Financial Aid May Be Available From Your Employer!

Working students may not realize this, but their biggest source of financial aid could be their 9 to 5…and by that we don’t mean their weekly paycheck either. There are many employers out there who will gladly help their personnel advance their education, and pay them a regular salary while they’re at it.

What this student may not realize is one of their biggest sources of financial aid could very well be their employer. Many companies out there will gladly help pay the way for their personnel to advance their education, and pay a regular salary while they’re at it. It’s a good way for companies to promote from within while the employee, in turn, will see his/her job horizons expand in turn.

What a prospective student should do is first go to their human resources office to find if their company does offer such programs. You’d be surprised at the range of companies that do offer them. They include such fast food operations as McDonald’s and Chick Fil-A, Humana, the Queens (NY) Public Library and pharmaceutical giant Glaxo SmithKline. Many a Wall Street bank or investment house also likes it if their employees go to online schools to get their MBA’s. If they do, the assistance primarily comes in four forms:

Direct pay tuition assistance: In this case, the employer pays for the course, certificate, or degree program up front. The employee doesn’t have to pay anything. In turn, the employee is required to fill a specified course load, usually with a short list of online schools, within a prerequisite amount of time.

Reimbursed tuition assistance – The employee must first complete the program, then the employer pays for the course, certificate, or degree program. The employer may pay after each course or only after the certificate or degree is completed. This method is a surefire way the company sees its personnel fulfill their course load before paying out.

Educational/Professional Development travel assistance - the employer may pay for travel expenses related to educational programs including courses at distant institutions or conferences/conventions. The medical, political and financial worlds are particularly known for these.

529 College Savings Program: One could call this a kind of savings program. As part of an employee benefits package, the employer may match contributions made by the employee into the program. It’s a good way to insure employee loyalty and longevity.


The one important tip about your online degree program is the online school itself might not be aware of the company’s program, so it’s up to the prospective student to do that bit of homework. These financial aid can range anywhere from $500 to full tuition and fees, so they are definitely worth it. The side perks from getting that degree can also be quite beneficial. After all, the better the employee’s education, the better said employee’s chances of climbing up his/her corporate ladder, too. If your would like more information about money for college, it is available on the internet.