Chipotle Now Offers Debt-Free Degrees for All Employees
Looking for a restaurant job with serious perks? 👩🎓👨🎓
Chipotle Mexican Grill will now offer all eligible employees the option to pursue a debt-free college degree as a benefit of employment. This new perk is the latest addition to Chipotle’s Cultivate Education program, which has provided employees with over $20 million in tuition assistance over the past two years.
Chipotle’s existing tuition reimbursement program already reimburses eligible employees for up to $5,250 in tuition per year at the school of their choice. Now, the company is expanding its Cultivate Education program to cover 100% of up-front tuition costs for 75 different types of business and technology degrees. Awesome!
The expansion of Chipotle’s Cultivate Education program is a result of the restaurant’s partnership with an education benefits company called Guild Education.
After 120 days of employment, eligible employees (including hourly crew members) will be able to pursue a debt-free degree from select nonprofit, accredited universities including The University of Arizona, Bellevue University, Brandman University, Southern New Hampshire University, and Wilmington University.
Marissa Andrada, Chief People Officer at Chipotle, said,
“Chipotle recognizes that financial barriers can be one of the biggest obstacles that impede our employees from achieving their fullest potential. We are proud to launch this opportunity for debt-free degrees by providing free tuition to help our employees excel in all areas in their lives, both in and out of Chipotle.”
In addition to its impressive education benefits, Chipotle is also known for offering other appealing perks for its hourly employees. Qualifying crew members have access to healthcare, fitness discounts, and free English as a Second Language and GED classes for themselves and family members.
Chipotle’s Crew Bonus program also allows employees the chance to earn an extra month’s pay each year by meeting certain criteria!
Keep up with the latest news to stay informed and save money!
Really great on Chipotles part. Now more companies need to follow suit to end this student loan debt crisis in America.
I agree that it is really great on Chipotle’s part. I also hope that more companies would add education benefits to their benefit plans. However, the student debt crisis was not caused by private businesses. The college and universities are never held accountable for their skyrocketing tuition fees which have risen far higher than the cost of living for decades. Nor have they been accountable for all the extra fees tacked on. People complain about airline fees, but in reality, the schools have them beat. Then there are the high textbook costs. Publish a typical book and it may cost $30. Buy a text book and you can easily be expected to pay $70 or even hundreds.
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In all fairness, there is a level of personal responsibility as well. My daughter will graduate next year from a well- respected school with an engineering degree and no debt. She worked and paid her way through 2 years of community college and is now working her way through her next two years at a state school. In the end she will have a degree that pays well without the student debt. I never understood students who spent $20K+ a year for 4 years for a degree that will pay $50-$60K a year. 🤷‍♀️
Marie, not everyone is cut out to be a engineer or certain other well paying jobs. We have one young man in our family who is an engineer and also is debt free from college. The other kids we love and are proud of their talents and acomplishments as well even if they are not bringing in as much money a year… We all have certain talents and gifts… So there are valid reasons why people choose their future careers. You wouldn’t want to deal with a nurse with bad bedside manner, or a teacher that hated kids. It is nice that there are more options to help people advance themselves and live a happy debt free life.
When I went back to school as a mother of 2, I needed financial aid to pay for daycare. It was the only way I was able to get through full time school. We weren’t financially able to pay for both, and working while in school wasn’t an option because of my children and my husbands schedule not being regular. Not everyone is walking a traditional path to their degree and though I graduated with debt, I don’t regret any of it. My degree ended our single-income financial struggles. Student loans make education possible for a lot of people.
Agree. I was a single mom of a newborn getting my nursing degree. Paying my way through school wasn’t an option. That said, I still didn’t graduate with that much debt compared to others and am planning on having it well paid off before the 10 years is up.
I read through and found it just said “advanced degrees” so it might. In any case it looks like they have the 5,250 fee reimbursement which is also pretty good. And it doesn’t seem like they have limitations on type of degree
business and technology degrees
I guess it really isn’t worth becoming a teacher at any grade level. None of them make any way near what an engineer will make. Oh wait, no teachers, no engineers.
I agree not everyone is destined to be a STEM graduate or walks a traditional path. I got my degree after marrying young and having two children, but I was careful to make sure the tuition I paid justified the degree I was working toward so I could pay off my student loans once I graduated. My sister is a nurse, and again, went through 2 years at community college to complete her Gen Ed’s (with student loans) before finishing at a private university in order to minimize her debt. She’s makes a good salary and had no problems paying back her student loans. I appreciate the programs where businesses support a degree, I’m just saying that it’s easy to find information on how much a degree will pay in the end, and sometimes you might need to forego your dream school or an expensive school in order to be fiscally responsible. My brother in law, on the other hand, has over $60K is student loans because he took out way more than he needed. His degree is relatively useless and he is making about $18/hour. He always took out way more than he needed and used the money on unnecessary purchases. Student loans make it possible to get a degree, but it is possible to be wise about how they are used. No one is forced to go to any university that is outrageously expensive.
Agree Marie.
Thanks Bbbsarah24 đź‘Ť
I read the press release but couldn’t tell if this would also apply for a master’s degree?
Probably not. It’s not as necessary…yet.
Yes I was wondering about that too. I doubt it. Seems like most places/institutions only want to help towards a Bachelors cause they figure that’s good enough. Up to people to pay off their own if they want something more. Though I would do it in a heartbeat if that was an option!
Nita wasn’t saying it was a cause, but this would be a solution to it.
As the mom of a college freshman, I say AMEN!
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To Melissan’s post.