Claim Academy
Average Rating4.42
170 Reviews
9 Courses
Claim Academy is a 3-month developer coding and software training bootcamp in St. Louis that offers 12-week to 20-week classes in full stack Java, C#/.NET, Javascript, and Cybersecurity analysis. Claim Academy is approved to operate by the State of Missouri Department of Higher Education to train IT professionals. Students can apply with with little to no programming experience, but should be prepared for an in-person or webcam interview, and should complete the In...
Claim Academy is a 3-month developer coding and software training bootcamp in St. Louis that offers 12-week to 20-week classes in full stack Java, C#/.NET, Javascript, and Cybersecurity analysis. Claim Academy is approved to operate by the State of Missouri Department of Higher Education to train IT professionals. Students can apply with with little to no programming experience, but should be prepared for an in-person or webcam interview, and should complete the Introduction to Java Course through Teachable before the first day of class.
Throughout the three-month bootcamp, students complete pair programming, work with mentors and instructors, and produce a coding final project, which they present to potential employers and other interested parties on demo day. New classes are offered every 6 weeks.
Upon graduation, the team at Claim Academy helps place graduates in companies as Full Stack Software Developers in Java and .Net software development. Claim Academy graduates have been hired into major companies like Daughtery Business Solutions, Carfax, Technology Partners, Centene Corporation, Clearent, and OneSpace.
170 Claim Academy Reviews
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- Kenneth IrwinJava Full Stack Software Developer • Student • Full Stack Java Software Developer Immersive • St. LouisVerified by LinkedInAug 13, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Claim Academy's instructors and mentors are great!
Claim had great instructors and the mentor I had, Brandon, was willing to give up his weekends just to help us progress. - Nicolas JamesGraduate • Full Stack Java Software Developer Immersive • St. LouisVerified by LinkedInAug 13, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Java Course Review
Claim does an excellent job of providing the students with excellent lecturers who will challenge you to go above and beyond what you believe you are capable of. The work will be grueling and strenuous but you will come out of the experience better for it. - ShawnStudent • Front-End Javascript Developer Immersive • St. LouisVerified by LinkedInJul 09, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
READ THIS BEFORE YOU SIGN UP
Now that it had been more than a year with no full-time employment as a developer, I will share my experience during my time with Claim Academy. The first red flag to start with was when I was filling out the documentation for financing. At the time of my application, they advertised their "pay after you get the job" only for them to pressure you into paying the school in full by their Climb Credit loan. Looking back at it, I should have never taken the loan as I am paying $400 a month a...Now that it had been more than a year with no full-time employment as a developer, I will share my experience during my time with Claim Academy. The first red flag to start with was when I was filling out the documentation for financing. At the time of my application, they advertised their "pay after you get the job" only for them to pressure you into paying the school in full by their Climb Credit loan. Looking back at it, I should have never taken the loan as I am paying $400 a month and living paycheck to paycheck with the promise and hopes of receiving a software engineer job. I was also promised a scholarship in which I never received or had any documentation of receiving the scholarship.
As far as studying there, We had a fantastic instructor in the JavaScript program. Although he may not be teaching at Claim anymore, he made the course equally challenging and exciting. The biggest problem I had with the course as I was part of the first Full-stack JavaScript students at Claim which made the course structure challenging as far as the amount of time needed for each subject. Our JavaScript class could have greatly benefitted from more mentors/teacher assistants. We had a mentor in the program, but he did not join us until the middle of the program. We could also benefit from more time on our final capstone project as the project was very important to our future when we present to employers. I felt like I did not get adequate time to work on the capstone project as I have gone to build higher-quality projects immediately after graduation to replace the capstone project on my resume. One thing I noticed was anyone that who wanted to unenroll from Claim was pressured into staying, so they wouldn't have to refund a certain amount of their tuition according to their refund policy. Another issue was the class schedule made it nearly impossible to keep a full-time job. Even if you were part-time, they would talk you into studying full time in the middle of the program.
When they handed us our transcript after graduation, I noticed they added subjects to our transcript that we "learned" even though we have never been taught on those subjects. Examples were Transcript, Firebase, etc. They also claimed that their program is worth college credit, however, the validity of that is currently in review.
The worst part about the program was after I graduated from the program. They claimed the employers that we presented our final project to would contact us however when I followed up with a lot of the employers that were present during the presentation, they replied that I did not have enough experience that they need. When we had our original Engagement Manager, he worked very hard to follow up with us and made sure that our resume and interview skills were up to par. After he has left, there has been a revolving door of Engagement Managers that we would have very little if any contact to. Although they claimed to "be there for you every step of the way and get you on to interviews with big companies" they have not followed up with any opportunities. You get invited to join an alumni group on the Basecamp app only for them to recommend any job rather it required 5-7 years of experience or relocate to cities outside of Saint Louis. The only jobs I was contacted for were for Java instead of JavaScript.
Back on February 10th, they have reached out to see if I can send them my offer letter that I received for a small 4-month freelance project I completed through a personal connection. I have mentioned I did not receive an official emailed offer as we have agreed to the contract in person. I also used the email to express my concerns with Claim Academy as the only time Claim has followed up in several months was to get details about my contract position. Claim has chosen not to respond to my email and has not contacted me since I express my concerns. The biggest concern I have mentioned to them as I paid a premium tuition rate in hopes of the premium learning experience, support after graduation, and potential opportunities with companies that they have "great relationships" with. I have peers with similar backgrounds that have graduated from other programs that were either free or cheaper and have received full-time employment opportunities.
My advice to anyone considering Claim Academy is to do your research for other programs as there are more affordable options that provide the same or better experience than Claim Academy and would treat their students as students instead of a number. I recommend considering schools such as LaunchCode or Savvy. If you decide to pursue your education with Claim Academy, do not use their financing. Ask them about their "pay after your first job" if they still offer it. Do not make the same mistake as I did thinking you will get your first tech job quickly.
Brian Barlay of Claim Academy
Company Engagement Manager
Jul 09, 2021
Hi Shawn,
First we are happy you landed a contract Job at AnHeuser- Busch, the largest Liqour company in the world. That indeed is good news and a great start. We are sorry it is taking you a longer time than most grads of Claim Academy to land a job. It may be due to the fact that you graduated in the middle of Covid-19, when our country was shot down and there were so many uncertainties at many organizations. Employers are now hiring and the demand for your skills is very high. Please reach out to us for us to help you. We have a proven system of connecting our Alumni to Jobs and we like you to utilize them since we do not have a record of you using them or following our processes.
Our records show the following : Before I mention these things, can you kindly reach out to us for support, interview prep time, coaching etc ? We have invited you to multiple employer spotlights event which we conduct every 2 weeks, to meet hiring managers from various companies, but have no record of your attendance. Since you graduated back in 2020, we have provided to our Alumni and current students 89 Tech Job career fairs with no record of you attending any of them. We suggested to our grads to apply to at least 10 jobs a week, we do not have a record of you engaged in this. Every month, we provide more than 60 jobs in our job boards for entry level positions, can you provide any record of you applying ? We understand you may be working at that time, but we encourage all our Alumni to apply to these great opportunties. A great number of our students are landing jobs, some even multiple offers and sending in their job offer letters. Please let us know how we can continue to assist you.
You stated " The first red flag to start with was when I was filling out the documentation for financing. At the time of my application, they advertised their "pay after you get the job" only for them to pressure you into paying the school in full by their Climb Credit loan " No one at Claim has ever forced anyone to sign a loan to pay for their education. Our records show you did not qualify for our Pay after you get the job program nor did you meet our criteria. You opted in for a school loan program just like anyone else to pay for their training.
You stated " I was also promised a scholarship in which I never received or had any documentation of receiving the scholarship " Our investigation shows that you did get a scholarship which was applied to your tuition enrollment as the non refundable fees.
You stated" As far as studying there, We had a fantastic instructor in the JavaScript program " We appreciate your acknowledgement of our exellent Javascript program and instructor. Claim Academy is one of the top 40 best coding bootcamps in the United States and top 50 in the world. We are dedicated to our students and will continue to work hard for their success.
You stated " Another issue was the class schedule made it nearly impossible to keep a full-time job. Even if you were part-time, they would talk you into studying full time in the middle of the program " In our 12 week full time program which is made up of 9 hours/day of 3 hour blocks of pair programming, mentor lead sessions and instructor and lab. We advised all our STUDENTS NOT TO TAKE ON ANY JOB DURING THIS FULL TIME PROGRAM. It is nearly impossible to keep up with the class work and working at the same time. The full time program is rigorous. If you wanted to work, we advised the student to attend our part time , 20 weeks , 3 hours/day, 3 days a week program. You were in the 12 weeks program and you chose to also keep a job. That will defininately impact your commitment and outcome. This wil affect your capstone project and may be a factor in delaying you getting a job. Especially if you are distracted and do not have enough time dedicated towards your new training and learning.
You stated" When they handed us our transcript after graduation, I noticed they added subjects to our transcript that we "learned" even though we have never been taught on those subjects. Examples were Transcript, Firebase, etc. They also claimed that their program is worth college credit, however, the validity of that is currently in review " Could it be it was taught you were not present since you were also working at the same time, when advised not to do so. In regards to college credits. Claim Academy is approved to operate by the Missouri Department of Higher education, the organization that accredits and manages courses for Universities and Colleges. The amount of equivalent college credit and approval is determined by each college based on their own internal policies and completely out of Claim Academy's hands.
We have multiple ways we help our Alumni to get a Job and we will do anything within our powers to continue to support you. Please reach out to us. - JoshWeb Developer • Graduate • Full Stack Java Software Developer Immersive • St. LouisVerified by LinkedInJun 18, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Worth the Time to Learn a Career Changing Skill
Claim Academy was amazing for helping me understand and implement Java Full-Stack Web Development. I learned several software packages that I now have on my resume. I had help with writing a professional looking technical resume designed specifically for getting work in the web development industry. The instructors were incredibly helpful and even allowed me extra time when "real-life" reared its ugly head. Being a disabled vet with PTSD, this course allowed me to work where I feel safes...Claim Academy was amazing for helping me understand and implement Java Full-Stack Web Development. I learned several software packages that I now have on my resume. I had help with writing a professional looking technical resume designed specifically for getting work in the web development industry. The instructors were incredibly helpful and even allowed me extra time when "real-life" reared its ugly head. Being a disabled vet with PTSD, this course allowed me to work where I feel safest... at home. - Julius JamesFull Stack Java Developer • Graduate • Full Stack Java Software Developer Online • St. LouisVerified by GitHubMay 15, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Claim Change my life.
Going to claim was one of the best i did in my life. From the recruiting to the mentoring is just A-1. I graduated with hard work and persistent, and the mentoring of claim instructors. Thank you Denish and Lamar. - Daniel A. BradfordGraduate • Full Stack Java Software Developer Immersive • St. LouisVerified by LinkedInFeb 06, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Perfect for those who are not afraid of change
Change is not easy for anyone. But for those who have the courage to push themselves for three months, Claim Academy will channel your persistent efforts toward a positive career change.
As a Full Stack Java Boot Camp graduate, I experienced this guided change firsthand. Denish Otieno skillfully and patiently taught us core Java for the first three weeks, with clever examples and labs to push us to experience the important concepts and nuances of the Java language. After this, th...Change is not easy for anyone. But for those who have the courage to push themselves for three months, Claim Academy will channel your persistent efforts toward a positive career change.
As a Full Stack Java Boot Camp graduate, I experienced this guided change firsthand. Denish Otieno skillfully and patiently taught us core Java for the first three weeks, with clever examples and labs to push us to experience the important concepts and nuances of the Java language. After this, the instructors built on this foundation with frameworks and tool sets which allowed us to tie our Java data models to persistent databases, control the flow of information here with responsive and data-driven web front ends. This was done with nightly classes and several practical projects which pushed us just a bit beyond what what we knew when the project was assigned, giving us goals on which to focus.
While it remained fast-paced, Alex Duncan and the instructors were on hand to guide us to finding and fixing our errors, teaching us how to solve problems while pushing us to embrace new methods necessary for a full stack developer to succeed in the industry. Alex in particular, tenaciously tackled every bug we brought him and with utmost patience showed us how to move forward.
With our unexpectedly large group, it was difficult to get detailed feedback on our project code, since most of the mentoring time was used for guided troubleshooting.
If you stick with the curriculum, you will be made ready to tackle technical challenges, present a polished resume, interview well, and make that career change/bump Claim Academy claims. The more you put into it, the more drastic and marketable your change will be. - JoshuaGraduate • Full Stack C#/.Net Software Developer Immersive • St. LouisVerified by LinkedInDec 11, 2020Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
C# Full Stack Developer
I completed the Full Stack C# Developer program and loved it. I came in with no knowledge of programing my instructor did a great job at bringing me and others with no knowledge or some up to build a full functioning application.
It’s definitely a program that requires self-motivation and discipline to get the most out of it but the staff is there to assist you in that journey. - Elise G.Graduate • St. LouisVerified by LinkedInOct 17, 2020Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Cyber Security Course
The course was very well structured and gave you so many tools! It kept me on my toes and motivated. I attended online and was still able to connect with everyone. Tom C. my instructor and he was awesome, he really kept us up to date with good information and skills. The staff is also very kind. - Nick RayGraduate • St. LouisVerified by GitHubSep 23, 2020Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Full Stack JavaScript Developer
I completed the Full Stack JavaScript Developer program and loved it. I came in with some coding knowledge and Manav, my instructor, did a great job balancing bringing the others from no or little knowledge up and challenging me with more topics to explore.
It’s definitely a program that requires self-motivation and discipline to get the most out of it but the staff is there to assist you in that journey. - Christian DownsStudent • Full Stack C#/.Net Software Developer Immersive • St. LouisVerified by LinkedInAug 10, 2020Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Great Bootcamp
I am so happy with my decision to come to Claim Academy! I know that my work here will propel me to the future that I want! - Sean PetersGraduate • Full Stack Java Software Developer Immersive • St. LouisVerified by LinkedInJun 26, 2020Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Worth your time!
Challenging but rewarding program for those looking to enter the software developer field. Excellent staff invested in your success! - Larry PrattFull Stack Java Developer • Graduate • Full Stack Java Software Developer Immersive • St. LouisVerified by LinkedInJun 04, 2020Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Full Stack Java Developer
A great place to learn to code!
Hands-on learning and industry standard instruction. Actual programming experience instead of useless theory and time wasting filler classes.
Full time immersive program is 9 hours a day and a huge commitment. Staff is always helpful and willing to do what it takes to help you if you need it. It takes a good amount of self control and dedication but if you work hard and push yourself you can really learn a lot about what it takes to be a Fu...A great place to learn to code!
Hands-on learning and industry standard instruction. Actual programming experience instead of useless theory and time wasting filler classes.
Full time immersive program is 9 hours a day and a huge commitment. Staff is always helpful and willing to do what it takes to help you if you need it. It takes a good amount of self control and dedication but if you work hard and push yourself you can really learn a lot about what it takes to be a Full Stack Developer!
The building was always clean and a heroic effort was made to sanitize the whole building every day.
When we were forced to move to a mostly virtual format due to the St. Louis County requirements they still kept the building open and provide help even while following the guidelines.
Getting grads employed seems to be HIGH on their list and Ola and the team seem to work hard to prepare us for interviews and line up potential employers.
Claim Academy Alumni Outcomes
100%
Employment Rate
99%
Graduation Rate
63,134
Median Salary
Of the students who enroll at Claim Academy, 99% graduated. 97% of graduates were job-seeking and 100% of job-seeking graduates found in-field employment after 180 days and report a median income of $63,134. Below is the 180 Day Employment Breakdown for 132 graduates included in this report:
180 Day Employment Breakdown
| Description | Percentage |
| Full Time, In-Field Employee | 91.7% |
| Full-time apprenticeship, internship or contract position | 0.8% |
| Short-term contract, part-time position, freelance | N/A |
| Employed out-of-field | N/A |
Notes and Caveats
Our demo day and hiring events are well attended by regional and local employers. Employers continue to hire more grads from Claim Academy with some having more than 9 alumni.
* These outcomes are not audited by Course Report. In some cases, data is audited by a third party.
Claim Academy Scholarships
$500 Claim Academy Scholarship
Course Report is excited to offer an exclusive Claim Academy scholarship for $500 off tuition!
Eligibility
Offer is only valid for new applicants. Applicants who have already submitted an application cannot claim this scholarship.
Qualifying Courses
- All courses in St. Louis
$500 Claim Academy Scholarship
Course Report is excited to offer an exclusive Claim Academy scholarship for $500 off tuition!
Eligibility
Offer is only valid for new applicants. Applicants who have already submitted an application cannot claim this scholarship.
Qualifying Courses
- Full Stack C#/.Net Software Developer Immersive (St. Louis)
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Published January 12, 2015
Alex is the Director of Operations at Claim Academy in St. Louis, and Arjun worked at Starter League in Chicago before moving to Claim to work on their curriculum. Arjun and Alex tell us about the importance of building a developer community in St. Louis, the rising interest in QE and QA classes, the makeup of their ideal student, and their outreach in the wake of Ferguson.
Arjun, te...
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Course Report readers can receive an Exclusive Scholarship to Claim Academy!
Locations
Career tracks
FAQs
How much does Claim Academy cost?
Claim Academy costs around $15,998. On the lower end, some Claim Academy courses like Full Stack C#/.Net Online cost $10,500.
What courses does Claim Academy teach?
Claim Academy offers courses like Cybersecurity Analyst Evening, Cybersecurity Analyst Immersive, Front-End Javascript Developer Immersive, Front-End Javascript - Evening and 5 more.
Where does Claim Academy have campuses?
Claim Academy has an in-person campus in St. Louis.
More Information
Guarantees Job
Job Assistance
Includes Housing
Offers Corporate Training
Accepts GI Bill
Licensing
Missouri Department of Higher Education. Department of Veterans Affairs. Missouri Workforce Development and Training.US Department of Labor. Vocational Rehabilitation. U.S Department of Labor. Apprenticeship
Is Claim Academy worth it?
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Employment Rate
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Graduation Rate
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Median Salary
Awards
Recent Claim Academy News
By Jess Feldman
By Liz Eggleston
By Liz Eggleston