Walmart to pay 100% of college tuition & books

[bjcheung77]

I can see this happening for many many lower paying positions out there, this is one of the major perks that I want!

Haha... I'm looking for a job at Walmart! <I'll refer you if I get in for that job! oh wait... never mind, just kidding there>

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/27/walmart-...iates.html

[Vle045]

This almost makes me want to get back to retail. In some cases, the pay is pretty much the same as I am making now….

[harrypotter]

It's limited to 10 particpating institutions:

Johnson & Wales University
The University of Arizona
The University of Denver
Pathstream
Brandman University
Penn Foster
Purdue University Global
Southern New Hampshire University
Wilmington University
Voxy EnGen

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/27/business/...index.html

Still the best education assistance i've seen in part-time retail

[Vle045]

It's limited to 10 particpating partners:

Johnson & Wales University
The University of Arizona
The University of Denver
Pathstream
Brandman University
Penn Foster
Purdue University Global
Southern New Hampshire University
Wilmington University
Voxy EnGen

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/27/business/...index.html

Still the best education incentive i've seen in part-time retail

As long as those schools have the major you want, that’s all that matters.  

[studyingfortests]

I wonder what the minimum number of hours is to be eligible for this perk, and whether the tuition program would cover a masters degree?

It would arguably be worth taking a job at Walmart for 15 hours a week if they cover graduate school programs.

the other question is whether they restrict what you can major in. I've seen some employee tuition programs that will only pay if you are getting a degree that can benefit your employer (business, marketing, etc.)

[MNomadic]

I wonder what the minimum number of hours is to be eligible for this perk, and whether the tuition program would cover a masters degree?

It would arguably be worth taking a job at Walmart for 15 hours a week if they cover graduate school programs.

the other question is whether they restrict what you can major in. I've seen some employee tuition programs that will only pay if you are getting a degree that can benefit your employer (business, marketing, etc.)

From what I've gathered looking into the program in the past:

-there is no minimum amount of hours: all salaried and hourly employees are eligible
-not eligible for people with bachelor's already (therefore not eligible for masters)
-they are restricted to certain programs with certain institutions. When I looked into it in the past I found that they had a lot of options in business, supply chain, management information systems, IT, computer science, and cybersecurity. Also some associates degrees, general studies degrees, certificate programs, college readiness, highschool completion, language courses, and vocational training.

It looks like you can't look at the program details anymore without an account so they've probably made some changes since I last looked at it. I still think it's a great program for people stuck at a low wage job like Walmart to better their life and move onto something better.

[sanantone]

Only 28,000 of Walmart's 2.3 million employees took advantage of the $1 per day program. Hopefully, more will take advantage of this free program.

[dfrecore]

I still think it's a great program for people stuck at a low wage job like Walmart to better their life and move onto something better.

First, some people actually like working at Walmart. I know one.
Second, some people are working at Walmart specifically for this benefit. I know one of these too.
Third, some people work at Walmart because it's the best job they can get.  They have zero skills. I know many more people like this (they don't specifically work at Walmart, but they work at sucky jobs because they have zero f's to give about anything).

[jcooke]

Before some folks on here rip on Walmart too much, I'd like to echo what dfrecore is saying. The first two are big ones. I work for the company myself, and just in my department alone there are 3 folks with masters degrees, and 1 with a doctorate. Most of the people I work with hold associates and bachelors degrees.
Walmart is forced to stay competitive in the retail game. Benefits are stronger than most similar businesses. Great insurance, 401k match up to 6%, stock can be bought at fractional shares and deducted from pay if you choose, discounts at just about anywhere you can imagine (Disney, new and used vehicles, cellphone service providers, real estate agents, etc.), 10% off of general merchandise at Walmart (anything from toilet paper to California king beds to the newest Playstation), the education program, short and long term disability options, etc. It is very easy to be approved for a leave of absence for education, which is what a lot of folks do when school rolls around. It allows them to keep their seniority, be able to accrue vacation time and keep their benefits during the 10 months they are in school while working part time or not at all except the summer months.
No, Walmart does not pay a livable wage. But, so long as you are a US associate, you're guaranteed to be paid a minimum of $11/hr, and the company will be raising the minimum to $15 by the end of 2022.
They set the bar for many other companies.

The programs currently offered through what was the $1/day program and now the $0 tuition program are as follows:
GED Program
High School Completion - Penn Foster

College Preparatory Program
College Start for High School Students - College Prep through Guild Education
College Start - College Prep through Guild Education

Language Programs
English for Academic Purposes - Wilmington University
English Language Learning - ENGEN

Certificate Programs
Project Management - PathStream
Business Analytics and Operations - PathStream
Frontline Manager Leadership Program - University of Denver
People and Business Leadership - Bellevue University
Business Process Improvement - SNHU
Human Resources Management - Wilmington University
Micro-Certificate in Operations and Supply Chain Management - JWU Online
Training and Staff Development - Wilmington University

Career Diplomas
Pharmacy Technician - Penn Foster
Optician - Penn Foster
Residential Electrical - Penn Foster
Industrial Maintenance - Penn Foster
Facilities Maintenance - Penn Foster
HVACR Technician - Penn Foster
Construction - Penn Foster
Plumbing - Penn Foster

Associates Degrees
AAS Information Technology - Purdue Univ Global
AS Information Technology - SNHU

Bachelors Degrees
Business Administration - Brandman University
Business Administration (Self-Paced) - Brandman University
BS Information Technology (Self-Paced) - Brandman University
BSBA - Purdue University Global
BSBA - Univ of Florida
BSBA - Univ of Arizona
BABA - Univ of Florida
BAS Cyber Operations - Univ of Arizona
Management and Leadership - Bellevue University
Cybersecurity - SNHU
Cloud Computing and Solutions - Purdue Univ Global
Information Technology - Bellevue Univ
Computer Information Systems - Bellevue Univ
Healthcare Management - Bellevue University
Computer Science - Univ of Florida
BS Electrical and Computer Engineering - Univ of Arizona
BAS Applied Computing - Univ of Arizona

[MNomadic]

Before some folks on here rip on Walmart too much, I'd like to echo what dfrecore is saying. The first two are big ones. I work for the company myself, and just in my department alone there are 3 folks with masters degrees, and 1 with a doctorate. Most of the people I work with hold associates and bachelors degrees.
Walmart is forced to stay competitive in the retail game. Benefits are stronger than most similar businesses. Great insurance, 401k match up to 6%, stock can be bought at fractional shares and deducted from pay if you choose, discounts at just about anywhere you can imagine (Disney, new and used vehicles, cellphone service providers, real estate agents, etc.), 10% off of general merchandise at Walmart (anything from toilet paper to California king beds to the newest Playstation), the education program, short and long term disability options, etc. It is very easy to be approved for a leave of absence for education, which is what a lot of folks do when school rolls around. It allows them to keep their seniority, be able to accrue vacation time and keep their benefits during the 10 months they are in school while working part time or not at all except the summer months.
No, Walmart does not pay a livable wage. But, so long as you are a US associate, you're guaranteed to be paid a minimum of $11/hr, and the company will be raising the minimum to $15 by the end of 2022.
They set the bar for many other companies.

Thanks for listing all the program options they have. I think seeing what's available will be very beneficial for people considering Walmart for that benefit.

For the record, I wasn't ripping on Walmart in the least. I actually applauded their program when I first mentioned it on this forum here and here. If I weren't already working on my owns plans with my own resources, I'd have jumped on that Walmart education benefit immediately. I actually had a friend whom I worked a retail job in HS with, who later moved on to Walmart say he liked Walmart much better and was better treated there. But of course that was in HS and he has since finished his degree and acquired a higher paying job that he can support himself and his future family with. 

I never said people can't enjoy their job there(I knew some), that they can't start working there specifically for this benefit(I would and recommend it to everyone who can't afford college), or that there aren't people who are only there because they lack other options(taking advantage of the career training/education benefit could change that).