Coding Bootcamps That Accept the GI Bill®
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After WWII ended, the United States expected nearly 16 million men and women serving in the Armed Forces to return home. The GI Bill® was enacted to help veterans transfer into civilian life and, hopefully, avoid another grave economic crisis. A lot has changed in the 75 years since the GI Bill was first passed. It has been extended numerous times, and now a Post-9/11 GI Bill, the Forever GI Bill, and the Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty offer slightly different eligibility and fee structures to give veterans more options. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, nearly 800,000 veterans and their families have already received more than $12 billion in educational benefits under the Post-9/11 Bill alone.
Those eligible for aid should use it, but a four-year college degree is not for everyone. As the education landscape changes, so do veterans’ eligibility and education offerings. More programs are opening up to cover coding bootcamps and other alternative educational methods.
What Is the GI Bill?
Generally, the GI Bill helps veterans pay for college, graduate school, and training programs, but various programs and variations have come up over the years.
If you served on active duty after September 10, 2001, you might be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Students who are awarded benefits under this bill receive up to 36 months of benefits for their tuition, housing, books, supplies, and even a one-time relocation payment.
To qualify, you must have served on active duty for at least 30 days and received an honorable discharge after a service-related disability. Or, you must have served for at least 90 days of active duty with a dishonorable discharge or have received a Purple Heart.
The Forever GI Bill, enacted in 2017, added some improvements. First of all, it removed the 15-year time limit for using benefits. It also increased the amount of benefits veterans receive if they only served a short time. Under the Post-9/11 Bill, those who served between 90 days and six months could only receive 40% of the maximum benefits, which rose to 50% under the Forever Bill.
Does the GI Bill Pay for Coding Bootcamps?
The GI Bill helps students pay for various training programs, including traditional college programs, vocational programs, and coding bootcamps. Technology programs are covered under the VET TEC section of the Forever Bill, but only certain programs or schools are covered. And the maximum coverage can also vary between programs. You can find the full list here.
Find the Right Bootcamp For You
GI Bill Coding Bootcamps
Boise Codeworks
- Location: Boise
- Program Cost: $8,900
- Technical Disciplines: Cybersecurity, Full-Stack Development
- Learning Format: In Person
- Time Commitment: Full Time
Accepts GI Bill®
Career Services
This full-time, in-person course prepares students to work in either cybersecurity or full-stack development in as little as 13 weeks. In addition to teaching core material, this program also includes “Get Hired Courses,” specifically aimed at helping students get jobs. It also won Best Speciality School of Idaho in 2021.
Claim Academy
- Location: Remote, St. Louis
- Program Cost: $15,498
- Technical Disciplines: Cybersecurity, Software Engineering
- Learning Format: In Person, Online
- Time Commitment: Full Time, Part Time
Accepts GI Bill®
Evening & Weekend Options
Income Share Agreement
With Claim Academy, students can finish a software engineering course in 12 weeks or a cybersecurity course in 14 weeks. According to its page, its graduates started off with a median salary of $67,000 in St. Louis in 2019.
Code Fellows
- Location: Remote
- Program Cost: Students pay for each course separately; entry-level courses start at $99, whereas high-level courses go up to $12,000 each
- Technical Disciplines: Cybersecurity, Software Development
- Learning Format: Online
- Time Commitment: Self-Paced
Accepts GI Bill®
Career Services
Income Share Agreement
Code Fellows offers flexible courses so students can learn in ways that work best for them.
After graduating, students receive career services and connections to hiring companies. According to its website, 93% of their graduates find in-field job placement. Code Fellows’ price breakdown varies widely, though, charging $99 for intro courses but $12,000 for some of the final courses.
Code Platoon
- Location: Remote, Chicago
- Program Cost: $18,000
- Technical Disciplines: Full-Stack Development, Software Engineering
- Learning Format: In Person, Online
- Time Commitment: Part Time, Self-Paced
Accepts GI Bill®
CIRR Member
Evening & Weekend Options
Code Platoon is specifically designed to help veterans, active-duty servicemembers, and military spouses gain technical training. It offers many course configurations, including both in person and online, and full- and part-time courses, to help students find classes that work with their schedules.
According to its website, 82% of graduates found employment less than four months after graduating.
Codeup
- Location: Dallas, Houston, San Antonio
- Program Cost: $1,000
- Technical Disciplines: Data Science, Web Development
- Learning Format: In Person
- Time Commitment: Full Time
Accepts GI Bill®
CIRR Member
Codeup’s 20-week course prepares students in Texas for careers in either data science or web development, two of the most in-demand fields in tech. According to data reported to the Council on Integrity in Results Reporting, 82% of graduates found employment in their field in less than four months, earning a median annual salary of $53,500.
Eleven Fifty Academy
- Location: Remote, Fishers, Indianapolis
- Program Cost: $13,500
- Technical Disciplines: Cybersecurity, Software Development
- Learning Format: In Person, Online
- Time Commitment: Full Time, Part Time
Accepts GI Bill®
Career Services
Income Share Agreement
If you’re not sure which career path is best for you, Eleven Fifty offers free workshops in both coding and cybersecurity, so you can decide which is a better fit for you. After finishing the program, its career services team works one on one with students to help match them with potential employers and jobs. According to its website, 65% of graduates find a job within the first three months after graduating.
Galvanize
- Location: Remote, Boulder, Denver, Phoenix, San Francisco
- Program Cost: $17,980
- Technical Disciplines: Software Engineering
- Learning Format: In Person, Online
- Time Commitment: Full Time, Part Time
Accepts GI Bill®
Career Services
Evening & Weekend Options
With Galvanize, students can learn the fundamentals of computer science, JavaScript, and application design and development in a few weeks. This provider also offers Operation LevelUp, which is an 18-week web development immersive program specifically for people who are still on active duty. In addition to accepting the GI Bill, Galvanize offers various other tuition assistance programs and financing options.
General Assembly
- Location: Remote, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington D.C.
- Program Cost: $3,000
- Technical Disciplines: Data Analytics, Data Science, Digital Marketing, Software Engineering, UX Design, and others
- Learning Format: In Person, Online
- Time Commitment: Full Time, Part Time
Accepts GI Bill®
Career Services
Income Share Agreement
General Assembly is one of the bigger coding bootcamps, with over 30 campuses and more than 19,000 hiring partners. This provider offers full bootcamp programs in a variety of skills so students can find something that interests them.
In addition to full programs, General Assembly also hosts free workshops and events that cover intro courses and Ask Me Anything sessions from industry professionals.
Tech Elevator
- Location: Remote, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Wilmington
- Program Cost: $15,950
- Technical Disciplines: Software Development
- Learning Format: In Person, Online
- Time Commitment: Full Time, Part Time
Accepts GI Bill®
Career Services
CIRR Member
In this software development course, students learn how to operate in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, and either Java or C#. Tech Elevator has multiple locations across the United States and even some registered networks in cities where there is no physical location.
All programs have an almost 90% or higher employment rate within the first four months of graduation, according to the Council on Integrity in Results Reporting. (This excludes the Wilmington location, which only has seven graduates included in the report).
Turing School
- Location: Remote
- Program Cost: $25,000
- Technical Disciplines: Web Development
- Learning Format: Online
- Time Commitment: Full Time
Accepts GI Bill®
Career Services
CIRR Member
In the Turing School program on web development, students can choose to learn about either front-end or back-end engineering. If you are not sure yet which one is for you, Turing School offers various workshops and events to help students figure out which fits their needs.
In addition to accepting the GI Bill, Turning School also accepts the Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance Program (VRRAP) for veterans who do not have any GI Bill benefits.
We Can Code It
- Location: Remote, Cleveland, Columbus
- Program Cost: $14,900
- Technical Disciplines: Full-Stack Web Development
- Learning Format: In Person, Online
- Time Commitment: Full Time, Part Time
Accepts GI Bill®
Career Services
CIRR Member
We Can Code It offers online or in-person courses in Ohio to get students ready to work as a full-stack developer. The full-time program lasts 14 weeks, and part-time students finish in 22 weeks. We Can Code It also prioritizes diversity and inclusivity as some of its founding principles.
Methodology
Bootcamp Ranking Guidelines
At BestColleges, we believe the best bootcamp is the one that fits your schedule, your learning needs, and your career aspirations. That's why we often present our recommendations in alphabetical order -- because the real best bootcamp is the bootcamp that's best for you.
Frequently Asked Questions About GI Bill Coding Bootcamps
Will the GI Bill pay for a new computer?
While none of the GI Bills specifically cover a computer, the Post-9/11 Bill offers up to $1,000 annually for books and supplies, which the student can use however they want. As bootcamps do not often require any books or additional supplies, that $1,000 can go a long way toward at least partially buying a new computer.
Can I get a degree with my GI Bill?
Absolutely, the Post-9/11 Bill covers 100% of tuition and fees for in-state students at public schools. Students who prefer to study out of state, at private universities, or internationally can receive a predetermined maximum dollar amount to help cover costs. Currently, that amount is up to $26,040 for the 2021-2022 school year.
In addition to receiving funding to cover the cost of the university, students may also be eligible to receive a monthly housing allowance, a stipend for books and supplies, and a one-time relocation budget for those moving more than 500 miles.
Does the GI Bill expire?
Veterans who finished their service after January 1, 2013, had 15 years to use their GI benefits. However, that rule was removed, so anyone who served after 2013 can use their benefits at any point. Once the benefits have been activated, students can receive aid for up to 36 months. While the benefits no longer expire, students can lose them by failing to attend classes.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/index.asp.
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