Taxpayers to Foot Bill for Starbucks’ ‘Free’ College Tuition Program
12th July 2014
Starbucks’ recently announced partnership with Arizona State University to help its employees pay for an online degree will be funded by the taxpayer, rather than from the global coffee chain itself.
While it was billed as “free tuition” by some when the partnership was first announced, in reality ASU is offering Starbucks employees a reduced tuition rate, while the students are expected to cover the rest of the cost with federal student aid or from their own pockets.
The “scholarship” portion in the form of a discount is essentially funded by taxpayers, as the university is funded by public coffers.