Unlocking Educational Opportunities: A Comprehensive Guide to Meijer's Tuition Benefits

Meijer, a family-operated retailer since 1934, understands that its team members are the core of its success. To support their employees' growth and development, Meijer offers a comprehensive suite of education benefits. These benefits aim to remove financial and technological roadblocks, providing a path for team members to achieve their educational goals. Let's explore the various tuition assistance options available to Meijer team members.

Free Tuition Program

Meijer provides free undergraduate education for all team members, including a free English language learners program, or associate or bachelor's degree, offered through five online universities. This program covers a wide array of academic pursuits, with more than 40 eligible fields of study, such as marketing, computer science, and criminal justice, in addition to retail careers.

Any team member may choose to enroll in the free education program, which includes direct billing to Meijer, so team members don’t need to pay upfront and submit for tuition reimbursement later.

Alex Johnson, whose wife works in a Meijer corporate role, decided to make a career change and join the team at the company's Bridge Street Market location after learning about the free tuition benefit. "I wanted to make a career change and become a business analyst; however, I realized I would need to complete a bachelor's degree in order to pursue that path," said Johnson, who graduated from Michigan State University in 2018 with a two-year certificate. "Working for a company that invests in its employees in this way is very empowering and motivating. The financial investment Meijer is making in my education gives me the freedom to grow and create a better future for myself and my family."

Participating Schools

The free tuition program is offered through five online universities:

Read also: Educational Opportunities Unveiled

Colorado State University Global
University of Maryland Global Campus
Walden University
Western Governor's University
Purdue University Global

EdAssist Academic Coaches and Tutoring

The program offers EdAssist academic coaches to advise participating team members on a path forward, from determining which degree would be the most beneficial for an individual to deciding on a field of study, as well as 10 hours of free tutoring. Through their partnership with Care.com, Meijer is providing free tutoring benefits for the whole family, from kindergarten through college.

Tuition and Certificate Reimbursement

For team members who prefer to attend a higher education institution not included in the free tuition program, Meijer offers tuition reimbursement for all accredited institutions. Meijer increased tuition reimbursement for all accredited institutions last year to $5,250 a year for all team members. The increased amount is applicable to all schools under the retailer's current policy for tuition and certificate reimbursement.

Thomas Kubasiak, a General Merchandise Inventory Coordinator at the Battle Creek, Mich. Meijer, found that the high cost of college felt out of reach until he learned about the tuition reimbursement program at Meijer. He dove right into school at Kellogg Community College and expects to earn his associate degree in accounting this December. He also completed his bachelor's degree in business administration at Purdue University Global last year.

"The tuition reimbursement program made it possible for me to achieve some of the career goals I had made for myself years ago. Personally, I would not have gone back to school without it," Kubasiak said. "I would encourage my fellow team members to consider the educational assistance opportunities (at Meijer), especially if costs have stopped them from pursuing future education.

Scholarship Opportunities

Meijer and the Meijer Foundation offer multiple scholarship opportunities for team members and their families.

The Meijer Gold Education Scholarship

Last month, Meijer announced a new scholarship opportunity for all team members and their families in partnership with Davenport University. The corporate partner scholarship program is a unique scholarship opportunity offered through a partnership with Davenport University. The Meijer Gold Education Scholarship offers all Meijer team members up to $8,000 a year, and all Meijer spouses and children up to age 29 a family scholarship up to $6,500 a year. This scholarship can be used in conjunction with the retailer's tuition reimbursement benefit.

Funding Breakdown

The funding amount breaks down per credit hour as follows:

Team Member Scholarship

# of Credits	Scholarship Amount
3	$1,091
6	$2,182
9	$3,273
12	$4,364
15	$5,455
18	$6,545
22+	$8,000

Family Member Scholarship

# of Credits	Scholarship Amount
3	$886
6	$1,773
9	$2,659
12	$3,545
15	$4,432
18	$5,318
22+	$6,500

The scholarship is prorated by credit and renewable for up to 22 credit hours per academic year and is available to 50 team members and 50 family members. Team members and family members also receive a 20% discount for publicly offered professional development courses offered at Davenport University.

Application Process

To apply for the Meijer Gold Education Scholarship:

Apply to Davenport University.
Upon acceptance, you will receive information for your student ID and login.
Once you’ve established your account, you can register and enroll in classes.
Then, apply for the corporate partner scholarship.

Eligibility

Currently, no programs are excluded from eligibility. Scholarships apply to new students at Davenport University who have not taken for-credit courses within the prior 24 months. Students receiving the corporate partner scholarship will not receive other Davenport aid, including other Davenport scholarships, grants, athletic aid, tuition discounts and foundation awards. A FAFSA and its associated requirements are not mandatory. However, any SAP requirements or requirements related to proving eligibility for the scholarship are required.

Read also: Affording ECU

Team members will be asked to provide proof of employment. Proof of employment can be your most recent pay stub, an employee ID badge (verifying employment or expiration date), a letter from your supervisor or a letter from your employer’s human resources department.

The Fred and Lena Meijer Scholarship

This is an addition to the Fred and Lena Meijer Scholarship, organized by the Meijer Foundation, which awards multiple $5,000 and $10,000 scholarships a year to Meijer team members and their family members.

Additional Benefits

Meijer provides an opportunity for every Team Member to complete their high school diploma or bachelor’s degree completely free, with no out-of-pocket expenses at select online universities. They are excited to remove any financial barriers that you may have faced to achieving your degree.

Regardless of which approach to education that you choose to take, you won’t be alone on your journey.

Meijer's Commitment to Team Members and Communities

"Our team members are core to our success, and by investing in them with these leading education benefits, we're providing a path to help them achieve their educational goals," said Rick Keyes, President & CEO of Meijer.

"We care about the communities we serve and that ultimately begins with our team members," said Keith Morrison, Vice President of Total Rewards for Meijer. "We believe our education benefits provide substantial value to our team members not only because they promote success, but they also remove financial and technological roadblocks that many of them previously faced. Community members looking for an employer that will support their higher education goals should consider joining Meijer either full- or part-time."

As a result of the retailer's efforts to strengthen its education partnerships and improve its education benefits, engagement in the offerings exceed industry benchmarks by 30 percent.

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