The Admissions Process: How to Get Started with TDI's Data Science Programs
You might be wondering what the application and admissions process is like here at TDI, but fear not, we’re here to help simplify upfront so you aren’t left in the dark!
Let’s get started and take a deeper look at the admissions process for TDI.
Do Your Research
» Check out our programs and download the Data Science and Data Engineering syllabi so you can determine which program is right for you.
» Schedule a call with our admissions counselors to get answers to you program questions, learn more about our bootcamps, discuss financing options and more.
» See what our alumni have to say about their programs and what they’re doing now as data scientists and data engineers.
» Explore our prep materials to ensure you’ve got the skills you need to succeed in your TDI bootcamp.
Application Process
» The application only takes 10 minutes, and all you need to have ready is your education background and which bootcamp you’d like to attend. Yeah, it’s really that easy.
» If you’re interested in applying for one of our limited, tuition-free spots, you’ll need to complete the technical challenge. After your challenge is reviewed, you’ll move on to the non-technical interview.
» For all other applicants, after submitting your application, you’ll schedule a brief technical interview with our instructors to complete your application.
» You’ll receive a decision on your application after the final interviews have been completed.
Get Financing
» We offer a variety of financing and payment options, including Leif and Ascent.
» Our admissions counselors can help you decide which of our many financing options and scholarships are right for you, based on your goals and situation.
Start Your Data Journey
» If you’re one of the brilliant minds accepted to TDI’s bootcamps, congratulations!
» Now that your financing is confirmed, you’ll submit your deposit and accept your spot in the program.
» You’ll be connected with an onboarding counselor who’ll help you gather all the necessary information and get you set up on our platform.
» You’ll sign in to your tools, complete your pre-course work, virtually meet your classmates and get ready for your first day of class.
» You’ll have our career support team with you from day one to help you find a great career in data. They’ll help you with resume writing, mock interviews, open houses with potential hiring partners and more.
Welcome to your new data career!
Schedule a Call with Admissions
- Get course recommendations
- Learn about all our course options
- Determine the best financing options for your needs
- Get the answers to all your questions
Meet the Team
Sierra King
Molly Henery
RaVeign Lee
Financing Overview
Income Sharing Agreement
Pay $0 tuition until you’re earning at least $40,000
ISA's are not loans, so they have no interest.
Your monthly payments are based on your new income
You’ll start payments based on 16% of your gross income.
Stop paying once you’ve reached the cap
You’re 100% free of obligation once you’ve reached the cap or the payment schedule ends - even if you haven't paid anything.
TDI has partnered with Leif to provide you with a great way to finance your training.
All you need is a US social security number (SSN) and you can start your program without any interest!
How it works:
- Apply for your Income Sharing Agreement
- Attend the TDI bootcamp
- Pay back your tuition once you land a job and are earning at least $40k
There’s no early payoff penalties, and your payment amount is based on earnings after reaching the $40,000 per year threshold.
Scholarships
We proudly offer a small number of full-tuition spots for our Full-Time Data Science and our Full-Time Data Science Engineer Bootcamps. Applicants must opt-in to be considered for a tuition-free spot and will chosen based on their application, challenge score and interview—we select the individuals we believe to be the most qualified.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Scholarship
The DEI Scholarship will contribute to the creation of diversely talented students that will fully represent our industry. We will award up to $100,000 annually.
Women of Excellence in STEM Scholarship
The Women of Excellence Scholarship was created to eradicate the gender gap within the tech field. We will award up to $100,000 annually.
Discounts
Early Admissions Discount
Apply during our early admissions time frame and earn $2,000 off your tuition when you pay in cash.
Cash Payment Discount
Pay your tuition fee in cash and earn $1,000 off your tuition. Cannot be combined with Early Admissions Discount
To attend our full-time or part-time online Data Science Bootcamp the tuition is: $11,000
To attend our full-time online Data Science & Engineering Bootcamp the tuition is: $10,000
Premier Financing
Flexible Loan Options
We’ve partnered with Ascent to provide our students with simple, flexible loan options to fit your needs.
Ascent offers 3 different loan payment options:
- Deferred Repayment: Make no payments while you attend TDI and for three months after.
- Interest-Only Repayment: Make low, interest-only payments while attending TDI and for three months after the program.
- Immediate Repayment: Start paying your loan back one month after your TDI program begins.
- Learn more here.
Tuition Installment Plan
Pay your tuition through interest-free monthly installments, up to 12 months from your program start date. Learn more at Leif.
Contingent Payment Plan
In exchange for education today, a student agrees to repay a set monthly amount, as their monthly income qualifies, after they complete (or withdraw from) the program. Learn more.
Employer Sponsorship
Pay as little as $0 USD per your employer’s benefits.
When you use our pre-written letter you could receive full or partial tuition reimbursement from your company.
Check with your employee benefits administrator to see if you qualify for tuition reimbursement.
Change the highlighted details in our letter template to suit your needs and then send it to your company.
Alumni Stories
TDI gave me my first insight into data science in the business world. Thoroughly designed mini-projects are excellent stepping stones to tackling real-world problems. A good amount of well-sorted study materials and meticulously designed notebooks are always there to help you to excel in your job interviews.
TDI introduced me to a wide range of material and gave me the confidence to pursue a Data Science career. Particularly with my Capstone project, I tailored it to the Healthcare and Marketing industry. My project presentation in my interview directly led to me beating out other applicants with more experience than myself. The experience and feedback received via the Capstone Project was instrumental in getting me the job I have now.
TDI provided me with a great introduction to the platforms and technologies in ML used in the industry. They selected projects and exercises emulating a real ML work environment. Working side by side with instructors and fellows was a crucial part of the learning experience. It also helped to build connections that I still value greatly.
Alumni Who Transitioned Out of Academia
“I’m a recovering academic,” says Dr. Andrew Grazyk. He was one of the few who managed to stay in academia for a couple of years before making the switch to industry. He completed his PhD in Economics in 2017 before applying to TDI in 2019 when his research projects dried up and his ambitions changed. He was stuck—he needed to learn new computational techniques to break into the industry, but didn’t have proper structure and guidance to gain them. Until The Data Incubator popped up in a google search. He accredits our instructors as the key component in the development of his skills.
For Newton Le, “TDI was my way out.” Newton found himself without opportunities for research which left him unable to secure an academic position. The data science fellowship was just what he needed to secure a job outside of research and into the computational problem-solving he enjoyed. He landed his first job with Crunchbase through our hiring partner program after he joined TDI in 2016. Within months of graduation, he was working as a data engineer and is now the tech lead for the machine learning pipelines team at Twitter—where he’s been since 2017 and calls his journey “sorta unbelievable.”
Hechen Ren remembers watching many of her peers’ research hit trends that her field in physics just didn’t allow. The oversaturation of her post-doc didn’t lend her any favors either. So in 2019, after chatting with industry friends, she was convinced that TDI was going to bring her the success she was looking for. “It was important for me to find something that struck a balance between value and passion,” she says, but she found that balance by utilizing the statistical modeling skills she learned at TDI for the research and development department at Afiniti where she’s been since graduating.
FAQ
TDI isn’t your typical program. We work hard to ensure that we offer the best training from the best instructors, using the latest tools and real-world data so you can feel confident when you step into your new job in data.
- Cohort-style program. Make the transition from academia to the business world, or enhance your data skills while you work with an excited and exceptional peer group. We aim to keep our cohorts intimate, to maximize your interaction with instructors.
- Hands-on experience. All of the projects you complete in the program are designed to give you experience with real data sets while solving real business problems.
- Accessible instructors. Every section has a dedicated data instructor to lead discussions and assist students.
- Mentorship from industry leaders. Learn from alumni and senior data scientists and data analysts while you build your professional network.
- A large network of hiring partners. We work with a number of actively-hiring partner companies each cohort to help find you your dream career—and not just another job.
To apply to the Data Science or the Data Engineering programs, you’ll need to possess these requirements:
- A master’s degree or PhD completed before the beginning of the program, or a PhD that will be completed within 3 months of finishing the program, or a Bachelor’s degree with extensive data-related work experience
- Some prior programming experience
- A foundational knowledge of statistics for Data Science or computer science for Data Engineering
- Proficiency in the English language
If you’ve got all that, then you’re eligible to apply for the Data Science or the Data Engineering program.
To put it plainly, yes. We require all applicants to be familiar with at least one programming language to apply. The Data Science and the Data Engineering program application also requires applicants to take a coding challenge before getting accepted into the program.
While the programs emphasize Python, many of our applicants have experience with other languages, and have varying degrees of coding experience.
- For our Data Science applicants, they usually have a strong background in probability, statistics, and experience with programming, scripting, or statistical packages.
- We’ve had successful applicants with degrees in political science, economics, computer science, mathematics, physics, chemistry and more.
- For our Data Engineering applicants, they should have a strong background in computer science, software development, and experience with programming.
- Data Science Essentials is meant for students who are looking to learn essential data science skills, who may be new to Python and are looking for a more robust learning program, those interested in learning the fundamentals of quantitative analysis or who are looking to apply to the Data Science Fellowship.
To attend our full-time or part-time online Data Science Program as a scholar, the tuition is: $11,000
To attend our full-time or part-time online Data Science & Engineering Program the tuition is: $10,000
For those paying in cash for the Data Science or the Data Engineering programs, we offer two discount options:
- $2,000 for those who apply during our early admissions time frame
- $1,000 for those who apply during our regular admissions time frame
Financing is available through Ascent or other lenders of your choice.
We also offer income sharing, where you don’t pay anything for tuition until you start your career and are earning over a certain threshold. Income sharing is an agreement between you, The Data Incubator, and our partner, Leif. Check out the details under the question “What is income sharing?”
If you’re placed with one of our hiring partners after your training, we’ll refund 30% of your tuition*.
A limited number of scholarships are available for the full-time data science and engineering programs. Check out the details under the question “Do you offer scholarships?” to learn more.
We encourage you to put your best foot forward during your application for a chance to earn one of these coveted scholarships.
*Participants who use Ascent or Income Sharing Agreements to finance their participation are not eligible for the 30% placement refund.
Ready to Start the Application Process?
