Companies that pay for college in 2026, and the catch

In 2026, Starbucks, Walmart, Amazon, UPS and 14 other large employers pay toward college for their workers, according to their own benefit pages, read on October 24. Starbucks covers 100% of tuition for a first bachelor’s degree online at Arizona State University, and UPS pays up to $5,250 a year toward any subject.

The catch is in each plan’s terms: which schools count, how long you work there first, and whether your grants are used before the company pays. If you’re wary of putting your own hard-earned money on the line again, those terms decide how much of it stays in your pocket.

Every term below comes from the employer’s own page or its official benefit portal. This list sits in our college planning guides, next to the tax rule and the order aid is applied in.

18 employers’ terms, read on their own pages

Employer	What it pays	Who qualifies	The catch
Starbucks	100% of tuition, up front	Benefits-eligible U.S. partners at 20+ hours a week, from day one	ASU online only; first bachelor's only
Walmart	Little or no out-of-pocket cost for tuition and required books	Full- and part-time hourly and salaried associates, from day one	Catalog only; grants first; no prior bachelor's
Amazon	Up to $5,250 a year, prepaid	Most hourly full- and part-time staff, after 90 days	Through its 475+ education partners
Target	Full or partial funding	U.S. team members, part- or full-time, from day one	Guild catalog; some programs only partly paid; grants first
Lowe's	100% for select programs; $2,500 a year for others	Not stated on its Guild page	Guild catalog; grants first
Disney	Catalog programs; books and fees reimbursable	Eligible part- and full-time hourly staff, after 180 days	Tuition share not stated; grants first
Chipotle	100% for select degrees; $5,250 a year for others	Eligible employees	$5,250 split into two $2,625 halves
JPMorgan Chase	100% for select programs; $5,250 to $7,500 a year for others	Not stated on its Guild page	Grants first
CVS Health	Up to $3,000 a year for job-related degrees	30+ hours a week from the next month; under 30 after 90 days	$0 out of pocket only in many programs at four partner schools
UPS	Up to $5,250 a year, $25,000 in total	Staff at UPS locations that offer it, from day one	Select locations only
FedEx	Up to $5,250 a year	Employees in the U.S. or Canada	Ask HR which courses count
Bank of America	Up to $7,500 a year	U.S. teammates	Ask HR which programs count
Verizon	$5,250 a year	U.S. non-represented employees	Union terms set by bargaining
Wells Fargo	Up to $5,250 a year ($2,625 part-time)	Regular and fixed-term staff at 17.5+ hours a week	Career-related classes, paid once completed
Publix	Up to $4,000 a year, $16,000 in total	90 days, 10+ hours a week, manager approval	Degrees in approved majors; some courses and technical training
AT&T	50% to 100% of qualified costs	Employees; the department sets the share	Lifetime cap
McDonald's	$2,500 or $3,000 a year; $5,250 for company-owned managers	Four tiers by role and restaurant (below)	Grants first; franchise owner must take part
Chick-fil-A	$1,500 or $25,000 scholarships	Team members in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico	You apply and compete

Employer Starbucks

What it pays 100% of tuition, up front

Who qualifies Benefits-eligible U.S. partners at 20+ hours a week, from day one

The catch ASU online only; first bachelor's only

Employer Walmart

What it pays Little or no out-of-pocket cost for tuition and required books

Who qualifies Full- and part-time hourly and salaried associates, from day one

The catch Catalog only; grants first; no prior bachelor's

Employer Amazon

What it pays Up to $5,250 a year, prepaid

Who qualifies Most hourly full- and part-time staff, after 90 days

The catch Through its 475+ education partners

Employer Target

What it pays Full or partial funding

Who qualifies U.S. team members, part- or full-time, from day one

The catch Guild catalog; some programs only partly paid; grants first

Employer Lowe's

What it pays 100% for select programs; $2,500 a year for others

Who qualifies Not stated on its Guild page

The catch Guild catalog; grants first

Employer Disney

What it pays Catalog programs; books and fees reimbursable

Who qualifies Eligible part- and full-time hourly staff, after 180 days

The catch Tuition share not stated; grants first

Employer Chipotle

What it pays 100% for select degrees; $5,250 a year for others

Who qualifies Eligible employees

The catch $5,250 split into two $2,625 halves

Employer JPMorgan Chase

What it pays 100% for select programs; $5,250 to $7,500 a year for others

Who qualifies Not stated on its Guild page

The catch Grants first

Employer CVS Health

What it pays Up to $3,000 a year for job-related degrees

Who qualifies 30+ hours a week from the next month; under 30 after 90 days

The catch $0 out of pocket only in many programs at four partner schools

Employer UPS

What it pays Up to $5,250 a year, $25,000 in total

Who qualifies Staff at UPS locations that offer it, from day one

The catch Select locations only

Employer FedEx

What it pays Up to $5,250 a year

Who qualifies Employees in the U.S. or Canada

The catch Ask HR which courses count

Employer Bank of America

What it pays Up to $7,500 a year

Who qualifies U.S. teammates

The catch Ask HR which programs count

Employer Verizon

What it pays $5,250 a year

Who qualifies U.S. non-represented employees

The catch Union terms set by bargaining

Employer Wells Fargo

What it pays Up to $5,250 a year ($2,625 part-time)

Who qualifies Regular and fixed-term staff at 17.5+ hours a week

The catch Career-related classes, paid once completed

Employer Publix

What it pays Up to $4,000 a year, $16,000 in total

Who qualifies 90 days, 10+ hours a week, manager approval

The catch Degrees in approved majors; some courses and technical training

Employer AT&T

What it pays 50% to 100% of qualified costs

Who qualifies Employees; the department sets the share

The catch Lifetime cap

Employer McDonald's

What it pays $2,500 or $3,000 a year; $5,250 for company-owned managers

Who qualifies Four tiers by role and restaurant (below)

The catch Grants first; franchise owner must take part

Employer Chick-fil-A

What it pays $1,500 or $25,000 scholarships

Who qualifies Team members in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico

The catch You apply and compete

Starbucks, Walmart and three others pay at their own school list

Five of the 18 (Starbucks, Walmart, Amazon, Target and Lowe’s) pay for schools or programs on a list they choose. Walmart’s page says it outright: “only programs within the Live Better U catalog are eligible.” Ask the other four before you enroll anywhere else.

Starbucks College Achievement Plan. Starbucks gives 100% upfront tuition coverage toward a first-time bachelor’s degree online from Arizona State University, with 180+ undergraduate programs listed on its careers page. Benefits-eligible U.S. partners, full- or part-time at 20 or more hours a week, can apply on day one (Starbucks, June 2026).

Partners who don’t qualify for ASU admission at first can work toward it through Pathway to Admission, with credit conversion costs covered.

Walmart Live Better U. Eligible associates have “little or no out-of-pocket cost for tuition and required books in eligible programs,” from day one. The bachelor’s degrees in the catalog come from SNHU, Bellevue University, Indiana Tech and the University of Arkansas.

Full- and part-time hourly and salaried associates qualify. Temporary associates, salaried associates at market level and above, and anyone who already holds a bachelor’s degree do not. With fewer than 12 transferable college credits, you start with a Sophia course, and you have no obligation to stay at Walmart after you finish.

Amazon Career Choice. Amazon prepays tuition of up to $5,250 a year through more than 475 education partners, per its September 16, 2026 announcement. Its Career Choice FAQ says the benefit is open to “the vast majority” of hourly full-time and part-time employees after 90 days.

The four national online partners are SNHU, Western Governors University, National University and Colorado State University Global.

Target Dream to Be. U.S. team members, part-time or full-time, can start from day one, with about 500 fully or partly funded programs at 40+ schools, per its fact sheet (its Guild portal lists 250+). That portal pays up to $5,250 a year for other undergraduate programs and up to $10,000 a year for other master’s degrees in its catalog.

Lowe’s. Lowe’s pays 100% of tuition for select programs, among about 200 programs from 20+ schools in its Guild catalog. Other programs in that catalog get up to $2,500 a year, master’s degrees included.

Disney Aspire works from a catalog too, but its page doesn’t say whether programs outside it count. Eligible part-time and full-time hourly employees can apply after 180 days, for programs from high school equivalency and English learning to undergraduate degrees. Required books and fees are reimbursable, and the page states no share of tuition, so ask before you pick a program.

Chipotle and JPMorgan Chase pay in full for select programs

Both pay the whole tuition for some programs and a set yearly amount for the rest.

Chipotle Cultivate Education. Chipotle pays 100% of tuition for select college degree programs and up to $5,250 a year for other programs or reimbursement. Its Guild portal splits that $5,250 into two half-year amounts of $2,625, and money left in one half doesn’t carry into the next. Reimbursement allows one tuition submission per term.

JPMorgan Chase. Select programs among 500+ from 20+ schools are paid in full. Other undergraduate programs get up to $5,250 a year and master’s degrees and certificates up to $7,500, inside the Guild catalog or by reimbursement for approved programs outside it.

CVS caps degree help at $3,000 a year, with four partner schools

CVS Health’s program sheet (its file name dates it January 2025) reimburses up to $3,000 a year for job-related degree programs and $1,500 for approved job-related non-degree programs. That $3,000 leaves $0 out of pocket in many degree programs at Capella, Strayer, Colorado Technical University and University of Phoenix.

CVS staff scheduled for 30 or more hours a week qualify on the first of the month after hire, and those under 30 hours after 90 days. Union colleagues are covered only if their bargaining agreement provides it.

UPS, FedEx and five others cap the money, not the school

These plans set a limit on the money, and their pages name no school list. The cap is the most the plan pays, whatever the school charges.

UPS Earn and Learn pays up to $5,250 a calendar year and $25,000 in total, for any subject, from your first day. It runs only at select UPS locations.

FedEx pays up to $5,250 a year for employees in the U.S. and Canada, with no lifetime maximum while you work there. College degrees and trade, vocational and technical schools count.

Bank of America pays up to $7,500 a year for eligible education expenses for U.S. teammates. Its page doesn’t say which programs qualify.

Verizon lists $5,250 a year in tuition assistance for U.S. non-represented employees. For union-represented employees, its page says benefits are set by collective bargaining and may vary.

Wells Fargo pays up to $5,250 a year, or $2,625 part-time, for career-related classes you complete. Regular and fixed-term employees scheduled for 17.5 or more hours a week qualify.

Publix pays up to $4,000 a year and $16,000 in total at a college or university, or $2,200 a year and $4,400 in total for community college and other courses. You need 90 days of continuous service, an average of 10 hours a week and your manager’s approval.

Publix lists approved majors for undergraduate degrees and also covers some individual courses, online programs and technical training. It says none of its retail jobs currently qualify for graduate degree reimbursement.

AT&T reimburses 50% to 100% of qualified costs, depending on your department, up to a lifetime cap.

Walmart, Disney and four more use your grants before they pay

Six plans say grants come first. Walmart applies “any federal or state grant aid you receive” and covers the rest. Disney’s page and the Guild portals for Target, Lowe’s and JPMorgan Chase say grants and scholarships are applied to tuition and fees before employer funding.

McDonald’s Archways to Opportunity pays only for course costs that scholarships and grants don’t cover. A Pell Grant is federal money for undergraduates, up to $7,395 for 2026-27, so at these six plans it lowers what the employer pays.

The other 12 pages don’t say either way, so ask HR whether your plan counts grants first. Our guide to the order employer money and Pell are applied in shows how a school lines them up.

McDonald’s sets four tiers by role and by who owns the restaurant. At a franchise, the owner has to take part in Archways.

Who	Amount	Conditions
Full-time managers at company-owned restaurants	$5,250	Performance rating of "significant performance" or better; tell your supervisor
Crew and part-time staff at company-owned restaurants	$2,500 a year	90 cumulative days, 15+ hours a week on average, same performance rating
Full-time managers and staff at a franchise	$3,000 a year	Owner takes part; 30+ hours a week; good standing
Crew and part-time staff at a franchise	$2,500 a year	Owner takes part; 90 cumulative days with that owner; 15+ hours a week; good standing

Who Full-time managers at company-owned restaurants

Amount $5,250

Conditions Performance rating of "significant performance" or better; tell your supervisor

Who Crew and part-time staff at company-owned restaurants

Amount $2,500 a year

Conditions 90 cumulative days, 15+ hours a week on average, same performance rating

Who Full-time managers and staff at a franchise

Amount $3,000 a year

Conditions Owner takes part; 30+ hours a week; good standing

Who Crew and part-time staff at a franchise

Amount $2,500 a year

Conditions Owner takes part; 90 cumulative days with that owner; 15+ hours a week; good standing

Chick-fil-A pays scholarships you have to win

Chick-fil-A’s Remarkable Futures awards are scholarships, not a benefit every team member gets. The awards are $25,000 and $1,500, paid up front and usable at any accredited school.

Full- and part-time team members in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico can apply, with no minimum hours or length of service. You must work at a franchised, company-owned or affiliated restaurant when you apply and when the award is announced.

Both awards need a recommendation from your Operator or restaurant leader and an account of the care and service you showed in your community over the past 12 months. U.S. candidates need a 3.0 GPA for $25,000 or a 2.5 GPA for $1,500, and only the $25,000 award asks for financial need. Applications for 2027 scholarships go live this fall, Chick-fil-A says.

Five employers’ pages show no current terms

On October 24, 2026, these five pages showed no current amount. Ask HR for the current plan document before you count on a figure.

• The Home Depot’s HR site names a tuition reimbursement program for salaried and hourly associates, plus discounted partner schools, with no amount.
• T-Mobile’s careers page calls tuition “Free” only “with our partner schools,” and names neither the schools nor a limit.
• Kroger’s only figures on its own site are from April 2018: up to $3,500 a year and $21,000 in total, after six months.
• WM’s only terms are in a May 2021 announcement of 170+ fully funded programs for full-time U.S. employees.
• Best Buy’s benefits guide page now opens on its 2027 guide and no longer shows tuition terms.

Help over $5,250 a year counts as pay

The IRS lets an employer pay up to $5,250 of your education costs tax-free in 2026. Above that, the help is taxable wages unless another rule applies, and Disney’s page and the Guild portals for Target, Lowe’s and JPMorgan Chase say it goes on your W-2. A plan that pays a full degree can cross that line in a year, so see how the tax-free limit works before you enroll.

Ask HR six questions before you enroll

Frequently asked questions

Does Walmart pay for college?

Yes, for eligible associates in programs in the Live Better U catalog. Walmart says those associates have little or no out-of-pocket cost for tuition and required books, after any federal or state grants. Associates who already hold a bachelor’s degree can’t take part.

Which companies pay 100% of tuition?

Starbucks pays 100% of tuition up front for a first bachelor’s degree online at ASU. Chipotle, JPMorgan Chase, Lowe’s and Target pay 100% for select programs in their Guild catalogs, and a set amount for others.

Do part-time workers qualify?

At several of these employers, yes. Starbucks counts partners at 20 or more hours a week, Publix associates averaging 10 hours and McDonald’s crew averaging 15 hours. Walmart, Target, Amazon and Chick-fil-A name part-time staff on their pages, and Wells Fargo pays part-time staff up to $2,625.

Your next step: check your own employer’s plan

Read your own plan’s terms before you pick a school, because the school list and the waiting period decide what is paid. If the plan leaves part of the cost, see how financial aid works for online college.

Degree Sources is not affiliated with any employer or program listed. This article describes each employer’s published terms as of October 24, 2026, and is not tax advice.