FAQ
Free computer science curriculum FAQ
Answers for people comparing a CS degree online free path, a coding bootcamp alternative, and a structured way to teach yourself computer science for software engineering.
An all-in-one software engineering learning platform: a free interactive computer science curriculum, programming-language courses, DSA practice, online compilers, syntax references, portfolio projects, company interview prep, career tools, and an optional AI layer.
No. Hack University is not an accredited college degree and does not award university credit. It is a free, degree-style computer science curriculum for people who want university-level coding courses, projects, DSA practice, and interview prep without paying for a bootcamp.
Yes. The curriculum is structured so you can teach yourself computer science from fundamentals through systems, web development, databases, AI/data, and industry tooling. Lessons are interactive, progress is tracked, and every course is part of the free learning layer for admitted students.
Applying is free, and once you're admitted the learning side is free: every course, DSA practice, notebook notes, public cheatsheets, public online compilers, portfolio projects, and course certificates. There's no paywall on the core curriculum.
In Acceptance only mode, you apply, a human reviews the application, and you receive an accept or reject decision by email. Accepted emails can create accounts. If the app is opened in Anyone online mode, visitors can browse public demo content first, but saving work, community writes, billing, AI, and admin actions still require the right account access.
Selectivity keeps the student community serious and focused on software engineering. It costs nothing but effort to get in, and admitted students keep access to the free curriculum even if paid features are not active.
Free for admitted students: the CS curriculum, programming courses, DSA practice, notes, certificates, projects, public compilers, and public cheatsheets. Plus is $4.99/month for Live Rooms and non-AI premium features. Premium is $9.99/month for everything in Plus plus the hosted AI layer and 5,000,000 AI tokens each month.
Plus costs $4.99/month and unlocks Live Rooms plus non-AI premium features. Premium costs $9.99/month and adds the hosted AI layer (the tutor, AI code help, mock interviews, and AI career tools) with a 5,000,000-token monthly grant. AI features require Premium tokens or your own OpenAI API key configured in Billing.
A focused set of interactive courses covering exactly what a working software engineer needs: programming foundations, data structures and algorithms, databases, operating systems, web development, industry tools like Git, Docker, and AWS, and the key languages. Every lesson teaches by doing, and the Path sequences it all for you.
Hand-curated data-structures and algorithms problems. You write your solution in the built-in editor, run it against real test cases in an isolated sandbox, and get a verdict in seconds. Run checks samples, Submit checks everything.
Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, C, C++, C#, Java, Kotlin, Swift, Go, Rust, Perl, Ruby, PHP, Lua, Elixir, Haskell, Bash, and SQL, across the practice editor, live rooms, and the public online compiler.
Your code runs in an isolated sandbox environment against curated test cases, and the output must match exactly. No hidden tricks, just deterministic input and output.
Humans. Every problem and lesson is authored and reviewed by the faculty, no auto-generated filler.
Yes. Company prep connects interview stories, company-specific DSA practice, role signals, and career research so you can study what a software engineering interview is likely to emphasize without pretending there are guarantees.
Live Rooms are Plus/Premium real-time private coding sessions for pair programming, tutoring, and interview practice. Plus and Premium hosts create rooms through Hack University, and guests can join by room code without an account.
Yes. You earn a certificate for completing a course, included free for admitted students.
No. The online compiler and the cheatsheet references are public and free to everyone, no sign-up needed. The full curriculum, practice, and community are what require an account.
Yes. Your free learning access stays in place either way. Canceling a paid plan removes Plus/Premium features at the end of the billing period, but courses, DSA practice, notes, and certificates remain part of the free learning layer.