Employees of Starbucks are now able to receive a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University — for free. The company’s CEO Howard Shultz was in Phoenix on Tuesday to tout the expansion of its college benefits program.
The coffee chain first began offering two years of paid tuition for an online degree from ASU last summer. Now, with a full four years covered by their employer, 25,000 Starbucks workers are expected to graduate by 2025.
Schultz said they chose ASU because its online program could be tailored to Starbucks employees and was comparabale to an on-campus degree.
Many young adults who work at Starbucks tried college, said Schultz, but they weren’t able to finish because of the cost.
“Not only did we have to create a bridge, but we had to create a seamless opportunity for them to understand that, between Starbucks and ASU, we were going to ensure the fact that you’re going to be successful," said Schultz.
The company will not require its employees to stay with Starbucks once they graduate.
