Best Online Data Analytics Bootcamps Of 2024 – Forbes Advisor

Let’s break down your options for funding a data analytics bootcamp.

How Much Is a Data Analytics Bootcamp Online?

Tuition costs for the online data analytics bootcamps ranked on this page range from around $7,400 to nearly $10,000 and average approximately $8,400.

Upfront Payment

Upfront tuition payments usually give you the best price, but many students cannot afford to pay thousands of dollars in a lump sum.

Pay in Installments

Installments allow you to spread out tuition payments across your enrollment or after graduating. This method makes tuition more manageable by breaking it into smaller chunks, but it often costs more in the long run.

Bootcamps may also offer deferred tuition payments, which may make tuition schedules contingent upon landing a job or allow students to hold off on paying until after they graduate.

Income Share Agreement

Income share agreements (ISAs) are similar to installment plans and deferred payments, but with one key difference: They require you to pay a percentage of your salary for a given period after graduation.

You must agree upon the percentage of your future salary you’ll owe when you start your bootcamp, and this percentage remains constant, regardless of how much you make. For example, if you land a job making $40,000 a year and have to pay 10% to the bootcamp as stated in your ISA, your annual financial burden in tuition is $4,000. However, if your job pays $100,000, you would have to pay $10,000 annually to the bootcamp provider.

With an ISA, you may end up paying as much as double the upfront price of your bootcamp over time. Providers sometimes set “repayment caps” for graduates with ISAs, such as capping repayment at one and a half times the tuition cost. Some let ISA borrowers repay up to two times the original tuition price.

Job Guarantee

Bootcamps may offer job guarantees for tuition. As with an ISA, this method is contingent upon you landing a job after graduation. Job guarantees offer a full tuition refund if you do not find qualifying employment within a specific period of graduation, but these agreements usually come with strict stipulations.

For example, a job guarantee may require you to look for jobs in specific locations; provide evidence of job-search activities, such as networking; or apply for a minimum number of positions per week or month for the duration of the job guarantee period. Make sure to read the fine print of a job guarantee before committing to a bootcamp with this policy.

If you meet all of the requirements and do not land employment per the agreed-upon stipulations after graduating, you may be entitled to a refund on your bootcamp tuition.

Loans, Scholarships and Other Aid

Unlike learners earning traditional degrees, bootcamp students typically do not qualify for federal student aid. Bootcamp providers may instead partner with private lenders like Ascent, Climb and Earnest to offer loans and deferred payment plans to learners. Many providers feature scholarships as well, which do not require repayment.

Recipients of GI Bill® funding can use their aid for tuition at participating bootcamps. A similar initiative, the Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses (VET TEC) program, also provides funding for bootcamp tuition, though not every bootcamp qualifies.