Tuition Reimbursement Programs

Many companies offer tuition reimbursement initiatives to help their workers develop skills and knowledge. These programs benefit the employees as they can earn a GED diploma or an academic college degree at the company’s expense.

At the same time, the employer will benefit as well, as it will help to recruit, retain, and develop their workforce.

Workers who have to earn a GED can dive into their GED prep journey with our free GED online classes to get started on their GED prep journey.

If online learning works well, they can continue toward their GED with Onsego GED Prep, an accredited and affordable online GED prep program.

Workers who have earned their GED diplomas may go on to earn professional certificates or even college or university degrees.

Often, it all starts with achieving a secondary education degree (high school or equivalent degree), after which an online college course will take them further.

In earlier days, employees usually first completed high school or got a GED and then enrolled in college to apply for a job once that was completed. These days, however, we see an increasing number of companies offering their staffers to flip this order.

So employees now can easily get a job with an employer and then work toward professional certification or a college degree, often through an online program, and many companies offer a tuition reimbursement program that pays for tuition and fees.

Tuition Reimbursement Assistance Programs

Tuition Assistance Programs are not new, but today, there are more and more large corporations offering tuition reimbursement programs than ever before. This helps to recruit, retain, and train their staff members.

In this post, we take a closer look at some major corporations that offer educational initiatives to help their workers get ahead while the companies will benefit as well from better-trained and better-skilled employees.

Amazon, for example, extended its Career Choice Initiative that enables all of its hourly employees to achieve professional certificates or associate or bachelor’s degrees at no cost to the workers. This page addresses just a few companies, so check also our page for more information about large corporations and their college tuition reimbursement programs.

Major Businesses with Tuition Reimbursement Programs

So here we’ll look at some major employers that offer tuition reimbursement programs so their staffers can develop themselves and earn academic degrees paid for by their employers.

• Amazon – Under the “Career Choice” program, Amazon pays up to $5,250 a year for full-time workers ($2,625 for part-timers) who earn a professional certification or associate or bachelor’s degree in high-demand sectors such as commercial trucking, nursing, aircraft mechanics, and many more. Across America, more than 180 colleges and universities are participating in the program. You can read more about this amazing Amazon initiative here. Employees can already benefit from the initiative after 90 days of employment. To qualify for a college education, holding a high school or GED credential is required, and the company supports its staffers to earn a GED or high school diploma for free.

• Starbucks – Starbucks’ Tuition Assistance Program (labeled the College Achievement Plan) allows staffers to earn a bachelor’s degree online from ASU (Arizona State University) at no cost to the employee, and there are over 100 courses to choose from. The online courses range from design or arts degrees to STEM programs, and after completion, there’s no requirement to stay with Starbucks. The company offers this initiative to employees who are with the company for 240 hours or more.

• Walmart & Sam’s Club – Walmart offers the “Live Better U” tuition assistance program that allows employees to earn an academic degree or attend a high school completion or GED program while the company pays upfront for the cost. From Day One, Walmart and Sam’s Club workers can enroll in 6 online academic institutions, including Brandman University and Wilmington University. To qualify for academic college courses, holding a high school or GED diploma is required, and workers without a secondary education degree can easily earn a GED if they register for the accredited online GED prep course designed by Onsego Online GED Classes.

• Disney – Disney offers the ASPIRE Tuition Reimbursement Program so staffers can earn an undergraduate or graduate degree at the company’s expense, and they can major in any academic field of their choice. Upon completion, there are no requirements to keep working for the company. Employees already qualify for participation after they’ve worked for Disney for 90 days. They can choose courses from more than ten participating colleges and universities, including The University of Denver, The University of Florida, and The University of Arizona. Keep in mind that the GED exam can now be taken online as well.

• Papa John’s – Papa John’s offers its staffers the “Dough & Degrees” Tuition Reimbursement Program. The pizza giant compensates its workers not only to earn their GED diplomas or for high school completion programs but also for the cost of tuition and fees for online certificate courses and earning an online undergraduate or graduate degree from Purdue University-Global and the University of Maryland-Global Campus. Papa John’s associates qualify for tuition reimbursement when they have worked at the company for at least three months for at least 20 hours a week.

• Chipotle – Chipotle offers a tuition reimbursement program that pays for tuition costs and fees upfront. Initially, the company’s “Cultivate Education” program offered reimbursement, but now, Chipotle has teamed up with Guild Education, and staffers can earn an online academic degree that’s paid upfront. Staffers can choose from more than 75 programs in business, technology, culinary arts, supply chain, and agriculture from nine schools, including Purdue Global, Oregon State, and Wilmington University.

Most new tuition reimbursement plans will pay upfront for college tuition or GED completion programs. So, employees can benefit not only from programs offered at numerous community colleges but also from online programs.

So again, Tuition Reimbursement Programs are nothing new. These days, however, there are more and more large corporations that offer tuition reimbursement to recruit, train, and retain staff members.

Last Updated on November 15, 2024.