondents reporting a $23,724 average increase in their first job after attending a coding bootcamp.

Key Finding 1. Salary Change

Change in Salary Before After % Change
 Average Salary* $46,974 $70,698 50.5%
 Median Salary* $40,000 $65,000 62.5%

*Figures concentrate on full-time positions only (i.e. including Freelance, Employed, and Self-employed Entrepreneur."

 

In addition, bootcamp attendees are more likely to be working full-time after graduation.

Key Finding 2. Change in Employment

Change in Employment Pre-bootcamp Post-bootcamp
 Employed Full-Time 58% 75%
 Employed Part-Time 8% 3%
 Employed Freelance 5% 4%
 Self-Employed 4% 3%
 Homemaker/Stay-at-home parent 1% 0%
 Student 7% 1%
 Unemployed 17% 14%

 

Most graduates take 1-6 months to find their first job. As students continue their job search after graduation, job placement trends upwards.

Key Finding 3. Time to Accept a Job

33%   66%   79%   85%
placed   placed   placed   placed
30 DAYS   90 DAYS   120 DAYS   120+ DAYS

 

Key Finding 4. Demographics

  All Respondents 2017 Graduates
 Age Average Average
 Years 30 29
 Gender % %
Female 36% 40%
Male 61% 57%
Non-Binary 3% 3%
 Race/Ethnicity % %
White/Caucasian 69% 65%
Black/African American 5% 5%
Asian 18% 22%
Native American/Pacific Islander etc. 1% 1%
Hispanic 7% 9%
Other 1% 1%

This outcomes report also finds:

  • The average student paid $11,874 in tuition.
  • The typical attendee has 6 years of work experience, has at least a Bachelor's degree, and has never worked as a programmer.
  • Graduates report an average satisfaction rating of 8.3/10.
  • Use of external lending partners has increased drastically over time (from 9% before 2016 to 20% in 2017). 

The "Survey Results" tab shows interesting Insights like:

  • Graduates working in California earn the highest average salaries ($100,482).
  • Preparation pays off! Alumni report an average $70,698 salary after graduation. Graduates with previous programming experience typically see higher salaries ($7,000 higher if they've done some self-teaching).
  • 80% of respondents report that they've worked in a job requiring the technical skills they learned in the bootcamp. Graduates who learned Javascript are 38% more likely to be employed and graduates who learned Ruby on Rails are 35% more likely to be employed. Notably, gender has no impact on a graduate's likelihood to be employed.
  • The highest salaried students studied Engineering and Mathematics. Anthropology and Physical Science majors saw the most drastic change in salary, and Marketing/Advertising majors were most likely to be employed after graduation in a role requiring technical skills learned at the bootcamp. 

 

 

Results

Student Outcomes

Post-Bootcamp Employment

Most alumni (75%) are in salaried, full-time position, with others reporting working as an independent contractor or running their own business. Note: In Table 9a, employment status is shown for all graduates. In Table 9b, you can see how Employment Status for 2017 graduates changes based on time since graduation. Because it takes most alumni 1-6 months to accept a job after graduation, we find that alumni who graduated in January-May are more likely to be employed. 

Table 9a. Bootcamp Employment Status

 Employment Status Pre-Bootcamp Post-Bootcamp
 Employed full-time (30h+ per week) 58% 75%
 Employed part-time (<30h per week) 8% 3%
 Employed freelance or independent contractor 5% 4%
 Self-Employed Entrepreneur 4% 3%
 Homemaker/"Stay-at-home" parent 1% 0%
 Student 7% 1%
 Unemployed 17% 14%

Table 9b. Post Bootcamp Employment Status by Graduation Year

      Graduation Year  
 Employment Status All      2017 (all year)  2017 (Jan-May)
 Employed Full-Time 75%   58% 77%
 Employed Part-Time 3%   4% 2.5%
 Employed Freelance 4%   7% 6.5%
 Entrepreneur 3%   3% 1%
 Homemaker 0%   0% 0%
 Student 1%   3% 1%
 Unemployed 14%   25% 12%

 

Since graduating, 80% of alumni have had a job requiring the technical skills they learned in the bootcamp.

Table 9c. Have Been Employed Using Technical Skills

      Graduation Year
  Total   2011-15     2016    2017  
 Yes 80%   94% 86% 66%
 No 20%   6% 14% 34%

Post-Bootcamp Salary

Alumni report an average first salary of $70,698 and an average most recent salary of $76,347. 50% of 2017 bootcamp graduates in full-time employment earn more than $60k in their first job after bootcamp. Most recent salaries are in line with first salary after bootcamp for 2017 graduates who have not had time to change jobs yet.

Table 10a. Post-Bootcamp Salary

 First Salary Post-Graduation               All                  2017 Graduates   
 Average Salary $70,698 $61,050
 Median Salary $65,000 $60,000
 Most Recent Salary All 2017 Graduates
 Average Salary $76,347 $62,375
 Median Salary $71,000 $60,000

*Figures concentrate on full-time positions only (i.e. including Freelance, Employed, and Self-employed Entrepreneur."

 

The most common job title for bootcampers is Software Engineer but is trending down for 2017 graduates. 38% of Other job titles contain “developer”.

Table 10b. Most Popular Post-Bootcamp Job Titles

      Graduation Year
 First Job Title All Years   2011-2015 2016 2017
Software Engineer 36%   36% 40% 23%
Front-End Developer 16%   18% 13% 15%
Junior Web Developer 15%   14% 11% 19%
Associate/ Junior Software Engineer 6%   5% 5% 8%
Teaching Assistant 3%   1% 3% 4%
UX/UI Designer 1%   0% 1% 2%
QA Engineer 1%   1% 2% 1%
Mobile Developer 1%   0% 1% 2%
Senior Web Developer 1%   2% 0% 1%
Other  24%   23% 23% 25%

Time to Job Placement

33% of graduates find a job within less than a month, another third of the population between 1 and 3 months. 

Table 11. Average # of months until Job Placement

      Graduation Year
 Job Search Length All Years   2011-15     2016    2017  
 < 1 month 33%   39% 30% 32%
 1-3 months 33%   34% 37% 29%
 3-6 months 13%   17% 17% 9%
 >6 months 6%   8% 10% 3%
 Still unemployed 14%   3% 7% 27%

 

Salary Change After First Job

Most coding bootcamp graduates (66%) are still working in the first job they landed after graduation (Table 12a). For students who have had more than one job after graduation, they spent an average length of 8 months in their first job. As bootcamp graduates accept second and third jobs, their average salaries also jump (Table 12b). 

 

Table 12a. Average # of Jobs After Graduation

Number of Post-Graduation Jobs           All           2017 Graduates
1 66% 86%
2 27% 13%
3 5% 1%
4 1% 0%

 

When a bootcamp grad moves to their second and third jobs, their salary typically increases by 25% for each new job (+27% on the median salary from Job 1 to Job 2, and +25% from Job 2 to Job 3).

Table 12b. Salary Change

 Job Median Average
 1st Job $60,000 $65,591
 2nd Job $76,000 $79,944
 3rd Job $95,000 $90,421
 Change in Job % %
 Increase 1st to 2nd Job 27% 22%
 Increase 2nd to 3rd Job 25% 13%
 Increase 1st to 3rd Job 58% 38%

 

School Services

Many schools offer services to help prepare students for the job market. Almost all students report receiving some form of assistance: resume prep, apprenticeship, on-site interviews, and more. The most popular services offered are resume assistance and networking events (Table 13a). Online bootcamps logically offer less face-to-face events but seem to compensate with stronger job placement services, especially in 2017 (Table 13b).

Table 13a. Career Services

 Services Offered All 2017 Graduates
 Resume preparation assistance 91% 90%
 Career day, demo day, networking 83% 80%
 Job placement services 58% 57%
 Apprenticeship or internship 21% 21%
 None of the above 3% 3%

Table 13b. Career Services (Online vs In-Person)

  2017 Graduates
 Services Offered Online In-Person
 Resume preparation assistance 90% 95%
 Career day, demo day, networking 84% 40%
 Job placement services 56% 69%
 Apprenticeship or internship 22% 15%
 None of the above 3% 4%

 

Graduate Satisfaction

Graduates report an average satisfaction rating of 8.3/10 and would recommend their coding bootcamp to a friend 8 times out of 10. 

Satisfaction and recommendation are very strongly correlated (83%). More than 50% of graduates are very satisfied or would strongly recommend their schools (scores 9 and 10).

Table 14. School Satisfaction

Overall Program Satisfaction Average Score NPS (Net Promoter Score)
Satisfaction (1-10) 8.3 39%
Recommended (1-10) 8.0 32%

 

 

 

Success Insights

We've analyzed post-bootcamp success by a number of factors, including location, race, gender, educational attainment, and more. The following tables dig deeper into analyzing the types of students who see the most success after graduating from a coding bootcamp.

 

How does Socioeconomic Status Impact Success?

The average bootcamper reported a $23,724 lift in salary after graduating from a bootcamp. Do low-income students experience the same increase in salary as middle and high-income students? We find that low-income students see a lower average post-bootcamp salary than middle and high-income students, but a high lift in salary after graduation (166% growth). 

Table 15. Pre-bootcamp Income vs. Post Bootcamp Success

  Mean Salary (USD)  
 Socioeconomic Class Pre-bootcamp Post-bootcamp % Employed
Prior income ≤ $30,000 $21,518 $57,432 76%
$30,000 < Prior income ≤ $40,000 $33,625 $64,710 78%
$40,000 < Prior income ≤ $60,000 $46,653 $74,528 78%
Prior income > $60,000 $80,168 $83,869 83%

How does Past Education Impact Success?

There is a strong relationship between pre-bootcamp educational attainment and post-bootcamp salary. Students with a Bachelor's degree reported the highest average salary of $75,370. Students with a Bachelor's degree also experienced the highest lift in salary after graduating from a bootcamp- 58% salary growth. However, Table 16 reveals that bootcamp graduates with no college degree also have very positive outcomes (56% salary growth). 

Table 16. Educational Attainment vs. Post Bootcamp Success

 Education Pre-Bootcamp Post-bootcamp % Employed
No college degree $38,049 $58,877 71%
Associate's degree $42,616 $62,364 71%
Bachelor's degree $47,784 $75,370 80%
Master's degree $60,504 $73,002 79%

*Doctorate degrees accounted for only ~1% of respondents.

How does Programming Experience Impact Success?

As expected, students who had more experience in programming before attending a coding bootcamp tend to have higher average salaries and are more likely to be employed in a programming job after graduating. Bootcampers who reported that they had done some self-teaching before attending a bootcamp experienced the highest average salary lift of 53% (Table 17). Finally, even respondents who identified themselves as Experienced Programmers prior to a bootcamp saw salary growth after graduating from a bootcamp.

Table 17. Programming Experience and Post Bootcamp Success

 Programming Experience Pre-bootcamp Post-bootcamp % Employed
Complete Beginner $43,963 $60,466 75%
Some self-teaching $48,459 $74,542 80%
Experienced Programmer $57,353 $84,560 72%

How does Race/Ethnicity Impact Success?

While respondents who identify as Hispanic have the highest average post-bootcamp salary, they are also the least likely to be employed after graduation. White graduates are the most likely to be employed after graduation. Black graduates have the lowest average salary. 

Table 18. Ethnicity and Post Bootcamp Success

 Ethnicity Pre-bootcamp Post-bootcamp % Employed
White $47,224 $70,889 82%
Hispanic $44,744 $78,069 63%
Asian/Pacific Islander $50,960 $76,811 74%
Black $49,577 $53,201 71%
Other $45,006 $58,999 67%

How does Gender Impact Success?

Women make up 36% of the coding bootcamp industry; while women saw more drastic salary growth after graduating from a bootcamp, men still report a higher average salary. Note: "Non-binary" was not included in Table 19 as there were not a significant number of cases.

Table 19. Gender and Post-Bootcamp Success

 Gender Pre-bootcamp Post-bootcamp % Employed
Male $49,250 $73,228 78%
Female $45,012 $68,578 78%

How does Programming Language Learned Impact Success?

While JavaScript has been gaining popularity in coding bootcamps since 2014, graduates who learned Ruby on Rails report the highest salary after graduation and are most likely to be employed (Table 20). Note: Only languages with a significant sample size were included in Table 20.

Table 20. Programming Language and Post-Bootcamp Success

 Language Pre-bootcamp Post-bootcamp % Employed
Ruby on Rails $50,905 $80,760 82%
Full Stack JavaScript $46,970 $68,578 78%
C# $38,530 $61,468 73%
Other $48,497 $67,216 72%

How does Location Impact Success?

States with the highest average salaries remain the largest tech hubs with plenty of developer jobs: California, New York City, and Utah were among the states with highest average salaries (Table 21). Note: Only cities with a significant sample size were included in Table 21.

Table 21. Location and Post Bootcamp Success

City Pre-bootcamp Post-bootcamp % Employed
California $49,840 $100,482 81%
New York $55,348 $74,756 82%
Utah $38,199 $54,363 82%
Online $50,261 $70,500 76%
Other $44,923 $61,345 70%

How does Undergraduate Major Impact Success?

Does a students' academic background affect their success after a coding bootcamp? For respondents who reported earning Associates, Bachelor's, Graduate, or Professional Degrees, the highest salaried students studied Engineering and Mathematics. Anthropology and Physical Science majors saw the most drastic change in salary, and Marketing/Advertising majors were most likely to be employed after graduation, in a role requiring technical skills learned at the bootcamp. 

Table 22. Field of Study and Post Bootcamp Success

 Major/Field of Study Pre-Bootcamp  Post-Bootcamp %Employed
Anthropology/History $36,440 $75,115 78%
Architecture $50,343 $84,053 76%
Art/Art History $38,545 $71,606 74%
Business $65,918 $82,624 83%
Communications/Journalism $47,910 $61,186 77%
Computer Science $50,949 $83,056 80%
Economics $55,099 $83,892 70%
Engineering $68,720 $90,666 94%
Education $37,922 $62,377 73%
Foreign Language $52,334 $51,940 81%
Graphic Design $40,325 $49,860 86%
Health/Medicine $59,654 $75,876 72%
IT $53,961 $63,135 87%
Law $61,129 $75,822 79%
Life Sciences $35,972 $74,892 87%
Literature/Writing $53,038 $69,117 85%
Marketing/Advertising $39,694 $77,245 94%
Mathematics $47,338 $87,174 92%
Music/Dance/Performing Arts $37,584 $71,070 70%
Other $43,261 $62,797 73%
Physical Sciences $37,689 $86,628 71%
Political Science $43,545 $81,515 83%
Psychology $40,852 $63,711 83%

 

 

 

Demographics

Student Demographic Profile

Respondents self-reported demographic information such as age, gender, and race. The student profile is summarized below in Tables 1a-1e.

The average age of a coding bootcamp graduate is 30 years-old (median age is 29 years-old). The youngest respondent was 17 years old; the oldest respondent was 65 years old.

Table 1a. Age

 Age All Respondents 2017 Grads
Average  30 years 29 years
Median 29 years 28 years

 

In online bootcamps, women and men are almost equally represented. While women are slightly underrepresented in in-person bootcamps, the percentage of women improves year over year. We compare our findings on gender enrollment to the 2016 Taulbee Survey, an annual survey of computer science programs at accredited universities. The Taulbee study estimated that 17.9% of 2016 Bachelor's degrees in Computer Science were awarded to females. Our study suggests that bootcamps (36% female) compare favorably to traditional computer science departments (as well as masters programs) on gender diversity. 

Table 1b. Gender

 Gender Total   2011-15 Grads     2016 Grads    2017 Grads  
Male 61%   66% 62% 57%
Female 36%   33% 35% 40%
Non-binary 3%   1% 3% 3%

Table 1c. Gender in 2017 Grads (In-Person vs. Online)

 Gender In-Person Online
 Male 57% 49%
 Female 40% 49.5%
 Non-binary 3% 1.5%

 

Bootcamp graduates have a very strong over-representation of Asian people (22% of 2017 graduates vs. 5% of US population) and a very strong under-representation of Black/African American people (5% of graduates vs. 13% of the US population). We compare ethnicity in respondents to the 2010 US Census.

Table 1d. Ethnicity

 Ethnicity US Census All Respondents 2017 Grads
 Hispanic 16% 8% 9%
 White/Caucasian 72% 69% 65%
 Black/African American 13% 5% 5%
 Asian 5% 18% 22%
 Native American, Pacific Islander etc. 1% 1% 1%
 Other 9% 7% 7%

 

The gap between all respondents and 2017 graduates in share of Naturalized Citizens is partially explained by the age difference (2017 graduates are younger so have had less time to get naturalized).

Table 1e. Citizenship

 Citizenship          All Respondents          2017 Graduates
 US Citizen, Born in the US 78% 85%
 US Citizen, Naturalized 5% 1%
 No 17% 14%

Education

The majority of bootcamp grads already have at least a Bachelor's degree. However, only 54% of alumni who graduated from a bootcamp in 2017 have a Bachelor's degree (compared to 59% for all graduates). Fields of study are widespread: the top 5 (out of 24) only represents 35% of the total. The most frequent pre-bootcamp education fields are business/public administration, psychology, computer science, engineering and communications/journalism.

Table 2a. Education

 Education All Grads 2017 Graduates
 Did not complete high school 0% 0%
 High school graduate (or GED) 4% 5%
 Associate's degree 5% 7%
 Professional school degree 2% 1%
 Some college (1-4 years) 15% 17%
 Bachelor's degree 59% 54%
 Master's degree 15% 16%
 Doctorate degree  1% 0%

Table 2b. Field of Study

 Study Field (Top 5) 2017 Graduates
 Business/ Public Administration 11%
 Psychology/ Philosohpy 8%
 Computer Science 6%
 Engineering 6%
 Communications/ Journalism 5%

Location of Bootcamp Attendance

The majority of bootcampers attended their courses in New York, while California was the state that had the highest amount of bootcamp graduates. 

 

Table 3a. Cities in which Bootcampers Attended 

 City Percent of Total
 New York 17.4%
 San Francisco 13.6%
 Chicago 4.3%
 Portland 3.6%
 Seattle 3.4%
 Provo 3.4%
 Denver 2.9%
 Washington 2.2%
 Charlotte 2.1%
 Atlanta 2.1%

Table 3b. States in which Bootcampers Attended

 Living States (Top 10) All Respondents
 California           22%          
 New York 16%
 Utah 6%
 Washington 5%
 Illinois 4%
 Oregon 4%
 North Carolina 4%
 Texas 4%
 Colorado 4%
 Georgia 3%

 

Of the respondents who attended bootcamp abroad (11.4%), more than half live in Canada (57%), 18% live in Europe, and only 10% live in Australia. The full split for all graduates follows:

Table 3c. Locations (non-US) in which Bootcampers Attended

 Location Percent of Total Percent of Abroad
 North America- Canada 6.5%          57%          
 Europe 2.1% 18%
 Australia 1.2% 10%
 South America 0.4% 3%
 Asia 0.4% 3%
 N/A 0.6% 5%
Total 11.4% 100%

 

9% of bootcamp graduates attended their full-time bootcamp online. 

Table 3d. In-Person vs Online Graduates

 Location Total   2011-15     2016 Grads    2017 Grads  
 In-Person 91.5%   93.7% 90.3% 90.9%
 Online 8.5%   6.3% 9.7% 9.1%

Pre-Bootcamp Programming Experience

Most respondents (64%) did some self-teaching prior to attending bootcamp, and 30% were complete beginners prior to enrolling.

Table 4. Pre-Bootcamp Programming Experience 

 Former Programming Level
 
All Respondents
2017 Grads
Complete Beginner 30% 34%
Some self-teaching in my free time 64% 59%
Experienced Programmer 6% 7%

 

Pre-Bootcamp Work Experience

The average previous work experience among students is ~6 years, although 17% report being unemployed prior to bootcamp enrollment, as shown in Table 5a. 50% of bootcamp students join with less than 4 years of work experience. Respondents with master's degrees tend to join with more experience. 75% of graduates (77% of 2017 graduates) were working in some capacity before they started bootcamp .  

Table 5a. Work Experience and Salary

  All Respondents 2017 Graduates
 Work Experience Mean (USD) Mean (USD)
 Years 6.0* 5.7
 Salary Mean (USD) Mean (USD)
All respondents $46,974** $45,572**
 Pre-Camp Employment Status % %
Employed full-time 58% 59%
Employed part-time 8% 9%
Employed freelance 5% 5%
Self-employed/Entrepreneur 4% 3.5%
Homemaker/"stay at home" parent 1% 1%
Student 7% 7%
Unemployed 17% 15.5%

*Median years worked was 4.0 years. 

**Figure concentrates on full-time positions only (i.e. including "Employed – freelance or independent contractor", "Employed full-time", "Self-employed Entrepreneur").

Table 5b. Pre-Bootcamp Work Industry

 Pre-bootcamp Work Industry All 2017 Graduates
 IT/Web Development/Design 13% 13%
 Hospitality/Retail/Tourism 11% 10%
 Education     10%     8%
 Marketing/Advertising/Journalism 8% 6.5%
 Finance/Accounting 8% 8.5%
 Government/Non-profit/Human Services 6% 6%
 Health Care 5.5% 7%
 Fashion/Entertainment/Music 4% 4%
 Consulting (Business, Management) 4% 5%
 Manufacturing 3% 2%
 Construction 2.5% 3%
 Real Estate 1% 1.5%
 Other 24% 26%

Applications & Student Motivations

Most graduates report applying to a coding bootcamp in order to get a job as a programmer (88%), and 4% report attending in order to start their own company. Less than 1% report attending bootcamp to get a promotion or change jobs with their current employer. On average, bootcampers apply to 1.5 schools. 89% of bootcamp graduates (90% of 2017 graduates) were accepted to all the schools they applied to.

Table 6a. Applications

  All Respondents 2017 Graduates
 Number of Applications Mean Mean
 Number of Applications 1.5 1.5
Number of Accepted Applications 1.33 1.36
 Reason for Attending a Bootcamp % %
Getting a programming job 88% 86%
Starting a company 3.5% 3%
Getting a non-technical job 3% 3%
Freelancing/contracting 1% 1%
Getting a promotion 1% 2%
Other 3.5% 5%
 
 

Finally, the most important factor to a future bootcamper when deciding between bootcamps are Alumni Outcomes. Average ratings (Table 6b) give some idea about the importance of factors. Curriculum and Instructors are the next most important factors. Tuition and Location have about the same importance, followed by Scholarships and Quality of Facilities being the least important factors.

Table 6b. Reasons for Selecting a Bootcamp

Primary Reasons for Selecting       All        2017 Graduates
Alumni Outcomes 35% 30.5%
Curriculum 20% 22%
Instructors 19% 20%
Tuition 10% 9%
Location 10% 12.5%
Scholarship 4% 5%
Facilities 2% 1%

 

 

Tuition

Average tuition for a coding bootcamp is $11,874, with most students paying for school themselves or with the help of family and external loans (Table 7). The highest tuition paid is $85,000 (Holberton School). The middle 50% of 2017 graduates paid between $8k and $15k. Only 14% of graduates report that their school offered a job guarantee. Of the respondents whose bootcamp offered a job guarantee, 45% received a full or partial refund if they weren't employed after graduating.

Table 7. Tuition & Placement Refunds

  All Respondents 2017 Graduates
 Tuition Cost USD USD
 Median $12,000 $12,500
 Average $11,874 $11,696
 Source of Funding % %
 Self 49% 43%
 Family 20% 18%
 External Loan 17% 20%
 Scholarship 7% 10%
 Financing through Bootcamp 4% 5%
 Employer Sponsorship 3% 4%
 Tuition Refunds    
 % Offered Job Guarantee 14% 13%
 Received refund 45% 32%

 

Funding Sources

While most 2017 graduates (43%) cover tuition by Self-funding, their share is decreasing from 60% for 2011-2015 graduates. This is compensated by the rise of External Loans and Scholarships. This year over year comparison is shown in Table 8a.

Table 8a. Year over Year Comparison of Funding Source

 Type of Funding By Year All   2011-2015     2016 2017
 Self 49%   60% 48% 43%
 Family 20%   22% 19% 18%
 External Loan 17%   9% 20% 20%
 Scholarship 7%   3% 6% 10%
 Bootcamp 4%   4% 4% 5%
 Employer Sponsorship 3%   2% 3% 4%

 

The most popular lending partners used are Climb Credit and Skills Fund (Table 8b). For the 310 students who used External Loans, an average of 86% of the tuition cost was covered by a lending partner. The distribution of lending partners is shown below for those 310 students who used External Loans. 

Table 8b. Lending Partners Year Over Year

                Graduation Year
 Lending Partner                All      2011-15    2016       2017   
 Climb Credit 34%   30% 33.5% 35%
 Skills Fund 27%   0% 21% 39%
 Earnest 7%   19% 12% 0%
 Pave 5%   2% 8% 4%
 Affirm + Lendlayer 8%   27% 6% 3%
 Upstart 2%   2% 5% 0%
 Other (credit cards etc.) 17%   20% 14.5% 19%

 

 

Participating Schools

Respondents in the 2017 Coding Bootcamp Student Outcomes & Demographics Study graduated from the following 73 bootcamps:

*This bootcamp is no longer operating.

 

 

Methodology

We received responses from graduates from 73 coding schools, commonly referred to as "bootcamps." We received 1626 responses, 1450 of which met the criteria described below. The surveys were sent to graduates and all figures are self-reported by the respondents.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

To qualify for inclusion in the survey, a respondent must have attended a school that (a) offers full-time, in-person instruction of 40 or more hours of classroom time per week, (b) is not degree-granting, (c) provides programming-specific curriculum.

GRADUATES

To qualify for inclusion in the survey, individuals must have completed a course offered by a coding bootcamp (as defined above) prior to October 26, 2017.     

INCENTIVES

Participation in the survey was voluntary. An incentive for a $500 Amazon Giftcard was offered for participation.

POST-STRATIFICATION

Because bootcamps likely varied in the extent to which they distributed and advertised the survey to students, it is unlikely that our raw sample is representative of the overall population of students. To adjust for varying sampling probabilities across schools, we post-stratify the sample on school using the known (2014-2017) bootcamp sizes from a recent Course Report survey. Respondents are weighted such that the in-sample distribution of respondents across camps matches as closely as possible the known distribution of bootcamp sizes. Therefore, our estimates rely on a much weaker assumption than random sampling—we only need to assume that respondents are effectively randomly sampled within school strata.

ABOUT COURSE REPORT

Course Report, founded in 2013 by Adam Lovallo and Liz Eggleston, operates https://www.coursereport.com/, which helps potential students find, research, and apply to coding bootcamp programs. Course Report offers a directory of schools, webinars, thousands of reviews, and interviews with teachers, founders, students, and alumni.

About The Author

Liz Eggleston

Liz Eggleston

Liz Eggleston is co-founder of Course Report, the most complete resource for students choosing a coding bootcamp. Liz has dedicated her career to empowering passionate career changers to break into tech, providing valuable insights and guidance in the rapidly evolving field of tech education.  At Course Report, Liz has built a trusted platform that helps thousands of students navigate the complex landscape of coding bootcamps.

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