Code-fellows-logo-stacked-letteringSeattle-based coding bootcamp Code Fellows has launched a quarter-million dollar scholarship fund for minorities, women and veterans, covering more than half the tuition cost toward the program that guarantees a job to graduates.

The scholarships are available for Bootcamp and Development Accelerator courses at the code school’s Chicago, Portland and Seattle locations. Applicants should plan to start between July 6 and August 3.

“This diversity scholarship program builds on one of our core beliefs: everyone should have the opportunity to develop,” said Code Fellows CEO Kristin Smith in a press release. She also noted that diversity can lead to better products and more effective teams for employers.

Kristin Smith
Kristin Smith

Only two percent of tech company employees in Silicon Valley are black, and Hispanics only make up three percent according to USA Today. Women’s presence in the tech job force is estimated at around 30 percent.

This isn’t the first time Code Fellows has tried to get underrepresented groups into coding.

A $10,000 scholarship fund was available for a women-only bootcamp in 2013 and it guaranteed a $100,000 salary for women who completed a Ruby on Rails class last year.

Women, underrepresented minorities, and veterans can apply for one of the 40 scholarships before the June 15 deadline on the Code Fellow’s website. The scholarship will be administered through the Washington Technology Industry Association.

Previously on GeekWire: The exploding demand for computer science education, and why America needs to keep up

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