Frequently Asked Questions

Everyone aged 18 or over who has completed basic education (9th grade) and speaks English is welcome to apply. No previous coding experience is needed.

Applications are open! The next Selection Sprint runs from January 18 to February 5, 2027 in Jõhvi, Võru and Paide, and you can apply until January 12, 2027. Apply here.

Spots are limited. If you don’t make it this time, keep an eye out for the next Sprints.

There are four steps.

1. Create an account on study.kood.tech and verify your details.
2. Play the online logic game.
3. Attend the pre-Sprint check-in, an info session that prepares you for the Sprint and helps you decide whether to go ahead.
4. Take part in the Selection Sprint (2 weeks on-site Mon–Fri and 1 week remote) at one of our campuses. The Sprint is the admissions test, and you need to pass it to start your studies. It shows you whether this way of learning suits you, and shows us whether you’re ready for it.

Read more about applying

The online logic game tests your logical thinking and problem-solving skills. No preparation is needed. Set aside 30 minutes without interruptions and make sure you have a good internet connection. You can play on your phone or computer. You can’t pause the game, so play it in one go.

Yes. If your score is below the threshold, you have two more attempts – three in total. Log back into study.kood.tech and try again. Once you’ve passed the game, you can’t retake it.

We don’t publish the answers, as that would give an unfair advantage over candidates who haven’t played yet. You can discuss your solutions with your peers at the Selection Sprint or once your studies start.

The Selection Sprint is a 3-week full-time bootcamp that also serves as the admissions test for the //kood study programme (2 weeks on-site and 1 week remote). Sprints take place at all three campuses – Jõhvi, Võru and Paide.

On-site activities run Monday to Friday, 10:00–16:00. At the weekend you can go home or stay in the learner dormitory in Jõhvi or Võru.

During the Sprint you solve short coding exercises on the //kood learning platform. Each week ends with an exam on what you learned, and at the weekend you work on a group task with your team that strengthens the week’s learning and builds teamwork skills. By the end of the third week, you submit a team project.

Get ready for the most intense and most fun three weeks of your life. You’ll make new friends, learn a lot and get further than you thought possible.

Read our blog posts about the Selection Sprint

Once you’ve passed the game, the next step is the mandatory pre-Sprint check-in. It’s an info session that gives you a clear picture of the Selection Sprint so you can decide whether to continue. During the session you will

• get a thorough overview of the Sprint’s structure and goals;
• get access to learning resources and support tools, including a guide to setting up your coding environment;
• be able to ask anything you’d like to know – about payment, accommodation, studying or anything else.

Attending the check-in is a mandatory step to take part in the Selection Sprint. Last-minute joiners can also watch a recording of a past session. We’ll send you the time and joining details once you’ve passed the game.

During the Sprint you do individual tasks, group tasks and exams, and each one earns you points. Candidates who score above the threshold in all three categories are accepted to the full programme.

If you pass the Selection Sprint, you’ll get an email within 2 weeks of the end of your Sprint inviting you to start your studies at kood/Jõhvi, kood/Järva or kood/Võru, together with your study contract.

The next batch starts in March 2027.

It depends on the programme.

• AI-Ready Product Engineer (15 months) – €4500
• Coding Fundamentals and Back-end Development (6 months) – €2500

See all prices and payment options

It depends on the programme. Coding Fundamentals and Back-end Development takes 6 months, AI-Ready Product Engineer 15 months. Both are full-time. Because you learn at your own pace, faster learners can finish sooner. There are no holiday periods built into the study time.

At //kood you learn by building projects. The learning platform gives you projects of increasing complexity, and each finished project is reviewed by your peers in a structured review. The platform is your teacher and timetable, and your peers are your team. You can also work with learners from other campuses, so a kood/Jõhvi learner can team up with someone from kood/Järva or kood/Võru.

You can complete the whole programme remotely, but we strongly recommend coming to campus. About 80% of the projects are teamwork, which is much easier and faster in the same room. Working together keeps you motivated, and it’s where friendships that last for years begin.

Our study buildings are open 24/7, and there are events, workshops and hackathons with learners, partners and the community throughout the year that you won’t want to miss. The strictest part is the Selection Sprint, where you need to be on-site for the first two weeks.

Our learner Georgi on studying mostly remotely

The programme is intense so that you reach the required level within the given time. Based on our experience and that of other schools using the same method, combining studies and work is tough but possible.

Our graduate Saba (batch 5) on working while studying full-time

The programme is taught in English, because the coding world works in English. You don’t need expert-level English – intermediate is enough, and your English will improve as you study.

For programming languages, see “What will I learn and which programming languages will I use?”.

The AI-Ready Product Engineer curriculum has two modules.

1. Fundamentals and back-end (6 months) – Go or Java, SQL and web technologies. You learn to write code that works, build applications that store data reliably, open them up as APIs and turn them into multi-user services with authentication and deployment. This module is also offered as a separate 6-month programme, Coding Fundamentals and Back-end Development.
2. Product engineering (9 months) – starts with TypeScript and Node.js, after which you largely choose your own languages and tools. You ship a real-time full-stack product, a multi-service platform with payments and async processing, and finally an AI-native product built on LLMs, embeddings and vector retrieval.

Alongside the technical work you build professional skills. You learn to give and receive feedback, estimate and plan your work, explain technical decisions to non-technical people and use AI as a deliberate tool.

Every task has a deadline, and you move to the next level once you’ve completed your tasks. How and when you do the work is up to you, as long as it’s done on time. There are no official breaks in the programme, but you can work ahead to plan a holiday. Keep the overall deadlines in mind so you finish the programme on time.

Our //kood team makes sure there’s fun alongside the hard work. We organise events where you can get to know other learners and spend time together. If you have an idea for something to organise, let us know and we’ll try to make it happen.

Our learner Margarita shares her experience

Bring your own laptop to the Selection Sprint. If you don’t have one, you can rent one from our partner GreenDice.

• Laptop package – €7.90 per month (incl. VAT)
• Premium laptop package – €9.90 per month (incl. VAT) with the //kood learner discount code kood.tech (regular price €10.90)

Delivery takes 1 business day – order on Friday and you’ll have it on Monday.

Yes, you can study at all three campuses, which are open 24/7.

• kood/Jõhvi – Tartu põik 5, Jõhvi. The //kood home base – a tech school built for learning to code, with dorm rooms and dedicated study areas.
• kood/Võru – Tartu tn 25, Võru. The campus is in a former bank building, rebuilt as a modern study centre.
• kood/Järva – Keskväljak 15, Paide. A collaboration hub in the heart of Paide, just an hour from Tallinn.

Yes! You work with our partner companies throughout your studies, and they give learners real assignments and challenges. That’s how you learn what today’s job market needs.

kood/Jõhvi is in Jõhvi, Ida-Viru County, at Tartu põik 5. The newly renovated school building has five floors: three for studying and one for the dormitory. There is accommodation in Võru and Paide too (see “Do I have to share a room?”).

You can also study remotely, but we recommend coming on-site now and then for events and workshops and to work with other learners.

We’ll share the accommodation options with you during your studies.

The main expenses are food, transport and other personal costs.

• In Jõhvi you share a room with 4–5 fellow learners.
• In Paide there are rooms for 3–5 people. If the hostel isn’t full, you may get a room to yourself.
• In Võru rooms fit 2–4 people, with bunk beds or regular beds, a wardrobe, a table and chairs.

No, living on-site isn’t mandatory, but we recommend living close to the school. It makes it easier to work with other learners, build meaningful connections and succeed in your studies.

//kood (MTÜ Tuleviku Tehnoloogiaharidus) is a non-profit association on a mission to reduce the shortage of software engineers in Estonia and make IT education accessible to everyone. The schools’ day-to-day life is run by the //kood team. Meet the team

Since 2021, //kood has been funded by our partners and supporters – companies and people who see that today’s education landscape needs //kood. Many of them also hire our alumni.

To open more schools and stay financially sustainable, we’ve created flexible payment options, including the Income Sharing Agreement, which helps cover study costs and welcome new learners.

The Income Sharing Agreement (ISA) is one way to pay for the AI-Ready Product Engineer programme. It comes into effect once your monthly gross salary is at least 1.2x the Estonian average (based on Statistics Estonia data, 6-month average). From then on you pay at least €200 per month until the total of €4500 is paid.

The fee covers study and operating costs and helps the school welcome new learners in the years ahead.

If you don’t find a job, or your income stays below 1.2x the Estonian average, you don’t have to pay anything under the ISA. You’ll need to send a salary statement every 6 months to confirm this. The ISA is valid for 10 years, during which your job status and income are reviewed periodically.

No. Our partner companies are the most closely involved in the programme and know your skills and strengths well.

As a graduate you can work in many different roles, from startups to the world’s leading companies. All graduates join the kood/Alumni community and are welcome at alumni events.

After the core curriculum you can continue with an optional 3–6 month specialisation module to deepen your skills in one field.

You receive a //kood diploma on graduation, plus certificates if you completed more than the mandatory programme. //kood doesn’t award an accredited degree, as this educational model is new in Estonia and doesn’t fit any traditional definition. In tech this is rarely a problem, because companies care most about what you can do, who you are and how you work. All our partner companies see it the same way.

We partner with many of Estonia’s best companies, and they want to hire you. During your studies you meet them at events, solve challenges with them and build relationships, so a great position is waiting when you graduate. Our talent managers also help you find a job.

You need a residence permit to study and live in Estonia. //kood doesn’t currently have official educational institution status in Estonia, so it isn’t possible to apply for a student visa. This may change in the future.

Yes, the school provides health insurance through a private provider to all learners who need it.