Make School
Make School Reviews and Complete Guide
Make School is a college in San Francisco, California, that offers a bachelor’s degree in computer science with a liberal arts focus. Unlike a traditional college, where you attend class and do homework afterward, Make School’s curriculum was created to resemble the workweek of a professional in STEM.
In this Make School review, we’ll look at everything this college offers, from courses to career assistance.
What Do You Need to Know About Make School?
Make School is not a coding bootcamp. It is a college that offers a two-and-a-half-year bachelor’s degree program in computer science. The school features a project-based curriculum that allows students to build a well-rounded skill set and graduate fully prepared for a career in technology.
It is worth noting that Make School alumni have gone on to work for top tech companies such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Lyft.
| Locations | San Francisco, Online |
| Tuition | $10,000 – $15,000 per semester |
| Financing Options | Income Share Agreement (ISA), Extended Income Based Repayment (EIBR) |
| Start Dates | Spring 2021, Fall 2021 |
| Program Types | Online, On-campus |
| Courses | Bachelor of Science in Applied Computer Science |
Where Are Make School’s Campuses Located?
Make School offers online classes and also has one campus in San Francisco. Attending classes in-person alongside your peers will give you a more traditional college feel.
- San Francisco
- Online
Whether you decide to study online or in-person, the curriculum will remain the same. You can decide whether you want to study on-campus or in-person after you have been accepted to the school.
How Much Is Tuition at Make School?
The tuition for Make School varies slightly by semester. The fall and spring terms are $15,000, while the summer academy costs $10,000.
The total for two years of study is about $70,000, not including living expenses. You may need to study an additional semester on top of this, depending on your course load for each term.
How Can You Pay Make School Tuition?
Make school offers many financing options to help cover the cost of tuition at Make School. Among them are two income-based options. However, the school is in the process of shifting away from ISAs in favor of EIBR approach.
Make School Scholarships
Make School doesn’t offer its own scholarships. However, it does accept third-party scholarships, grants, and fellowships.
ISAs
Make School has offered an ISA since 2014. With this option, students don’t pay a dime until they graduate and secure a job.
They then must dedicate a portion of their salary toward tuition each month until their tuition is paid off. Unlike a loan, with an ISA, you don’t have to pay until you have a job.
Loan Financing
Make School has come up with an algorithm that students can use to see which type of loan will result in a lower overall cost. Options include federal loans, parent plus loans, low-interest private loans, and high-interest private loans.
Installments
Make School does not give students the option to pay for their course in monthly installments while going to school.
EIBR
This EIBR plan caps loan repayments at a percentage of the student’s income after graduation. This means students will be able to afford their monthly payments, and will not have to pay anything if they are unemployed.
Can You Use the GI Bill at Make School?
Make School does not accept the GI Bill.
What Courses Does Make School Offer
The Bachelor of Science in Applied Computer Science Program has a modern research-backed curriculum. Your curriculum will be unique to you because you can choose from a range of courses that fit into three categories, as listed below.
To graduate, you must complete a total of 124 units, 48 of which must be upper-division courses.
Students will also need to complete five required terms and three required intensives per year. Intensives are 1-2 weeks long, where students will work on a single project and afterward will be able to add it to their portfolio.
Technical Curriculum – In-Person | Online
The technical curriculum features a foundational curriculum, four possible areas of concentration, and electives. The possible concentrations are Mobile, Front End, Back End, and Data Science. As electives, students can take entrepreneur courses, supervised intensive studies, and advanced technical seminars.
Software Product Development – In-Person | Online
These software development classes allow students to use their technical skills to complete projects that they can then display in their portfolio. Among the possible courses offered in this area are Introduction to Product Development, Testing & Architecture, and Agile Development & UX/UI.
Science and Letters – In-Person | Online
These courses are meant to expand students’ creativity and critical thinking ability. They will learn to develop these skills and apply them to their programming work. Some sample Science and Letters classes are Effective Communication, Civic Knowledge & Engagement, Quantitative Literacy & Social Issues, Artistic & Creative Expression, and Science for Global Citizens.
How to Get Accepted Into Make School
Make School is relatively hard to get into. Only 200 to 300 people are admitted in each cohort. The school is looking for more than just proof of academic excellence. Make School accepts hard workers, problem-solvers, and those who have an interest in software engineering.
Make School Acceptance Rate
As of 2015, Make School had an acceptance rate of around 10 percent.
Make School Application Process
Make School’s application process varies slightly depending on whether you are a first-year student, transfer student, or international student. Below is the normal process for first-year students.
- First, submit an application on the school’s website, and make sure you have met the deadline for the semester you want to enroll in.
- Once your application has been approved, you will need to log in to the application portal and submit all other required documents. Previous education transcripts are required. ACT or SAT scores as well as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate course reports are optional.
- You may be required to complete additional steps, so keep an eye on the application portal for further notifications. You may be asked to supply a letter of recommendation, complete a phone interview with an admissions officer, or complete a coding prep course if you have little coding experience.
- After you have satisfied all of Make School’s requests, you will wait for a decision. This can take two to three weeks. If you are accepted, you will be asked to complete the final enrollment steps, like making a deposit and choosing courses.
Make School Interview Questions
Make School doesn’t include a formal interview in its application process. Only some candidates will have to complete a 15-30 minute phone call with an admissions officer. Make School describes this phone call as “super-relaxed.” Below are some key points that may come up during your discussion.
- Your ability and desire to work hard
- Your dedication to learning new things
- Your problem-solving skills
- Your passion for tech
How Can You Prepare for Make School?
If you want to get more familiar with programming before starting at Make School, you might want to take a free, self-paced course in the college’s Online Academy. These courses will teach you the basics of web and software development and will prepare you for your first semester at Make School.
Below are a few of the courses offered in Online Academy.
- Intro to CS – In this course, you will learn fundamentals including Xcode, variables, functions, conditionals, and loops.
- Build IOS Games – Learn how to use Apple’s SpriteKit game engine, and how to ship an app to the App Store.
- Build iOS Apps – In this class, you’ll practice building basic apps like Notes and Tip Calculator using Git for version control, and will also touch on artificial intelligence.
Is Make School Worth It?
If you are interested in becoming a well-rounded software engineer or web developer, then it’s worth it to get a bachelor’s in applied computer science at Make School. Employers are familiar with the school’s ability to produce top tech talent.
Furthermore, Make School alumni receive an average starting salary of $100,000 and work for companies including Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, and Microsoft.
Make School Job Placement
Make school does not make its job placement rate public. However, it does offer career placement services such as coaching and mentorship, and a demo night for recent graduates to show their portfolios to potential employers.
Students will get resume feedback, interview prep, and opportunities to network directly with top industry executives.
Does Make School Offer a Job Guarantee?
Make School does not offer a job guarantee.
Should You Apply to Make School?
Make school is located in the heart of Silicon Valley and has connections in all areas of the tech industry. It is one of only 12 colleges that are part of Google’s Computer Science Summer Institute extension program, and its graduates can be found working at all of the US’s top tech companies.
If you’re interested in an innovative college education that combines liberal arts and computer science, Make School is the place for you.
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8 Reviews
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Anonymous
Make School believes in learning by making. From the very first day you will start building apps and as you learn more you will build cooler apps. You will get a chance to work with other bright minds in a hackathon, where you and your team will build an app from scratch. You will also be challenged to come with an original app which you will ship to the App Store and present to a huge audience on demo day. Attending Make School is really cool and you will learn a lot, actually it will change your life and put you a level up in the tech playing field.
August 10, 2017
Anonymous
I attended the Make School summer academy in Tokyo. It was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had. When the summer academy starts the instructors teaches us the fundamentals of computer science.
At first it might feel difficult when you start learning but once you get hang of it it becomes really fun learning how to make an app. During the summer academy instructors taught us Swift to make an iOS app for iPhone.
The most wonderful thing about Make School is that they teach us product design so that students can know what app they want to make and the instructors gives students very clear advice to improve their app ideas.
Make School instructors encourages students to make things and they encourage students to be passionate about something they like.
Joining the Make School community is really cool the community is the best part of Make School.
August 31, 2017
Anonymous
My time there was awesome I learned so much and was exposed to the silicon valley culture.
October 13, 2018
Anonymous
I attended the Make School Summer Academy in 2015 with codeacademy tutorials as my only coding background. The academy paved a way for me to get into programming, and I’m now working at a game development company. The instructors are really helpful and I made friends that I still keep in touch with to this day. Overall a fantastic summer experience!
March 3, 2019
Anonymous
I attended the 2015 Summer Academy and it changed my life. Before the summer academy, I had average background in CS from online courses. The outcome of the academy wasn’t just iOS development; as the course content is free and open-sourced. We learned product development from idea to shipping. The instructors are top engineers who are fun and great people. I made a lot of friends there whom I am still in touch with. I gained a lot of experience talking to investors and entrepreneurs. Now, I am a Junior CS student who works part-time as a Mobile Developer at Toptal.
June 18, 2019
Anonymous
As someone who just graduated highschool, I figured I would go to make school and start doing something with my life. With my huge ego I decided not to go in the explorer track even though I had basically no coding experience. I jumped right into the games track and within a few days we started working on the tutorials that were based around copying other games. They were easy, but for someone who knew almost nothing about code, it was a lot to process and I felt like I fell behind. After 2 weeks, when we started to work on pur own projects everything started turning around. With the help of the awesome games instructors and the tutorials and internet as resources I was back on track in no time, and by the end I finished and shipped a game I am quite proud of. Awesome stuff. Lots of good cheap nearby. I recommend it for anyone who wants to learn to code, or to design products!
August 4, 2019
Anonymous
Make school ended a week ago and I truly miss it. What I love the most was the community of peers, we were all at different stage of our programming journey. Ranging from experience, beginners to complete novice and this common passion brought us all together. The instructors are fantastic!
August 9, 2019
Anonymous
In Summer Academy, you can learning with your new friends. The instructors are all around and provide sessions and support for you. I’m a beginner in design mobile APP, this academy helps me build experience quickly. I think it’s powerful and helpful that you can get different good advice at the same issue from different instructors.
August 7, 2020