42 Heilbronn

A free, non-profit programming school

42 Heilbronn is a private, free programming school that stands for coding excellence at the university level. The IT school concept came from France, where it was launched back in 2013. The Dieter Schwarz Foundation is supporting the founding of 42 Heilbronn by providing the financial resources and the infrastructure to equip the facilities.

Unlike conventional universities or other higher education institutions, this innovative education concept is based on peer learning – without books, classes or instructors. The students learn and work independently on campus in a gamified project environment. They can specialize in different fields depending on their interests. Along with the focus on coding, the education emphasizes critical thinking, solution-oriented work, and the ability to work in a team. Graduates are sought after as AI specialists, software developers, IT experts, video game developers or web developers, among others.

The hands-on training in 42 Heilbronn is available to everyone, regardless of their education level, socioeconomic background or past credentials. The only requirement to apply is to be at least 18 years old. Students are selected in a multi-phase admission process. The challenging selection process begins with online logic tests that measure the person’s ability to learn programming. This is followed by what is called a Piscine, a four-week introductory course to the C programming language. Once the applicant has successfully completed the Piscine and was admitted to 42, the self-directed informatics training lasts three to five years.

The first 42 campus was founded in 2013 in Paris with the vision of bringing coding education in line with the times. The network now has 32 campuses in over 20 countries, currently serving about 10,000 students. The peer-based learning model is further developed on an ongoing basis to reflect the current and future needs of the tech world. In Germany, in addition to the Heilbronn campus, there will be another one in Wolfsburg, supported by Volkswagen AG.

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