Thinkful FAQ's

Admission to any Thinkful program is subject to the following qualifications: 

• Students must be at least 18 years old.

• Students must have proof of high school diploma or equivalent (GED), or a diploma from an institution of higher education accredited by an association recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Thinkful will accept an attestation of the proper educational requirements.

• Students must be proficient in written and spoken English.

• Students must demonstrate operating proficiency on a computer.

• Students must demonstrate the ability to manage their time, communicate effectively with others, and accept constructive criticism.

Thinkful does not have any physical classrooms or locations, as all our programs are entirely online. There is no physical campus and you aren’t required to attend any in person events. However, our programs do require a computer with a microphone, speakers, webcam, and high-speed internet access. We do not provide you with a computer, and every student must own or have access to a personal computer with at least 16GB RAM, at least 2.0 GHz processor (GPUs are not a requirement), and at least 256 GB HD. Additionally, the computer must be able to download applications and software; computers like Chromebooks will not work.

For full-time programs, you're required to additionally provide the following equipment at your own cost: 

• A reliable Mac or PC with video capability including a webcam and microphone. Headphones are highly recommended. Macs must have the most current OS version installed, and PCs must be using Windows 10 or newer operating systems. 

• Reliable internet connection fast enough to stream video sessions clearly for upwards of 8 hours a day. 

Additionally, all Data Analytics courses require Excel in order to start the course.

Thinkful, Inc. is not accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education. Thinkful, Inc. has not received a provisional approval and is not offering an unaccredited degree program. Thinkful, Inc. is not eligible to participate in federal student financial assistance programs.

Yes! Thinkful is collaborating with Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) to offer students an efficient, skills-focused path to a college degree. Graduates of our Data Analytics, Data Science, or Software Engineering programs are now eligible to receive credits applicable towards a Bachelor’s or Master’s of Science degree at SNHU.  To learn more, visit https://getstarted.thinkful.com/snhu

Please visit Thinkful.com to find the latest start dates on the corresponding course page of interest.

Thinkful programs require a computer with a microphone, speakers, webcam, and high-speed internet access. We do not provide you with a computer, and every student must own or have access to a personal computer with at least 16GB RAM, at least 2.0 GHz processor (GPUs are not a requirement), and at least 256 GB HD. Additionally, the computer must be able to download applications and software; computers like Chromebooks will not work.

For full-time programs, you're required to additionally provide the following equipment at your own cost: 

• A reliable Mac or PC with video capability including a webcam and microphone. Headphones are highly recommended. Macs must have the most current OS version installed, and PCs must be using Windows 10 or newer operating systems. 

• Reliable internet connection fast enough to stream video sessions clearly for upwards of 8 hours a day. 

Additionally, all Data Analytics courses require Excel in order to start the course. You can find more information in the course catalog.

We offer Immersion programs (full-time) and Flex programs (part-time) for many of our courses. Please visit Thinkful.com to find the latest start dates on the corresponding course page of interest.

Instructors are chosen based on their academic credentials, relevant industry experience, and teaching ability.  Thinkful collects weekly feedback from students and staff on program curriculum, projects, and overall student experience in order to evaluate the quality of each program. In addition to student experience, Thinkful also considers industry demand for particular skill sets and success rates with each program in order to look for areas of improvement, ensuring that each program has successful outcomes that matches Thinkful’s mission on a quarterly basis. 

The minimum requirements to serve as a mentor, technical expert, or faculty for all Thinkful programs include: 

• 3+ years of relevant industry experience 

• Demonstration of genuine student advocacy and empathy for beginners

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills 

You are fully supported from the moment you join Thinkful with a comprehensive, personalized approach to your success that means that while you’re learning online, you’re never alone. Regardless of the program you choose, you’ll have access to: 

• • 1:1 Mentorship -- you’ll be assigned a mentor whose focus is on getting you hired and helping you build a profile that best shows off your skills and strengths

  • Technical coaches/Thinkchat -- in addition to technical coaching and office hours sessions, our newly launched virtual messaging platform means you can get answers to study-related questions in real time. 

  • Access to a Slack community -- you’ll have plenty of chances to pair with and learn from your fellow students in a safe, fun, online environment. 

We also offer a free 15-day access period for our UX/UI, Software Engineering, Product Management part-time programs, which includes access to course material, two mentor sessions and a meeting with our Admissions team.

As of now, mentors are assigned by Thinkful based on fit and availability and cannot be chosen by students.  The minimum requirements to serve as a mentor is 3+ years of relevant industry experience,  demonstration of genuine student advocacy and empathy for beginners and exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

Thinkful is dedicated to educating and connecting students to career opportunities via curated workshops and post-graduation support. The Careers team at Thinkful empowers students through a host of programming and resources that are aimed at career advancement as well as transparent outcomes.  We provide career support in the form of 

• Individual and group sessions 

• Mock behavioral and technical interviews 

• Curated technological content 

• Thematic workshops and career-focused Q&As, topics for which include but are not limited to networking, technical landscape, resume and LinkedIn reviews, cover letter writing, negotiating, navigating the job search, and interview preparation 

We back our commitment to your future success with the “Tuition Refund Policy”: subject to terms which can be found in the course catalog, we will refund 100% of your tuition if you are not offered a “Qualifying Position” (as defined below) within 180 days of graduation from your Thinkful program. It is important to note that every student, whether or not eligible for the Tuition Refund Policy, receives the same level of career support and access to 20 hours of career services support 180 days immediately following graduation. Prior to graduation, you will be given the opportunity to opt in or out to receive this support. Opting out does impact your eligibility. Please also note that the Tuition Refund Policy is not available with our Income Share Agreement.

The first charge will occur one day prior to your start date. Payment will continue on the same day each month for the duration of the course length (not including 150% max time). You can only pay via credit or debit card on file and are not able to split the payment over two different cards. If needed, you can update your card on file via your billing page.

Our Deferred Tuition payment plan allows you to pay $0 upfront, and pay back your tuition in fixed, monthly payments after you're hired into a qualifying position. You can learn more about this payment option here.  

If you enroll in a full-time program with Deferred Tuition, you’ll have the option to add on the Living Expenses loan. With Deferred Tuition + Living Expenses, you’ll get the convenience of deferring payments until after you're hired, plus you’ll receive a loan of $1,500 each month to assist with paying the bills. After graduation, you’ll pay back both the Deferred Tuition, and the Living Expenses loans. You can learn more about this and other payment plans here.  

The loan should be used to cover your basic living expenses while in the program. That includes rent, groceries, and household bills. You can find more in-depth information on Deferred Tuition and the Living Expenses loan here.