Tuition + the paycheck you give up, against the raise — payback in months
| Benchmark | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average full-time tuition | ~$14,000 | Course Report / Metana, 2025 |
| Typical tuition range | $10,000 – $20,000 | Most programs; online runs $7,000-$15,000 |
| Income Share Agreement | ~17% of income for 24 months | Common ISA terms ≈ $23,460 at a $69,000 salary |
| Average starting salary | ~$69,000 | Course Report 2025 alumni data |
| Median salary increase | ~56% (≈ +$25,000) | Course Report alumni surveys |
| First-role median (verified) | ~$66,000 | CIRR-audited outcomes; big-city grads often $75,000+ |
The spread between marketed and audited numbers is the story: CIRR (Council on Integrity in Results Reporting) audits school-reported placement, so its ~$66,000 first-role median is the floor to plan around and marketing decks are the ceiling.
| Post-bootcamp salary | Monthly raise (× 80% odds) | Payback on $32,750 |
|---|---|---|
| $55,000 | $667 | 49.1 months (4 yr 1 mo) |
| $60,000 | $1,000 | 32.8 months (2 yr 9 mo) |
| $65,000 | $1,333 | 24.6 months (2 yr 1 mo) |
| $70,000 | $1,667 | 19.6 months (1 yr 8 mo) |
| $75,000 | $2,000 | 16.4 months (1 yr 4 mo) |
| $85,000 | $2,667 | 12.3 months (1 yr 0 mo) |
Scenario: $45,000 current salary, full-time switch (3 program months + 2 search months forgone). Placement odds move it too: at 70% the $70,000 row stretches to 22.5 months; at 90% it compresses to 17.5.
Bootcamp marketing quotes tuition because it's the smallest number in the story. The real investment adds the salary you stop earning while you study and search, and the real return is the raise you actually capture, discounted by the odds you land the job at all. This calculator prices all three.
Total investment = tuition − scholarships + forgone salary, where forgone salary = (current salary ÷ 12) × (program months + job-search months) for full-time switchers and zero if you keep working. Monthly raise = (post-bootcamp salary − current salary) ÷ 12. Expected monthly = monthly raise × placement rate. Payback = investment ÷ expected monthly. Horizon net = horizon years × 12 × expected monthly − investment.
Pull the tuition and program length from the school's actual enrollment page, not its homepage. Set the placement rate from CIRR-audited outcomes when the school publishes them (70-90% is the credible band; treat "95%+ placement" without an audit as marketing). For salaries, use your real current pay and a first-role number from job postings in your metro — the $69,000 national average blends San Francisco with Omaha.
Full-time: a $45,000-a-year coordinator pays $14,000 tuition, quits for a 3-month program, and hunts for 2 months afterward. Forgone salary: $3,750 × 5 = $18,750. Total investment: $32,750 — the forgone pay is 34% bigger than the tuition. Landing $70,000 lifts monthly income by $2,083.33; at 80% placement odds the expected value is $1,666.67 a month, so payback arrives 19.6 months after starting the new role. Over 5 years: $100,000 of expected extra income − $32,750 = $67,250 net, a 2.05x return on everything sunk.
Part-time: same $14,000 tuition, same $70,000 target, but the paycheck never stops. Investment: $14,000. Expected monthly is the same $1,666.67, so payback takes 8.4 months and the 5-year expected net is $86,000 — a 6.14x multiple. The full-time format buys 8 extra earning months and cohort intensity; whether that's worth $18,750 is the entire decision.
Run the full math and it usually is, with a catch. A career changer earning $45,000 who pays $14,000 tuition, quits for a 3-month program plus 2 months of job hunting, and lands a $70,000 developer role invests $32,750 all-in (tuition plus $18,750 of forgone pay). At an 80% placement rate, the expected payback is about 19.6 months after starting the new job, and the 5-year expected net gain is roughly $67,000. The catch: that assumes the job lands. Bootcamp ROI is dominated by placement odds, so CIRR-verified outcomes matter more than curriculum pages.
Full-time US bootcamps average about $14,000 in tuition, with most programs between $10,000 and $20,000; online programs run $7,000-$15,000 and the broad market runs $2,000-$20,000. Income Share Agreements substitute a cut of future pay — around 17% of income for 24 months is common, which at a $69,000 starting salary totals about $23,460, often more than upfront tuition.
Usually the paycheck you give up, not the tuition. A $45,000-a-year worker who quits for a 3-month full-time program and spends 2 months job hunting afterwards forgoes $18,750 — 34% more than the average $14,000 tuition. That's why part-time programs, which keep the paycheck coming, roughly halve the payback period: the same outcome on a $14,000 part-time program breaks even in about 8.4 months versus 19.6 full-time.
Course Report's 2025 alumni data puts the average starting salary near $69,000, with a median salary increase of about 56% — roughly a $25,000 raise for a mid-career changer. CIRR-verified outcomes show first-role median salaries around $66,000, with grads in expensive metros often clearing $75,000. Your before-salary matters as much as the after: the raise, not the endpoint, is what repays the investment.
Part-time wins on pure math for most people. Skipping the forgone salary cuts a $32,750 all-in investment to $14,000 and the expected payback from 19.6 months to 8.4 months, turning the same 5-year outcome into a $86,000 expected net gain. Full-time buys speed and intensity, which matters if the cohort structure is what keeps you going — but it's a lifestyle choice you're paying roughly $18,750 to make.
The downside case is the full investment with no raise: tuition spent, months of income gone, and a job search that continues. That's why the placement rate input exists — at 70% placement the expected payback stretches to 22.5 months from 19.6 at 80%, and at lower odds the expected value keeps falling. Favor schools that publish CIRR-audited outcomes, read the fine print on tuition refunds and ISA caps, and treat any program above roughly $20,000 tuition with extra scrutiny.