In 2021, Apple partnered with Michigan State University to launch the Apple Developer Academy in Detroit as part of a major commitment to racial equity. The initiative was designed to teach coding and app development in one of the country’s poorest major cities, aiming to expand opportunities for people of color. A comprehensive new report by Wired has shed light on the program’s finances, curriculum, and the tangible outcomes for its graduates. While many students describe the experience as life-changing, others face significant hurdles in a tightening tech job market.
The financial structure of the academy relies on a significant mix of corporate philanthropy and public funding. Over the past four years, nearly $30 million has been invested in the Detroit program. Apple contributed approximately $11.6 million, while the Gilbert Family Foundation and university partners added over $9.4 million. Interestingly, about 30 percent of the funding—roughly $8.6 million—came from Michigan taxpayers and tuition paid by regular university students, specifically to help cover costs and stipends.
Since its inception, the academy has enrolled over 1,700 students, creating a demographic mix that spans generations. While the average student is in their 30s, the age range extends from 18-year-olds to seniors in their 70s. Roughly one-third of the participants are under the age of 25. The program spends an estimated $20,000 per student, which is nearly double the amount state and local governments typically budget for community college students.
To support students during the tuition-free program, the academy provides hardware like MacBooks and iPhones, along with a monthly cost-of-living stipend. These stipends range from $800 to $1,500 per month, though recent changes to state rules may have restricted access to these funds for some. Several students reported that this amount was insufficient to cover living expenses, forcing them to rely on food stamps or side jobs while completing their coursework.
The curriculum is heavily focused on the Apple ecosystem, training students specifically in iOS development and the Swift programming language. While this allows students to master Apple’s proprietary tools, it can limit their versatility in the broader job market. Graduates noted that their lack of proficiency in competing platforms, such as Android, sometimes hindered their ability to secure general software engineering roles.
Despite the challenges, the academy boasts a graduation rate of about 70 percent, a figure officials describe as higher than typical for adult education. Regarding professional placement, 71 percent of graduates from the last two years have moved into full-time jobs across various industries. The program has also successfully incubated entrepreneurship, taking credit for spawning 62 new apps and 13 businesses.
However, the academy’s impact on Apple’s own diversity statistics appears limited so far. Before the Detroit academy opened, Apple’s US tech workforce was 6 percent Black. Current data indicates that this figure has dropped to approximately 3 percent. Furthermore, as the tech industry pivots toward Artificial Intelligence, the entry-level market for mobile app developers is growing more slowly than in previous years, posing new risks for recent graduates.
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