Arizona State University and Starbucks have announced the new Pathway to Admission program, the partnership’s latest expansion of the Starbucks College Achievement Plan. The launch of the Pathway to Admission program will give over 15,000 academically ineligible Starbucks employees the opportunity to qualify for admission to ASU.
“This program is a clear expression of Starbucks’ commitment to its partners and ASU’s continuing mission to use technology to broaden access to higher education and empower more individuals to obtain a college degree,” Crow said.
The Pathway to Admission program will also connect Starbucks employees to an ASU support specialist to determine what courses are needed to qualify for admission to the university. After determining the necessary courses, Starbucks employees will complete a series of courses through ASU’s Global Freshman Academy, which offers first year courses on the edX platform (Update: Global Freshman Academy is now known as Universal Learner Courses.). The partnership between ASU and edX allows students to learn, explore and complete online courses offered by the university before applying or paying for credit, reducing academic and financial barriers for the students.
Upon completion of the program and earning admission to ASU, employees can transition to the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, which offers over 60 online degrees and 100% tuition reimbursement. Since its launch in 2014, over 8,600 employees have enrolled in the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, with an additional 1,000 Starbucks employees on track to graduate by the end of 2017. The Pathway to Admission program is expected to help Starbucks reach its goal of having 25,000 college graduates by 2025.
Read the full article at ASU Now.