Investigation finds IronCircle boot camp left students in debt
The Hechinger Report found that a cybersecurity boot camp sold through more than 20 US universities closed in June. Few of its graduates had found work.
The Hechinger Report published an investigation on 14 October 2026 into IronCircle, a cybersecurity boot camp that closed in June.
A boot camp is a short, paid course that promises to prepare people for a job. The Hechinger Report said that more than 20 universities offered IronCircle courses under their own names. The company charged students as much as $18,900. Reporters interviewed more than 35 former students and staff and reviewed university records.
Three universities had complete job records. At those, only 35 percent of graduates were recorded as finding work within six months. At the University of Central Florida, 26 of 325 students were recorded as finding a job in that time. IronCircle did not reply to requests for comment.
Before paying for a boot camp, learners can check the things the report found missing at IronCircle. The company was not accredited itself and students who needed help paying had to take out private loans. The enrolment agreements Hechinger reviewed were between the student and the company, not the university. One student who asked for job placement figures was told the company did not track them.
The US Department of Education said in January 2025 that such partners must not give misleading information about graduates' employability. QuickStart, which bought some of IronCircle's assets, said it would let some students transfer. Experts told the Hechinger Report that students will be at the bottom of the list in the liquidation. It is not known how much money, if any, they will get back.