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RefactorU

Average Rating4.1
30 Reviews
17 Courses
RefactorU is a selective, 10-week, hands-on, immersive web application development bootcamp in Boulder, CO. Students will create applications and build a portfolio of projects to share with employers while developing a peer and advisor network for life. RefactorU collaborates with students to find jobs they love. Before, during, and after students' 10-week experience, RefactorU's career team works very hard to introduce students to hiring managers in the Denver/Boulde...

30 RefactorU Reviews

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  • Drew Conly
    Drew Conly
    Junior Web Developer • Graduate • Full-Stack Web Development • Boulder
    Oct 26, 2016
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    Second Bootcamp I attended; happy I did

    My LinkedIn profile is visible and I will happily connect with any that have additional questions. I will send my personal email there if requested. 

    First and foremost, as I believe this particular factor distinguishes me from many that have/will attend a coding bootcamp - I attended two. The first bootcamp I attended was Turing which was, with the exception of a handful of friends I still stay in touch with, a dreadful experience. Their curriculum was taught out of order there ...

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  • Grace Gamble
    Grace Gamble
    Junior Front End Web Developer • Graduate • Full-Stack Web Development • Boulder
    Oct 17, 2016
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    RefactorU Review

    I like to think of myself as the average student that RefactorU was designed for and advertises to the public. RefactorU is designed for people who have zero web development experience, looking for a career transition. Admittedly, I was a bit thrown off when I began my cohort's boot camp as a number of my peers came to refresh their own knowledge of coding or to confirm the knowledge they had in order to pursue development. The biggest lesson I learned within those first few weeks is that ...

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  • Caitlin
    Caitlin
    Web Design & Development • Graduate • Full-Stack Web Development • Boulder
    Sep 16, 2016
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    N/A

    RefactorU Course Review

    After researching several coding bootcamps, RefactorU fit my timeframe, location, and cost. Why did I have a positive experience? For one, I was already familiar with basic web design practices, HTML, & CSS. If you've never fiddled with Google Web Dev Tools or started CodeAcademy the weekend before starting any developer program, then you should probably ask yourself if you're going succeed at the level you want to. 

    Not to reiterate on several other reviews, but if anyone th...

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  • Allison
    Allison
    Graduate • Full-Stack Web Development • Boulder
    Sep 14, 2016
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    RefactorU Review

    I did extensive research on Bootcamps before deciding on RefactorU. I chose RefactorU over others in the area because:
    1. I love their Boulder location
    2. Their program length is short (if I can learn what I need in 10 weeks, why would I pay more to be out of work for a longer period of time?)
    3. Previous graduates recommended the program - the two I found and spoke with are extremely happy in their new jobs that they've had for years ...

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  • Thomas Callahan
    Thomas Callahan
    Software Engineer • Graduate • Full-Stack Web Development • Boulder
    Sep 06, 2016
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    It's not a scam, it's poor marketing, and gross negligence. GI Bill applicants BEWARE

    These reviews are always a tricky thing and quite frankly I always take them with a grain of salt. In all my years I've never written a review of anything online. Unfortunately when it comes to my writing style it's sort of a "go big or go home" style so I appologize for verbosity up front.

    As far as the learning to code goes I have zero regrets in my performance. If you go through the learning process and aren't faced with challenges, halted by ob...

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    Ed Powers of RefactorU

    Chief Operating Officer

    Sep 22, 2016

    We’re sorry we didn’t meet your expectations, Tom. You point out several items that have concerned us as well and I’d like to comment on changes we’ve been making. 


    1. Job Placement. As you state, we’ve recently overhauled our Career Services. The job market is getting tougher, which is why we brought on two superb resources, Gary Boley and Scott Bowman, who have a combined 17 years of experience in this field working with many higher education institutions. Through new workshops, greater employer outreach, and increased 1:1 attention, students and graduates now have far better support than they’ve ever had before. Although you have a terrific new web development job, Gary and Scott will be available to you and all RefactorU alumni, free of charge, any time you make a career change in the future.  
    2. Outcome Statistics. We calculated our results in 2015 based on surveys to our 200+ alumni. As you point out, when compared with a census approach, random sampling can produce errors. Until recently, however, sampling was the only practical way for us to collect outcome statistics, and we computed our statistics correctly based on the observations we received. It’s important to note, however, that all coding bootcamps calculate their outcomes differently. For example, some disregard withdrawals in their numbers while others do not, and counting one student differently in a cohort of 25 can change the result by 4%. That’s why we joined forces in an outcome measurement standardization initiative to ensure prospective students can make more accurate, informed choices. You can read more about our participation at: http://blog.refactoru.com/apples-to-apples-refactoru-helps-define-industry-standards/ Along with our competitors, we are scheduled to begin reporting standarized metrics in October.  
    3. GI Bill. We are pleased veterans can use their GI Bill benefits at RefactorU should they choose (and some don’t). While we are not required to do so, we offer all veterans a 20% discount, regardless of how they pay. We are registered as a certificate program under Chapter 33 and make no representations otherwise. We share many of the same frustrations veterans have working with the VA, however, the VA is VERY SPECIFIC that all questions about individual benefits go to them directly--we are not to be involved. What you consider “effective” cost in light of your benefits candidly doesn’t pertain to us since we’re only paid the amount we’re approved to collect ($10,800). Note that whenever we are informed of benefits funding shortfalls, we work with individual veterans to loan or finance the difference. That’s true even when veterans need help with living expenses if the VA pays at a later time or only a portion of the full amount.
    4. Experienced Instructors. A chronic problem facing all coding bootcamps is finding instructors with adequate work experience, know the particular stack, want to teach and are good at it. We are regulated by the Colorado Division of Private Occupational Schools and we meet state requirements for industry experience with all of our instructors. Many of our TAs, as you point out, also have extensive software development backgrounds. Of course, experience does not always make for a good instructor, which is why the task of finding the right people is so difficult. We’re happy to report that we’ve recently added four new instructors who have over 70 years of software development experience between them: Brandon Jimenez, Robert Edmonson, Charles Martin and Steve Lanaghen. All have exceptional talent and we’re excited at what the future holds. 


    The vast majority of our alumni are satisfied with their experience and the career opportunities they enjoy as a result. That said, we aren’t perfect--no organization is--but we continually learn and improve. As you state so well, “... I will say RefactorU is constantly changing and working to address its shortcomings even as they were pointed out to them on-site... More than likely you will not have this type of experience in the future with RefactorU because they are ever changing.”  

    Let us know if there’s anything else we can do for you. 
  • Jeff DiPallo
    Jeff DiPallo
    Dude • Graduate • Full-Stack Web Development • Boulder
    Aug 07, 2016
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    My 2cents

    I attended the May 2016 Cohort. Just finished up a couple of weeks ago.

    I had an overall great experience. Perfect? No. Please, nothing is. However, I feel there are things every student at least should do: 1) Show up to class 2) Collaborate with the instructors and fellow classmates 3) Do the work 4) Show up with a final project and present something. Anything. For those who are critiquing: if you have not completed any of these? Then your evaluation of the scho...

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  • Lance Brown
    Lance Brown
    Graduate • Full-Stack Web Development • Boulder
    Aug 02, 2016
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    Who writes positive reviews anymore?

    I was in the May 2016 cohort with Steve Halase and Michael McBride, featured below. First, I will address my personal experience at RefactorU, then go into more detail about the strengths and weaknesses of the course.

     

    My Experience:

    I will come right out and say that I enjoyed my ten weeks at RefactorU. I enjoyed the pace, I met some great people, and I learned more interesting, applicable knowledge in ten weeks than I did in any one of the ...

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  • Steven Halase
    Steven Halase
    Graduate • Full-Stack Web Development • Boulder
    Jul 31, 2016
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    An ACTUAL Review from someone that ACTUALLY SHOWED UP TO THE BOOTCAMP.

    Warning: I was a grunt in the military, I'm not going to beat around the bush.

    So I'm going to get a little personal here. Some people showed up for almost every day of the class (me) and others showed up for less than a week total, most of those days leaving by noon (Michael Mcbride). It might be in bad taste to name names, but I'm a pretty direct person and you're being a scumbag and misleading. I'm not sure how anyone can expect to go to a 10-week full-time course and literall...

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  • Michael McBride
    Michael McBride
    Michael McBride Development • Graduate • Full-Stack Web Development • Boulder
    Jul 21, 2016
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    Last day!

    What I learned:

     

    The worst $13,500 investment of my life! That doesn't even include all the hidden financing fees.  The curriculum is so bad that many people in class were paying Udemy and other online learning sites to learn the concepts. 

    If you are looking for a code school, do not be attracted to the 10 weeks.  It is a marketing ploy.  

    Internet crashes and slow connections would making it impossible to learn in class.

    Nearly half the ...

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    Sean Daken of RefactorU

    Founder & CEO

    Jul 22, 2016

    Hi Michael,

    Thank you for your feedback. We appreciate your candor regarding the challenges you experienced. 

    Your feedback is not typical of our graduates and we would like to better understand what happened and how we can remedy the situation. 

    I've emailed you directly and I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

    Sincerely,
    Sean Daken
    Founder & CEO
  • Anonymous
    Graduate • Full-Stack Web Development • Boulder
    Apr 26, 2016
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    Ten weeks is a business decision

    I was in the same cohort as "My Takeway? Confused." and I second everything from that review.

    I applied to RefactorU in part because I wanted a shorter school and faster turnaround time to working. RefactorU's program is ten weeks, most similar programs are between twelve and fourteen. I assumed RefactorU had a killer curriculum that taught the same material but in less time. Wrong. Ten weeks is a business decision. In the final week a few of us students were talking to an instru...

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    Ed Powers of RefactorU

    COO

    Apr 28, 2016

    We are sorry that the reviewer was dissatisfied with their bootcamp experience. We value and act on feedback, good or bad. However, a number of points below are factually in error. We’d like to set the record straight.  


    1. RefactorU is a ten-week course by design. We understand the financial hardships placed on students by attending a full-time, fully immersive bootcamp. We also believe that bootcamps are simply a starting point; today’s software developers must continually learn new technologies and frameworks. That’s why we stripped away the “nice-to-have” content and replaced it with the “must-have.” Instead of focusing on computer science theory, we emphasize software engineering skills. Instead of teaching specific software development processes and testing methods (which vary by employer) we teach the fundamentals of architectural design and troubleshooting. Employers don’t expect applicants to know each and every language, framework, tool and methodology--only that they know how to code, and more importantly, how to learn and work well on teams.


    Our business strategy is to be the practical alternative by offering the shortest, most cost-effective path to becoming a new developer. We don’t skimp on the quality or thoroughness of the experience we deliver, and our hiring outcomes bear this out: 96% of graduates are employed within 12 weeks of graduation with a median starting salary of $65K. It’s true that some students wish they had more time, but many more prefer to finish quickly, minimize costs and begin their job search. 


    2. We’re serious about continuous improvement. No organization is perfect. RefactorU performs at high levels and continually strives to improve. In addition to our open door policy that encourages students to share concerns and grievances at any time, we formally and anonymously survey students four times, three during the cohort and once five to six months after graduation. The entire staff meets and reviews both quantitative and qualitative input, discusses root causes, plans and implements improvements. 


    The comments below are not correct. In the January cohort we reviewed results from the first survey during the third week. We presented results from the second survey in the sixth week. Unfortunately we shared results from the third survey about a week later than we had hoped because of internal scheduling issues and a desire to finalize our solutions before discussing them. The trouble week was #7, not #9, when we were unexpectedly short-staffed with TA’s, a situation we resolved during the remainder of the course. And since we discovered so many students in this cohort had not started working on their job searches, we modified our arrangement with Fluid Consulting to provide even more post-graduation support at our expense. We announced this change prior to graduation, and the voice mail referenced in the comment was simply a reminder.        


    3. Students must show up and do the work. Our program is a fast-paced, self-directed, facilitated, adult learning experience. Personal responsibility and attendance matters--when students miss lectures, they imperil their outcomes. For example, when students are absent for important topics such as authentication, they must indeed learn them on their own. Missing lectures also places their final projects in jeopardy. For that reason, more than five unexcused absences may result in students failing the program, subject to the discretion of the lead instructors.
      
    Once alumni engage with prospective employers and land a job, they realize the full value of the educational experience they’ve received. Once again, the numbers bear this out. In our most recent post-graduation outcomes survey, 86% of RefactorU grads reported high confidence in their coding skills and 95% said they were leading, above average, or keeping up with their web development peers at work. 


  • Anonymous
    Graduate • Full-Stack Web Development • Boulder
    Apr 20, 2016
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    My takeaway? Confused.

    To be honest, I'm not sure what to think of my experience at RefactorU. The program started off on a high note. Then the bumps began.

    Like, having TAs who didn't know Angular, or anything really. That lasted the entire cohort and seems unlikely to change. From what I've learned there is no process that vets TAs. They will literally hire them right upon graduation or just allowed people's friends to come in help out. That being said, there are a few TAs who are amazing. 

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  • Anonymous
    Graduate • Full-Stack Web Development • Boulder
    Mar 28, 2016
    Overall Experience
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    Learn to Learn

    After casually spending some time learning Javascript on and off on my own I realized I could really propel my learning through a bootcamp.  After researching various programs, I settled on RefactorU because of their curriculum, location, and promise to still allow for balance in your life.  Ten weeks may not seem like a long time, but it is a long time to learn an incredible amount of material and despite the truth behind maintaining balance in your life during the program, it is still ...
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RefactorU Alumni Outcomes

100%
Employment Rate
96%
Graduation Rate
64,140
Median Salary
Of the students who enroll at RefactorU, 96% graduated. 88% of graduates were job-seeking and 100% of job-seeking graduates found in-field employment after 180 days and report a median income of $64,140. Below is the 180 Day Employment Breakdown for 75 graduates included in this report:
180 Day Employment Breakdown
DescriptionPercentage
Full Time, In-Field Employee93.3%
Full-time apprenticeship, internship or contract position1.3%
Short-term contract, part-time position, freelanceN/A
Employed out-of-fieldN/A
Notes and Caveats
This reflects data collected through the Summer of 2015. We will revise and update with 2016 statistics as data becomes available.
* These outcomes are not audited by Course Report. In some cases, data is audited by a third party.

Recent RefactorU News

Imogen Crispe
Imogen Crispe
Updated July 16, 2021
Welcome to the November 2016 Course Report monthly coding bootcamp news roundup! Each month, we look at all the happenings from the coding bootcamp world from new bootcamps to fundraising announcements, to interesting trends. This month we cover a big bootcamp rebrand, the UN getting involved with coding bootcamps, the debate about CS degrees vs bootcamps, ethics in programming and how that extends to bootcamps, a new Outcomes Report, and as usual, new coding schools and ...
Imogen Crispe
Imogen Crispe
Updated November 14, 2016
Jon Dyson was a Civil Affairs Operator in the US Army, and founded his own manufacturing and import business before he decided to learn to code at RefactorU . Coding had always been a hobby of Jon s. He built the website for his business, but wanted to formalize and polish his coding knowledge. As a veteran, Jon chose RefactorU web development bootcamp in Boulder because he could use his GI Bill benefit there, and because he wanted to learn the MEAN Stack. Jon explains the process of ...
Imogen Crispe
Imogen Crispe
Updated February 07, 2020
Should I do a coding bootcamp? This is a question we hear all the time, and for good reason. As more coding bootcamps launch (not to mention the rising media coverage), you re probably wondering, should I jump on the bandwagon and learn to code? A recent TechCrunch article implored you not to learn to code unless you re ready to put in the work to be great, whereas President Obama wants every student to learn computer science in high school . So what types of people are opting for coding ...
Lauren Stewart
Lauren Stewart
Updated September 23, 2016
Jessey was a second-grade teacher in Jordan and a church children’s director before learning to code at RefactorU in Boulder, Colorado. Unfulfilled in her job, she packed up her family and moved from Illinois to Colorado for the 10-week coding bootcamp . But her family’s sacrifice was all worth it in the end, and Jessey now has a job as a QA web automation engineer! She tells us about the intensity of learning code, her internship experiences, and how hard she worked ...
Imogen Crispe
Imogen Crispe
Updated August 15, 2016
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 ...
Imogen Crispe
Imogen Crispe
Updated August 01, 2016
Welcome to the July 2016 Course Report monthly coding bootcamp news roundup! Each month we look at all the happenings from the coding bootcamp world from new bootcamps to big fundraising announcements, to interesting trends. This month the biggest trends this month are initiatives to increase the diversity in tech, some huge investments in various bootcamps, and more tech giants launching their own coding classes. Read below or listen to our latest Coding Bootcamp News Roundup ...
Imogen Crispe
Imogen Crispe
Updated July 01, 2016
Clayton had a career in hospitality and real-estate, when he decided to rekindle the passion for coding he’d had as a youngster. After trying to teach himself to code, and attending unhelpful courses, he enrolled at RefactorU ’s Boulder, CO coding bootcamp to learn MEAN stack. Now Clayton is excited to be working as a junior developer for real-estate social media website Bigger Pockets . He tells us about why he chose RefactorU , the learning experience at ...
Liz Eggleston
Liz Eggleston
Updated March 14, 2016
Rob Camp graduated from the first cohort of RefactorU and got two years of experience at a dev agency before circling back and becoming an integral part of the RefactorU team. Now, as an instructor, Rob is involved in curriculum planning, lecturing and supporting students. We chatted about his journey into web development, his teaching style, and what students can expect from their 10 weeks at this Boulder MEAN stack bootcamp. Q&A You were a graduate of RefactorU before ...
Liz Eggleston
Liz Eggleston
Updated February 08, 2016
Ilana Horowitz decided to take the leap and attend RefactorU coding bootcamp after feeling burnt out in her job as a legal assistant. She had to decide between doing a CS degree or a coding bootcamp , but after starting the degree, she chose to switch to a bootcamp , allowing her to upskill very quickly. Ilana tells us about her path to starting a bootcamp and why she chose RefactorU over other bootcamps . Q&A What were you up to before you went to RefactorU? I got my undergraduate ...
Liz Eggleston
Liz Eggleston
Updated April 07, 2014
Sean Daken comes from a startup background and genuinely loves helping people pivot into careers that they love. So in 2013 he founded RefactorU , a Boulder-based bootcamp that specializes in Web Development. We talk with Sean about what he looks for in potential applicants, why JavaScript is their teaching language of choice, and what's next for RefactorU. Tell us your story- how did you end up in the coding school industry? I don t have a background in education per se. I got the ...

RefactorU Alumni Reviews Summary

Overall Experience
4.1
Instructors
4.1
Curriculum
4.2
Job Assistance
3.6
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More Information
Guarantees Job
Job Assistance
Includes Housing
Offers Corporate Training
Accepts GI Bill
Licensing
RefactorU offers Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefits.
FAQs

How much does RefactorU cost?

RefactorU costs around $13,500. On the lower end, some RefactorU courses like Getting Started as a Web Developer cost $9.

What courses does RefactorU teach?

RefactorU offers courses like Advanced Backend Web Development, Advanced CSS Development, Advanced JavaScript Development, Advanced Node.js Development and 13 more.

Where does RefactorU have campuses?

RefactorU has in-person campuses in Boulder. RefactorU also has a remote classroom so students can learn online.

Is RefactorU worth it?

The data says yes! In 2015, RefactorU reported a 96% graduation rate, a median salary of $64,140, and 100% of RefactorU alumni are employed.

Is RefactorU legit?

We let alumni answer that question. 30 RefactorU alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed RefactorU and rate their overall experience a 4.1 out of 5.

Does RefactorU offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?

Right now, it doesn't look like RefactorU offers scholarships or accepts the GI Bill. We're always adding to the list of schools that do offer Exclusive Course Report Scholarships and a list of the bootcamps that accept the GI Bill.

Can I read RefactorU reviews?

You can read 30 reviews of RefactorU on Course Report! RefactorU alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed RefactorU and rate their overall experience a 4.1 out of 5.

Is RefactorU accredited?

RefactorU offers Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefits.

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