Many scholarships to help pay for college are competitive and see hundreds — if not tens of thousands — of applicants. While you shouldn’t give up on your scholarship search, there is another way to find money for school: look to your part-time job or your parents’ employers.
There are plenty of companies that offer scholarships or tuition-reimbursement programs. It’s just up to you to find and apply for them. Here are a few examples to get you started.
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If you have a parent working as a part- or full-time hourly associate at Home Depot, you’re in luck: You may be eligible for the company’s Orange Scholars Scholarship Program. To qualify for an award up to $2,500, dependents must be high school seniors or current college students who plan on studying full time at an accredited nonprofit college or university. Awards are granted based on academic performance, community involvement and financial need.
But you don’t need to rely on your parents’ employers to help out with tuition costs. Some brands offer their employees help with college costs, and you can often qualify just by working part time. The Staples Associate Scholarship Program reimburses employees who have worked at least 950 hours during the calendar year and maintain good grades. The company had a payout limit of $1.5 million for 2015, and employees received between $750 and $2,000 based on their year of hire.
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Office supply giant Staples isn’t the only major chain to offer education benefits for employees. The Best Buy Tuition Assistance Program gives full-time employees who have been with the company for at least six months up to $3,500 in tuition reimbursement for undergraduate coursework. This number jumps up to more than $5,000 for graduate-level coursework. Employees must remain in good standing with the company and maintain certain academic requirements to qualify.
Some companies will help their employees pay for education-related expenses that pertain to their job in some way, and that’s great if you want to grow with an employer that offers this benefit. Target’s Tuition Reimbursement Program, for example, gives eligible employees the chance to pay for coursework that relates to their job. To qualify, employees must take their classes at an accredited trade school, college or university.
[Know these facts about employer tuition benefits for college.]
Aspiring pharmacists working at a Walgreens store have the chance to participate in the company’s Pharmacy Educational Assistance Programs. The Pre-Pharmacy Student Educational Assistance Program reimburses students up to $2,500 for required pre-pharmacy classes once they’re enrolled in pharmacy school and have worked a minimum of 1,040 hours at Walgreens. Once a student is ready to move on to the Pharmacy Student Professional Educational Assistance Program, he or she may be eligible for up to $2,500 per year during the last four years of pharmacy school .
But what if you don’t work for Target, Walgreens or Staples? There are many more brands that see the value in helping their employees get a college education. Here are some ways to start the conversation and find out if your company or your parent’s employer offers scholarships.
1. Ask your parents to talk to their human resources department or review benefits paperwork. Your parents may not know if their company offers college scholarships for employees’ children, especially if the program is new or if you’re the first in your family to go to college.
2. Set aside time to chat with your boss. If you have a part-time job, you probably have at least one supervisor you feel comfortable talking to. Set aside a few minutes to talk privately, rather than surprising a busy boss with a question he or she may not be able to answer immediately. With a topic as important as this, you want to make sure you have your boss’ full attention.
3. Inquire about both scholarship programs and tuition – reimbursement programs, especially if you’re interested in remaining with your current company after you’ve graduated from college.
4. Don’t be discouraged if your employer doesn’t offer scholarships; instead, ask your boss about any other scholarship programs. You never know — he or she may be part of a local club, volunteer organization or alumni group that offers scholarships you could apply for.
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Ask Your Company to Help Pay for College originally appeared on usnews.com
