SwitchUp Rankings Methodology

By: The SwitchUp Team
Last Updated: April 11, 2023

At SwitchUp, we rank bootcamps based on reviews to help prospective students find out which programs have the highest satisfaction rates and offer the best job support from a student perspective. Because student and alumni feedback and ratings are indicative of bootcamp quality, rankings are ordered by review score. Rankings are based on review data for the last five years, but ratings and review counts shown on bootcamp pages will be different as they include older reviews and those left after the rankings.

All bootcamps that met the requirements below were included in our 2023 rankings.

Best Overall Rankings

To be included in our 2023 Best Coding Bootcamp rankings, bootcamps had to:

  • Offer a coding bootcamp online or in person
  • Have at least one U.S. campus OR be U.S.-based if they're an online-only program
  • Have at least 75 reviews on SwitchUp since 2019
  • Have a review average of 4.5 based on reviews since 2019

Best Program-Specific Bootcamps

For program-specific bootcamps, requirements varied by program. These have been listed below. Each bootcamp included in our rankings must:

Best Cybersecurity Bootcamps:

  • Offer a cybersecurity program
  • Have at least one U.S. campus OR be U.S.-based if they're an online-only program
  • Have at least 10 verified reviews of cybersecurity programs since 2019
  • For those cybersecurity program reviews, average at least four out of five stars

Best Data Analytics Bootcamps:

  • Offer a data analytics program
  • Have at least one U.S. campus OR be U.S.-based if they're an online-only program
  • Have at least 10 verified reviews of data analytics programs since 2019
  • For those data analytics program reviews, average at least four out of five stars

Best Data Science Bootcamps:

  • Offer a data science program
  • Have at least one U.S. campus OR be U.S.-based if they're an online-only program
  • Have at least 10 verified reviews of data science programs since 2019
  • For those data science program reviews, average at least four out of five stars

Best Digital Marketing Bootcamps:

  • Offer a digital marketing program
  • Have at least one U.S. campus OR be U.S.-based if they're an online-only program
  • Have at least 10 verified reviews of digital marketing programs since 2019
  • For those digital marketing program reviews, average at least four out of five stars

Best UX/UI Design Bootcamps:

  • Offer a UX/UI design program
  • Have at least one U.S. campus OR be U.S.-based if they're an online-only program
  • Have at least 10 verified reviews of web design programs since 2019
  • For those web design program reviews, average at least four out of five stars

Best Product Management Bootcamps:

  • Offer a product management program
  • Have at least one U.S. campus OR be U.S.-based if they're an online-only program
  • Have at least 10 verified reviews of product management programs since 2019
  • For those product management program reviews, average at least four out of five stars

Best Online Rankings

Our online program rankings consider bootcamps in the U.S. and abroad that offer specific programs in a fully online format. All bootcamps considered for these rankings were required to meet the following criteria at the time of publication:

Best Online Coding Bootcamps:

  • Offer a fully online coding bootcamp
  • Have at least 75 reviews since 2019
  • Have an average rating of at least four out of five stars based on reviews since 2019

Best Online Cybersecurity Bootcamps:

  • Offer a fully online cybersecurity bootcamp
  • Have at least 10 verified reviews of online cybersecurity programs since 2019
  • For those online cybersecurity program reviews, average at least four out of five stars

Best Online Data Analytics Bootcamps:

  • Offer a fully online data analytics bootcamp
  • Have at least 10 verified reviews of online data analytics programs since 2019
  • For those online data analytics program reviews, average at least four out of five stars

Best Online Data Science Bootcamps:

  • Offer a fully online data science bootcamp
  • Have at least 10 verified reviews of online data science programs since 2019
  • For those online data science program reviews, average at least four out of five stars

Best Online Digital Marketing Bootcamps:

  • Offer a fully online digital marketing bootcamp
  • Have at least 10 verified reviews of online digital marketing programs since 2019
  • For those online digital marketing program reviews, average at least four out of five stars

Best Online UX/UI Design Bootcamps:

  • Offer a fully online UX/UI design bootcamp
  • Have at least 10 verified reviews of online UX/UI design programs since 2019
  • For those online UX/UI design program reviews, average at least four out of five stars

Best Online Product Management Bootcamps:

  • Offer a fully online product management bootcamp
  • Have at least 10 verified reviews of online product management programs since 2019
  • For those online product management program reviews, average at least four out of five stars

Location Rankings

Our location rankings consider bootcamps that offer specific programs in specific locations. All bootcamps considered for these rankings were required to meet the following criteria at the time of publication:

Best Coding Bootcamps in a Specific Location

  • Offer an immersive or part-time coding program in that location
  • Have at least 5 verified reviews of coding programs in that location since 2019
  • For those location-specific coding program reviews, average at least 3.5 out of five stars

Best Data Science Bootcamps in a Specific Location

  • Offer an immersive or part-time data science program in that location
  • Have at least 5 verified reviews since 2019
  • For those reviews, average at least 3.5 out of five stars

How We Ranked Bootcamps

For our 2023 rankings, we used a formula that combines the average review rating and the total number of reviews from January 2019 to February 2023 in order to ensure the recency of data. 

Bootcamp rankings were largely based on average review ratings in an effort to prioritize students' overall experience. The total review count was factored in on a smaller scale to acknowledge popularity among users and maintain data integrity.

While our ranking lists may include some of our advertising partners, we strictly use the same eligibility criteria and methodology for all bootcamps — whether they are partners or not. In other words, we do not give preferential treatment to partner bootcamps. We mark all advertising partners with an icon for full transparency.

Data Sources

SwitchUp's rankings are based on over 25,000 reviews from verified students and alumni across more than 500 bootcamps in operation. Unlike testimonials showcased on bootcamp websites, student reviews on SwitchUp feature both the pros and cons and are an important resource for prospective students weighing their options. We also feature additional data points about what each bootcamp offers to help students easily compare program options.

Bootcamp Reviews

We collected student and alumni reviews and ratings on SwitchUp to determine the scope of eligible bootcamps. SwitchUp has dedicated a separate page to cover our ethics and policies for reviewers.

Additional Bootcamp Information

All bootcamps self-reported locations, cost information, and sample course offerings. These metrics don't influence the rankings but are displayed to provide additional information for students.

SwitchUp manually researched each bootcamp's offerings to find out whether the following features were available:

Approved for GI Bill®

Approved for GI BillĀ®

Accepts GI BillĀ® funds, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Available Online

Provides part-time or full-time programs that are consistently available online.

Available In Person

Offers in-person instruction at a physical campus location.

Job Guarantee

Guarantees job placement or a tuition refund after graduation.

Flexible Classes

Offers self-paced, part-time, or evening classes.

Why Did We Change Our Methodology?

In 2022 we changed our rankings methodology to incorporate employment data from Lightcast, previously known as Burning Glass Technologies.

We chose to return to reviews-based rankings in 2023 to have better control over the data collection and analysis process and to improve transparency and offer better insights into our rankings process.

We increased our minimum review rating threshold from an average of four stars to 4.5 stars to highlight bootcamps that provide an overwhelmingly positive experience for students.

We also now factor in review count to give students a clearer and more accurate picture of which bootcamps offer a high-quality experience for a greater number of students.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by the VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.