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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LaTashaGraduate • Cybersecurity Analyst Evening • St. LouisVerified by GitHubJul 09, 2024Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceOne of the Most Extensive Programs I Have Experienced
I attended and graduated from the 24 week Cybersecurity Cohort. The program gets it right, and it is probably better than some of the degree programs I had looked into through the local universities. I am in an IT group on Facebook and a lot of the members stated that the curriculum they get through their degree programs doesn't prepare them because they don't extensively get to participate in hands on labs. The instructors are real world experienced individuals at Claim Academy, and ...I attended and graduated from the 24 week Cybersecurity Cohort. The program gets it right, and it is probably better than some of the degree programs I had looked into through the local universities. I am in an IT group on Facebook and a lot of the members stated that the curriculum they get through their degree programs doesn't prepare them because they don't extensively get to participate in hands on labs. The instructors are real world experienced individuals at Claim Academy, and are very knowledgeable. They are truly invested in the success of the students. I have recommended the program to so many of my friends.- Alexander SpeedGraduate • Cybersecurity Analyst Immersive • St. LouisVerified by LinkedInJun 06, 2023Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
From 0 to Certified in 14 weeks
I took the 14-week Cybersecurity course, after which I passed the CompTIA Security + exam on my first try. But in addition to that, I practiced and gave presentations on Linux, Active Directory, Python, and even the programming of microsystems. The numerous Labs throughout the course made learning the concepts of cybersecurity more accessible and memorable, especially as I did not come from an IT career. - Kee MaloneyStudent • Full Stack Java Software Developer Online • St. LouisVerified by LinkedInApr 21, 2023Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
The Claim Academy DIsaster
I recently attended Claim Academy for 3 weeks .Our First week the instructor went on vacation , and there wasn't a backup instructor in place. They called in favor to have friends in the industry teach. I was like ok whatever, but due to the mixing of instructors, they were just teaching random things and there was no curriculum for them to follow. By week three we had made it to our fourth instructor , who openly admitted he didn't know what was going on and wasn't a very good teacher. ...I recently attended Claim Academy for 3 weeks .Our First week the instructor went on vacation , and there wasn't a backup instructor in place. They called in favor to have friends in the industry teach. I was like ok whatever, but due to the mixing of instructors, they were just teaching random things and there was no curriculum for them to follow. By week three we had made it to our fourth instructor , who openly admitted he didn't know what was going on and wasn't a very good teacher. He had been asked last minute to fill in until the main instructor returned. In week three we spent an hour going over day one material because no one told the instructor what plan to follow. That same day we found out our main instructor had put his two weeks in and only had a week left. Claim academy had been trying to hire a second instructor for well over two months , and they also were under review from the VA due to excessive complaints about the program. I left the next day after finding out the instructor was leaving. Claim Academy is a burning ship and i do not recommend. I will be pursuing coding at another bootcamp, stay tuned for my next review.Ola Ayeni of Claim Academy
CIO
May 02, 2023
Two weeks after one of our Java classes started, one of our full time instructors, took a planned and scheduled vacation overseas. This vacation had been planned since December of 2022. Substitutes were organized to cover for him for two weeks vacation. Everything was covered accordlingly with instruction, pair programming and mentoring sessions were taken care of. When the instructor came back from his vacation, he continued to teach the class.
I would assume you left the program because you are not sure the Department of Veteran Affairs was going to pay your tuition and also pay you your living and housing allowance( BAH).
We were told by the department of Veteran Affairs that our recertification process or the RBS review they are conducting would not impact current VA students. But it did, for that we apologize. It was out of our hand. You see, every year all organizations has to do a recertification with the department of Veterans Affairs in order to accept GI Bill students like you. At the time of this writing, we have completed our recertification and RBS review. We wish you the best. - Charles MillisonGraduate • Cybersecurity Analyst Immersive • St. LouisVerified by LinkedInApr 14, 2023Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Great instructors!
Knowledgeable instructors who are experts in their field and will do anything to help you succeed. This course 100% prepared me to pass my security+ exam on the first try. They even provide free housing in the St Louis area for those who need it. - Courtney SamuelsGraduate • Full Stack Java Software Developer Online • St. LouisVerified by LinkedInAug 14, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Do yourself a favor...
Claim Academy was the best decision I could have made. I decided to go to Claim Academy after my first semester of grad school at a 4 year university. The program I am enrolled in is suppose to teach a complete beginner coding skills. My university failed phenomenally, with most of my beginners java class averaging a 68 on an open note open book final exam. I decided to find someone who could teach what I needed to know. Claim Academy not only taught me Java, but also taught me tools I n...Claim Academy was the best decision I could have made. I decided to go to Claim Academy after my first semester of grad school at a 4 year university. The program I am enrolled in is suppose to teach a complete beginner coding skills. My university failed phenomenally, with most of my beginners java class averaging a 68 on an open note open book final exam. I decided to find someone who could teach what I needed to know. Claim Academy not only taught me Java, but also taught me tools I needed to ace interviews and get call backs. I have an interview every day next week from recruiters that reached out to me through my association with Claim Academy. I can't thank them enough. If you're lucky, you'll get to have Brandon or Nife as your instructors and Dannohh as a mentor. This is a solid team of instructors regardless of who you get though. Each of them is dedicated to you understanding the material. You just have to put in the work, and everything will fall into place. Do yourself a favor and choose Claim Academy. - Leticia WeigandSAHM • Student • Full Stack C#/.Net Software Developer Immersive • St. LouisVerified by LinkedInFeb 18, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Full Stack C#/.Net Developer
Might not be for someone that needs to be hand in hand with instructor. I'm more of that individual but I stuck through it with the help from all the instructors, students and mentors. The mentors do give you that one on one time you might need just need, so take advantage of it. School allows for a lot of self growth and instruction with feedback and direction from instructors. I chose Claim because of the Veteran approved programs they work with such as Vet Tec. This school has de...Might not be for someone that needs to be hand in hand with instructor. I'm more of that individual but I stuck through it with the help from all the instructors, students and mentors. The mentors do give you that one on one time you might need just need, so take advantage of it. School allows for a lot of self growth and instruction with feedback and direction from instructors. I chose Claim because of the Veteran approved programs they work with such as Vet Tec. This school has definitely been a blessing towards a huge change in my life and journey. Looking forward on what else Claim will have to offer in the future now that I have graduated and we have entered the employment phase. I'll be back to update my review of the employment news when it comes up, so stay tuned. - Aaron TriggGraduateVerified by LinkedInDec 23, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Fullstack Java Developer
Having no prior training whatsoever, Claim Academy showed me that anyone can learn coding. This experience was amazing. The instructors were both knowledgeable and patient. My online classmates were so supportive. The help you receive both during and after training is incredible. Claim is hands down one of the best schools I ever attended. - JustinClaim Academy graduate • GraduateVerified by GitHubDec 22, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Java Full Stack Developer Course
The Java Full Stack Developer program is a super intensive 12-week fulltime course for those want to do full stack development. It's a great way to learn how websites/apps work from front end (Spring or REACT) to back end (Java) to the sql database. Consider this to be websites/apps A to Z. Because at the end, 'you' will build a full app yourself! Claim is a super Veteran-friendly school with good admin support, and a staff that is not necessarily trying to mold each student to be a cert...The Java Full Stack Developer program is a super intensive 12-week fulltime course for those want to do full stack development. It's a great way to learn how websites/apps work from front end (Spring or REACT) to back end (Java) to the sql database. Consider this to be websites/apps A to Z. Because at the end, 'you' will build a full app yourself! Claim is a super Veteran-friendly school with good admin support, and a staff that is not necessarily trying to mold each student to be a certain way, but rather, helps each student bring out the best that 'they' have to offer (individually). That was my personal experience. But, I will warn those who have absolutely no coding background or previous training, this is a very difficult course and it will demand teamwork, but also alot of solitary time to grasp the concepts. People I thought would most certainly graduate, did not (in a few select cases). Creativity and problem solving skills is what you will need to get through this experience and to graduate. Also, do not enter into a course like this if you cannot literally clear out 12 weeks on your calendar, which will need to be 'distraction-free!' You will need every moment of each day to get through this course! - Maximo TaverasGraduate • Cybersecurity Analyst Evening • St. LouisVerified by LinkedInDec 22, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Cyber Security Certified
If you know nothing , Maximo.... Go to this class. The teacher is patient and an expert. However , unlike " those who don't know, Teach." attitude.. Claim teachers are in the field and have been for years. You will get the bare knowledge and inside skills that will help you succeed in IT and in life. What are you waiting for? Advance your life NOW! With people that will help you before, during and after you become a master in your field. - Gregory HopkinsGraduate • Cybersecurity Analyst Evening • St. LouisVerified by LinkedInDec 22, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Cybersecurity
I'm a retired military veteran in need. I highly recommend Claims Academy if you want to start a new career in the IT field. The staff phenomenal, knowledgeable and very patient if you have no background in the IT field. - Chris PetersenHelpdesk Analyst • Graduate • Cybersecurity Analyst Immersive • St. LouisVerified by LinkedInNov 16, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Caution
While it is accurate that Cybersecurity is an active and growing industry, do not believe that a Security+ certificate and 0 tech industry experience will reasonably land you a cybersecurity position.
The course helped me pass this difficult exam, and has a great staff, but it is better for a future Cybersecurity professional to get IT help desk experience or a bachelors degree before trying to make the leap into cybersecurity. If you have either of these things, this course is f...While it is accurate that Cybersecurity is an active and growing industry, do not believe that a Security+ certificate and 0 tech industry experience will reasonably land you a cybersecurity position.
The course helped me pass this difficult exam, and has a great staff, but it is better for a future Cybersecurity professional to get IT help desk experience or a bachelors degree before trying to make the leap into cybersecurity. If you have either of these things, this course is for you. - Sarah HayseGraduate • Full Stack Java Software Developer Immersive • St. LouisVerified by LinkedInAug 14, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceN/A
There were... problems
During my time at Claim Academy, quite a few things went wrong. At first I blamed the pandemic, but by graduation it was clear that the school was also at fault due to poor management. Here are some things I encountered:
1. This was supposed to be an in-person course. I specifically chose it for this reason because I learn better in person. Due to events below, it was only in-person for the first 3.5 weeks. The remainder of instruction was nothing but zoom meetings. This ...During my time at Claim Academy, quite a few things went wrong. At first I blamed the pandemic, but by graduation it was clear that the school was also at fault due to poor management. Here are some things I encountered:
1. This was supposed to be an in-person course. I specifically chose it for this reason because I learn better in person. Due to events below, it was only in-person for the first 3.5 weeks. The remainder of instruction was nothing but zoom meetings. This was a minor irritation compared to the rest.
2. Our original teacher put in his resignation 1 week in, so we got a new teacher (zoom meetings only) at 3.5 weeks. Our new teacher DID NOT continue the curriculum from 3.5 weeks... he started teaching like it was the beginning of week 5!!! He skipped 1.5 weeks of curriculum and said he'd "touch back on that" as we went along. This left us learning about Spring MVC without knowing a single bit of HTML or CSS. We had barely finished the basics. Also, he didn't stop when we asked questions. He plowed right through like no one spoke. We were actually advised to watch the videos later so we could pause when we needed to. Honestly, I don't know why that teacher is even still employed since they know he is not a quality teacher. Intelligence does not equal teaching ability.
3. When the new teacher started, our scheduled meeting times abruptly shifted from 1pm-4pm to 4pm-7pm. Several in-person students, including myself, continued to use the school's building during class time for the stable internet and a dedicated place to concentrate. As it turns out, however, the office staff leaves at about 530-6 every night. So anyone who decided to stay late was left alone in a fully glass fronted building where they pre-lock the door (i.e. if you go out, you can't get back in). It's not like we could drive home in the middle of a lecture when the office staff left. Eventually I was the last person coming to the building. Since I'm a 5'4" 125 pound woman, I wasn't exactly comfortable sitting by myself in a giant fishbowl in downtown St. Louis for hours, so after two days of that I went home to finish the rest of the course.
4. This new teacher was also a temporary teacher. He was only scheduled to teach us for 2 weeks until our permanent teacher started. The only reason any of us survived those two weeks was because of a single mentor! I won't drop names, but anyone from my cohort knows who I mean. He took it upon himself to hold a 3 hour zoom session EVERY DAY for those two week. He single handedly taught us HTML, CSS, and filled in all the gaps from week 3 & 4. He went above and beyond his 'mentor' capacity and without him, many of us would not have made it. If you're reading this: Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your extra time!!!
5. We ALL complained! The program the school uses asked students every week: "Can you rate your class experience this week on a scale of 1-5". During those 2 weeks, reviews dropped from 4-5 stars to solid 1 star. Everyone rated the class poorly and complained to administration, but nothing was ever done to fix the situation! We were simply expected to ride it out and do our best while the temporary teacher taught whatever he felt like for 2 weeks and never bothered answering questions.
6. During the later weeks of class, we started attending company spotlights and alumni interviews, which is all fine. However, we usually weren't told about these events until 1-2 hours before they happened. To put this in perspective, we completed 3 different individual projects during this class, including a full stack capstone, as well as at least 3 group projects. Being pulled away from a programming session with practically no notice is extremely disruptive. It also seemed very unnecessary. Either the office staff constantly planned events at the very last moment, or they didn't bother alerting the actual students until the last moment. Both of which constitute poor planning. Also, these events would often interrupt our scheduled class time (being held at 430-5pm). I understand the importance of these events, but our actual programming instruction should be our #1 priority.
7. However, the best example of a clerical error/utter failure of planning was the fact that when they created the event for our capstone Demo Day presentations... they didn't bother to set the notifications to include the very students scheduled to present their projects OR send us a link to the updated schedule.
Our third teacher was great! He backtracked, he answered questions, and was a brilliant teacher. As I said, the mentor was also amazing. Everyone was very friendly. I did learn quite a bit of programming and I did produce a full stack project at the end. I just graduated, so I can't speak for the job assistance, but it's looking good so far.
My experience with Claim Academy is only worth 2 stars because of the things I explained above; however, it wouldn't take much for them to improve. Most importantly, a better organized events coordinator that is capable of giving at least a 24 hour notification for events and considers student priorities while scheduling. I'm sure other cohorts have a better time, but the one I was in did not have a quality experience.
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
Liz Eggleston
Updated February 16, 2021
Alex is the Director of Operations at Claim Academy in St. Louis, and Arjun worked at Starter League in Chicago before moving to Claim to work on their curriculum. Arjun and Alex tell us about the importance of building a developer community in St. Louis, the rising interest in QE and QA classes, the makeup of their ideal student, and their outreach in the wake of Ferguson.
Arjun, te...
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