Starbucks tuition reimbursement works differently from most employer plans: Starbucks does not reimburse you after you pay. Through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan (SCAP), eligible U.S. partners get 100% of tuition and fees covered upfront for a first-time bachelor's degree through Arizona State University's online programs. You must be benefits-eligible, have no bachelor's degree and file the FAFSA every year.
This guide covers who qualifies, how many hours you need to work, how the money is applied, which degrees count, how to apply, the tax rules and the catches that trip partners up.
Program details verified Oct. 2026 against the official Starbucks Careers education page, the ASU Starbucks College Achievement Plan FAQ and the Starbucks benefits eligibility page. Starbucks and ASU can change the program, so confirm with an ASU enrollment coach before you enroll.
Not in the usual sense. With a typical tuition reimbursement plan, you pay the school, pass the class and wait for your employer to pay you back. SCAP skips that waiting period. According to the ASU SCAP FAQ, the remaining tuition and fees are covered upfront and applied directly to your ASU account.
If you have been comparing Starbucks and tuition reimbursement plans at other employers, the biggest differences are that SCAP covers the full bachelor's degree rather than a fixed yearly amount, and that it works only with ASU Online. The FAQ also states that Starbucks does not currently offer any other paid educational assistance outside SCAP.
Your bill is paid in layers. Each layer is applied before the next one:
| Order | Funding source | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CAP Scholarship from ASU | An automatic 42% scholarship on your enrolled classes, applied at the start of the semester |
| 2 | Need-based grants | Need-based grants such as a Federal Pell Grant, other federal or military student aid, and ASU need-based aid |
| 3 | Starbucks Tuition Benefit | The remaining tuition, financial aid trust fee, and college and class fees |
| Not covered | Your own money or other aid | Textbooks, laptops and other education expenses |
The FAQ notes that merit-based academic scholarships and private scholarships applied to tuition and fees do not reduce the Starbucks Tuition Benefit. Financial aid may help with books and other costs. See our guide to Pell Grant eligibility for how need-based grants are decided.
The ASU FAQ lists these requirements. You must:
There is no minimum course load, so you can study part-time. The FAQ also says all eligible U.S. partners can participate regardless of immigration status. Veteran partners can extend the benefit to one designated family member, such as a child, spouse or domestic partner.
SCAP eligibility depends on Starbucks benefits eligibility. The Starbucks benefits eligibility page sets these rules:
| Partner type | How you first become benefits-eligible |
|---|---|
| Full-time, U.S. mainland | First day of the month after 60 calendar days of employment |
| Part-time, U.S. mainland | First day of the second month after receiving at least 240 total hours over three full, consecutive months |
| Retail hourly, Hawaii | First day of the month after four consecutive weeks of employment with at least 80 total hours |
| Retail salaried and non-retail hourly, Hawaii | First day of the month after your most recent hire date |
To stay eligible on the U.S. mainland, you need at least 520 total hours on paychecks in each six-month measurement period, checked in audits on January 6 and July 6. Starbucks describes this as 20 hours per week. Approved leave hours count toward the total.
Failing an audit does not cancel classes you are already in. Per the ASU FAQ, mainland partners who fail the January audit stay covered through spring but lose coverage starting with the summer semester. Partners who fail the July audit stay covered through fall but lose coverage starting in spring. You regain coverage after passing a later audit, and you never have to repay benefits already applied.
SCAP covers all bachelor's degrees delivered fully online by ASU, and the FAQ says ASU offers more than 180 online bachelor's programs. Your diploma and transcript read "Arizona State University," the same as for on-campus students.
Some limits apply:
ASU has six start dates a year, two sessions each in fall, spring and summer, and each session runs 7.5 weeks.
Partners who do not initially meet ASU's admission criteria can use Pathway to Admission. According to the FAQ, most partners take 4 to 8 courses, need at least a 2.75 GPA in those courses to be admitted, and can receive credit conversion coverage for up to 10 courses. Benefits-eligible partners have the $25 course verification fee waived, and course materials are free.
Partly. The ASU FAQ says SCAP is a qualified educational assistance program under Internal Revenue Code section 127, so up to $5,250 per calendar year of the Starbucks Tuition Benefit is free of federal income tax. The IRS confirms the $5,250 annual exclusion in Publication 15-B for 2026.
Any amount above $5,250 in a calendar year is reported as taxable income, and ASU says those taxes are withheld from your paycheck at the end of the semester. Here is a hypothetical example: if the Starbucks Tuition Benefit covers $7,000 of your costs in one calendar year, $1,750 would be added to your taxable wages.
State rules can differ. The FAQ says Alabama, Indiana, New Jersey and Pennsylvania have not adopted the federal treatment, so partners working there owe state income tax on the full benefit. The $5,250 limit applies to the amount Starbucks covers, which the FAQ calls the Starbucks Tuition Benefit. This is general information, not tax advice; check with a tax professional, especially if another employer also paid education benefits that year.
There is no requirement to keep working at Starbucks after you graduate. If you leave mid-semester, classes you were registered for that semester stay covered, but future classes are not, and the benefit is reported on your Form W-2.
ASU considers one class per session part-time and two or more full-time. The FAQ advises planning about six hours a week for every credit, so one 3-credit class in a 7.5-week session means about 18 hours a week of coursework.
If you take one 3-credit class in each of the six sessions a year, you earn 18 credits a year. Starting from zero, reaching 120 credits at that pace takes about 6.7 years. With 30 transfer credits, the remaining 90 take 5 years. Our guides on how to ace online classes and how to manage college and work can help you set a pace you can keep.
Compressed 7.5-week sessions move fast, and a single missed week can put you behind. If you are balancing shifts and coursework, you can get tutoring or homework help to stay on track. ASU also offers free live tutoring to enrolled online students.
Yes, part-time partners can use SCAP once they are benefits-eligible. On the U.S. mainland, that means at least 240 hours over three full, consecutive months to qualify, then at least 520 hours in each six-month audit period. That works out to about 20 hours a week.
No. The ASU FAQ says there is no commitment to remain employed with Starbucks after you complete your degree. You also do not have to repay coverage for classes already taken if you leave.
No. SCAP covers only a first bachelor's degree through ASU Online. Partners who already have a bachelor's degree cannot use SCAP, and in accelerated master's programs only the bachelor's-level credits are covered.
No. The benefit applies only to bachelor's degree programs offered online by ASU. You can transfer credits from another college to ASU, and transferred credits do not count against the 135-credit coverage limit.
No. SCAP covers tuition and fees but not textbooks, laptops or other education expenses. Federal or ASU financial aid from your FAFSA may help with those costs, and Pathway to Admission courses use free materials.
Classes you were registered for in that semester remain covered, and you do not repay them. Any classes you enroll in after your separation date are not covered. Starbucks reports the value of the tuition benefit as income on your Form W-2.
Program details come from the Starbucks Careers education page, the ASU Starbucks College Achievement Plan FAQ, the Starbucks benefits eligibility page and IRS Publication 15-B (2026), verified as of Oct. 2026. Program rules and tax law can change, so confirm details with an ASU enrollment coach, the Starbucks Partner Contact Center or a tax professional.
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