Starbucks to Offer Free College Tuition for Employees

Starbucks has announced that it will help pay for employees to complete their bachelor's degree through a partnership with Arizona State University. According to the press release, the degrees will be offered through an online program and employees will be able to choose between over 40 areas areas of study including options like electrical engineering, retail management, and education. Those admitted to ASU as a junior or senior will be reimbursed fully for each semester of "full-time coursework" they complete, while those accepted as a freshman or sophomore will be eligible for partial scholarships and financial aid for two years.

The program, called the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, is open to any eligible full-time or part-time (someone who works on average of 20 hours a week) employee of a company-operated store, including those employed by the coffee chain's other brands like Teavana and La Boulange. The New York Times notes that the program is very unique. While other companies offer tuition reimbursement, the programs often come with many limitations: Companies often will not pay full cost or will only reimburse work-related courses. Many of them also require that "workers stay for years afterward." Starbucks' program, however, does not require that any of the program participants remain at the company past graduation.

· Starbucks Offers Full Tuition Reimbursement for Employees to Complete a Bachelor's Degree [Starbucks]
· Starbucks to Provide Free College Education to Thousands of Workers [NYT]
· All Starbucks Coverage on Eater [-E-]