Story at a glance

• Amazon announced Thursday that it will offer full college tuition payments for its 750,000 hourly employees in the U.S beginning in January.
• The company said in a statement employees will be eligible for the tuition payments and other educational costs through its Career Choice program 90 days after employment.
• The tuition and fees will be offered for hundreds of institutions across the country.

Amazon announced Thursday that it will offer full college tuition payments for most its 750,000 hourly employees in the U.S beginning in January 2022. 

The company said in a statement employees will be eligible for the tuition payments and other educational costs through its Career Choice program 90 days after employment. Amazon also plans to cover costs related to high school completion, GEDs and ESL proficiency certifications.

“This makes all 400,000 employees who joined the company since the start of the pandemic eligible to access Amazon-funded education opportunities,” the statement read. 

Tuition and fees will be paid upfront rather than reimbursed, and employees will have access to the funding throughout their terms of employment. Funding will be offered for hundreds of institutions across the country, the company said — although no additional specifics were listed in the initial announcement. 

America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.

Amazon’s announcement follows competitors whose company’s have vied for labor by offering education benefits. Walmart announced in July that it would pay 100 percent of the tuition and book fees at select schools for Walmart and Sam’s Club employees. 

And in August, Target offered to pay tuition and related education costs for full and part-time workers who were pursuing qualifying degrees at more than 40 schools. 

Data shows that Americans collectively owe roughly $1.73 trillion in student loan debt, which averages around $39,000 per borrower.