Claim Academy
Average Rating4.41
188 Reviews
9 Courses
Claim Academy is a 3-month developer coding and software training bootcamp in St. Louis that offers 12-week to 20-week classes in full stack Java, C#/.NET, Javascript, and Cybersecurity analysis. Claim Academy is approved to operate by the State of Missouri Department of Higher Education to train IT professionals. Students can apply with with little to no programming experience, but should be prepared for an in-person or webcam interview, and should complete the Introduction to Java Course through Teachable before the first day of class.
Throughout the three-month bootcamp, students complete pair programming, work with mentors and instructors, and produce a coding final project, which they present to potential employers and other interested parties on demo day. New classes are offered every 6 weeks.
Upon graduation, the team at Claim Academy helps place graduates in companies as Full Stack Software Developers in Java and .Net software development. Claim Academy graduates have been hired into major companies like Daughtery Business Solutions, Carfax, Technology Partners, Centene Corporation, Clearent, and OneSpace.
188 Claim Academy Reviews
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Brendan KunderasGraduate • Full Stack C#/.Net Online • St. LouisAug 15, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceGood use of VET-TEC
I went into Claim using the VET TEC program. I found it very well organized and learned a lot of things in a short period of time!- Joe BettagStudentJul 01, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
C# Full Stack
Worth it if you are willing to put the time and effort into it. They provide you with the tools excel and aid with developing your soft skills for interviews, resume, and presenting. It definitely can open the door for your future career as a developer! - Aaron H.Graduate • Full Stack C#/.Net Online • St. LouisMar 14, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Needs a lot of work with their staffing
I do not know where to begin. I am a Veteran and used the Vet Tech program.
I went through the course late last year in 2021. The day I graduated was the day I lost contact with Claim Academy. The one person I had contact with was leaving the next day. Since then, I have not received any assistance, for resumes, job placement, or even a follow up on the job search. If you are a veteran, be very careful of using GI Bill or Vet Tech to fund this program. All they must do is send 1 r...I do not know where to begin. I am a Veteran and used the Vet Tech program.
I went through the course late last year in 2021. The day I graduated was the day I lost contact with Claim Academy. The one person I had contact with was leaving the next day. Since then, I have not received any assistance, for resumes, job placement, or even a follow up on the job search. If you are a veteran, be very careful of using GI Bill or Vet Tech to fund this program. All they must do is send 1 resume to any potential employer. This can happen even without your knowledge or having been selected, and they follow Gi Bill/VetTec requirements. Be prepared for possibly no assistance. The turnover rate is high for their employees. My instructor only taught 1 semester. A couple cohorts before me had 3 different instructors teaching the same class. Be prepared for different teaching styles as well. Instead of the 8 hours of training, My cohort only received 3 during the evening. If I didn't have previous coding experience, I may not have been able to perform well on the coding challenges we had. There is supposed to be a mentor (teaching assistant) available, however they were very absent, given the impression that he was a student instead of faculty
When you sign up for the Vet Tech program, you are required to fill out paperwork when meaningful employment has been found, whether you initiated the process yourself, or if Claim Academy aided with or without your knowledge. If you fail to submit the proper paperwork, Claim Academy will send you an invoice for half of the amount of the tuition, and threaten to send you to collections. They may even invoice you for the wrong classes entirely, such as in my case, when you try to email them about this they will not respond.
Vet Tech will erroneously claim they attempted to reach you multiple times but lacks actual response during the timeframes stated in their system. Be aware that the administration may fill out incorrect paperwork as well, such as in the case of a fellow pupil whose last name was referred to as “Something”, instead of clarifying his full legal name.
During Graduation, instead of just the ceremony(whether it is virtual or in person) you will be receiving another lecture on how to negotiate for more money, and an unrealistic amount of what you should be earning as a jr dev, which could have been handled in the soft courses, instead of tacking on another hour to the graduation of roughly around 50 students.
90% of the soft courses (interview tips, resume writing, etc) were either not provided as claimed, or had system issues that lead to their cancellation, within an inappropriate length of time given prior to cancellation. Please also be aware that the individuals communicating with you via email, may not actually be the person listed as the contact person with that specific account.
Expect to be misled regarding the Capstone/presentation ceremony, as there is a lack of transparency regarding how many potential employers will be present Claim Academy states that there will be many employers available, but the amount described was less than half.
There will be minimal effort on Claim Academy's part with assisting in finding meaningful employment. If you don't find meaningful employment with or without Claim Academy's help within the first 120 days, you can expect that you will be personally be invoiced for the cost of the last 50% of the tuition, which clearly dictates otherwise on VetTec's website. (https://www.benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/docs/fgib/VETTECSCOHB.pdf, Page 14). Let us do some math, Claim Academy cost $14k for the course, if 10 veterans go through the course and they fill out the paperwork (for the last 50% of the tuition), because they were threatened to have the invoice go to collections, so with 10 vets at $7k that is $70k Claim Academy has made from VetTec by not helping them find a job. - MalcolmGraduate • St. LouisDec 31, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
student
A great experience with enrollment, pre-prep work. Outstanding and many many kudos to instructor Brandon..... A true TEACHER, EDUCATOR and TECHNOLOGIST..... the school needs at least five more individuals like him.....An awesome experience was had when the company founder provided feedback to students regarding their final projects and presentations prior to outside company DEMO day!!!!! If you are considering this Bootcamp and the F/S Java program be sure you have a modern computer wi...A great experience with enrollment, pre-prep work. Outstanding and many many kudos to instructor Brandon..... A true TEACHER, EDUCATOR and TECHNOLOGIST..... the school needs at least five more individuals like him.....An awesome experience was had when the company founder provided feedback to students regarding their final projects and presentations prior to outside company DEMO day!!!!! If you are considering this Bootcamp and the F/S Java program be sure you have a modern computer with at least 12GB RAM/ 500GB SSD w/ I 5 or i7 processor. - ChrisGraduate • Full Stack Java Software Developer Online • St. LouisAug 13, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Decoding my thoughts
I have been very interested in pursuing a coding career for several years. When I discovered that I was able to use my VA benefits through the VETTECH program to attend Claim Academy, I jumped on it. It started off well and I truly enjoyed our first teacher, Denish, as he was extremely thorough and genuinely cared about each and every student. Unfortunately, the next few weeks were not as successful as there was clearly a lack of communication between the school and the instructor. After...I have been very interested in pursuing a coding career for several years. When I discovered that I was able to use my VA benefits through the VETTECH program to attend Claim Academy, I jumped on it. It started off well and I truly enjoyed our first teacher, Denish, as he was extremely thorough and genuinely cared about each and every student. Unfortunately, the next few weeks were not as successful as there was clearly a lack of communication between the school and the instructor. After that bump in the road, we received better instruction from Lamar. The mentor, Brandon, was phenomenal and he truly was the reason I feel successful in the course. I feel as though I have a solid knowledge of Java Development and I am excited to see where my career takes me. - Daniel WayStudent • Student • Full Stack C#/.Net Software Developer Immersive • St. LouisAug 13, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Student
12 Week C#.Net Full-Stack Software Developer Bootcamp. - Tyler WrightFull Stack Java Software Developer Immersive • St. LouisAug 13, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Total Immersion
This program is not for the faint of heart. It will challenge you in ways that only a coding bootcamp of this caliber can provide. My final takeaway for this program is that it is what you make of it (as with anything, really). Provided that you attend all the lectures, engage with your mentors, and lean on your group, you will walk away from this as a newly-minted software developer.
The instructors and mentors are top-notch and demonstrate a great degree of patience for stude...This program is not for the faint of heart. It will challenge you in ways that only a coding bootcamp of this caliber can provide. My final takeaway for this program is that it is what you make of it (as with anything, really). Provided that you attend all the lectures, engage with your mentors, and lean on your group, you will walk away from this as a newly-minted software developer.
The instructors and mentors are top-notch and demonstrate a great degree of patience for students at every level of proficiency. Denish was an expert at teaching core Java fundamentals, eventually handing it off to Lamar who ramped it up into Spring and React territory. Our student mentor, Brandon, supported us every step of the way, clarifying concepts offline and building students up to the level of competency to ensure that nobody gets left behind.
Outside of lecture, communications were a little rough at times often with little prior notice for alumni nights and other mandatory sessions. These sessions were invaluable as one makes steps into a career, however navigating the Basecamp platform and gaining visibility of these calendar invites were hit-and-miss, and as a result I missed out on a few.
Should you decide to embark on this journey, be ready for a few sleepless nights, many lows, and many highs. The final capstone presentation amongst your peers is a rare treat. You will feel on Cloud Nine by the end of it, provided that you stay engaged and accept nothing short of success. The remedy to bouts of imposter syndrome and self-doubt is to simply push through and ask questions.
As a final note: I kept my day job throughout the entire bootcamp, albeit dropped down to part-time. In hindsight, while I made it work, I DO NOT recommend going this route. It's probably best to block off 3 months for total immersion. - Christian J GonzalezFull Stack Developer • Graduate • Full Stack Java Software Developer Immersive • St. LouisAug 13, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Great Staff
awesome bootcamp, the final month was really challenging but in the end with the help of mentors and peers I was able to graduate. Highly recommend if you can assist in person - Jacob PetersonAug 13, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Great Boot camp
Claim Academy has a great job placement program! - KalebStudentAug 13, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Read Before Signing Up
Overall, I learned a lot and was challenged by Claim. I do not regret signing up and recommend others to sign up with Claim. Claim is very supportive and will help you propel yourself tremendously. I currently am going into my sophomore year of college and majoring in computer science. I decided to sign up with claim to prepare myself for my college degree and I feel after completing the 12 week full stack java bootcamp that I am more than prepared for the next 3 years of college. I will...Overall, I learned a lot and was challenged by Claim. I do not regret signing up and recommend others to sign up with Claim. Claim is very supportive and will help you propel yourself tremendously. I currently am going into my sophomore year of college and majoring in computer science. I decided to sign up with claim to prepare myself for my college degree and I feel after completing the 12 week full stack java bootcamp that I am more than prepared for the next 3 years of college. I will say during my 12 weeks at Claim there were a couple circumstances. We had a teacher change after the fourth week which made the next 3 weeks more challenging than I expected. However, a group of students and myself banded together and overcame those 3 weeks. The remaining 6 weeks of the course with our teacher, Lamar, was the best experience I have ever had learning about coding and building a real world application. Do not hesitate and sign up with Claim. I promise you will come out with loads of knowledge and confidence that you will get a job or succeed in college! - Joe BordersGraduate • Full Stack Java Software Developer Online • St. LouisAug 13, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Full Stack Java Developer
This is a life-changing course for anyone willing to put in the hard work it takes to make it through to the end. At the end of the course you'll have real-world, hands-on experience, and real projects to showcase to potential employers. The staff are all outstanding at what they do, from the instructors, to the mentors, to the back-office support. This academy has my highest recommendation and it's reputation as a top coding academy is well-earned and deserved. - Z. WestGraduateAug 13, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Not what I expected.
When Claim Academy defined itself as a boot camp and expressed how time consuming and intense the work would be to me, I was expecting a mentally grueling 12 weeks. Instead, I found it to be very laid back, with only 3 hours of lecture a day, and the rest of the time to work alone or in groups. I often wished for more class time, even though learning hands outside lecture hours was invaluable.
My class in particular had some issues with teachers. One left the school halfway throug...When Claim Academy defined itself as a boot camp and expressed how time consuming and intense the work would be to me, I was expecting a mentally grueling 12 weeks. Instead, I found it to be very laid back, with only 3 hours of lecture a day, and the rest of the time to work alone or in groups. I often wished for more class time, even though learning hands outside lecture hours was invaluable.
My class in particular had some issues with teachers. One left the school halfway through, then another led in a difficult to follow manner. Our final instructor was phenomenal, however. They also have non-instructor mentors on-hand that are great assistance.
One of my biggest grievances was the erratic nature of their schedules. We started the course off doing class at 10 am, but after two or three weeks it was switched to 4pm without any warning or reason. They also provide "company spotlights" and "alumni meetings", which are great, but were also often scheduled directly over our already limited class time. A lot of these spotlight hours are also sprung up randomly with only an hour or two warning, which personally led to me missing many of them.
As for the content, I can safely say that I do now know how to code, when I had zero experience or knowledge before coming here. Although I do feel like there is so much I don't know or understand, that would be expected from leaving any school. Most learning comes from real life experience.
I used the VETTEC program to fund my way through this school. Having done that, I would tell anybody with the same capability to go for it. I don't know if I would feel the same way if I had paid out-of-pocket. I'll leave that opinion to somebody who had done that.
Since, I'm only graduating at the time I write this, I haven't received much job assistance yet. They claim to be very helpful. I just hope they don't just copy and paste everything they find off of indeed that requires 5+ years of experience. *I was offered money to make this review by Claim Academy, even though they never paid out.
Claim Academy Alumni Outcomes
100%
Employment Rate
99%
Graduation Rate
63,134
Median Salary
Of the students who enroll at Claim Academy, 99% graduated. 97% of graduates were job-seeking and 100% of job-seeking graduates found in-field employment after 180 days and report a median income of $63,134. Below is the 180 Day Employment Breakdown for 132 graduates included in this report:
180 Day Employment Breakdown
| Description | Percentage |
| Full Time, In-Field Employee | 91.7% |
| Full-time apprenticeship, internship or contract position | 0.8% |
| Short-term contract, part-time position, freelance | N/A |
| Employed out-of-field | N/A |
Notes and Caveats
Our demo day and hiring events are well attended by regional and local employers. Employers continue to hire more grads from Claim Academy with some having more than 9 alumni.
* These outcomes are not audited by Course Report. In some cases, data is audited by a third party.
Recent Claim Academy News
Jess Feldman
Updated July 01, 2024
Happy Summer! This month at Course Report, we released our Best Cybersecurity Bootcamps list for 2024 — check it out if you are looking to launch an in-demand career this year! This June, five coding bootcamps announced cohorts that will be fully or partially funded through grants (read: FREE to you)! A Southern coding bootcamp landed a one-million dollar fundraise, and two interesting partne...
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Updated July 29, 2021
Course Report · Course Report Coding Bootcamp News Roundup - July 2021
This July, we’re reporting on one huge ($850M!) bootcamp acquisition and $35 million in bootcamp fundraises. Two higher ed experts opined about both sides of the debate around expanding federal funding like Pell grants to short-term programs like bootcamps. We’re also covering what bootcamps need to do beyond just tea...
Liz Eggleston
Updated July 23, 2024
Career centers and workforce development grants are a key resource for unemployed/underemployed workers looking to re-skill. Around 12 million people have contacted their local career centers this year, which is 8.5 million more than in 2019. Federal programs like WIOA (the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), the CARES act, and even initiatives run by your city or state can make it pos...
Liz Eggleston
Updated December 26, 2023
Schools and universities may be scrambling to figure out remote learning, but coding bootcamps have essentially been preparing for this since 2013. Online coding bootcamps already use Zoom video, Slack, GitHub, and VS Code Live Share for pair programming, online lectures, and to connect mentors and instructors with students. Of course, you can learn to code online – but it doesn’t stop there!...
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Updated January 11, 2024
What Is VET TEC?
VET TEC is a high-tech training pilot program that doesn’t use GI Bill benefits and pays a monthly housing stipend to students in the program. VET TEC stands for Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses. In other words, veterans can attend a coding bootcamp for free without using any GI Bill benefits!
Insider Update: FY '24 is the last year of the VET TEC pil...
Liz Eggleston
Updated October 03, 2024
As summer meanders into its final weeks, does back-to-school season make you long to be back in the classroom? It’s not just high schools and colleges that are about to reboot their classes in fall – these coding bootcamps all have upcoming courses online and in-person to jumpstart your new career starting in Fall 2024! Apply today and you could be a developer by the time 2025 rolls around!
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Imogen Crispe
Updated February 16, 2021
In the coding bootcamp industry in June 2018 the biggest trend we saw was coding bootcamps funneling grads into apprenticeships! We also saw two big fundraises by bootcamp-adjacent organizations, we heard about some interesting new legislation which could change how online bootcamps operate, and some bootcamp alumni launched exciting new careers. We also look at the effect bootcamps are ...
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Updated December 04, 2024
In our March 2018 technology bootcamp news roundup, we discuss all the industry news that we've been talking about at Course Report! We have some fun celebratory announcements, we looked at news about the positive impact bootcamps are having on individuals and companies, and the debate continued between coding bootcamps and computer science degrees. We heard about some great student experie...
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Updated November 27, 2024
Most high-salary industries need more diverse workers, and tech is no exception. The conversation about diversity in tech usually focuses on gender, diversity encompasses racial, socioeconomic, cognitive, and experiential differences. Think pieces and diversity reports show large tech companies admitting they have a problem and beginning to address the diversity in tech crisis, but can the ...
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Updated July 13, 2023
You’re probably familiar with the term “hacking,” but do you really understand the importance of cyber security? Did you know that cybersecurity jobs will grow 31% through 2029, much faster than average job growth? Cyber security is comprised of technologies and practices to protect networks, computers, software programs, and data from attack, damage, or unauthorized access. The need for te...
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Updated December 30, 2016
It’s that time again! A time to reflect on the year that is coming to an end, and a time to plan for what the New Year has in store. While it may be easy to beat yourself up about certain unmet goals, one thing is for sure: you made it through another year! And we bet you accomplished more than you think. Maybe you finished your first Codecademy class, made a 30-day Github commit streak, ...
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Updated December 03, 2024
How much do coding bootcamps cost? From students looking for free coding bootcamps to those wondering if an $18,000 bootcamp is worth it, we understand that cost is important to future bootcampers! While the average full-time coding bootcamp in the US costs $13,584, bootcamp tuition can range from $7,800 to $21,000. So, how do you decide what to budget for? Here, we break down the costs of co...
Locations
Career tracks
Claim Academy Alumni Reviews Summary
Overall Experience
4.4
Instructors
4.6
Curriculum
4.5
Job Assistance
4.5
More Information
Guarantees Job
Job Assistance
Includes Housing
Offers Corporate Training
Accepts GI Bill
Licensing
Missouri Department of Higher Education. Department of Veterans Affairs. Department of Defence Skillbridge.Missouri Workforce Development and Training.US Department of Labor. Vocational Rehabilitation. U.S Department of Labor. Apprenticeship
Awards
Recent Claim Academy News
By Jess Feldman
By Jess Feldman
FAQs
How much does Claim Academy cost?
Claim Academy costs around $15,998. On the lower end, some Claim Academy courses like Full Stack C#/.Net Online cost $10,500.
What courses does Claim Academy teach?
Claim Academy offers courses like Cybersecurity Analyst Evening, Cybersecurity Analyst Immersive, Front-End Javascript Developer Immersive, Front-End Javascript - Evening and 5 more.
Where does Claim Academy have campuses?
Claim Academy has an in-person campus in St. Louis.
Is Claim Academy worth it?
The data says yes! In 2018, Claim Academy reported a 99% graduation rate, a median salary of $63,134, and 100% of Claim Academy alumni are employed.
Is Claim Academy legit?
We let alumni answer that question. 188 Claim Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Claim Academy and rate their overall experience a 4.41 out of 5.
Does Claim Academy offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?
Yes, Claim Academy accepts the GI Bill!
Can I read Claim Academy reviews?
You can read 188 reviews of Claim Academy on Course Report! Claim Academy alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Claim Academy and rate their overall experience a 4.41 out of 5.
Is Claim Academy accredited?
Missouri Department of Higher Education. Department of Veterans Affairs. Department of Defence Skillbridge.Missouri Workforce Development and Training.US Department of Labor. Vocational Rehabilitation. U.S Department of Labor. Apprenticeship