Lots of students need to work a part-time job while they attend college or to receive training for the next steps in their future careers. Sometimes, having a part-time or full-time job seems to get in the way of attaining a degree. In fact, many students feel the weight of the burden on their families and fear not being able to pay the bills. What if the opposite were true, though? What if we told you that a part-time job could facilitate earning a degree and that certain companies offered tuition reimbursement for students who work at the company? 

Of course, there are many organizations that offer tuition reimbursement for skilled labor–people who already have a skill or have worked for a company for many years before going back to school. But, what about companies that offer tuition reimbursement as a benefit to anyone who works there, regardless of skill level and number of years of experience? Outlined below are four examples of companies that we researched that support students by offering tuition reimbursement as a financial incentive and professional motivation to earn a college education while working to pay the bills. 

Our list is neither exhaustive nor comprehensive. It’s meant to provide examples of what is offered so that schools, students, and families can navigate tuition reimbursement in a practical way. We intentionally narrowed our search using specific criteria. First, the information had to be super easy to access and at least somewhat easy to understand. After scouring the internet for descriptions of tuition reimbursement benefits, it’s critical to note that these benefits are not always easy to find or understand. 

Second, the organization had to allow for part-time employees to receive the benefit. We focused on part-time for students who need to balance school and work. Third, the company must offer the benefit on day one of employment with limited expectations for hours worked per week. Finally, these employers provide access to a number of degree programs without requiring the employee to stay within the organization to use it. 

UPS

United Parcel Services operates internationally in more than 220 countries and territories around the world. They are a pretty well-known brand, and they have a tuition assistance program for employees. UPS calls their program, Earn & Learn, which is available at more than 100 locations in the US. 

UPS offers $5,250 per calendar year with a lifetime maximum of $25,000. The best part is that UPS does not restrict course and major selection at all. Employees can use the assistance to go to school to earn a bachelors degree or back to school to earn a masters. You can find more information here. 

Walmart

Walmart boasts that 75% of their salaried employees started as hourly associates. They have a program called Live Better U that covers the cost of tuition and books for both part- and full-time employees. This benefit starts on day one of employment and carries no obligation to keep working at Walmart after graduation. 

Although the degree programs and institutions are limited, Walmart offers their employees access to Success Coaches to help individuals find eligible programs and navigate the benefit. The degree programs that Walmart supports are in the areas of business, management, leadership, supply chain management, data science, computing, and marketing. You can learn more about LiveBetterU here. 

Discover

Discover is a national credit card brand. Discover’s education benefits are available on the first day of employment, and can cover up to 100% of tuition and fees. Not only do they cover lab fees, for qualified programs, they even cover registration and books. Their fully-funded college partners are limited to three universities, but do provide online access to degrees, including organizational management, business management, computer science, and network security. 

If a Discover employee chooses to use an in-network school that’s not on the list of schools and programs that are fully covered, they can access $5,250 per year for tuition for a bachelor’s degree and $10,000 per year for a master’s degree. For fully funded degrees and in-network schools, Discover pays the school directly rather than reimbursing the employee. If employees decide to go to out-of-network schools, they can be reimbursed for these same dollar amounts with an additional dollar amount allocated ($2,500 per year) for those seeking an associates degree. Learn more about Discover Education Assistance here. 

Roto-Rooter

There are also alternatives to college altogether. Roto-Rooter is a plumbing company that operates in the US and Canada, and it offers on-the-job training toward valuable credentials. Their website boasts the following: “If you’re looking for a career that provides an alternative to starting college or going back to finish college, consider an apprenticeship in a trade that has a highly skilled, and well-paid workforce – plumbing.” 

It’s important to note that there are options like this one, as well as other certification programs, that focus on skill-development and credentialing rather than degree completion. Having a degree is still important for upward mobility in any profession, but a credential is another entry plan into the economy if college isn’t currently the best fit. You can learn more about the Roto-Rooter plan here. 

Conclusion

We want to note, again, that this list isn’t exhaustive. It would be quite difficult to list every benefit of this kind from every employer in the US. The point, though, is that students should not yet despair if they need to work while they’re in school and that some employers are actually willing to help pay for the expenses associated with earning a degree with very few outstanding limitations. It’s also important for counselors and other K-12 school officials to help students with this information when students are making their college and career plans prior to engaging with their postsecondary goals so that they know what their options are. Maybe local industry partners have benefits of this kind that can be revealed during work-based learning, internships, and other experiences that students have while in high school. Just knowing what kinds of examples can be shared with students can help them to make more informed decisions with less fear about going to college and incurring the associated debt. 

If you want to learn more about how MaiaLearning can facilitate the connection between industry partners, schools, and districts for seamless work-based learning experiences, schedule a demo today.