Figuring out how to pay for college is one of life’s toughest challenges. Student loans are almost always an option. Average student loan debt reached $37,172 in 2017. College degrees do pay off, statistically offering you higher lifetime wages to balance out the debt. The burden of carrying those loan payments throughout your adult life can be difficult to navigate however, so anything you can do to help mitigate the amount of money you have to borrow is a good idea.
There are some time-honored ways to get help paying for school. Scholarships are always an option, although they often require work to find, and often don’t cover a significant portion of your tuition. Once upon a time, good advice for paying for college was to work first and earn the money to pay for tuition. That advice isn’t aging well, with average college tuition going up nearly eight times quicker than wages. Another way to get help with college tuition is from an employer.
Many companies have tuition reimbursement benefits for employees. It makes sense, the better educated you are, the better you’ll be at your job. It’s a win-win scenario. You might think those employers are mythical like unicorns, but they definitely exist, and may even be hiring just down the street from you! We’ve put together a list of employers who will help you pay for college.
The U.S. Military – all branches
Big help with college tuition has long been an important recruitment tool for the U.S. armed forces. While the college tuition perks vary by enlistment terms and may be very different from branch to branch, you can talk to a recruitment officer about all your options. Often you can begin your education before you even leave the service, or earn college credit as part of your job training, giving you a head start on your degree. Plus once you do have your degree, service in the military is almost always going to be a boost to your resume.
UPS
What can brown do for you? Apparently, help you pay for school. At UPS, even part-time employees are eligible for some help paying tuition, making it an ideal possibility for students looking for part-time, hourly wage work.
Disney
One of many employee perks, the Walt Disney company actually offers to cover the full cost of someone online college courses for employees. Some traditional in-person classes are covered as well, along with some high school and vocational school programs.
Walmart
A few years ago, Walmart made headlines with a program that offered its employees the opportunity to go to college for $1/day. While Walmart only offers this perk for certain colleges, online degree courses are available so its workers all over the country can take advantage of the program. The best part is that even part-time employees are eligible.
