Find out more about our @uni Kickstarter or Coding Kickstarter classes below as well as some general FAQs.
All of our courses, including the @uni Kickstarter and Coding Kickstarter classes are 100% free. We recognise the many barriers that women and non-binaries have faced getting into tech previously, one of these areas being financial. We are proud to offer all of our courses for free thanks to our partnerships with amazing companies.
Our CFG MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are split into two categories, our MOOC Sprints and MOOC Challenges.
Our MOOC Sprints are a 1-hour session each week over four weeks and will give you a great taster of key tech topics – from UX/UI to bug fixing, languages to CVs and applications. After each session, you will need to complete a quick quiz on the topic. These sessions are recorded and can be watched later, however, to get the most out of the sessions, we recommend attending live to take part in interactive tasks and engage with the instructors. Those that complete the MOOC Sprint inside the initial time frame (usually 6 weeks) will receive a certification.
Our MOOC Challenges come after the Sprints and allow members to take part in a challenge – our mini ‘Hackathon’ to test their knowledge and skills. Both MOOC Sprints and Challenges are great for CFG members at any level – from beginner to more advanced.
Both our @uni Kickstarter and Coding Kickstarter classes run for 8-weeks, with one 2-hour session per week. These introduction classes are best for those wanting to start out their coding journey and will give you a solid introduction in Python and Apps, Web Development or Data and SQL. These sessions are live with instructors and certified and once completed, you will be eligible to apply for our CFGdegree programme.
We place new classes on our website on a rolling basis throughout the year.
Our biggest course announcements are usually in January and September when our @Uni Kickstarter courses go online. However, we do have a steady stream of courses all year round for both @uni Kickstarter and Coding Kickstarter courses.
Yes, currently all of our classes take place 18:30 to 20.30 GMT (or BST in Summer). We are working on providing more varied class timing options for our community.
No, the @uni Kickstarter and Coding Kickstarter classes do not lead to a job and you are not in any way tied to our sponsoring company as a student. If this is something you are interested in, after completing your beginner’s course you can apply for the CFGDegree, where our CFGdegree places are sponsored by companies who are looking to take on candidates at the end of (successfully completing) the CFGdegree.
Our free coding @uni Kickstarter classes have the following eligibility criteria, you must identify as a woman or non-binary and be:
Currently studying at university (18+ years old) OR
Completed studies/graduated university within the past 12 months (18+ years old)
Our free Coding Kickstarter classes (the sister to our @uni Kickstarter classes!) – these classes are open to those who identify as a woman or non-binary and are aged 18+. We have a range of applicants for these classes from school leavers, to mums, career switchers, and those wanting to upskill or reskill. If you are a student but outside of the age bracket for the @uni Kickstarter classes, this is the course you should apply to.
For both classes, we also ask that you select the region most relevant to you. Although the course is run remotely, each course is assigned to a specific region. You must be located in that region or selected neighbouring regions to be eligible for the course. If you cannot see any classes currently taking place in your region, please select an ALL UK class. This is so that we can reach a wider range of women and non-binaries with our courses.
We have a large number of applicants and only around 40-45 places per class. We aim to accommodate all applicants on a course within 3 months of your application. For each class, we can receive around 3X times as many applications each place. All applicants are welcome to apply again at a later date, and we try to accept everyone the first time round where possible.
If you are on the waiting list and a student drops out, you will be offered a place which is reserved for a set amount of time. You can then register to confirm your space in the classes.
Unfortunately, our courses have a capacity of between 40-45, but we receive almost 3X times this number in applications. Please don’t take the decision personally, as we try to accommodate every student that we can. All applicants are welcome to apply again at a later date, and we try to accept everyone where possible.
We also aim to accommodate all applicants on a course within three months of your application.
We ask that potential students only apply to one course at a time. This allows us to get back to you much faster, and also ensure that students don’t end up with multiple spaces assigned to them unnecessarily.
If you have signed up for multiple classes, you can cancel a class that has not started by clicking the ‘Cancel this Registration’ link at the bottom of your course reminder email. This will free up the space for a candidate on the waiting list.
We recommend that students take just one course at a time in order to manage their workload. A number of students who take more than one course at a time end up having to drop out, giving up space which then cannot be reassigned.
You need a working laptop or desktop computer. This can be Mac, Linux, or Windows. Participants using Chromebooks may run into some difficulties. iPads or other tablets will not work with the courses.
All course materials are free of charge and we will not ask for payment to use them. If you are having trouble downloading the software, please ensure that you are using the free/community version of each platform.
Please also make sure that your device is up-to-date with the latest software and that you have permission to download software to the device.
Yes, Code First Girls classes will be delivered remotely for the foreseeable future.
Although the course is run remotely, each course is assigned to a specific region. You must be located in that region or selected neighbouring regions to be eligible for the course. This is so that we can reach a wider range of women and non-binaries with our courses.
No, our coding @uni Kickstarter or Coding Kickstarter classes are for complete beginners.
Our trained technical instructors will be delivering the classes.
None of our class sessions are currently recorded. It is important to us that you attend these class sessions live to be able to engage directly with your instructors and classmates to actively take part in the class.
The meeting link will be sent into the Slack channel you were invited to join in your course instructions shortly prior to the session beginning.
Please let your instructor know via the Slack channel. Your classmates and instructor should be able to help you catch up with any important information you have missed out on via Slack, and you will have access to the course slides too.
To receive a certificate of completion you will need to have attended 6/8 sessions (the final session is vital!) and have submitted your final project, which your instructor will need to give a passing grade. If you believe you fit into this criteria but you haven’t received your certificate, please don’t panic and get in touch with the Contact Us form so we can resolve this for you.
Find out more about our CFGdegree course below.
Yes! The CFGdegree is sponsored by companies with the expectation that you will go on to work at that company. Note that while the CFGdegree is free, by taking up a place you will be getting over £10,000 worth of education for free.
You need to identify as a woman or non-binary individual to be able to apply for the CFGdegree. You will need some understanding of the specialisation you are applying for (gained either through our classes or another provider) to be able to pass the initial tech assessment stage as well.
Additionally, you must be available to accept a position within the sponsoring company and in their selected working region.
Each sponsoring company has different requirements, so it’s important that you read each application carefully. Some of these requirements include:
Yes. As part of you accepting a place on the CFGdegree, you will be asked to sign an agreement stating that you will accept a job offer from the sponsoring company if this is specified in the application.
Once the agreement is signed, receipt of your course certificate depends on the acceptance of the job offer and completion of any related interviews within the sponsor company.
Some partner companies accepting applications for UK-based roles will be able to sponsor a VISA. This is specific to each company, so please check the application form carefully.
We are also expanding our classes and CFGdegree places internationally. This means that we will be able to accept applications from candidates who are local to, or able to work in one of our international locations.
Please carefully consider the location when applying and make sure that your current VISA status is accurate on your application.
No. Any position you are offered will start upon completion of the CFGdegree. If your application is successful you will find out further details around the role, including salary closer to the time. Note that this will vary depending on the company.
The roles available are dependent on the sponsoring company. This can vary between an internship, fixed-term contracts and full time, permanent roles.
No. The CFGdegree is designed to place candidates into tech roles at our partner sponsoring companies. Each role is detailed as part of the application.
To complete additional courses without applying to a specific role, take a look at our @uni Kickstrater or Coding Kickstarter Classes here. These are held regularly throughout the year. If you would like to take a guaranteed place in one of our classes, please check out our paid Coding Kickstarter courses.
Additionally, we have our MOOC Sprints and Challenges where you can also be certified across a range of topics.
You will receive confirmation if you successfully gain a place within the two weeks prior to the CFGdegree commencing.
Once you have successfully applied for the CFGdegree, you must complete a tech assessment and video interview specific to your first choice of sponsor company. Should you fit the sponsor company’s requirements and submit an impressive application, you may then be shortlisted for an interview by the sponsor company who will choose successful applicants. Once their offer has been accepted, you will have a place on the course.
On our CFGdegree page, we also have a flow chart of the stages of the CFGdegree application process.
Financial institutions in particular usually request a financial background check for all staff members. Some companies require this as an ongoing process, for example, every 5 years for existing staff members.
We encourage applicants to financial institutions, in particular, to complete a soft financial check from a website like ClearScore to check for anything in your financial history that may be flagged. If you have a CCJ on your record, this may be listed on a sponsor company credit check and may be raised by the hiring company during pre-employment screenings. If you are aware of anything at the application stage, please disclose this to the sponsor company.
Each sponsor company has a different role on offer and details of the salary will be provided at the interview stage, once you have been shortlisted for interview. We do not publish the salary at the application stage as our aim is to match the right candidate to each sponsor company, so your choice can be based on the role and location that fits best for you.
You need a working laptop or desktop computer. This can be Mac, Linux, or Windows. Participants using ChromeBooks may run into some difficulties. Ipads or other tablets will not work with the classes.
We use a variety of platforms and software, you can find the list below:
All course materials are free of charge and we will not ask for payment to use them. If you are having trouble downloading the software, please ensure that you are using the free/community version of each platform.
Please also make sure that your device is up-to-date with the latest software and that you have permission to download software to the device.
The CFGdegree is a 14-week course including a break reading week after the first seven weeks. It’s a commitment of four evenings per week over this period (Monday to Thursday) between 6.30pm – 8.30pm each evening. Candidates will complete a seven-week foundation layer of the CFGdegree, followed by six weeks in their specialisation area.
The specialisation section is tailored to each sponsor company and the roles that they are interviewing for. Please think carefully about the course and company that you would like to apply for as the CFGdegree is a significant commitment.
All sessions are designed for someone that also has a full-time job, studies or caring responsibilities so they will be held in the evenings between 6.30pm-8.30pm each session, Monday – Thursday.
We encourage candidates on the CFGdegree to engage with their peers outside of course times as group projects make up a large part of the assessment.
You do not need to choose between the CFGdegree specialisations when applying, however, the specialisation is directly linked to roles at each company. For example, a company is advertising a Data Engineering role, they are likely to be sponsoring places on our Data CFGdegree. On the course, you will have a foundation layer (six weeks) that will cover core areas around Python, SQL and Web Development, before progressing on to your specialisation. Note that not all clients are sponsoring all course specialisations (Data, Software or Full-Stack), so please read the website carefully when applying.
You are able to apply for up to two companies on the CFGdegree. Note that if you apply to more than this your original application will be overwritten and not be counted.
If you have applied for multiple companies and are at the video interview stage, please answer questions related to your first choice of sponsoring company.
We also request that you specify two backup companies who are also offering spaces on this intake. This means that you can complete applications to those additional companies and will be considered for other spaces if you are unsuccessful in your first choice.
Ideally you will have completed one of our Code First Girls Intro courses in either Python, Data or Web Dev. However, we take applications from a wide range of learning backgrounds and experience, so to progress your application you will need to pass our initial tech assessment which will be sent out to all eligible candidates as a first step. The tech assessment directly relates to the specialisation chosen.
We have created a tech assessment in Python, Javascript and SQL. You can choose any of these for your assessment, as you will be covering all three languages in the foundation weeks of the course.
Yes, if you fail the first attempt at the tech assessment and score between 40-49% you will be invited to retake this. After two attempts, you will not be able to retake the assessment unless you apply for the next intake of the CFGdegree.
The tech assessment is a standardised process for every candidate to make sure that they all start the CFGdegree at the same level of understanding. We have created a tech assessment in Python, Javascript and SQL. You can choose any of these for your assessment, as you will be covering all three languages in the foundation weeks of the course. All candidates will need to achieve 50% or higher to pass the tech assessment stage.
We appreciate that personal circumstances can sometimes get in the way but we do require an attendance of at least 80% as well as successful completion of all projects and assessments to pass the CFGdegree.
Final projects and all homework must be delivered in full to receive your certificate at the end of the programme.
Yes, all CFGdegree classes will be taught remotely.
Although the sessions are taught remotely, you must be available to work in the sponsor company’s selected job region following completion of the CFGdegree.
Yes, you can. The courses lead to an offer from the sponsor company in advance of starting the course. This means that you must be available to work in or relocate to the region the CFGdegree is listed in. All courses will be taught remotely, but the job offer is based on a specific location.
Yes, there is homework for each week of the CFGdegree and you will also be working on a project linked to your specialisation areas in the second six weeks of the course.
Homework and final projects must be delivered in order to receive your certificate at the end of the course.
There will be a dedicated course channel where instructors will be able to provide support outside of the core teaching hours. Note that there may also be optional helper sessions throughout the CFGdegree.
Yes, you will receive official certification for completing the CFGdegree once you have submitted all necessary projects and assessments.
Grades are usually released four weeks after the course ends.
There will be assessments throughout the CFGdegree as well as one prior to starting as part of the application process to assess current levels of knowledge. There will also be a project and coursework that will go towards your final marking.
The final assessment grades: pass, merit or distinction will be awarded upon completion of the CFGdegree. Your final grade will be a cumulation of attendance, coursework and the final project. If you don’t pass the CFGdegree you will be given an opportunity to take a resit assessment; the highest grade you can achieve from the resit assessment is a pass.
Yes. We will be planning further CFGdegrees and they will be announced via our website and social channels closer to the time.
We are delivering CFGdegree courses across Spring, Summer and Autumn.
Autumn cohort dates are between August and November.
Spring ‘23 cohort dates are between February and May.
Summer ‘23 cohort dates are between May and August.
We want to make sure as many of our applicants as possible are able to receive a place on the CFGDegree, which often means our wait times for outcomes are long. This is usually due to us being presented with opportunities to place even more applicants, which is always our priority. Everybody will hear back no later than one week before the CFGDegree begins. We know how frustrating it can be – please hang tight!
We appreciate your interest and enthusiasm to join the CFG CFGdegree. Unfortunately, due to the high number of applications, we are unable to provide individual feedback to all applicants. You are welcome to apply again for a later intake. Please make sure that you have read the eligibility requirements carefully for the roles you are applying for.
Simply fill in the details below and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can (but make sure you give us 48 hours – we’re a busy bunch!)
