42 School / independent guide
42 is not a normal coding school. That is the point.
42 is a tuition-free international network of 58 programming schools across 30 countries, built around projects, peer learning, and self-direction rather than lectures. I experienced that model first as a student at 42 Paris and later from the staff side while helping launch 42 Lisboa.
- 2013
- The first 42 campus opened in Paris
- 58
- Schools listed by 42 Network on 9 August 2026
- 30
- Countries represented in the current directory
- 0
- Traditional lectures in the learning model
The short answer
42 is a network, a learning method, and a set of local campuses. The network supplies a shared educational foundation: a project-based curriculum, peer evaluation, an immersive selection month called the Piscine, and the expectation that students learn how to find, test, and explain knowledge. Each campus still controls its dates, local operations, support, credentials, and community.
Start here
Choose the decision in front of you.
Understand the selection, compare campuses, and prepare the month without reading every guide at once.
The model
You learn by making something work.
There is no lecturer walking a class through the same chapter at the same speed. A project gives you a problem and a boundary. You inspect what is being asked, find the missing knowledge, try an approach, test it, and defend the result.
That freedom is not the absence of structure. Projects, evaluations, progression rules, campus systems, and other students create the structure. The work feels closer to joining an unfamiliar technical environment than sitting through a conventional lesson.
The route
Application leads to immersion, then the curriculum.
The exact application steps belong to each campus, but the broad path is recognisable across the network: register, complete the initial online stage, attend a campus introduction or check-in, take part in the Piscine, and begin the common core if selected.
The Piscine is not a detached preparation course. It places candidates inside the learning method for roughly a month. That makes it both a selection stage and a chance to decide whether the environment actually suits you.
The network
A shared foundation does not make every campus identical.
42 Network says partner campuses use the same selection process and common foundations. The network also encourages mobility once students have mastered those foundations. The complete directory now compares all 58 schools in the network.
Local reality still matters. Funding, application dates, legal credentials, events, staffing, language, campus culture, and the practical experience of studying in Paris, Lisboa, Porto, or another city can differ. The campus you apply to remains the source of truth for those details.
Credentials and outcomes
The learning model travels. Qualifications and statistics do not.
Portugal’s campuses describe a certificate of completion rather than a university diploma. 42 Paris publishes optional French RNCP level 6 and level 7 professional-certification routes with additional eligibility and experience requirements. Those are recognised professional qualifications, not an automatic conventional degree for every 42 student.
Employment figures also need their denominator. Paris publishes several percentages for different populations, while a 2026 Portuguese report covered 198 people who completed the common core in 2025. These figures are useful evidence about completers, but they do not show the outcome of everyone who begins an application or Piscine.
My vantage point
I have used the system and helped operate it.
I trained at 42 Paris from 2018 to 2020 after learning web development on my own. Before 42 Lisboa, I worked as a full-stack developer at My Jungly in Paris, then joined the 42 Network development team inside the 42 Paris Bocal and worked on the student intranet. I moved from that network role into the founding 42 Lisboa team.
Having worked on both sides gives me a practical view of the gap between the published method and the ordinary work required to learn—or to keep a campus running—inside it. Current admissions, curriculum, and policy still belong to the network and each campus.
Comparison
What is shared across 42 and what remains local
| Part of the experience | Shared network foundation | Campus-level reality |
|---|---|---|
| Learning model | Projects, peers, evaluation, self-direction | Community habits and available support |
| Selection | Online stage, introduction, Piscine | Dates, places, communication, local requirements |
| Curriculum | Common foundations and progression | Current project version, pace rules, credentials |
| Credential | No single network-wide degree | Paris publishes optional RNCP routes; Portugal publishes completion certificates |
| Employment evidence | No shared admission-to-employment measure | Campus and cohort figures use different populations and definitions |
| Student life | Autonomy and collaboration | Language, building, city, events, transport, cost of living |
| Mobility | Network encourages cross-campus experience | Eligibility and timing must be confirmed locally |
First-hand work
From learning the model to helping launch a campus.
Four documented records connect the full arc: intensive peer learning, life inside 42 Paris, product work with the Network team, and launch operations for 42 Lisboa.
The Hacking Project, 2018 cohort
The documented account of three months of Ruby, Rails, and peer learning before 42 Paris.
42 Network Student Intranet
Full-stack product work with the network development team inside the 42 Paris Bocal.
42 Lisboa launch
Campus systems, candidate journeys, permissions, and the first Piscines.
From 42 Paris to 42 Lisboa
The sequence from training to product work, network operations, and the founding Lisboa team.
Free seven-page readiness workbook
Build your Piscine operating plan before the pressure starts.
A printable guide for protecting your time, energy, attention, and relationships during the Piscine. It is designed for candidates at any 42 school and works whether you are starting from zero or already know how to code.
- A calendar and obligations audit for the four-week commitment
- Sleep, meals, transport, budget, and recovery planning
- Simple resets for comparison, setbacks, and getting stuck
- A daily planning page you can print and reuse
Common questions
42 is not a normal coding school. That is the point.
Is 42 really tuition-free?
42 Network and its partner campuses describe the programme as tuition-free. Living costs, travel, equipment outside the campus, and the time you cannot spend earning money are still real costs.
Do I need a diploma to apply?
The network is designed without the academic-record gate used by conventional schools. Local age and administrative rules still apply, so check the campus where you want to register.
Do I need to know how to code?
No prior coding experience is required for the standard admissions route. Starting from zero does not mean the month or curriculum will be easy; it means previous programming is not the entrance requirement.
Is 42 a university or a bootcamp?
It does not fit neatly into either category. It is longer and more self-directed than a typical bootcamp, while its teaching model, timetable, and credentials differ from a conventional university.
Are all 42 campuses the same?
They share a network model and common educational foundations, but local dates, operations, credentials, culture, and support vary.
Does 42 issue a degree?
Credentials differ by campus and country. 42 Paris publishes optional RNCP professional-certification pathways; Lisboa and Porto describe a completion certificate rather than a conventional university degree. Verify the exact route and eligibility before applying.
Does 42 guarantee a technology job?
No. Published outcomes describe particular groups of completers and use different definitions. They are useful signals, not an admission-to-employment guarantee for everyone who starts the Piscine or common core.
Sources and boundaries
Check the details that can change.
This is an independent guide. The network and each campus remain the authority for admissions, dates, curriculum, credentials, and rules.