Last year I started bringing you news about how your teen could work for a company AND have their FULL tuition paid for. Believe me- more companies offer this than you may think! Today’s post features an “essential” business that continues to boom through COVID and offers a way for your student to cash-flow their degree.

First, let me make sure we start on the same page. Earning college credit in high school should be your first plan. When you intentionally earn college credit in high school, it’s almost always ridiculously inexpensive or even free! That approach will “guarantee” that you’re not accumulating college debt (yet) because you’re paying as your teen learns. Resourceful parents can match up credits in advance of college, but even if that feels a little too rigid, if you’ve earned even 1 college credit in high school – you’re ahead!

I love this approach and use it with my kids too. It’s nice to pace out and earn (and pay for) a year of college across 4 years of high school. We’ve managed to do that with all our kids because the prices are so much lower.

QUESTION: Should we still earn college credit in high school when we expect to use an employer’s free tuition program?

ANSWER: Yes!! First of all, free tuition programs can go away in tough economic times, so you need to protect your family ahead of everything else. Second, having college credit gives you the option of attending college anywhere- and should your teen decide not to participate (or stops participating) in an employer program, you’re not walking away with nothing.

The cool thing worth pointing about the Walmart program is that their partner colleges accept college credit earned in high school toward a degree! In fact, in most cases, your teen can accumulate CLEP, AP, dual enrollment, and other types of credit in high school, and then Walmart will pick up where you left off.

The program assumes you’ll attend as a distance learning student (and that you’ll keep working at Walmart while in college) so those seeking an on-campus experience may not find this as an ideal solution- but if your top priority is avoiding student loan debt, this is a legitimate way to make that happen! An advantage of distance learning is that you won’t have to pay ENORMOUS room and board fees charged by colleges. This can shave $50,000 off the bottom line, so don’t rule out distance learning just yet!

Does Walmart really pay for its associates’ college education?

Yes! You heard that right. Our U.S. associates can pursue a degree for $1 per day through our partnership with Guild Education. No strings attached.

Our Live Better U program is about making education accessible, providing the tools to help people be successful, and creating a path for our people to go as far in their educational journey as their hard work and talents will take them.

Walmart associates can earn a college degree or certificate for $1 per day or even finish a high school diploma or learn a language for free. Through our partnership with Guild Education, we offer degrees in business, supply chain, technology, and health. Additionally, high school students have access to free ACT and SAT prep and up to seven hours of free college credit through Live Better U’s College Start program.

Go to Walmart College site