News

Starbucks hopes to retain employees with new college tuition program

June 16, 2014

Starbucks today announced it is now offering full tuition reimbursement for its employees to complete their bachelor’s degree. The “Starbucks College Achievement Plan” was created to “empower thousands of U.S. partners (employees) to complete a bachelor’s degree with full tuition reimbursement through Arizona State University,” the company said in a news release.

Starbucks Chairman, President and CEO Howard Schultz will host the first Partner Family Forum in the U.S. in New York’s Times Center and will join ASU president Dr. Michael M. Crow and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to officially launch the Starbucks College Achievement Plan.

Through the collaboration, U.S.-based partners working an average of 20 hours per week at any company-operated store (including Teavana, La Boulange, Evolution Fresh and Seattle’s Best Coffee stores) can choose from more than 40 undergraduate degree programs taught by ASU’s faculty, such as electrical engineering, education, business and retail management. Partners admitted to ASU as a junior or senior will earn full tuition reimbursement for each semester of full-time coursework they complete toward a bachelor’s degree. Freshmen and sophomores will be eligible for a partial tuition scholarship and need-based financial aid for two years of full-time study. Partners will have no commitment to remain at the company past graduation.

“In the last few years, we have seen the fracturing of the American Dream. There’s no doubt, the inequality within the country has created a situation where many Americans are being left behind. The question for all of us is, should we accept that, or should we try and do something about it?” Schultz said in the release. “Supporting our partners’ ambitions is the very best investment Starbucks can make … Our investment in high-quality education will attract and retain passionate partners who will move our company and our economy forward.”