In my part of the city, Chipotle has made a name for itself. This is because the restaurant woos you over with its plethora of sauces. From the outside, it looks like any other kind of restaurant. What you could not tell, is Chipotle tuition reimbursement is one of the best in the country.
Oh, this is not me being biased.
If you read How I Graduated Nursing School Debt Free, I was quite skeptical about using my previous employer’s tuition reimbursement. This is due to my employer failing me during nursing school with its ridiculous tuition assistance contract.
The terms of their tuition reimbursement was down right exploitative. My employer asked for two years of additional service for just $2000 a year. Meanwhile, I was laying thousands of dollars a year in tuition.
Like $2000 was going to move mountains for me!
I was quite surprised when I learned Chipotle tuition reimbursement program was way better than my employer’s. Considering I am in the healthcare field, I am quite disappointed a food service industry cares more about their employees than my previous employer.
Kinda sad, is it not?
And, people wonder why some healthcare workers do not feel appreciated. Anyways, below is what I want you to know about this tuition reimbursement program.
Does Chipotle Reimburse Tuition?
Chipotle offers tuition reimbursement for full time and part-time employees. So, how much is Chipotle tuition assistance?
Chipotle employees get up for $5,250 per year in tuition assistance. This is more than twice what my previous employer tried to offer me during nursing school, although I was one of their good certified surgical technologists. But, this restaurant chain offers this amount per year for employees through its Cultivate Education program.
This is not even the best thing on the restaurant chain’s effort to provide affordable education for its employees. There are some academic degrees which Chipotle sponsor 100%. What this means, is young working class adults could get some degrees without paying a dime for education.
This is through its Guild Education. It is a platform which offers certain degrees to Chipotle employees at no cost to them. This education includes Associate and Bachelor degrees.
I will be talking about the degrees Chipotle pays 100% for later. Right now, I want us to explore the other ways this restaurant chain makes sure its employees get access to affordable education. What else do you need to know, my dear reader?
Well, let us talk about Chipotle tuition reimbursement eligibility. Although these educational benefits are for its employees, there are qualifying factors for each employee. As with any other employer tuition reimbursement program, Chipotle is not different.
Below is what I want you to know about it.
Chipotle Tuition Reimbursement Requirement
To be eligible for Chipotle education assistance, young working class adults need to be full time or part-time employees. You need to be working at least 15 hours a week to be considered eligible for Chipotle tuition assistance. This is a similar requirement for some employers’ tuition assistance in the United States.
My previous employee wanted me working at least 25 hours a week to qualify for its tuition reimbursement. This is what it considers part-time. As we can see, Chipotle is not bad at all compared to the hospital I used to work for.
Additionally, the $5,250 tuition assistance is extended to immediate family members. This includes our children and spouse. I find this extremely impressive, since the only other employer who does this are either State or Federal government agencies.
I am talking about the likes of GI bills and other military education benefits extended to family members. You and I know private companies rarely extend this courtesy to immediate family members, right?
So, I am impressed by this extent of Chipotle commitment to its employees.
As new employees, Chipotle expects us to work for about 4 months before its tuition reimbursement opens up to us. While you have been working for 4 months, it expects you to put in 15 hours a week or more. This is regardless of status as a full time or part-time employee.
Once eligibility is confirmed and you are accepted, maintain 157 hours of work during the semester. This is in addition to a satisfactory academic performance. All these get you Chipotle tuition reimbursement which is up to $5,250 a year.
Does Chipotle Offer Tuition Reimbursement For Part-Time Employees?
Chipotle offers tuition reimbursement for part-time employees. This is as long as you have reached the following requirements I mentioned above. To reiterate below,
- You have been employed for at least 4 months or 120 days of employment.
- Or, you are doing at least 15 hours a week.
- Finally, you maintain 157 hours of work per semester. This is besides maintaining a satisfactory academic performance.
Part-time employees can receive tuition reimbursement, as long as they meet the above eligibility. When it comes to tuition assistance by employers, I prefer you talk to your HR department directly. From my experience, managers are not much of a help. They are too busy wondering whether your path to education will clash with your work schedule.
How To Apply For Chipotle Tuition Reimbursement
To apply for Chipotle tuition assistance, you need to submit the application through the Guild Program. It is the third party Chipotle uses to match educational opportunities for its employees. I tried to create the account to see what it looks like, but I could not get past a part which asked for my chipotle work email as given by the hiring department.
But, here is what I can tell you.
Firstly, you are going to need to get a job with Chipotle. Work about the hours or meet the eligibility criteria I mentioned earlier. Then, you are going to create an account set up on the Guild Education. After the account is set, go through the Guild catalog to see whether your program of choice is covered under the tuition reimbursement.
Looking up the catalog on Guild will shown which of the programs are 100% covered or partially covered. Each college on the Guild has its own requirements. So, you may be asked to show proof of meeting requirements.
If you meet its requirements, then you can apply through the Guild to be accepted into the college or university of choice. Now, it does not necessarily have to be through the Guild. You can still apply directly to the school you choose. Just make sure it is part of the Guild, so you will get your tuition reimbursed at the end of the semester.
Finally, the HR and the Guild are good at helping you figure this out. This is why I recommend talking to them directly. Speaking of the schools Chipotle pay for their employees. I dug around and found they are actually great school. I will tell you about them next.
What Schools Does Chipotle Pay For?
Chipotle is in partnership with a lot of top universities and colleges to provide the next generation of professionals. By the next generation of professionals, I am referring to my fellow working class adults. So, what schools does Chipotle pay for you to get an education?
The following colleges below are free or partially-free, if you decide to go work for Chipotle.
- University of Denver
- Oregon State university
- JWU
- Believe university
- Johnson and Wales university
- Paul Quinn university
- Purdue Global
- University of Arizona
- Southern New Hampshire University
As a Chipotle employee, you can go to any of these schools with your tuition either paid 100% or you can get up to $5,250 per year. It all depends on the programs you decide to study while you are working for the company. Yeah I know, there are majors which will get all your tuition paid off 100%. I believe those are the ones which Chipotle finds valuable to their entire business structure.
Anyways, let us talk about these degrees which get your tuition paid 100%. One of degrees might be in your alley. Here is what I want you to know below.
What Degrees Does Chipotle Pay 100% For?
Chipotle offers debt-free degrees in three industries. These are Agriculture, Supply Chain (Logistics), Culinary and Hospitality programs. As we can see, these degrees will make you a valuable member of the Chipotle corporate structure. Simply put, there is a job waiting for you immediately after graduation.
Of course, this is in cahoots with the Guild partnership. Remember the Guild platform I mentioned earlier?
This is where you go to find the universities or colleges offering the above degrees. For any interested young working class adult looking to go into culinary, the Guild shows Batchelor’s degrees from Oregon state university, JWU and Believe university.
Additionally, University of Denver and Oregon State University offer a supply chain program. What I am not familiar is whether this is all going to be in class or face to face. I feel like it would make sense to be online, but we do not know for sure.
So, here is what I want you to do.
Once you become a part of the company, ask your HR department about it. Also, you can access the Guild platform since you will have an employee email address. Any other additional information you may have will be asked by the Guild or the HR.
Although you may not get your tuition paid off 100%, there are other programs which qualify for Chipotle tuition assistance. These include healthcare, business and technology degrees. The tuition assistance also covers ESL, GED and college prep expenses. This is as long as you are an employer.
How Long Do You Have To Work At Chipotle For Tuition Reimbursement?
I believe I mentioned this earlier, but I am going to reiterate it again. You have to work for 120 days of employment, or at least 4 months to qualify for tuition reimbursement. This is necessary, because some of the young amongst us the working class, cannot retain a job for a few months.
Besides, it is Chipotle’s way of making sure they have the right person in their team. Think about it this way. It would not make sense to pour money on someone who does not see himself, or herself working with Chipotle for a long term.
Not that I am an advocate for long term work at a particular place, because I push going to wherever the grass is green. But if you are going to use Chipotle to sponsor your education, I advise you stick with them. This is especially, when you are studying a degree the company highly sought.
By these degrees, I mean like culinary, supply chain and hospitality. I have a feeling Chipotle is willing to absorb graduates of these programs and train them for leadership positions. Hence, why I mean to be serious about these beautiful opportunities since they will be a job for you after graduation.
Is Chipotle Tuition Reimbursement Taxable?
Tuition reimbursement is taxable. I explored the idea of IRS employer tuition assistance taxing process on Is Tuition Reimbursement Taxable? – A Working Class Perspective. This is after I had a nasty surprise of having my tax return going back to $0, after I accepted a scholarship from my college.
Have you ever received scholarship or financial aid only for it to be deducted from your tax return, my dear reader?
It drives me crazy. I actually owned close to $400 in back taxes because of a nursing school scholarship I accepted last year. It is paid off though, but I regretted accepting the scholarship.
With employer tuition reimbursement though, it is a bit different. There is no tax on up to $5,250 on employer’s tuition reimbursement. Right on the sweet spot that Chipotle offers, is it not?
Yes, you do not get to pay tax on that. It only becomes taxable when this tax-free limit is exceeded. Then, the IRS starts taxing your tuition reimbursement as an income. I know, it does not make sense logically.
But, this is the IRS for you. It is never the friend of young working class adults. Uncle Sam wants a cut on everything dollar we get our hands on, but this limit on tuition assistance keeps the hungry giant at bay.
What Is My Final Thought On Chipotle Education Assistance?
Personally, it was way better than what my previous employer offered me. Mine offered $2000 per year with a two year retention contract as a registered nurse. Chipotle is out here telling me it throws $5,250 to its employees. Not only does it provide this to them, but also there are certain degrees you could do with them for free.
I am talking about $0 student debt after graduation. Wow!
If I was not good at figuring out ways to graduate college debt free, I would have just quitted my job and go work for Chipotle while I was in nursing school. This is because I struggled financially during nursing school. I was going to school full time, while working part-time and paying tuition out of pocket.
On the whole, I applaud jobs like Chipotle looking out for young working class adults trying to acquire more skills and education to better contribute in society. If all jobs are like Chipotle, young working class adults will not be graduating college with such tremendous debts that even Jesus weeps on our behalf. It is ridiculous!
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