// 42_days_of_giving

invest in the next generation.

42 days from 13 November to Christmas Eve. Let's see how far the network can take it.

42 Berlin and 42 Wolfsburg train software engineers tuition-free, peer to peer, open to anyone with the drive. Your contribution takes them to hackathons, coding challenges and tech conferences across Germany, and keeps 42 free for around 1,000 students.

invest_now

Receipt by email, automatically. Card, PayPal, SEPA or bank transfer.

The overnight agent hackathon winners holding their certificates
Agent hackathon winners, 42 Berlin
A large group of 42 Berlin students and staff outdoors, cheering
The 42 Berlin community
Two hackathon participants at the lectern in front of the Akkodis banner
Third place at a hackathon in Wolfsburg
Students gathered around a screen, one leaning in to help
Learning peer to peer
Teams and judges of the Battle of the Tech Schools 2026 on the 42 Berlin campus
Battle of the Tech Schools, on our campus
Five students smiling on campus, one holding a laptop
On campus in Neukölln
Students talking in a corridor during an event on campus
Peer evaluation
// the_community
// why_we_ask

free to study. not free to run.

Studying at 42 is free. No tuition fees, ever, so talent decides who gets in, not money. Training a student still costs around €4,200: the campus, the infrastructure, the team behind it. Your contribution keeps 42 open for the next student.

Our students learn by building, together, and a lot of that happens off campus: a weekend hackathon in Munich, a coding challenge in Hamburg, a first talk at a conference in Berlin. Getting there costs money many of them don't have: a train ticket, a bed for the night, a conference pass. Your contribution gets them there.

€4,200

funds one student's training at 42.

  • Two campuses, in Berlin and Wolfsburg.
  • Around 1,000 students learning peer to peer, with no tuition fees.
  • Not a scholarship or a bursary: there are no fees to cover.

A contribution is an investment in the education infrastructure that keeps 42 open for the next student.

where your money goes.

// student_learning_fund

the first €4,200

Goes into our Student Learning Fund: travel, accommodation and tickets for hackathons, coding challenges and conferences.

// the_whole_of_42

everything beyond

Invests in 42 as a whole: the campus, the infrastructure and the team that educate around 1,000 students, tuition-free. Every further €4,200 is one student's training.

// choose_your_investment

choose your investment.

Six amounts, each tied to something real, or name your own. Give once, or set up a monthly contribution in the form.

your amount Any amount, once or monthly.
// your_investment once or monthly

€420 · travel and stay for one student at a hackathon

giving_formThe platform embed goes here. Card, PayPal, SEPA and monthly giving, with your receipt sent automatically.

You receive a donation receipt (Zuwendungsbestätigung) by email, automatically.

Your full donation after payment fees goes to 42 Wolfsburg/Berlin e.V.

Companies: paying by bank transfer
// what_it_made_possible

what it made possible.

A train ticket is a small thing. Where it takes someone is not. Three stories from our students.

More stories
Five hackathon winners celebrating in front of the Volkswagen and Akkodis banners
1st place, Volkswagen Group challenge

55 hackers, 11 teams, 24 hours. 42 Berlin students travelled to Wolfsburg for the AI for Future Workforce Hackathon. Team Road One took first place in the Volkswagen Group challenge.

Helen, Pedro, Claudia, Kristin and Tanmay

Lukas sitting in an armchair with his laptop
Hackathon winner, now at VAARHAFT

Won the Data Science Meets Biology hackathon with Bayer. Took part in a capture-the-flag bootcamp in Morocco with the 42 Network. Now an AI and Data Engineer working on deepfake detection.

Lukas, 42 Berlin

Tanmay and Pashá presenting Kompass in front of a screen
1st place, Battle of the Tech Schools

A team from 42 Berlin took first place with Kompass, an AI platform that helps newcomers find their people in Berlin. Months later they were back, pitching version two to the city's welcome services.

Tanmay, Pashá and team

// the_42_days

42 days, one milestone at a time.

From launch on 13 November to Christmas Eve, one milestone update or student story a week. Each milestone reached becomes a line on this page: who went where, and what they built there.

// the_calendar starts 13 nov
    13 nov24 dec

    1. €42 1×42

      The first train ticket.

    2. €420 10×42

      One student to an out-of-town hackathon: travel and a bed for the night.

    3. €4,200 100×42

      The Student Learning Fund is full for the season. Everything after this invests in 42 as a whole.

    4. The next step is revealed when we get there.

    // team_collections

    collecting as a team this christmas?

    Many teams collect at the end of the year and pass it on. Choose 42. We send you a short kit for your collection, take a single transfer, mention your team on this page, and tell you in January which students you sent where.

    get_the_team_kit

    Companies: one bank transfer, one donation receipt, no invoice.

    1. get the kit.

      A one-pager, a ready-to-send Slack and email text for whoever collects, and the bank details for a single transfer.

    2. collect in december.

      Forward the text and let the team chip in. Pick an anchor if you like: €1,000 sends a team of three to a hackathon, €4,200 funds one student's training in full.

    3. one transfer before 31 december.

      Gifts before year end count for this tax year. You get a receipt, a mention on this page and a short impact update in January.

    // partner_with_us

    want to do more?

    Give once, or set up a monthly contribution in the form above. And if you want to work with us longer term and create shared value, let's talk partnership: hackathons, mentoring, hiring, and shaping how the next generation of engineers learns. We partner with organisations big and small.

    partner_with_us
    • Hackathons on campus
    • Mentoring and talks
    • Hiring job-ready engineers
    • Shaping the curriculum
    // faq

    questions, answered.

    Receipts, tax, bank transfers and who is behind the two campuses. Anything else: contact@42berlin.de.

    Is my contribution tax-deductible?

    Yes. 42 Wolfsburg/Berlin e.V. is a recognised non-profit (gemeinnützig). You receive a donation receipt (Zuwendungsbestätigung) by email, automatically. Gifts made before 31 December count for this tax year.

    Can my company pay by bank transfer?

    Yes. Write to contact@42berlin.de and we send the bank details. You receive a donation receipt. We don't issue invoices for donations.

    Can I give monthly?

    Yes. Choose monthly in the form and change or stop it any time.

    Does my full donation reach 42?

    Your full donation after payment fees. Nothing else is deducted. The first €4,200 of the campaign goes into the Student Learning Fund; everything beyond that invests in 42 as a whole.

    Berlin or Wolfsburg: where does my money go?

    Both. Every contribution goes to 42 Wolfsburg/Berlin e.V., the non-profit behind both campuses. One page, one counter, one Student Learning Fund for students in Berlin and Wolfsburg.

    Who is behind 42 Berlin and 42 Wolfsburg?

    42 Wolfsburg/Berlin e.V., a non-profit founded in 2021 and part of the global 42 network of tuition-free coding schools. Around 1,000 students learn on the two campuses, supported by a network of corporate partners.

    About 42 Berlin · Our partners

    // 42_days_of_giving

    a stake in the next generation of european tech talent.

    Back bright minds trained in Germany, then follow them on this page: who went where, and what they built there.

    invest_now

    Receipt by email, automatically. Gifts before 31 December count for this tax year.