What Is Springboard?
Springboard is one of the more reputable (and longer-standing) providers in the pretty tumultuous bootcamp industry. I’ve been familiar with the company for years, but this was my first time going in-depth on its student experience, outcomes and programming.
In all, Springboard offers 13 online courses, including several “career track” bootcamps. It also provides a few introductory and prep courses that last about a month.
At first glance, I appreciated the level of transparency on Springboard’s website. While many bootcamp providers withhold details of their programs or even advertise exaggerated claims, Springboard readily provides information about its leadership team, format, investors and practices.
Springboard also makes it easy to find career and student outcomes data, though as I’ll get into later, those stats have some caveats.
Students spend about 60% of their time on projects and hands-on activities, according to my conversation with a Springboard rep. These practical components help learners build portfolios and gain real experience to discuss in job interviews. Coaches also help grads develop their professional brands, refine their résumés and LinkedIn profiles, and negotiate higher salaries.
To me, what stands out is Springboard’s combination of student-led learning and personalized support. The platform’s courses aren’t exactly “self paced,” as a Springboard rep told me, though learners work through the curriculums in their own time. Learners are expected to complete their programs in a reasonable time frame, and each student has access to a mentor, student advisor and career coach along the way.
Who’s the Ideal Springboard Student?
Springboard senior growth advisor Roger Huang said in an email that the provider enrolls learners of all ages, but about 56% of them are 25 to 34. Roughly 18.5% are 18 to 24, and 18% are 35 to 44. About 7% of students are older than 45.
Springboard markets its bootcamps to career-switchers, emphasizing high job placement rates and substantial salary increases. Springboard’s programs prepare students to upskill within the tech field or transition into tech, and most learners on the platform are currently employed.
While many Springboard graduates do receive competitive offers, it takes a certain kind of student to succeed in an asynchronous program. It’s a big time commitment: To finish in the estimated timeframe, students must commit about 15 to 20 hours a week to learning independently.
As I’ll discuss later on, roughly one-third of learners cancel their Springboard memberships before finishing their course, according to the 2023 Springboard Career Tracks Student Outcomes Report.
Student Support Resources at Springboard
Springboard’s defining feature is its “one size fits one” approach. Students complete their coursework on their own, but they can rely on a support team during and after their course. I met with a few Springboard team members to understand the various roles involved in ensuring students’ success.
Key Takeaways
- Springboard applies a stringent mentor selection process, ultimately hiring only around 11% of candidates.
- Mentors are experienced industry professionals who help Springboard students sharpen their skills and succeed in their courses.
- Student advisors assist learners with managing their schedules and priorities to set them up for success.
- Springboard alums work with career coaches to help them navigate the job market after graduation.
- Springboard uses a cohort model, with new student cohorts starting every month.
Mentors
Many bootcamps advertise mentorship opportunities without providing information on the actual mentors or what students will get out of the relationship. Springboard, however, impressed me with its mentor selection process: The company accepts about 11% of applicants, according to an email from Rachel Rosen, who heads mentor recruitment at Springboard.
—Rachel Rosen, Head of Recruiting and Mentor Management, Springboard
Mentors are expected to have at least three years of relevant experience, provide references, complete interviews and perform a teaching exercise. Most mentors work full time in their respective fields, and Springboard pays them per meeting.
Springboard pairs mentees with mentors based on their skills, interests and goals. Mentors help put students’ learning in context and clarify technical questions. They can review students’ course progress, including assignments and projects. In the software engineering track, for example, mentors approve learners’ capstone projects and provide support through the initial process.
Overall, the mentorship program appears very student-centered. Before each meeting, students can submit questions or topics they’d like to discuss. They also submit reviews of their mentorship sessions. Any student who isn’t satisfied with their mentor can request a new one. Springboard also uses data from student reviews to inform its mentor hiring process.
—Roger Huang, Senior Growth Advisor, Springboard
Mentorship meetings are typically one to two weeks apart, but learners can request on-demand sessions with other available mentors if they get stuck.
Student Advisors
Advisors function as an accountability team. They help learners develop study strategies, stay motivated and overcome hurdles. As an example, a student advisor might help a learner with ADHD create a study plan they can stick to.
In my discussion with Springboard reps, I noticed a strong emphasis on students’ mental health. Learning new skills or making a career switch can be overwhelming. Especially in an asynchronous program, it’s challenging to stay focused on long-term goals while working full time or managing responsibilities at home.
Advisors help students navigate roadblocks and manage their priorities without adding extra stress or guilt. Toward the end of the course, they ensure students feel confident and equipped for their job search.
Career Coaches
Students start working with career services in their first unit. In the software engineering foundations bootcamp, for example, they participate in seven career calls. After completing the course, learners choose a career coach and enter a six-month focus period. I’ll discuss career services in more detail later on.
Springboard’s Cohort Model
In Springboard’s career track, new cohorts start every month. The cohort model allows students to connect with other learners at the same stage in their programs. Each cohort kicks off with a virtual meeting, letting students put faces to names and interact with their classmates. Learners also get access to a Slack channel where they can ask questions, seek feedback, post their wins and find study buddies.
Most courses take six to nine months to complete, based on an estimated 15 to 20 hours of work each week. However, students can pause or freeze within their course, and Springboard offers both paid and unpaid extensions. After graduating, learners have lifetime access to the course material and any curriculum updates.
Curriculum
In the curriculum tab, students can access video lectures, which are broken up into bite-sized topics. They can also complete quick assessments. Each completed video and quiz contributes to an overall completion score.
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Springboard’s curriculum breaks topics into short videos.
AI Copilot
Springboard also demoed a relatively new feature: AI Copilot. If learners need clarification on technical concepts or want to find specific information, they can ask questions using the chat box on the bottom right. The goal of this feature, as the Springboard reps explained to me, is to reduce students’ roadblocks.
While I can’t attest to AI Copilot’s accuracy, I can see how it would benefit students. Getting stuck can feel defeating, and sometimes even Google isn’t enough to get unstuck. You might not know the right terms to search, or the answers you find might not apply to your situation. In those scenarios, AI Copilot might provide a Springboard-specific answer that clears up confusion instantly and easily.
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Students can use the bottom-right chatbox to interact with Springboard’s “AI copilot.”
Students can complete some projects in Springboard’s platform, but they may need to use platforms like Github for certain tasks as they progress.
Mentor Calls
In the mentor call tab, students can see their upcoming mentor meetings and set agendas. This allows mentors to come to their meetings prepared to discuss specific curriculum or career questions. On their side, mentors can see students’ submitted assignments and see how they’re progressing through the course.
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Before each mentor meeting, students can set an agenda and request specific topics of discussion.
Students can rate each mentor call and provide feedback. This recurring review process helps ensure mentees actually benefit from their mentors, reducing the possibility of students being assigned to mentors who are overworked, underqualified or otherwise unable to help.
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Students can rate their mentors and provide feedback after each meeting.
Springboard’s Bootcamp Offerings
Springboard hosts several career-track bootcamps, which part-time learners can complete in six to 10 months. Each course includes a new AI component, also available to all previous learners.
Springboard offers two bootcamps through university partners: data engineering and machine learning and AI. However, the company’s job guarantee policy does not apply to these programs.
All of the programs listed below take place online.
Cybersecurity Bootcamp
- Total Upfront Cost: $9,990
- Time Commitment: 6 months, 10-20 hours per week
- Key Competencies: AI for threat detection, network security, cryptography, security architecture, malware analysis, Kali, Metasploit, Wireshark, Nmap
- Prerequisites: Pass a baseline soft skills evaluation
The six-month cybersecurity career track takes learners from beginners to certified professionals. Students complete 50 labs and a capstone project, and by the end of the course, they earn an industry-standard CompTIA Security+ certification. Springboard updates its curriculum whenever the exam content is updated.
Springboard’s Cybersecurity Career Track Student Outcomes Report states that 83.7% of reporting job-qualified graduates received a job offer within 12 months. From March 2021 to December 2023, 148 grads reported offers, and 103 reported their base compensation. Graduates saw an average salary increase of $11,490.
Software Engineering
- Total Upfront Cost: $9,900
- Time Commitment: 9 months, 20-25 hours per week
- Key Competencies: AI prompt engineering, testing, array methods, jQuery, Bootstrap, AJAX, Python, Flask, SQL, Node, Express, React, data structures and algorithms
- Prerequisites: JavaScript fundamentals, programmatic problem-solving skills, HTML and CSS recommended
Springboard’s software engineering career track helps learners build portfolios with 20 mini projects and four larger projects, including a database-driven website with an external API.
About 88% of qualified graduates reported landing a job within 12 months, according to the Software Engineering Career Track Student Outcomes Report. While the nine-month program requires some experience, total beginners can enroll in Springboard’s 10-month foundational track, which I previewed for this review.
Since the program’s launch in January 2020, 2,957 learners have enrolled in the career track. Of these, 492 students reported receiving offers, and 441 reported their compensation. These grads saw an average salary increase of $25,764.
UX Design
- Total Upfront Cost: $7,900
- Time Commitment: 6 months, 15-25 hours per week
- Key Competencies: Design thinking, understanding users, information architecture, usability testing, wireframing, interaction design, prototyping, testing, Adobe XD, Figma, Sketch, InVison
- Prerequisites: 1 year of paid professional experience or a related bachelor’s degree
The six-month user experience design course helps learners uplevel their existing skills. To enroll, students must have a related degree or one year of relevant, documented experience. Graduates build an extensive UX design portfolio, including a capstone project, a design sprint and a four-week remote internship.
Springboard reports that 1,664 students enrolled in this career track from November 2018 to December 2023. In total, 456 students reported job offers, and 311 reported their earnings. On average, their salaries increased by $28,208. Springboard reports a 80.7% 12-month job placement rate among qualified graduates.
UI/UX Design
- Total Upfront Cost: $11,900
- Time Commitment: 9 months, 15-25 hours per week
- Key Competencies: UX and UI design, user research, design thinking, information architecture, usability testing, wireframing, prototyping and animations, Adobe XD, Figma, Sketch, InVision
- Prerequisites: Pass a baseline evaluation
Learners without previous design experience can enroll in the nine-month UI/UX design career track. The foundational curriculum covers design tools, user experience research, AI for UI/UX, business and psychology. To graduate, students complete two capstone projects, a design sprint and a remote internship.
From November 2019 to December 2023, 4,616 students enrolled in the UI/UX design career track, and 79.% of job-qualified students received an offer within a year, according to the UI/UX Design Career Track Student Outcomes Report. Throughout that period, 976 learners reported receiving job offers, and 710 reported their compensation. On average, those grads increased their salaries by $24,523.
Data Analytics
- Total Upfront Cost: $8,500
- Time Commitment: 6 months, 15-20 hours per week
- Key Competencies: Microsoft Excel, business analytics, statistics, economics, data visualization, Python, Tableau, Power BI, SQL
- Prerequisites: 2 years of professional experience with Office or programming tools
Springboard’s six-month data analytics course, created in collaboration with Microsoft, suits professionals with two years of experience in design, programming or office tools. The bootcamp explores data analysis, visualization and storytelling. Springboard helps beginners bridge their skills gap with a free introductory bootcamp lasting six to eight weeks.
Between August 2019 and December 2023, Springboard states that it admitted 3,311 students to the data analytics track. Nearly 90% of qualified graduates reported getting job offers within 12 months. In all, 888 students reported offers, and the 714 grads who reported their earnings saw an average salary bump of $17,418.
Data Science
- Total Upfront Cost: $9,900
- Time Commitment: 6 months, 20-25 hours per week
- Key Competencies: Python, data wrangling, SQL, databases, machine learning, feature engineering, R, pandas, GitHub, Apache Spark™
- Prerequisites: 6 months of active coding experience, competence in basic probability and descriptive statistics
Springboard’s data science career track prioritizes hands-on experience: Students complete 28 mini projects, three capstone projects and an advanced specialization project. Learners can choose from three tracks: generalist, business insider and advanced machine learning. This program requires prior experience, but applicants can enroll in a prep course at no extra cost.
From December 2016 to December 2023, 3,984 students enrolled in the data science track, according to an outcomes report from Springboard. Of these learners, 1,470 reported receiving an offer, and 1,156 reported their salaries, with an average increase of $25,434 (from an already-high average starting salary of $90,901). Springboard reports that 89.2% of job-qualified graduates received offers within a year.
Springboard’s Financing Options
Compared to other bootcamp providers, Springboard offers fairly transparent and flexible financing options.
Applicants can defer tuition until they find a new job, though this route costs significantly more than paying upfront in a lump sum. Still, the option to defer or finance a loan allows more people to bet on their future without committing thousands of dollars upfront. Springboard also offers refunds within seven days of your start date.
Below, we outline each available payment option at Springboard.
Job Guarantee
Bootcamps with job guarantees help lower the risk factor involved in changing careers. However, these agreements come with caveats: You’ll have to meet certain requirements and fully commit to your job search, or you might lose your eligibility.
Springboard promises that eligible candidates won’t pay anything if they can’t find a job within six months of graduating. The company clearly defines these eligibility requirements for its job guarantee:
- Be 18 or older and legally able to work
- Pass a background check
- Be proficient in English
- Hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution (waived with experience in some tracks)
- Pass the program and career modules
- Apply to a minimum number of positions weekly
- Provide weekly summaries of job search activities
It also helps to live in a metro area and be a competitive candidate.
Springboard also offers personalized career support to keep graduates on target. So even if you don’t qualify for the job guarantee, you’ll receive the same level of service. I’ll discuss career support offerings in more detail later on.
Partner Lenders
Springboard uses two partner lenders: Ascent for deferred tuition and Climb for financing. Neither partner charges a penalty for paying off your tuition early.
Ascent handles deferred tuition payments, which kick in six months after graduating, assuming you don’t meet the job guarantee’s refund criteria. Ascent’s website details the loan terms and payment plans. By financing your bootcamp through Ascent, you’ll end up paying much more than you would by paying upfront.
You can also apply for a loan through Climb. This option requires a $500 deposit, and interest rates vary.
To compare potential costs with Springboard’s partner lenders, let’s use the data analytics bootcamp as an example.
- Upfront Payment: $8,500 one time, with no followup charges
- Deferred Tuition Through Ascent: You’ll pay a $500 deposit and borrow $10,800 at a fixed interest rate. Six months after graduating, you’ll pay about $432 per month for 36 months, totaling $16,039.80.
- Financing Through Climb: You’ll pay a $700 deposit and borrow $10,500; interest rates vary. While taking the course, you might pay $73.50 each month toward interest. After graduating, you’d pay about $331 per month for 36 months. In total, your program will cost $13,053.
Scholarships
With the goal of making tech more inclusive and accessible, Springboard plans to offer $10 million in scholarships between 2022 and 2030. The company currently offers four scholarships, detailed below.
- Women in Technology Scholarship: $500 toward certain career tracks
- Diversity in Tech Scholarship: No amount listed
- Needs-Based Scholarship: $1,000 for individuals who make less than $30,000 per year
- Career Reboot Scholarship: supports tech workers who have been laid off
Springboard Student Outcomes Data
Springboard is very open with its outcomes data, although—as with any statistics—you have to read the fine print to understand exactly what the numbers mean.
For example, Springboard’s salary increase data comes from the relatively small share of graduates who reported their new roles and base compensation.
Graduation Rates
As of December 2023, Springboard reports that 41.6% of all enrolled students completed their courses, with 16.2% still active. Overall, roughly 37% of learners canceled their memberships after their initial seven-day refund period, and 4.7% canceled because they got a job before their program’s end. Springboard readily sent over its outcomes into, though I’ll say the pie charts were a bit confusing to interpret.
These statistics vary by bootcamp. The cybersecurity track saw the highest number of active participants (28.5%) and cancellations (46.3%). The UX track reported a 57% completion rate with 7.6% active students.
Job Placement Rates
Springboard’s job guarantee is a big selling point, but how many students actually qualify? I looked at the outcomes data for each bootcamp to identify ranges.
The UX track had the lowest percentage, with 42.5% of learners eligible for the guarantee. At the high end, 79.5% of software engineering enrollees qualified.
Springboard issued the lowest rate of refunds to software engineering students: Only 2.5% received refunds. On the other hand, 7.7% of grads were refunded for the UI/UX course. Students who don’t meet the minimum job search requirements may lose eligibility for the guarantee and have it revoked; this happened to 3% to 10.3% of grads.
Graduate Earnings
Across all bootcamps, grads reported an average salary increase of $23,333. However, these numbers are based on roughly 4,430 grads who reported their new starting salaries, out of 18,393 total enrolled students as of December 2023.
Starting salaries vary based on several factors, including location, experience and job demand. The lowest salaries were reported for cybersecurity roles, with an average starting salary of $66,039 and an increase of $11,490. UX designers reported the highest earnings, averaging $89,314 per year with a $28,208 increase.
Where Graduates Work
In its outcomes report, Springboard reported employment of grads at the following companies:
- Comcast
- Apple
- Accenture
- Coalfire
- PwC
- Tek Experts
- Trustwave Government Solutions
- Affirm
- FDM
- Wells Fargo
- Trilliant Health
- Fanduel
- Socure
- Bridge
- Velocity Global
Common Job Titles for Graduates
Springboard helps learners prepare for entry-level or specialized roles, depending on their experience and skillset. Common job titles include:
- Cybersecurity analyst
- SOC analyst
- Cybersecurity specialist or technician
- Cybersecurity engineer
- Software engineer
- Full stack developer
- Front end developer
- UI/UX designer
- UX designer
- Product designer
- User researcher
- Data analyst
- Business analyst
- Data scientist
- Data engineer
- Machine learning engineer
Springboard Career Services
In line with its “one size fits one” approach, Springboard offers its alums personalized career support for about six months after graduation. Bootcamp courses also embed career prep within their curriculums, offering opportunities to build a portfolio or develop workplace skills, such as presentation or communication.
Career Coaching
Springboard employs more than 60 coaches with diverse backgrounds. Through one-on-one or small group calls, coaches help graduates develop job search strategies. Springboard also facilitates career office hours.
After completing their bootcamps, students spend six months focusing on the job hunt. During this time, career coaches help in four main ways: networking, applications, technical skills and wellness. As a Springboard rep explained to me, much of the coaching has to do with mindset and behavioral shifts, encouraging learners and making sure they take care of themselves.
Coaches help students think creatively about career possibilities beyond getting hired at a big tech company. They also make sure students have solid work, such as a professional website or hackathon experience, to discuss in interviews.
Résumé Help
Coaches focus on quality over quantity, helping candidates create competitive résumés, LinkedIn profiles and application materials. They also teach graduates how to tell their professional story, which is especially helpful for tech industry newcomers.
Interview Prep
Tech interviews can be daunting, often incorporating multiple rounds and practical components. Springboard coaches help grads navigate this process and negotiate their offers. As an example, students in the software foundational track complete three mock interviews and a behavioral interview.
Networking
Springboard coaches encourage students to participate in professional groups, tech talks and local study groups. The company also hosts its own annual conference, Springboard Rise, which takes place on LinkedIn’s campus and features networking events and career-focused keynotes.
Internship Opportunities
Springboard connects UX career track students with remote externships toward the end of their course. During this opportunity, students collaborate for four weeks to complete an industry design project. Springboard has curated partnerships over the years, and students are paired with companies based on their interests and industry.
All tech roles are collaborative in some way, but especially UX roles. Having real experience is a great résumé-booster, and it helps new professionals learn to communicate, accept feedback, iterate and practice their skills.
Hiring Partners
Rachel Saccuzzo, head of career success at Springboard, said in an email that graduates may benefit from the company’s hiring partnerships (though interviews with and offers from partners are not guaranteed).
Springboard facilitates a few opportunities that could connect students and potential employers.
- Employer spotlight events: In these informative sessions, students learn about a company’s workplace experience and interview process.
- Job sharing: Companies may share a job description to post on Springboard’s job board and newsletters.
- Active introductions: If a company requests it, Springboard may share a job posting with students who fit the description.
Springboard also takes an outbound approach, working to develop and identify opportunities that match their learners. For example, the team might reach out to its alumni network or work with companies with apprenticeships or early-education roles.
However, Saccuzzo clarified that not all learners will hear about job opportunities or get to connect directly with potential employers.
Springboard: Our Expert Take
Overall, I was impressed with the size of Springboard’s operation. I also appreciate the company’s student-focused approach and iterative process.
Springboard has been around for a while—especially by bootcamp standards—and during my discussions with the team, I got the impression that they continually gather data and work to improve the student experience. Springboard also employs full-time staff members to design curriculums and offer student support, adding another layer of legitimacy to the platform.
Overall Experience
Since I wasn’t able to try out the LMS myself, I can only speak to the demo and interviews conducted with the Springboard team. The student experience seemed pretty straightforward, and I felt that AI Copilot could be a helpful addition for the current student cohort.
I’m typically wary of asynchronous programs that charge thousands of dollars. I’ve attempted plenty of self-paced programs, but they don’t fit my learning style. Like many learners, I thrive with accountability and interaction. So for students like me, Springboard might be a good option. It enables some flexibility in scheduling but features multiple touchpoints to keep you on track.
Service and Support
Springboard offers a support service to help students navigate the platform and ensure they have the tools they need. Student advisors can also help with certain issues. However, I didn’t interact with the support team myself.
What Sets Springboard Apart
As I learned in my discussions with Springboard team members, the company collects qualitative and quantitative data on the student experience and uses that information to iterate and improve upon its offerings. Students rate each sublesson and mentor interaction. Overall, the approach seems very intentional, and I appreciate that learners have a say in their experience.
I appreciate Springboard’s three-pronged approach, which creates an academic safety net for each student. Staff members play to their specific strengths rather than spreading themselves thin by helping with technical questions, career guidance and study plans all at once. And on a personal note, the employees I talked to seemed to truly enjoy their jobs.
Additionally, in its seven years of operation, Springboard has admitted roughly 18,400 students. To me, this indicates that the company limits its capacity instead of churning through as many graduates as possible.
Springboard vs. Similar Bootcamp Providers
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Springboard Reviews
Is Springboard credible?
Yes, Springboard is a credible bootcamp provider. The company has been in operation for about seven years, and publishes student outcomes data to validate its success.
Does Springboard really guarantee a job?
Springboard does offer a job guarantee, but only to some learners. To qualify, students must be at least 18 years old, have a bachelor’s degree and apply to a minimum number of jobs each week.
Is Springboard a good coding bootcamp?
Springboard is a reputable bootcamp provider, and the curriculum designers work closely with industry professionals to make sure their courses can help learners get hired.
Does Springboard accept everyone?
No. In an April 2024 email to Forbes Advisor, Springboard senior growth advisor Roger Huang said the provider had admitted about 57% of applicants in the last six months.