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Hackbright Academy

Average Rating4.51
108 Reviews
3 Courses

Hackbright Academy is a software engineering school for gender equality founded in 2012 that offers online courses. The school offers a 12-week, immersive full-time software engineering program and a 26-week, part-time program, both of which cover the fundamentals of computer science and modern web development such as the command line, Python, JavaScript, HTML & CSS, Git, Flask, pair programming, SQL/ORMS, and deployment. The part-time program covers the same content as the immersive program, but is designed for students who want to maintain their jobs.

Prospective applicants will need to fill out an online application detailing their interests and background, then complete an interview with the admissions team and a technical assessment. Hackbright's ideal candidate has a desire to learn software development and has prior exposure to programming.

Hackbright Academy provides students with mentorship, tech talks, and career services. Hackbright Academy offers deferred tuition, limited scholarships, and payment plans for qualified students.

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108 Hackbright Academy Reviews

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  • Ritu Virmani
    Anonymous
    Graduate • Full-Time (12-week) Software Engineering Program • San Francisco
    Dec 10, 2016
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
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    Don't waste your time anywhere else

    After SO MUCH research and many other options, I decided to go to Hackbright. I'm so glad I did! Remember - this is a bootcamp and not some fairy land where someone holds your hand while you learn to code. They will kick your butt but it will be worth it. They have a 3% acceptance rate for a reason. If you are even able to get in, just do it. The team is very well connected and you will find a job. Work hard, don't stop learning and show the tech world that women are amazing!

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  • Regrettfull
    Anonymous
    Student • Full-Time (12-week) Software Engineering Program • San Francisco
    Nov 23, 2016
    Overall Experience
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    Dissapointed

    I am a current student at Hackbright and will admit there are some good and bad things about this academy.  The entire operation feels more like a community center than an institution that charges students $16,000+ for the 'education'. The majority of the ed staff lack professional training and do not conduct themselves professionally. There are a few great people on the team, but there are staff members who are very unprofessional and immature. Not something you'd expect for the price you...

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    Meggie Mahnken of Hackbright Academy

    Instructor

    Nov 30, 2016

    Dear Hackbright Student,

    I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Rigorous curriculum and a professional, inclusive learning environment are at the core of our educational values. I find it unacceptable that a student wouldn't feel welcome while learning at Hackbright, and I value your feedback. If there's any additional context you are able to provide, please email me at meggie@hackbrightacademy.com so we can chat directly about how we can improve our student experience.
    Sincerely,
    Meggie Mahnken
    Instructor, Hackbright Academy
  • Barbara
    Anonymous
    Software Engineer • Student • Full-Time (12-week) Software Engineering Program • San Francisco
    Oct 21, 2016
    Overall Experience
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    Best decision I ever made

    Getting in was hard. Getting through the program was hard. But was it worth it? YES. I see a lot of inaccurate posts on this website and I've got to address some of them.

    Instructors: 

    The instructors have all had industry experience(seems that some people don't know that). TAs and lab instructors are mostly grads from the program who were exceptional enough to be able to assist others beyond their cohort end date. But all of them bring passion for teac...

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  • Kelsey
    Anonymous
    Graduate • Full-Time (12-week) Software Engineering Program • San Francisco
    Oct 19, 2016
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
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    Please think carefully about Hackbright

    If you look closely at their statistics of "90% employed", they are actually from 2014. I graduated from Hackbright in June 2016, and almost 4 months later, I would say about a quarter of my group of 43 is employed. So simply, those statistics don't apply anymore, and sadly that 'quarter' of our group would include internships, non-software tech roles (like support engineer), those who went back to their old jobs, and those who had years of experience in the indu...

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    Sharon Wienbar of Hackbright Academy

    CEO

    Oct 27, 2016

    Dear Hackbright Grad,
    I'm deeply sorry to hear that we disappointed you. We are striving to change the ratio and although we’ve had hundreds of delighted alumnae, I felt that it was important for me to respond to you personally and to acknowledge your feedback. Our goal is to combine intellectual rigor AND a supportive, inclusive environment that lets all our students excel.

    Please allow me to address a few of your points.

    The Hackbright educational staff has a broad and deep mix of experience, including professional software development, prior teaching experience at advanced levels and other industry experience. The instructors who join our staff after completing the Hackbright Fellowship are among the most technical of our graduates from each quarter. And we invest heavily in their on-going technical training. Our instructors build the software Hackbright uses to operate. They also develop numerous outside projects, contribute to Open Source communities, host and speak at technical conferences, and host and win hackathons.

    We just published the Outcomes Report for 2014 and the first 3 quarters of 2015. We were indeed acquired by Capella, which has helped us bring a whole new level of rigor to our reporting. Unfortunately that has cost us and our community time. The report has been reviewed and certified by a third party audit firm, and has gone through in-depth legal review. That's part of a big company process....slower than a startup, but more thorough. I apologize for our delays.

    Hackbright was also licensed by the BPPE, the California regulatory authority over non-degree educational institutions. Very few other code schools have completed this process. As part of our on-going compliance we will publish annual School Performance Reports. 

    Last, I'd like to thank you for noting all the great continuing education options on the web. Many applicants to Hackbright use those, as do our grads. 

    Again, I am sorry our program did not meet your expectations. Our Career Services team is here to support you in this job search and for your technical career. "Once a Hackbright, Always a Hackbright" is our motto. I hope we can earn your respect and trust.

    Sincerely,
    Sharon Wienbar
    CEO, Hackbright Academy
  • Tina Pastelero
    Anonymous
    Graduate • Full-Time (12-week) Software Engineering Program • San Francisco
    Oct 13, 2016
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    Great supportive learning environment

    Overall Experience

    Overall I really enjoyed my experience at Hackbright. As the only all-female coding bootcamp in the San Francisco Bay Area, they do a great job of creating a welcoming and supportive environment for women, and the curriculum was challenging enough even for those who may have been dabbling in programming for a while before the program. It may be a cliche to say this, but students do take out of the program what they put into it, and to get the m...

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  • Laurel
    Anonymous
    Graduate
    Oct 13, 2016
    Overall Experience
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    Job Assistance

    Great experience - it is what you make it.

    Similar to a previous reviewer, I'm surprised to see some of the negative recent reviews. I think, like many programs like this, how you feel coming out of it depends on how you aligned expectations going in. Overall, I went in with high hopes for learning / development, and what I considered realistic expectations for time-to-employment after graduation, and was satisfied on both fronts.

    Curriculum

    What you learn is pretty comprehensive for what you'll...

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  • Kat Ma
    Anonymous
    Software Engineer • Graduate • Full-Time (12-week) Software Engineering Program • San Francisco
    Sep 28, 2016
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
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    Great Experience

    TL;DR

    Hackbright provides you a great network and gives you a good starting foundation. It's up to you to continue your learning post-Hackbright and to find a job.

    Curriculum

    • A good amount of topics were taught during lectures. You have to realize because it's a bootcamp, only so much material can be covered during the program.
    • Hackbright provides you the tools to have a basic knowledge of programmin...
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  • Tabitha
    Anonymous
    San Francisco
    Sep 27, 2016
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
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    Job Assistance

    Poor First Impressions

    My review is not about the engineering fellowship, but about the admission process as a heads up to future applicants.

    Hackbright Academy was the 4th bootcamp I applied to. I applied to the September cohort. Out of the four, this one left the poorest impression on me.

    The online application and coding challenge was straightforward. The notification for the first interview/scheduling it afterwards was fine as well. Everything after that was a poor experience though, espe...

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  • Shalini Pyapali
    Anonymous
    San Francisco
    Sep 11, 2016
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
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    Excellent Career Services.

    IMO, Hackbright provides an excellent network for students to find jobs and gain mentorship. 

    From my experience, career services is very supportive, and they continue to check up on you and schedule individualized appointments for however long you need it. 

    I appreciated having a place to go to for support after I graduated, and I loved everyone in my cohort, who I may not have ever met, if it weren't for Hackbright. 

    Also LadyNerds, which consists of Hackbri...

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  • Anonymous Sue
    Anonymous
    Student • Full-Time (12-week) Software Engineering Program • San Francisco
    Aug 26, 2016
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
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    Job Assistance

    Hackbright Reviews Poorly

    The last reviewer did a good job in summarizing my unhappiness with Hackbright. I only have the below to add:

    I graduated with the June 2016 cohort.  Only 5 girls out of our graduating class have been able to find jobs and it's been 2 months since graduation. One of them went back to Hackbright to be a lab assistant, another already had a job lined up outside of Hackbright, another picked up what she'd been doing previous to Hackbright, and I'm not sure what the remaining girls a...

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  • Jane Hacker
    Anonymous
    San Francisco
    Aug 16, 2016
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    Feminists Underserving Women

    Hackbright Academy is an all female bootcamp which seeks to "Change the ratio," but what the start-up really does is "line their pocket books" via taking advantage of a niche market. 

    Learning Environment: 
    For $16,570, I'd expect a learning environment geared towards the individual students needs. At least this holds true for costly private institutions. Even in public institutions (community college class is roughly ~$300), students are guaranteed the professor's time by o...

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  • Laural Horton
    Laural Horton
    Graduate • Full-Time (12-week) Software Engineering Program • Oakland
    Sep 20, 2018
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    Hackbright is great!

    I was really lucky to have been a part of the first Oakland Cohort of Hackbright and have nothing but great things to say about the instruction and the process.  Both instructors were clear and patient as I learned the ropes.  Both took time to answer all my (many) questions and reframe responses until I understood fully (even when it took a long time).  The instruction and process was clear and direct.  Perhaps the most important thing I learned is that there is so much more to learn, whi...

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Hackbright Academy Alumni Outcomes

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Hackbright Academy Alumni Reviews Summary

Overall Experience
4.5
Instructors
4.4
Curriculum
4.4
Job Assistance
4.2
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More Information
Guarantees Job
Job Assistance
Includes Housing
Offers Corporate Training
Accepts GI Bill
FAQs

How much does Hackbright Academy cost?

Hackbright Academy costs around $12,900. On the lower end, some Hackbright Academy courses like Hackbright Prep Course cost $249.

What courses does Hackbright Academy teach?

Hackbright Academy offers courses like Full-Time (12-week) Software Engineering Program, Hackbright Prep Course, Part-Time (24-week) Software Engineering Program.

Where does Hackbright Academy have campuses?

Hackbright Academy has an in-person campus in San Francisco.

Is Hackbright Academy worth it?

Hackbright Academy hasn't shared alumni outcomes yet, but one way to determine if a bootcamp is worth it is by reading alumni reviews. 108 Hackbright Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Hackbright Academy on Course Report - you should start there!

Is Hackbright Academy legit?

We let alumni answer that question. 108 Hackbright Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Hackbright Academy and rate their overall experience a 4.51 out of 5.

Does Hackbright Academy offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?

Right now, it doesn't look like Hackbright Academy offers scholarships or accepts the GI Bill. We're always adding to the list of schools that do offer Exclusive Course Report Scholarships and a list of the bootcamps that accept the GI Bill.

Can I read Hackbright Academy reviews?

You can read 108 reviews of Hackbright Academy on Course Report! Hackbright Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Hackbright Academy and rate their overall experience a 4.51 out of 5.

Is Hackbright Academy accredited?

While bootcamps must be approved to operate, accreditation is relatively rare. Hackbright Academy doesn't yet share information about their accreditation status.

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