Walmart to Pay 100% of College Tuition and Books for Associates

The largest U.S. private employer commits to invest nearly $1 billion over the next five years in car eer-driven training and development

 Walmart to Pay 100% of College Tuition and Books for Associates
The largest U.S. private employer commits to invest nearly $1 billion
over the next five years in career-driven training and development

Walmart, recently announced it will pay 100% of college tuition and
books for associates through its Live Better U (LBU) education program.
Starting Aug. 16, the $1 a day fee will be removed for associates, making
all education programs paid for by Walmart. This means approximately
1.5 million part-time and full-time Walmart and Sam’s Club associates in
the U.S. can earn college degrees or learn trade skills without the burden
of education debt. As the largest U.S. private employer, Walmart is committing to invest nearly $1 billion over the next five years in career-driven training and development.

“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,” said Lorraine Stomski, Senior Vice President of Learning and Leadership at Walmart. “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 working
learners from obtaining degrees.”

The LBU program was initially designed after consulting with experts,
reviewing other employer provided education programs, and studying
the research around what helps drive completion rates among adult working learners. This helped guide the initial $1 a day approach, but the economy and job market have changed, and Walmart is always looking for new ways to encourage more associates to pursue further education.

“We’re also excited to add in-demand college degree and certificate
options in business administration, supply chain and cybersecurity.
These additional offerings join a robust catalog of programs to set
associates up for new career opportunities,” said Stomski. “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.”

In addition, Walmart will add four academic partners, including Johnson
& Wales University, the University of Arizona, the University of Denver and
Pathstream. These complement the existing partners: Brandman University, Penn Foster, Purdue University Global, Southern New Hampshire University, Wilmington University and Voxy EnGen. Each of these institutions were chosen for their history of success with adult and working learner programs as well as their focus on degree completion.

Walmart is committed to eliminate the burden of education debt. Cost
is a leading barrier for earning a degree with student-loan debt in the U.S. topping $1.7 trillion. Since launching LBU in 2018, more than 52,000 associates have participated in the program to date and 8,000 have
already graduated. Nearly 28,000 associates have been active in a LBU
program this summer.

“As the company making one of the nation’s largest investments in
education for America’s workforce, Walmart is setting a new standard for
what it looks like to prepare workers for the jobs of the future,” said Rachel
Carlson, CEO & Co-Founder of Guild. “Walmart is creating growth opportunities for their workforce and preparing them for the future of work.”

When an associate enrolls in LBU and earns a certificate or degree,
they take important steps toward creating a long-term career within the Walmart ecosystem. For more information about Live Better U, our academic partners and degree options, click here.

Other leadership quotes
 “We are thrilled to partner with Guild Education and Walmart in our
mission to deliver Arizona’s worldclass higher education programs to
working adult learners in a flexible, engaging and highly effective
way. We are honored to be a part of the industry-leading Live Better
U program at the nation’s largest private employer and look forward to
welcoming Walmart and Sam’s Club associates into the Wildcat family.”
University of Arizona President, Dr. Robert C. Robbins, M.D.

“The University of Denver is passionately committed to working adult
learners. “Through this partnership with Walmart and Guild Education,
approximately 1.5 million associates will now have access to DU’s programs, completely funded by their employer. We are proud to be a part
of this moment for Live Better U and every moment to come on associates’ upcoming educational journeys.” University of Denver Chancellor, Dr. Jeremy Haefner.

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

STARR Community Services International, Inc.