From pilot to program: All In for Students scales up

GitHub launched All In for Students in 2021 as a pilot with 30 students from seven universities. The program, designed to provide open source training plus internship and job pathways for students from underserved communities, has since grown well beyond those original numbers. The 2023 cohort included 405 students from 112 U.S. universities and colleges—12 times the pilot’s student count and 16 times its institutional reach.

The expansion also brought greater diversity across institution types: participants came from 22 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), 11 Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and 16 community colleges. Another 24% of students attended schools where people of color make up more than half the student population.

Most participants (80%) entered with little or no prior knowledge of GitHub or open source. Over the course of the program, students attended hackathons with over 200 total registrants, and many built GitHub portfolios containing hundreds of contributions within six months. Corporate partners now include Red Hat, Microsoft, GitHub, Cisco, and Intel, with NASA joining as a signature partner and Fidelity Investments committing as a leading partner on a multi-year basis.

The program produced 55 graduates this year, a 130% increase over the pilot’s graduate count. A virtual ceremony featured keynote speakers from Red Hat, Microsoft, and Cisco, alongside student testimonials about the program’s influence on their tech careers.

The challenge of scaling support

The graduate numbers highlight a persistent issue: only 13.5% of enrolled students completed the coursework. Dozens of students stopped short of finishing a single remaining small task required for graduation. The drop-off raises a central question for the program’s organizers: how do you help students cross the finish line at scale?

The program’s early success depended heavily on close collaboration with professors and faculty. This year, 81% of students said they enrolled on a professor’s recommendation, underscoring the importance of university staff as key stakeholders. But the rapid growth in partner schools—coupled with staffing turnover at universities—stretched the program’s ability to engage new students at the same depth as in the pilot.

Economic conditions also shaped the year. At the pilot’s conclusion, corporate interest was strong enough to create a waitlist for partners. That enthusiasm later cooled as layoffs and budget cuts reduced internship programs across the industry. The program’s core purpose is connecting students to paid internships and opportunities, so maintaining corporate partnerships during downturns has become a critical focus.

What’s next

GitHub aims to skill 5,000 people over the next three years through All In for Students and its sibling program, All In for Maintainers. U.S. expansion is planned alongside international growth, with impact remaining the north star metric.

To provide the direct professional support that students respond well to, the program will adopt a cohort model: small groups guided by open source practitioners sourced through corporate partner employee resource groups. The program also plans more frequent reporting and touchpoints with university partners.

Beyond introductory skills, the coming year brings a push to build curriculum and projects that prepare students for specific job roles. Program leads will survey corporate partners and open source communities to identify the skills students should develop, including how to leverage AI to accelerate their progress.

Students who are eligible can apply through the program’s interest form, and companies or organizations interested in offering open source opportunities can sign up as partners.