Walmart Academy Program (Your Complete Guide)
Many companies are beginning to recognize the benefits of providing tuition assistance to their employees and are beginning to include them in their benefit plans.
Walmart is one of them, and they recently upgraded their college curriculum to make it more accessible to their employees. So, if you want to know all about Walmart University Courses, look no further!
What is the Walmart Academy Program?
The Walmart University Program, officially known as Live Better U, pays 100% of the college tuition and books for its U.S. employees, both full-time and part-time. Prospective students can choose from 10 participating higher education institutions, and employees are eligible to participate from their first day at Walmart.
To learn more about what Live Better U (LBU) is about, which schools are participating, how to enroll, and if there are any limitations or exclusions, check out all the details below!
What does the Walmart Academy course include?
Recently, Walmart announced that they are expanding access to the Live Better U University degree program, eliminating the previous $1 per day fee.
Now, LBU has partnered with Guild Education, an educational aid management service, to offer Walmart associates 100% off tuition and books.
This means students don’t have to pay a dime for their tuition or books!
Plus, LBU is more than just tuition assistance; the program includes free completion of high school, college prep, and discounts on other degrees, such as master’s programs.
Additionally, Walmart can offer full coverage for professional certificates in specialized areas, such as business leadership or eye care.
Employees also have access to language learning and skill development opportunities, enabling versatility in a modern workforce that actually needs it to advance.
Finally, students receive free educational guidance from the Guild to help them navigate the curriculum, choose the right degree or skill, and provide general learning support.
Which schools can you attend in the Walmart Academy Program?
There are currently 10 schools participating in the LBU program. They include:
- Johnson & Wales University
- University of Arizona
- University of Denver
- path flow
- Brandman University
- penn foster
- Purdue Global
- Southern New Hampshire University
- Wilmington University
- Voxy Engen
If you don’t live near any of these or don’t know where they are located, don’t worry!
These schools are either fully online or brick-and-mortar with robust remote/online programs.
Regardless, these programs are designed for adult learners and full-time workers.
If these classes are in any way similar to the online classes I’ve taken, typically, students aren’t “in class” or listening to lectures at specific times as they would on a college campus.
Instead, all information is placed online, including written lessons, videos, slides, etc. Students can access them on their own time, at their own convenience.
Then, it’s up to them to manage their time and make sure they meet the deadline.
Students can also interact with each other via discussion boards (online classes are surprisingly immersive and social!) or can schedule off-site interactions via email, text messages, etc.
In the end, attending an online school can be intimidating, but professors and counselors are there to help their students, even if they are from thousands of miles away.
Online schools place particular emphasis on supporting students, knowing that the physical barriers of time and space can be difficult to overcome.
How much is the Walmart Academy program?
Wal-Mart University courses through LBU are completely free, and Wal-Mart bears 100% of tuition and book fees.
Online programming means students also don’t have to worry about on-campus housing costs or travel costs.
Before the current system, employees were obligated to pay a $1 per day fee as part of LBU, which was a greatly reduced tuition fee.
But even a few hundred dollars a year can create undue financial hardship for a family and act as a persistent barrier to higher education.
It’s a good thing for Walmart that it recognizes this and removes all financial barriers for employees.
Where can you enroll in the Walmart Academy Program?
If you’re ready to start Walmart’s college program, you can sign up online. The Walmart/Guild Education website is here.
Additionally, you can find out more about degree programs, schools and the different skills training they offer, or you can start enrolling directly.
To do this, you’ll need your Walmart Associate ID to access the sign-up process and many details of the programs offered.
Are there any limitations and exclusions to the Walmart Academy program?
Walmart’s college program has some limitations and exclusions.
For example, the types of degrees you can pursue through the program include related fields such as healthcare, business, technology and supply chain management.
Unfortunately, Walmart won’t pay you for that poetry degree you’ve always wanted.
Associate and bachelor’s degrees are also limited to employees who currently do not have either degree. So you cannot use the program to obtain a second undergraduate degree.
Casual workers hired to work on vacation are not eligible.
Finally, most salaried employees are not eligible. An exception is salaried on-site facility employees; they are still eligible for the program.
Are there any Walmart Academy Program Scholarships?
There are no scholarships associated with the Walmart University Program LBU, as 100% of the cost is borne by the company.
However, Walmart does offer other scholarship programs separate from LBU, and they have done so for many years.
These are Walmart Employee and Walmart Dependent Scholarships for their employees and children or dependents of their employees.
This scholarship includes up to $13,000 in scholarships available for a four-year degree program.
Unfortunately, with the imminent expansion of the LBU program, Walmart is phasing out this scholarship program.
Instead, they chose to focus their educational assistance on Live Better U.
Since LBU is only available to active employees, it does mean that dependents of Walmart employees can no longer receive tuition assistance from Walmart.
On the bright side, though, any employee who attends college through a Walmart Partner or Walmart Dependent Scholarship can receive full funding.
How Much Does the Walmart Academy Program Cost Walmart?
The ambitious plan, in which Walmart pays 100% of college tuition and books for its employees, will cost the company a fortune.
In fact, the mega-retailer announced it would invest nearly $1 billion in its workforce to cover costs.
After all, more than a million U.S. workers are eligible to take advantage of the program.
It’s important, though, to put things in perspective.
$1 billion is a piece of cake, but Walmart has reported more than $500 billion in revenue two years in a row.
So if any company can easily afford to support the education of its employees globally, it’s Walmart.
If you want to learn more about Walmart, you can also read our related posts about Walmart employee discounts, Walmart student discounts, and Walmart late policy.
in conclusion
Walmart’s college program offers 100% off tuition and books to more than 1 million eligible U.S. employees.
It’s an upgrade from the previous $1-a-day program, which still bars some employees from earning higher education degrees.
Walmart has invested nearly $1 billion in the continuing education of its employees, a win-win situation for all.
