COMMUNITY FAQ

Yes! The CFGdegree (and potentially +Masters) is sponsored by companies with the expectation that you will go on to work at that company. Note that while the CFGdegree is free you will be receiving over £10,000 worth of educational training.

You need to identify as a woman or non-binary individual to be able to apply for the CFGdegree. We would recommend taking a Kickstarter class or MOOC related to the specialisation you are interested in so you have the knowledge to pass our Tech Assessment. 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 – especially regarding location, educational background and eligibility to work in the UK.

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. 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. 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.

None of our Kickstarter class sessions are currently recorded. We are currently working on improving this in the future. Our MOOCs take place on Youtube livestreams and they are automatically uploaded and kept online for students to catch up on-demand. CFGdegree classes are recorded but we do require live attendance wherever possible for you to meet the minimum requirement.

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.

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. Please read the job specification for each role before applying to see if it is suitable for you.

Yes, but only if you are applying to a mentorship. For job role applications, the CFGdegree is designed to place candidates into tech roles at our partner sponsoring companies, and students will be required to sign an agreement to take on this job offer at the end of the degree before their space can be confirmed. Each mentorship or job role is detailed on the applications page. To complete additional courses without applying to a specific role or mentorship opportunity, take a look at our @uni Kickstarter or Coding Kickstarter Classes here. Additionally, we have our MOOC Sprints and Challenges which are a brilliant starting point for those new to coding.

For all CFGdegree places, we encourage applicants to apply as early as possible as sometimes we reach capacity for applications for a specific company or role and close this off early. Whilst we are constantly working through all applications, we do need to process all applications for each role initially based on the final deadline for applications and then completion of the tech assessment. Everybody will hear back no later than one week before the CFGDegree begins. We know how frustrating it can be – please hang tight! Please see below for specific course dates.

You will receive confirmation if you successfully gain a place within the two weeks prior to the CFGdegree commencing. On our CFGdegree page, we also have a flow chart of the stages of the CFGdegree application process.

• Read the job specifications for each company you are interested in applying to
• Submit ONE application form for your main choice company and select two back-up companies on the same form
• You will be invited via email to take our Tech Assessment, which needs to be completed as soon as possible
• You will hear back within 3 working days whether you passed the Tech Assessment
• If you passed the Tech Assessment you will be invited to complete an online video interview
• Our team will take careful time here to sift (thoughtfully select) thousands of amazing video applications
• Some candidates are forwarded to Company Interview, which is the final stage of sifting
• These candidates are asked to take part in coaching sessions for their interview and sometimes asked by the sponsoring company to complete online assessments due to their requirements
• Upon successful selection from the sponsoring company, we will reach out with an agreement for the student to sign offering them their space on the CFGdegree!

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 upon request at the company interview stage. 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.

All students will be sent a set-up guide prior to their course beginning detailing which software they will need to download. 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 16-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.

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.

They will be held in the evenings between 18:30pm-20:30pm with a 10 minute break each session, Monday – Thursday. 

On the CFGdegree form we usually only ask students to select a stream if their chosen company is offering roles across multiple streams. You will also be asked which streams you would like to be selected for if we find you a space with a back-up company.

On the course, you will have a foundation layer (nine 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 specialisations (Data, Software or Full-Stack), so please read the website carefully when applying.

You only submit one application for the CFGdegree. However, when submitting your application to the CFGdegree, you will be asked if you’d like to also be considered for up to two backup companies.

Ideally you will have completed one of our Kickstarter courses. 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. 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 these two attempts, you will not be able to retake the assessment unless you apply for the next intake of the CFGdegree. If you score below 40% you will not be offered the chance to retake until next cohort. 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 final 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. Please download your certificate and keep it safe as we cannot reissue certificates older than 12 months.

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 run three cohorts across Spring, Summer and Autumn. Please see the CFGdegree page for dates.

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 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 the next cohort. Please make sure that you have read the eligibility requirements carefully for the roles you are applying for.