How to Pay for General Assembly

Table of Contents

• The 7 Payment Options at General Assembly
• Monthly Payment Plans at General Assembly
• General Assembly’s Catalyst ISL Program
• Financing Your General Assembly Bootcamp Tuition
• Scholarships at General Assembly
• 4 Free Resources at General Assembly

Do you want to make a career change into tech, but are stuck on how to pay for the bootcamp tuition? Clara Graham de Souza (Admissions Manager at General Assembly) and Cristina Rodriguez (Director of Financial Aid at General Assembly) walk us through the options to afford General Assembly and access a career you love! From the Catalyst ISL Program to scholarships to monthly payments, learn about all the payment options at General Assembly. Plus, we’ve got 4 free resources for anyone interested in diving deeper into planning your bootcamp experience! 

The 7 Payment Options at General Assembly

The main payment options at General Assembly are:

1. Upfront payment
2. ​​Income Share Loan (ISL) (Please note that Stride Funding or FinWise Bank’s loans are not endorsed by General Assembly. Stride Funding and FinWise Bank are not affiliated with General Assembly.)
3. Interest & Interest-Free Loans
4. In-house installment plans
5. GI Bill
6. Employer sponsorship

When a student is applying to General Assembly, who will they speak with about tuition payment options?

The GA admission advisors will facilitate the financing conversation at a high level, but all of our lending partners have dedicated customer support teams for GA students. 

Our lending partners are: Ascent (U.S.), Climb Credit (U.S.), Meritize (U.S.), zipMoney (Australia), Study Loans (Australia), and EdAid (UK, Canada, Europe, Australia).

Bootcamp tuition can be expensive! What is your advice to incoming students on how to choose the best payment option for them?

Our bootcamp students have benefited from the following advice:

• First, because there is no such thing as one size fits all and because there are unique advantages to each student’s situation, we always encourage students to prepare themselves by reading the GA Student Financing Handbook and then contact lenders directly for eligibility and interest rates. 
• Second, make a plan with your village! We all have our support systems in place, whether that is family or close friends, and we all have responsibilities to take care of. Planning the bigger picture of your life and the commitment of a bootcamp is always important, so including your loved ones in the process is a good idea.

Overall, what kind of ROI can General Assembly students expect?

Because each student’s journey is unique we think the key question is: Does it pay off to do a three month bootcamp costing $16,450? According to a survey of General Assembly alumni base by the polling firm Gallup, on average, graduates of the General Assembly full-time bootcamps recouped the full cost of tuition within one year of graduation. 

Further, the survey found that graduates of General Assembly, on average, doubled their incomes within five years. While a range of factors contribute to graduate income growth, General Assembly sees consistent salary increases across the full time bootcamp graduates.

Are there any financial benefits of paying for the bootcamp tuition upfront?

Yes! We offer a Paid In Full discount for Immersive Bootcamps in the amount of US $450.00 (CAD$ 450.00)! 

Can a student have their employer cover their bootcamp tuition?

Yes! The best route to secure employer sponsorship is to discuss the topic with your manager and HR team. We have guides to share with employer facing information, so let us know and we can support you through that process. 

Do General Assembly’s payment options include a refund policy?

Yes. Each state has its own policies around refunds, however your lending amount will be adjusted/lowered to match said refund when needed. 

Monthly Payment Plans at General Assembly

Does General Assembly offer monthly payment plans to those who would rather not take out a loan? 

Yes! We have a few different payment plans:

• You can pay in either halves or thirds with a $250 deposit upon enrollment, where the tuition will be split into payments month per month during the course (½ = 2 months, ⅓ = 3 months). 
• You can pay in quarters, where your tuition is split into 4 payments: one as the deposit and the three remaining payments due throughout the course, every 3 weeks. 

General Assembly’s Catalyst ISL Program

With General Assembly’s Catalyst ISL Program, students can expect to pay after they graduate and land a job earning over $40k per year. ISL students are expected to submit a $250 deposit upon enrollment. Once a student lands a job earning over $40k, they will have a three month grace period to start their role and earnings, and then start contributing towards their ISL repayments. 

For how long should students expect to make monthly payments after graduating?

The effective Income Share Percentage (“ISP”) on your Income Share Loan (“ISL”) is a fixed percentage of your monthly gross-income and will range between 1.60% and 10.00%, for a period of 48 months after the beginning of your payment term. Monthly payments are required and will vary greatly in amount because they depend on your specific ISP and your reported monthly gross-income. Monthly repayment amount is based on your designated ISP and monthly gross-income, not an Annual Percentage Rate (“APR”). The APR you actually pay will be dependent on your actual ISP and gross-income for the entire duration of the loan repayment period. 

To illustrate how much you might pay on your ISL, assuming you are earning $40,000.00 gross-income per year ($3,333.33 per month), with an ISP of 10%, amount financed of $16,200.00, 48 months repayment period, and 21 months until graduation plus 3 months grace period, you will be required to make 48 monthly payments of $333.33 for total payments of $15,999.84. For this example, your total monthly payments would end after 48 months even though you would not have reached the Maximum Implied Annual Percentage Rate of 21%, because you have reached your required number of Maximum Monthly Payments first, assuming that you have no deferrals or other pauses to your payments. You may repay more or less than the amount you received, depending on your specific circumstances. Your loan has a maximum payment period (96 months) inclusive of any months where monthly payments are made as well as any months that are deferred months after you leave or graduate from your program.

Is the Catalyst ISL program available for all GA bootcamps?

The Catalyst ISL program is only available for General Assembly’s Software Engineering Immersive, User Experience Design Immersive, and Data Science Immersive. 

Due to state regulations, as of March 2023, ISLs are no longer offered to residents of Colorado or West Virginia. 

Financing Your General Assembly Bootcamp Tuition

General Assembly works with 4 dedicated lenders in the US:

1. Climb Credit
2. Ascent Lending
3. Meritize Loans
4. Stride Funding 

Typically, what kinds of APR rates for a bootcamp tuition loan can General Assembly students expect?

Rates vary depending on students’ financial history so your best bet is to apply and see what your individual rates are. With the exception of the ISL, all other lenders do a soft credit check to show you rates and loan options, so you can do your research before committing to a specific one.

For students who choose to take out a loan, how long does it typically take to pay back that loan?

Depends on the loan product you choose. Our lenders offer short term and long term loans, so it can be in as little as 2 years or as far as 5 years. 

What about the Climb 0% Interest, $0 Fee loan? How that loan work for bootcamp students?

Through Climb Credit, eligible students can get a 0% interest loan for 18 months for Part-Time Bootcamps and 24 months for Full-Time Bootcamps. This loan also offers a Fully Deferred Grace Plan where students can start paying 12 months after their course start date over 36 months.

How can someone get the best rate from a lender?

Applying with a co-borrower is always recommended, especially if you are looking for the best rate possible. 

Scholarships at General Assembly

General Assembly has three, constant tuition discounts and several seasonal discounts throughout the year. 

The three constant discounts are:

• Full tuition payment where students get $450 off a full-time bootcamp or $250 off a part-time course.
• Diversity tuition discount where students who qualify for the eligibility criteria get $1,500 off a full-time bootcamp. 
• Military tuition discount where students who qualify for the eligibility criteria get $1,595 off a full-time bootcamp. 

To be aware of our seasonal discounts we recommend following GA on Instagram, signing up for the GA newsletter, or talking to a GA Admissions Specialist. 

• For example: From August 1st to November 15th, 2023, the Merit discount gives $1,000 off a full-time bootcamp at General Assembly for someone who has taken any intro course on coding, data or ux design, plus other eligibility criteria found here: ga.co/cr-merit-discount

How does General Assembly make tuition affordable for U.S. veterans? 

We do work with the VA for tuition funding. The eligibility criteria is set by the VA, but the following chapters are eligible with General Assembly: Chapters 30, 31, 33, 35, 1606 & 1607. 

Can General Assembly scholarships be combined?

Yes, but not all of them. It is best to talk with a GA admissions advisor to verify if you meet the eligibility criteria for the scholarships.

Can scholarships be combined with any other payment option, such as monthly payments, financing, or Catalyst ISL?

Yes, your lending amount is adjusted to account for any discounts you receive. 

Do students need to complete a separate application to be considered for any of these scholarships?

No! They can confirm the eligibility criteria when talking to a GA Admissions Advisor.

4 Free Resources at General Assembly

1. Free bootcamp info sessions where anyone can get an overview of expected results, curriculum, learning style, instructors, career coaches and meet potential classmates
2. Free intro to workshops designed in a 2 hour, live online format for anyone to complete hands on exercises and confirm if coding or data or ux design is a right fit for them:
• Intro to Coding Workshops
• Intro to Data Workshops
• Intro to UX Design Workshops
3. The GA Student Financing Handbook is designed to guide you through all of the financing options available so you focus on starting a career you love!
4. The Career Changers Guide that breaks down the bootcamp decision process into six parts to help you take a confident leap of faith, step-by-step.

Find out more and read General Assembly reviews on Course Report. This article was produced by the Course Report team in partnership with General Assembly.