Two Singaporeans achieve rare milestones at SUTD’s tuition-free coding school

SINGAPORE – Many people who start at the tuition-free coding school at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) do not make it even halfway to the end.

But Mr Brian Young, 36, and Mr Jeffrey Goh, 35, have become the first Singaporeans to reach the highest certification levels offered by 42 Singapore (42 SG), an unconventional free coding programme known for its rigour and high attrition rate.

In October, Mr Young was awarded the RNCP Level 7 certificate, a French certification equivalent to a master’s degree.

Mr Goh completed 17 levels in July, earning the RNCP Level 6 certification – equivalent to a bachelor’s degree. He is on track to complete all 21 levels by August 2026.

Their achievements are no small feat as even finishing the first nine levels in the 42 SG programme has proven to be a challenge for many.

Of the 320 students in the first two cohorts at SUTD, just 40 have graduated so far after completing nine levels. About

100 from the first cohort in 2023 have quit

, The Straits Times reported on June 9.

Launched in September 2023

, 42 SG is modelled after Ecole 42 in Paris, which offers a free coding programme for anyone above 18 years old.

It relies on peer learning and offers full hands-on, project-based learning in a gamified environment. There are neither teachers nor structured lessons, or academic prerequisites to enrol.

To be eligible, students have to clear a two-hour memory and logic test that does not require any coding knowledge, before moving on to a second test called “The Piscine” (French for swimming pool).

Achieving personal milestones

For Mr Young, this journey began more than a decade ago.

He was the

first Singaporean to enrol at Ecole 42

in Paris in 2014, after quitting a bachelor’s degree programme in computer science at the National University of Singapore after just six months.

Despite failing 15 projects, he completed all 21 levels of the curriculum in four years – a feat achieved by fewer than 2 per cent of Ecole 42 students worldwide.

Mr Young returned to the 42 network through SUTD in 2024 to fulfil the requirements to obtain the RNCP Level 7 certification.

Earning this years later was less about collecting credentials than finishing what he started, he told ST.

To do this, he spent his weekends and some nights after work from May 2024 to August 2024 at the SUTD campus working on projects to fulfil the requirements for this certification.

“It was a way to close the chapter properly and honour the many people who helped me along the way. It’s a personal milestone rather than a career move,” said Mr Young.

A lifelong learner, he also obtained a Master of Science in cybersecurity management from the University of Warwick at the Singapore Institute of Management in 2023.

Though the RNCP Level 7 certification and his cybersecurity degree serve different purposes, they are complementary, he said.

While the 42 programme trained him to build systems from the ground up, his postgraduate studies sharpened his understanding of how such systems can be managed.

“Both the experiences strengthen each other and have shaped how I approach my work today,” he said.

Mr Young now works as a cybersecurity engineer at the Defence Science and Technology Agency.

Mr Goh’s journey, though shorter than Mr Young’s, was equally demanding. As part of the first intake of 190 students at 42 SG, he distinguished himself as a quick learner.

In July 2024, he was among the

fastest students globally to complete the programme’s common core curriculum

– which is equivalent to a diploma certification.

He completed the first nine levels out of 21 in just 10 months, placing him among the top 50 students worldwide to reach that stage in under a year.

Balancing a full-time job and the programme required strict discipline, said Mr Goh.

He often spent two to four hours each evening on coursework after regular working hours, making personal sacrifices.

He is an internet-of-things engineer at a start-up developing water monitoring systems.

He added that he enjoyed the learning process at 42 SG, which is not fixated on grades. Students in the programme either pass or fail, with no grades like A, B or C awarded for projects.

“There are many instances that people fail for various kinds of mistakes. But at 42, you are allowed to try again as many times as you need to pass,” he said.

Diverse learner profiles at 42 SG

Mr Koh Chye Soon, head of 42 SG, said the programme is not meant to replace traditional universities but to support Singapore’s broader push towards lifelong learning.

Calling it a model that is intentionally “non-traditional” because the programme is free and flexible, he said students can leave as soon as they achieve their personal goal, which is often employment.

Nearly half of 42 SG’s students already hold a degree, while another 14 per cent have postgraduate certificates.

About 20 per cent of its students are over 40 years old, with an average age of around 30 – older than the global average of 25 years across all the Ecole 42 campuses.

To attract various learners, the school now has two intakes a year – in November and in the first half of the year.

In 2025, it took in 173 students under the two intakes, up from about 130 in 2024.

One group of learners 42 SG is trying to reach are mid-careerists looking to gain more skills and explore new job pathways, Mr Koh said. The others are those who have not found success in traditional learning routes.

Said Mr Koh: “We are looking for outliers. These are like the gems, the diamonds in carbon form, who have not found success or their footing yet.

“On a day-to-day basis, this programme grinds, shapes and sharpens you. Under pressure, if the carbon is indeed a diamond, you will be shaped beautifully.”