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Best information technology bootcamps 2022
If you're interested in entering the technology workforce but can't (or don't want to) spend four years earning a degree, consider an information technology bootcamp.
Our listing of the best IT bootcamps offers options to suit different learning styles, budgets, time constraints, and career goals.
Explore our guide and find out if an information technology bootcamp might work for you.
10 best information technology bootcamps in 2022: Our picks
The below bootcamps aren't ranked but listed alphabetically. Our list includes options for online and in-person learners, full- and part-time students, and those needing flexible schedules.
Our curated list of the best information technology bootcamps includes accurate data as of publication. But be sure to check the bootcamps' websites, terms, and conditions before applying.
- Strong emphasis on full-stack programming skills
- App Academy Open offers free services along with the paid bootcamp
- 50-60-hour weekly commitment requirement
- Few lectures; less instructor-driven
- Format: Online full- or part-time; on-campus, full-time
- Length: 16-48 weeks
- Cost: $17,000-22,000
- Financing options: Upfront payment; deferred; income share agreement
Established in 2012, App Academy focuses on software engineering. Live and immersive instruction includes guided lectures, pair programming, and white-boarding. The program offers career and job placement services. On-campus learning takes place in San Francisco and New York City.
App Academy accepts applications from high school graduates aged 18 or older. Candidates complete logical reasoning, personality, and typing tests and a non-technical video interview. Admitted students complete technical learning challenges and join a cohort.
Pros
- Strong emphasis on full-stack programming skills
- App Academy Open offers free services along with the paid bootcamp
Cons
- 50-60-hour weekly commitment requirement
- Few lectures; less instructor-driven
- Modest price tag and flexible payment options, with scholarships
- Job placement support for graduates, including weekly check-ins
- In-person and online prep courses
- Difficult admissions process
- No self-paced option
- Narrower focus on JavaScript
- Format: Online full- or part-time; on-campus, full-time (temporarily remote)
- Length: 12-38 weeks
- Cost: $2,500 deposit + $17,450
- Financing options: Upfront payment; month-to-month; loan financing; scholarships
Codesmith offers immersive software engineering programs in New York and Los Angeles (currently online) or remotely. The curriculum covers full-stack software engineering, computer science, and machine learning through interactive lectures, pair programming, and projects.
Career services support student job hunting with workshops and online profile building. Applicants need a high school diploma. They complete an online application, an initial non-technical interview, and a technical interview with JavaScript coding challenges.
Pros
- Modest price tag and flexible payment options, with scholarships
- Job placement support for graduates, including weekly check-ins
- In-person and online prep courses
Cons
- Difficult admissions process
- No self-paced option
- Narrower focus on JavaScript
- Format: Online; on-campus; full-time; part-time
- Length: 15-40 weeks
- Cost: $16,900
- Financing options: Upfront payment; month-to-month; loan financing; scholarships
Flatiron School has offered programs in cybersecurity, data science, project design, and software engineering since 2012. Flatiron holds classes in Colorado Springs, Denver, New York, and online. Students receive career coaching up to 180 days post-graduation.
Intensive 15-week cohort-based programs include live-in-person or remote learning. Asynchronous, part-time options feature recorded lectures and virtual interaction.
Admission requires a written application, interview, and admissions test that assesses applicants' attention to detail, critical thinking, problem-solving, and ability to learn new information.
See our Flatiron School review for more details.
Pros
- Specialized bootcamp courses for cybersecurity, product design, and data science
- Free bootcamp prep workshops
Cons
- Not a good fit for novices
- Competitive admissions process
- Format: Online; on-campus (temporarily remote); full-time; part-time
- Length: 10-28 weeks
- Cost: $12,495-$18,910
- Financing options: Upfront payment; scholarships
New York City-based Fullstack Academy offers interactive, project-based learning, along with a women- and nonbinary person-focused program and university partnerships.
Students can select coding, cybersecurity, data analytics, and project management bootcamps. Data analytics includes certifications in Tableau and AWS.
Applicants complete a 30-minute assessment and an interview. A career success team helps graduates find employment through workshops, networking events, and advising. Fullstack's hiring partners include Google, Spotify, Etsy, and American Express.
Pros
- Project-based structure makes creating a solid portfolio easier
- Scholarships for women and veterans
- Project management bootcamp for developing business skills
Cons
- Intensive admissions process
- No job guarantee
- Fewer flexible payment options
- Format: Online; on-campus; full-time; part-time
- Length: 8-24 weeks
- Cost: $2,800-$15,950
- Financing options: Upfront payment; installment plans; loan financing
Founded in 2011, General Assembly offers multiple learning formats at its 30+ worldwide campuses and online.
Immersive bootcamp programs include data analytics, data science, digital marketing, software engineering, and user experience design. Online learning mirrors the workplace environment using Zoom and Slack and incorporates collaborative projects.
Career coaching and networking opportunities supplement hands-on training. Hiring partners include Microsoft, Google, Conde Nast, and VISA. Applicants for immersive programs complete an admissions assessment.
Pros
- Curriculum is created and updated in-house
- More emphasis on synchronous lectures
Cons
- Fewer free course options
- Large classroom sizes
- Format: Online; full-time; part-time
- Length: 12-36 weeks
- Cost: $17,980
- Financing options: Upfront payment; split payment; Income Sharing Agreement; loan financing; scholarships
Hack Reactor's software engineering coding bootcamps teach JavaScript, communication skills, and how to work autonomously.
Programs feature live online classes that prepare graduates to immediately enter the workforce. Students attend lectures, work on projects, and create professional portfolios.
Career coaching offers help with building an online presence and interviewing. The admission process includes a non-technical assessment. Depending on the track, you also complete either a technical assessment prep course and two technical assessments or an admission interview.
Pros
- More flexible payment options, including scholarships
- Synchronous lectures
- Strong emphasis on hard skills
Cons
- Difficult admissions process
- Intensive curriculum
- No self-paced track
- Format: Online; part-time
- Length: 14-30 weeks
- Cost: $5,700-$8,400
- Financing options: Income share agreement
Designed for working adults, Merit America's online programs include IT support, Java development, and data analytics. Instructors use workplace platforms like Zoom, Slack, and Google Suite. The program has live and asynchronous elements.
Enrollees pay nothing until they obtain post-graduation employment and exceed the program's income threshold.
Applicants must have a high school diploma, GED certificate, or associate degree. Bachelor's degree holders may apply if they earned the degree more than five years prior and earned less than $35,000 in the past year.
Pros
- Good for coders with moderate experience
- Cost-effective, with a tuition refund guarantee
- Nonprofit organization committed to learner experience
Cons
- No full-time or self-paced options
- Fewer course options; more limited scope
- Format: Online; self-paced
- Length: Three to nine months
- Cost: $6,000-$14,310
- Financing options: Upfront discounted payment; month-to-month; deferred plan; loan financing
Springboard's project-based 100% online bootcamps provide training in data analytics, data science, machine learning, and software engineering. Additional tracks cover UI/UX design, UX, cyber security, and tech sales.
Springboard was founded in 2013 with an emphasis on career coaching and industry mentorship. The provider offers eligible students a guaranteed job in their field of study within six months or a full tuition refund.
Applicants complete an interview and skill survey and may need a bachelor's degree for admission to some tracks.
Pros
- Light weekly work commitment of 15-20 hours
- Looser structure with no lectures
- Dedicated mentorship and job services
Cons
- Not a good choice for learners who prefer structure
- No professors
- Format: Online; full-time or self-paced
- Length: Nine weeks to six months
- Cost: $4,500
- Financing options: Upfront payment; income share agreement; loan financing
TrueCoders offers synchronous online programs in full-stack software engineering and web development. Students gain skills in JavaScript, CSS, HTML, SQL, and more through live sessions using Zoom and Slack and complete a final project.
Enrollees receive one-to-one tutoring and career services during their program and after graduation. Alumni work at employers that include Google, IBM, and Samsung. TrueCoders does not list admission requirements, but students complete a prep course before starting a program.
Pros
- Low cost
- Provides working knowledge of networking, cybersecurity, and full-stack programming
- One-on-one instructor support for full-time option
Cons
- The full-time option is relatively short
- Challenging curriculum
- 40-50 hour/week time commitment for full-time option
- Format: Online; on-campus; full-time; part-time
- Length: 12-24 weeks
- Cost: $12,995
- Financing options: Upfront payment; payment plans
University of Washington's Professional & Continuing Education offers coding and financial technology (fintech) bootcamps. Enrollees gain marketable skills, career planning assistance, and portfolio development. Admission requires an interview and assessment.
Coding students focus on full-stack web development and can study online or attend class in-person in Bellevue (near Seattle) two evenings a week and on Saturdays.
The online fintech bootcamp offers project-based, live online classes covering programming, data analysis, and cryptocurrency and blockchain tools.
Pros
- Graduates receive a certificate from the school's Technology and Leadership Center
- University of Washington is an accredited institution
- Rigorous, immersive instruction in both online and on-campus options
Cons
- No self-paced option
- No job placement guarantee
SEE: The best university coding bootcamps
How do these information technology bootcamps compare?
Bootcamp | Price | Length | Available formats |
App Academy | $17,000-$22,000 | 16-48 weeks | Online part or full-time; on-campus full-time |
Codesmith | $2,500 deposit + $17,000 | 12-38 weeks | Online full or part-time; on-campus full-time (temporarily remote) |
Flatiron School | $500 deposit; $16,900 | 15-40 weeks | Online; on-campus; full-time; part-time |
Fullstack Academy | $12,495-$18,910 | 10-28 weeks | Online; on-campus (temporarily remote); full-time; part-time |
General Assembly | $2,800-$15,950 | 8-24 weeks | Online; on-campus; full-time; part-time |
Hack Reactor | $17,980 | 12-36 weeks | Online; on-campus; part-time |
Merit America | $5,700-$8,400 | 14-30 weeks | Online; part-time |
Springboard | $6,000-$14,310 | 3-9 months | Online; self-paced |
TrueCoders | $4,500 | 9 weeks to 6 months | Online; full-time or self-paced |
University of Washington | $12,995 | 12-24 weeks | Online; on-campus; full-time; part-time |
Which information technology bootcamp is right for you?
Now that you are ready to shop for an information technology bootcamp, consider these factors:
- Your experience level in IT/coding
- Your budget
- Your timeline from beginning to your first IT job
Different schools best serve different learners.
For example, if you cannot attend synchronous course elements due to your work schedule or responsibilities as a parent, you might want to attend Springboard's self-paced bootcamp.
If you want to specialize in cybersecurity in your future career, consider Flatiron School's cybersecurity course.
Choose this… | If you want… |
App Academy | A comprehensive, immersive learning experience |
Codesmith | Career training for a software engineering-focused career |
Flatiron School | A variety of specialized career-training courses |
Fullstack Academy | An experience focused on hard coding/full stack engineering skills |
General Assembly | An instructor-led, structured experience |
Hack Reactor | The greatest variety of financing and Scholarship options |
Merit America | A tuition refund guarantee |
Springboard | Committed mentors and career support |
TrueCoders | The best bang for your buck |
University of Washington | A rigorous, short-timeline experience |
How did we choose these bootcamps?
We aim to highlight reputable, respected, accessible, and valuable information technology bootcamps. ZDNet searched for programs offering a variety of tracks, a range of price points and payment options, and robust career-planning assistance.
What's an information technology bootcamp?
For that matter, what are coding bootcamps? Information technology bootcamps, commonly known as coding bootcamps, offer accelerated, career-focused training that enrollees can complete in weeks. Learning happens online or in-person and typically follows an intensive format.
Many bootcamps offer part-time programs for working students. Bootcamp participants need focus and self-motivation to succeed.
Why should I enroll in an IT bootcamp?
Are coding bootcamps worth it? Bootcamps exist to teach the skills needed to land a job. While bootcamps don't confer degrees, some award certificates of completion. Programs may include industry certifications like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Tableau.
Employers hire bootcamp graduates as front-end and back-end developers, full-stack web developers, and software engineers.
What other types of coding bootcamps can I enroll in?
Coding or information technology bootcamps provide training for software engineers and web developers and also branch into areas like data analysis, cybersecurity, digital marketing, and project design. Students hone skills in programming languages including JavaScript, Python, CSS, and HTML.