Starbucks, Arizona State University team up for tuition program

NEW YORK (KABC) -- Starbucks and Arizona State University have teamed up to help Starbucks employees pay for college.

The Starbucks College Achievement Plan helps cover the cost of college for those seeking a bachelor's degree through ASU's online program.

The tuition plan is available to any of Starbucks' 135,000 U.S. employees who work at least 20 hours a week.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced the plan Monday in New York. He said he was the first in his family to attend college, so this topic is personal.

He also shot down criticisms that the plan is really all about PR.

"I could care less about marketing. This is not about PR," he told a crowd of 340 Starbucks workers and their guests.

The terms of the Starbucks program are complicated and would vary depending on the worker's situation. For the freshman and sophomore years, students would pay a greatly reduced tuition after factoring in a scholarship from Starbucks and ASU and financial aid, such as Pell grants.

It would work in much the same way for the junior and senior years, except that Starbucks would reimburse any money that workers pay out of pocket.

The plan comes at a time when a traditional college education is out of reach for many. The program also seeks to aid workers struggling because of mounting debt, a tenuous work-life balance and a lack of support, Starbucks said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.