College campuses are no longer exclusively populated by teenagers and twenty-somethings. Instead, there’s been a rise in contemporary students. According to a recent infographic from the Online Learning Consortium, 85 percent of Americans enrolled in post-secondary institutions are contemporary, or nontraditional, learners.
With a growing majority of students balancing school and other adult responsibilities, it’s no surprise that many employers are beginning to beef up their educational benefits. From free or reduced tuition to flexible time off for classes, employers are making it easier for students to work and earn their bachelor’s degree. If you’re looking to go back to school to earn your degree with help from your employer, here are some tech employers you should be targeting.
- Microsoft goes above and beyond with educational benefits, offering both support for external education and advanced internal training. “In addition to tuition and textbook reimbursement for approved work-related courses, we offer amazing internal resources such as technical, management and professional development classes, a visiting speaker series, TechFest and even our own library.”
- Qualcomm offers education benefits for employees and their children. In addition to offering 10 scholarships for children of full-time Qualcomm employees, it also offers tuition reimbursement to employees. As with other companies, Qualcomm ties reimbursement rates to grades earned with As and Bs receiving 100 percent reimbursement and Cs receiving 50 percent reimbursement. There is a yearly cap to tuition reimbursement; for continuing education, two-year degrees, four-year undergraduate degrees or certificate programs, employees may request up to $5,250 each calendar year and for graduate and postgraduate degree programs, employees may request up to $10,125 each calendar year.
- Verizon offers $8,000 a year in tuition reimbursement for all benefits-eligible employees. Meaning, part-time employees are likely left out of the equation.
- IBM is helping employees tackle their student debt. Through their SoFi Student Loan Refinancing Program, employees can combine existing private and Federal loans into one loan with one monthly payment.
- Employees at EMC can get reimbursed for 100 percent of tuition and certain related expenses up to $5,250 a year for approved undergraduate courses and up to $50,000 lifetime for approved graduate courses. Plus, employees don’t even need to leave the office to learn. Through a partnership with Northeastern University, EMC offers an onsite MBA program.
- Adobe does more than help you pay for your college tuition–it helps you, or your child, get into your dream school. Through a program called Bright Horizons, employees can get insider advice from former college admission and financial aid offices to assist in the college application process. From help with writing the application essay to saving for college, Adobe has you covered. Through its Education Reimbursement Program, Adobe will also reimburse employees up to a maximum of $10,000 a year for tuition and books for courses, certificate programs, and graduate programs that meet certain eligibility criteria.
- Much like your parents in high school, CDW only rewards good grades. According to their website, employees can “receive reimbursement up to 100 percent (for grades A and B), and 50 percent (for grade C), up to $8,000 each calendar year, at post-secondary institutions for job-related undergraduate and graduate degree-related courses taken by a coworker. Annual maximums apply.”
With the tech pros in high demand, employers have had to step up their game when it comes to offering desirable benefit packages. While these companies might expect a lot from their employees, they do have programs in place to help employees advance and succeed.
