Merit America is a national nonprofit organization that provides job training programs for adults without college degrees, helping them transition into family-sustaining technical careers.

Our mission is to offer accessible pathways to economic mobility through education and skill development. We achieve this mission by providing comprehensive job-training in the following Career Tracks:

Our alumni come from a wide variety of backgrounds, including former rideshare drivers, food service workers, and store clerks. We have served more than 11k Merit America alumni nationwide, representing diverse experiences and career paths, with an 80% program completion rate. Over 500 top-tech companies have hired Merit America alumni, with the average time to securing a job being just 3 months.

Cost is often a barrier to entry. And, when you consider an online bachelor’s degree costs upwards of $50,000, it’s no wonder.

Merit America is a college alternative that allows low-income earners a path into higher-paying careers.

Merit America programs cost $5,700. The first four weeks of the Foundations phase are free. You can try out the program before deciding on the best payment option for you. Rest assured that you have 5 weeks to cancel with no penalty.

There are four ways to cover the costs:

If you choose Ascent Funding’s Zero Percent Loan, you won’t make any payments until three months after completing or exiting your Merit America program. Once you start repaying the loan, you will make monthly payments without incurring any interest charges. Additionally, if you become unemployed, you can delay payment, with the interest rate remaining at 0% throughout the loan period.

Should none of these options be available to you, Merit America has reserved a limited number of spaces in our Opportunity for All program. If you apply for an Ascent Zero Percent Loan and do not qualify, are not sponsored by your employer, and cannot pay in full upfront, you can apply for the program, which covers 100% of the cost for Merit America.

📌 Related Reading: How Much Does Merit America Cost and What’s Included?

If you are an eager learner stuck in a low-paying job desiring a fast and flexible path to a technical career–and a higher earning potential, Merit America is worth it!

So what’s the catch? Where’s the fine print?

There is no catch or hidden secret. But we understand the skepticism.

As with any good investment, people often fall into one of two categories. Some, like alumni Steven, who grew tired of making ends meet as an UberEats driver, discovered Merit America in his inbox between food deliveries and thought, “this is the way.” He ultimately achieved a $53,400 wage increase after completing the program.

On the other hand, you may be like Ryan, who shared, “It’s funny, I was actually mindlessly scrolling on TikTok and a Merit America ad came up. I was like, ‘no way — that’s a scam’.”

Months later, Ryan transitioned from restaurant work to landing a job as a junior technology associate with Merit America partners at Southwest Airlines. As Ryan and many others discover, “I didn’t learn until starting out in this industry that you don’t always need a degree to get started, and Merit helped show me that.”

We’ve perfected our career success model, so you can attain a higher-paying technical career without a degree or prior experience.

You have questions. We have answers. Here are our most asked questions, plus a few questions you didn’t know you should ask.

Yes, Merit America is legit!

Our alumni go on to start new careers as designers, developers, and more. They find success and fulfillment in full-time work, running freelance businesses, and pursuing other flexible and lucrative careers.

We sure do! With more than 11,000 alumni, we have many Learner Stories sharing their Merit America experience, like Sandra.

Sandra, who sought a stable, high-growth career to provide for her daughter, transitioned from working 80+ hours to a role with Merit America’s partner, Intact Technology.

She attributed her success to the coaching, stating:

“Merit America’s personalized career support, provided by dedicated coaches, was instrumental in my online education success, leading to a transformative career and profound life change. Through their expert guidance, I found the courage to pursue my dreams, conquer challenges, and push beyond my limits.”

Thanks for asking! We understand your hesitation and want to help you make the best decision for you.

Coursera is an online learning platform that offers a wide range of courses, specializations, and degrees in various subjects. You can earn technical certificates, and it can be a good option for learners with prior technical knowledge.

However, for others, self-learning is not an attainable goal because of a lack of support or the complexity of coursework. In fact, only 10% of students finish any given course, according to Duke research on massive open online courses (MOOC). And, in the US, only 14% of people complete a professional certificate on their own.

Merit America combines industry-standard education from Coursera with expert technical and career support. Merit America is for career changers and learners who have no or little prior technical knowledge or experience.

Self-learning is a great way to develop your professional skills. However, if you want structured, 1:1 expert guidance and partners to help you learn technical skills and land a job in tech, Merit America is for you.

No. While we provide 1:1 career support, we also provide holistic services so you can break into tech without a four-year degree.

Here’s what you can expect:

Personalized, hands-on career coaching:

Comprehensive networking and job search support:

Expert application and interview preparation:

Essential professional development skills:

No, America is not accredited. However, we use industry-standard third-party coursework to teach you the technical skills you will be using in your next career.

📌 Related Reading: Is Merit America Accredited?

No, Merit America does not provide a certificate of completion after finishing your chosen Career Track.

That said, don’t fret! You will receive an industry-recognized Google Career Certificate. We can also provide a letter of completion to students who need proof of completion.

Aside from a certificate, you will receive the tech knowledge, career coaching, and industry connections needed to transition into a technical career.

📌 Related Reading: Certificate vs. Certification: What’s the Difference?

Yes, Merit America does have a job guarantee.

Our mission is to help you gain the technical skills needed to land a family-sustaining career. But we know taking the leap is nerve-wrecking. That’s why we’re betting on you!

We’re so confident in our program that we’ve created the Merit America Guarantee, our policy which affirms that if you still don’t earn at least $40k within the two years after you have completed the Immersion phase of your chosen Merit America program, you don’t have to pay.

If you don’t earn at least $40,000 per year within two years of completing the program, you may qualify for a full refund or cancellation of your loan.