Starbucks Offers Workers Opportunity To Graduate College With Bachelor’s Degree
Starbucks is providing its workers with another uncommonly seen perk for the service industry – the company will pay for workers’ last two years of college to get an Online degree from Arizona State. Best of all, there are no strings attached.
The company, in a deal with the university, will reimburse employees’ the full tuition so long as they enroll as a junior or senior in the online program. Freshman and sophomores will get a partial scholarship as well as need-based financial aid.
This Starbucks College Achievement Plan is for employees who work 20 hours a week. And, according to Starbucks, that cover most of its 135,000 workforce in the United States. Once employees are enrolled in the program, they have their pickings from 40 majors. And, Starbucks won’t make them commit to staying on the job upon graduation.
Starbucks did not release how much money the program is going to cost them, saying they’re not sure how many people will actually take advantage of it.
According to Arizona State University, tuition for undergraduate online programs can cost up to $543 per credit hour with students needing at least 12 credit hours to be classified as full-time. Many people will take 16 credit hours.
The famous coffeehouse said the move is the most significant investment the company has made since giving stock to its staffers in 1992.
Many businesses offer employees a tuition reimbursement program, but have limitations that can include:
- Full program cost not covered
- New employees are excluded
- Workers may stay with company for a specific amount of time
- Pay back monies if workers leave before that specified amount of time
- Coursework must be related to work.
Lumina Foundation CEO and President Jamie Merisotis said Starbucs is doing what other corporations have not done yet. It’s providing its Starbucks employees a chance to get a college bachelor’s education in the only way many of them will be able to… through an online university.
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