Free College Tuition: Retail Giant Walmart Makes Higher Education Attainable

Walmart will now pay 100% of tuition for its full-time and part-time employees that are a part of its “Live better U” (LBU) education program.

“Walmart is committed to eliminating the burden of education debt. Cost is a leading barrier for earning a degree with student loan debt in the U.S.,” the company stated in a press release Tuesday.

The U. S.’s largest private employer had been offering a debt-free college perk that only charged employees for “$1-a-day college tuition” and books. Now, enrolled members will not have to worry about any fees, with the tuition from the program completely covered by Walmart.

"We are creating a path of opportunity for our associates to grow their careers at Walmart so they can continue to build better lives for themselves and their families. This investment is another way we can support our associates to pursue their passion and purpose while removing the barriers that too often keep adult worker learners from obtaining degrees," said Lorraine Stomski, senior vice president of learning and leadership at Walmart in the press release.

The program was created in 2018 after Walmart had a consultation with experts, which concluded that employer-provided education has one of the biggest turn-outs for successfully progressing employees.

“Our education offerings tie directly to our growth areas at Walmart, and what better way to fill the pipeline of future talent than with our own associates,” said Stomski.

The program is partnered with Guild Education, which offers counseling with employees about what degree would be best for them and how to schedule classes.

The Live Better U Education program allows employees from both Walmart and Sam's Club locations the opportunity to receive Associate’s and Bachelor’s degrees in business, supply chain management, cybersecurity, computer science, computer and network security and computing technology, along with certificates in skilled trade programs.

Walmart employees can earn degrees from Brandman University, Penn Foster, Purdue University Globel, Southern New Hampshire University, Wilmington University and Voxy EnGen.

The company announced it will soon add four more colleges to the program, including Johnson & Wales University, the University of Arizona, the University of Denver and Pathstream.