Online Coding Bootcamp Graduation Rates and Outcomes

If you’re just now learning about online coding bootcamps and are starting your research, it can be helpful to have some statistics to get an idea of what you’re getting into. It’s one thing to hear about all the good a coding bootcamp can do for you; it’s an entirely different thing to see online coding bootcamp graduation rates and outcomes.

Not only can these statistics help ensure you’re making the right choice, but they can give you some perspective on who takes these bootcamps, what to expect after graduation, and most importantly, if they actually do what they say. We’re going to shed some light on the numbers behind these bootcamps so you can make an informed decision about whether or not a bootcamp program is right for you.

Student Demographics

First, before we get into the specific online coding bootcamp graduation rates by program, let’s take a look at some of the demographics, including gender, age, race, citizenship status, educational background, programming experience before the bootcamp, and reason for attending the bootcamps. Let’s break them down.

Gender

Around 63% of online coding bootcamp graduates identified as male, while around 37% identified as female. Less the one percent of graduates identified as non-binary in the gender category.

Age

The average age of online coding bootcamp graduates is around 30 years old. In reality, the ages of participants can vary widely. For instance, someone as young as 15 years old has graduated a coding bootcamp and someone as old as 75 years old has also graduated. This just goes to show, it’s never too early or too late to teach yourself a valuable new skill!

Race

Although diversity is more than welcomed and is strongly encouraged in the tech industry, the race of coding bootcamp graduates is predominantly white, with about 60% of graduates being caucasian. 19% of graduates are asian and a variety of other ethnicities make up the final 21%.

Citizenship

Since coding bootcamps are available online, there are graduates from all over the world. While US citizens, both those born here and those who have become citizens, made up about 65% of graduates, the remaining 35% of graduates are comprised of people from all corners of the planet.

Educational Background

One of the best things about coding bootcamps is that you don’t need to have an extensive education to participate in one, you just need drive and dedication. That being said, about 55% of online coding bootcamp graduates have a bachelor’s degree going into their coding bootcamp. The other 45% was a mix of graduates whose college experience ranged from none at all to doctoral degrees.

An interesting statistic to note is that many of the graduates with bachelor’s degrees majored in something unrelated to coding and programming. In fact, over 80% of those with bachelor’s degrees majored in fields like marketing, finance, business, and social sciences.  This just goes to show that a coding bootcamp has the power to help you change your career path entirely if you’re not happy with the field that you chose to major in during college.

Programming Experience

Many coding bootcamps tout the fact that you can go in with zero experience and still graduate. According to the statistics, this claim appears to be very true! Over 50% of graduates said they had less than 50 hours of coding experience, and half of this number said they had never coded at all!

Reason for Attending

No matter what your reason for seeking out a coding bootcamp is, you’re probably not alone in your reasoning. Here are some of the reasons people choose to attend:

• Advance their career
• Gain technical training
• Passion and interest in programming and coding
• Learning in a fast-paced environment
• Learn a new skill
• Network and gain connections
• Start a company or personal project

Of these reasons, over 70% responded with career advancement as one of their primary motivators for attending a coding bootcamp.

Program Demographics

Next, let’s take a look at some statistics from the different programs available. Keep in mind that these are general statistics, meaning they don’t characterize every single coding bootcamp out there. There are many bootcamps, and they all have different courses, areas of study, types of learning, and costs. With that in mind, let’s look at the general demographics for cost, class size, curriculum, delivery method, and location.

Cost

This is certainly one of the first things that would-be bootcamp attendees would be concerned about. Around 60% of coding bootcamp graduates spent less than $10,000 on their education. That’s much less than many four year schools. Also, keep in mind that many of these bootcamps guarantee zero tuition payments until you get your first job. At the very least, they typically have some sort of job placement program. And they will give you the tools you need to get a job after graduation.

Class Size

Class size isn’t a statistic that always comes to mind, but in the world of coding bootcamps, it’s a very important consideration. The smaller the class size, the more attention each student gets. Luckily, the average class size for a coding bootcamp is around 20 students. The ratio of students to instructors averages out to about 5 students per instructor. This number is encouraging, because it means you get plenty of personal attention and you never have to worry about your instructor being too overwhelmed to answer your questions.

Curriculum

There are a wide variety of coding bootcamps out there that teach many different skills. But the primary skills that students have learned by graduation include Javascript, Ruby on Rails, and SQL. Around 61% of graduates learned Javascript as their primary programming language.

Delivery Method

A great thing about coding bootcamps is the flexibility they offer for those who take them. You can take them in person, online, or a combination of both. While in person is certainly preferred, and it shows with around 72% of graduates taking their bootcamp this way, online is still a completely viable option.

Locations

There are coding bootcamps all over the world, but certain cities certainly see more in person attendees than others. Here are the most popular cities for coding bootcamps:

• New York City
• San Francisco
• Atlanta
• Los Angeles
• Chicago
• Houston
• Austin
• Salt Lake
• Denver
• Washington DC
• Seattle
• Boston
• Miami
• Vancouver
• London
• Toronto
• Barcelona

Although these campuses can claim the most graduates, you can take an online coding bootcamp anywhere you have Internet access. So don’t be discouraged if there isn’t an in person program near you!

Online Coding Bootcamp Graduation Rates

It’s important to note when looking at options for coding bootcamps that these bootcamps aren’t meant to be easy. They’re meant to teach complicated concepts and skills in an extremely expedited amount of time. We’ve said it time and time again, but it’s crucial to understand that these bootcamps really do require effort and determination to complete. But if you put in that time and effort, you too can start your career in the tech industry.

With all that being said, according to the Council on Integrity Results Reporting, around 92% of students in online coding bootcamps graduate on time. A 92% online coding bootcamp graduation rate is quite high and that’s usually because those who want to undergo a coding bootcamp are doing it for the right reasons and are aware of the drive it will take before they even enroll. If you have these caveats in mind, you too can be part of the 92%.

Employment Outcomes

Now that you know some information about online coding bootcamp graduation rates, let’s move on to the statistics that many of you reading this article are probably most curious about. If you put in the time, effort, and money to undergo a coding bootcamp, you want to know how much you’ll make, when you might get a job after graduation, and more. Let’s take a look at some more numbers.

Salary Increase

First, let’s get the big one out of the way. You definitely want to know what your potential salary might look like after you complete a coding bootcamp. According to the statistics, around 46% of graduates saw an average increase of $19,485 from their pre-bootcamp job. The remaining 44% saw an increase of at least $10,000, while less than 1% saw an increase less than $10,000.

As you can see, the potential for a salary bump is very high for coding bootcamp graduates.

Employment Statistics

So the salary bump is certainly nice, in theory, but that’s all dependent on getting a job after graduation. Luckily, the statistic for employment after graduation has similarly comforting numbers. Over 80% of graduates were employed after graduation.

Job Search

Obviously, after graduation from a coding bootcamp, you don’t want to be on the hunt for a new job for too long. When it comes to finding a job after graduation, nearly 50% of graduates found a job within 8 weeks. Even as the job search expands past the initial 8 weeks, the number of graduates who found employment steadily increased. In short, according to these statistics, you have a fairly high chance of finding a well paying job within 8 weeks of graduation from a coding bootcamp. Let’s take a look at a few more numbers.

Gender and Employment Outcome

The gap in salary and speed of hire between male and female graduates tends to be extremely close. Average salary numbers were several hundred dollars less for females, while their employment rate was a couple of percent higher than male graduates.

Education Level and Employment Outcome

Your level of education isn’t always a determining factor in the type of job you get and the salary you can obtain. This is especially the case with coding bootcamps. Those who graduated from a coding bootcamp with no prior college experience enjoyed an average of around $23,000 more than their pre-bootcamp salaries. Those with associate’s or bachelor’s degrees saw around 17-18k increases in their salary, and those with master’s degrees saw around a $12,000 increase. Those with Master’s degrees also saw the highest post-graduation employment rate, at about 86%. No college, associate’s, and bachelor’s saw post-graduation employment rates at about 76%, 72%, and 82% respectively.

Curriculum and Employment Outcome

When it comes to coding languages, the most taught being Javascript, HTML, CSS, Ruby on Rails, and SQL, the differences in employment rates and post-bootcamp salaries was fairly negligible. Most saw close to a $20,000 increase from their pre-bootcamp salaries with employment rates hovering around 80%. This just goes to show that all of these programming languages are valuable and in demand, so you can’t really go wrong with your curriculum choice, as long as you enjoy what you’re learning.

Additional Information from Career Karma

With all of these statistics in mind, the prospect of enrolling in a coding bootcamp is much less intimidating. As you can see, the results from these bootcamps have been overwhelmingly positive, with people from different backgrounds, education levels, and more can all have a chance at getting a promising career in the tech industry.

If you’re still overwhelmed with the vast array of choices for coding bootcamps out there, let Career Karma help. Our app is designed to help you find the perfect fit for your wants and needs. No more sifting through all the options trying to guess which one is best for you.  Download the Career Karma app today and start your path to a better career in an exciting industry!