Trilogy Education Services: A Comprehensive Overview

Trilogy Education Services, founded in 2015, partners with universities to deliver skills-based training programs, particularly in technology fields. This article provides an overview of Trilogy's model, programs, impact, and challenges.

The Genesis and Evolution of Trilogy Education Services

Trilogy Education was founded in 2015 by Dan Sommer, whose father was a trustee for the State University of New York. The company quickly gained traction, securing US$30 million in Series A funding in June 2017, followed by US$50 million in Series B funding in May 2018. This rapid growth reflected the increasing demand for skills-based training in the tech industry.

Trilogy's Unique Partnership Model

Trilogy Education Services offers bootcamps in computer science and technology in partnership with universities. The company believes universities are best-suited to educate students in the growing fields of web development and data analytics. Some partners include Ivy League institutions like the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. These partner institutions host learning programs on their campuses and online learning portals.

Unlike some boot camps, Trilogy's model of leasing university brands and space appears to be working well. Rutgers was Trilogy’s first partner and was instrumental in shaping the program and its "deep" university partnerships. University faculty members vet and review Trilogy’s curriculum, and the institution has the final say in Trilogy’s instructor and teaching assistant hires. In addition, Trilogy and its partners are in frequent contact throughout the duration of each program to discuss weekly student feedback reports.

Program Offerings and Structure

Trilogy Education Services offers computer science bootcamps in multiple tech subjects. The availability of specific bootcamps varies among partner institutions. Trilogy offers bootcamps in both technical and nontechnical areas. The company's nontechnical programs include bootcamps in digital marketing, production management, and technology project management. This review focuses exclusively on their technical programs, including cybersecurity, data analytics, fintech, UX/UI design, and web development.

Students in Trilogy programs can pursue classroom-based or online learning. Trilogy also offers full-time and part-time formats. Full-time students follow 12-week immersive structures with daily meetings on weekdays. Online courses offer more flexibility than in-person classes. Trilogy's online bootcamps feature part-time schedules that last 24 weeks.

A Deeper Dive into Technical Bootcamps

Cybersecurity: Trilogy's cybersecurity bootcamp teaches the skills needed to pursue industry-standard certifications such as CompTIA's Security+ and certified ethical hacker credentials.
Data Analytics: Trilogy's data analytics and visualization workshop teaches the skills needed to transform raw data into valuable insights. In addition to building intermediate-level Microsoft Excel skills, students learn Python and front-end web visualization.
Fintech: Trilogy's fintech bootcamp teaches detailed financial modeling and account management tools. Learners explore ways to apply machine learning technologies to the financial markets and portfolio management.
UX/UI Design: Trilogy and its educational partners have developed UX/UI labs that closely replicate real-world workplaces. Students build proficiencies with industry-standard UX/UI toolsets, including Figma and Adobe XD visual prototyping and wireframing platforms.

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Web Development: Trilogy coding bootcamp reviews suggest that the company's web development workshops rank among its most popular programs. The course teaches full-stack skills in front-end and back-end development. The program also applies general computer science principles to Javascript platforms. Coursework covers algorithms, "Big O" notation, data structures, and design patterns.

Curriculum Development and Learning Experience

Trilogy develops its curricula through a combination of employer demands and student feedback. Since 2015, Trilogy has drawn insights from more than 250,000 student evaluations. Reviews emphasize the value of the company's support services. Student testimonials often highlight Triology's complete support services. Many students report that the company's tutors were invaluable during their programs.

A base curriculum, designed by Trilogy, can be customized to meet the needs of local employers.

Admission and Financial Considerations

Partner institutions set their own admissions requirements. Some do not require candidates to have background experience in coding. Others prefer applicants with at least some coding knowledge. For more information, students should refer to the Trilogy partner university hosting the program of interest.

Payment terms and options vary among Trilogy's partner providers. Financing options vary depending on the host university's policies. Supported options may include early payment discounts, monthly payment plans, and tuition discounts for eligible students.

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Trilogy coding bootcamp reviews are generally positive. On the whole, participants tend to feel they received adequate-to-excellent value for their money.

Additional Programs

Designed for software developers, Trilogy University: CNU Edition (Code Nation University) is a technical training program focused on teaching developers how to optimize the software development process and deliver cost-effective world-class software products. The remote program is taught by real-world practitioners who have developed applications for organizations around the world.

As a programmer’s 1-Day bootcamp , RemoteU for Individuals teaches leading-edge programming practices based on software factory theory all within a 100% remote workplace with daily, instead of monthly goals. Participants must reach a specific productivity level, or they don’t move forward. Lessons teach better ways to code to save time and can be scaled to 100+ development teams.

Focused on the development of technical team managers, RemoteU for Managers is a 4-week bootcamp focused on improving the ability to effectively build and manage a remote, high performing software development team, launching virtual team projects, virtual communication, constructive conflict and collaboration, decision-making and accountability and diversity of cross-cultural teams.

If one of the above Trilogy programs isn’t the right fit today, consider Bloom Institute of Technology (formerly Lambda School).

Transparency and Outcomes

Unlike Software Guild and many of its competitors, Trilogy doesn’t publicly share data about the success of its graduates. This is a strategic decision, said Sommer. While the company tracks student outcomes closely and shares them with its university partners, it doesn't want to use the data for marketing purposes, as it could be "misinterpreted" or lead to "false expectations," said Sommer. The company wouldn't want to give students the impression that landing a job in tech is easy, he said.

Admission to the Trilogy boot camps is highly selective, said Sommer. He added that graduation rates are over 90 percent and more than 1,500 employers have hired Trilogy graduates.

Though Trilogy says it is delivering a quality product, and its partners appear to be happy with results, some of Trilogy's competitors and other observers in the boot-camp space said the company should be more transparent about its results. Student outcomes reports are an important tool for potential students to evaluate boot camps, said Eggleston.

Acquisition by 2U and Subsequent Challenges

In a significant move, 2U acquired Trilogy Education for $750 million. However, on July 25, 2024, 2U filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. On December 4, 2024, 2U announced that it would be shutting down it's boot camp offerings with no new enrollments being accepted immediately.

Financial Structure and Considerations

Trilogy does not publish the costs of its programs directly. Instead, tuition is determined by the partner universities that host the programs. Trilogy's boot camps cost around $10,000 for a 12-week full-time or 24-week part-time program, delivered in person on university campuses. The part-time option is more popular, said Sommer, and allows students to continue full-time work as they study.

Trilogy's non-credit programs are not considered "eligible educational institutions" by the United States Department of Education and do not qualify for federal loans nor do students do not receive a Form 1098-T.

Criticisms and Concerns

Critics and competitors of Trilogy argue that the company’s close partnership with universities could be misleading to students, who may not understand that the program is being delivered through a third party. Dan Sommer, Trilogy's CEO, said the company aims to be transparent about its role in the university partnerships. And prospective students are told that universities have selected Trilogy as a partner during their enrollment process.

Some observers in the boot-camp space said the company should be more transparent about its results.

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