Coding Bootcamp

Coding Bootcamps are short (usually 8- to 12-week) programs offered by private companies that teach students computer programming in a short period of time.

The demand for coding bootcamps reflects the shortage of adequately trained computer scientists graduating from universities and the relative demand for them from the technology sector. They provide a vocational training for free or a fraction of the cost of a college degree and are a part of the "Edtech Disruption of Higher Education". These alternative education programs are starting to garner more attention in the media and higher education as the industry includes several university and coding bootcamp collaborations. There are 91 full-time coding bootcamps across the US & Canada, although each are nuanced in terms of teaching language, tuition cost, location, and teaching style.

Coding bootcamps made their debut with The Starter League (originally named Code Academy), founded in 2011. Dev Bootcamp, App Academy, Hack Reactor and General Assembly were also founded in 2012 and in 2013, several coding bootcamps launched. 6,740 developers graduated from coding bootcamps in 2014, and grew to 10,333 graduates in 2015. As of June 2016, there are 91 coding bootcamps in the US and Canada.

As of June 1, 2016, there are coding bootcamps in 69 US cities and 34 states. Coding bootcamps continue their rise in the tech industry with an estimated 17,966 bootcamp graduates in 2016, a 1.7x growth rate from 2015. As a point of comparison, it is estimated that there were 61,408 undergraduate computer science graduates from accredited US universities in 2015.

In a job outcomes study conducted by SwitchUp researchers published on Dec 1, 2016, the following trends were found:

On August 16, 2016, the US Department of Education announced up to $17 million in loans or grants for students to study with nontraditional training providers, including coding bootcamps. These grants or loans will be administered through the pilot program, EQUIP which stands for Educational Quality through Innovation Partnerships. This will allow students, especially those who are low-income, to access federal student financial aid. Eight entities were selected to participate in the pilot program including four coding bootcamps - Flatiron School, MakerSquare, Epicodus, and Zip Code Wilmington. Two of the bodies selected to oversee EQUIP partnerships are industry lobby groups, which has raised eyebrows among skeptics. The groups are the American Council on Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Programs must partner with an accredited college and third-party quality assurance entity (QAE) in order to receive federal financial aid.

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