The Expansion of Corporate-Sponsored Tuition Benefits to America’s Low-Wage Workers

This article documents the expansion of corporate-sponsored tuition benefit (CSTB) programs from the managerial class to America’s low-wage workers and considers how the goals and design of CSTB programs square with those of college access programs. Because CSTBs simultaneously have the goals of college access, employee retention, and return on investment, I focus on variation in program components, including which workers are eligible, where benefits can be used, and what performance requirements exist to get and maintain the benefit award. I use ideal-type analysis to offer a typology of CSTBs found among large low-wage employers and outline potential research directions that can support college attainment, social mobility, and well-being for the low-wage workforce enrolled in CSTB programs.