Wal-Mart employees get discount at APU

The discount won't be huge, but it will certainly endorse online learning as a means of internal promotion.

Current APUS tuition:
undergrad $250 --> Walmart employee tuition $212.50
graduate $300 --> Walmart employee tuition $255.00

So, it's just a tad over $10,000 for an MBA anyway. A Walmart employee can pick one up for about $9,000. Walmart promoted it as a way to remove the barrier of reimbursement, and they are also awarding the PLA at no cost.

For an undergrad that's a potential for more of a savings than the discount. I don't know what kind of PLA they award, but +/-20 credits would be a nice chunk of change discounted from the top- maybe $5,000 and that's before CLEP and before the discount. Walmart also is awarding scholarships, so I think a resourceful person could come out with a BA or MBA for about $5,000. If Walmart provides educational assistance, then it is WALMART that is saving the $$$$ By cutting this deal- not too stupid on their part.

I think it's a nice deal, but I think very few people will take advantage of it.

 

*snort*

The WPU Rollbackers vs. the Target Archers.

Side note - I can't believe how long it took me to figure out why Target's in-house brand is called "Archer Farms." (years) And I can't believe I'm 'fessing up to it.

You know, I really did think Hamburger University was a made-up joke. I always thought people who mentioned it were pulling my leg. Actually, I think it's kinda cool that they take themselves seriously enough to have created courses that are worth ACE credits. Though the name? Um, no. They should've come up with something different, IMHO.

All kidding aside - I agree that it is entirely possible and an interesting thought that businesses would do something like this, launch or take over their own colleges.

@obecve: I do support people trying to get their degrees, so much so that I created a website with a lot of free info to help them study and sit for college-level exams. And believe me, as my family lives on less than $30K a year, it probably would've made much more sense for me to try to come up with a way to profit from my work, rather than give it all away. But I know what it's like to struggle to make ends meet and I wanted to help. I can't pay for their schooling, no, but I may save them from spending money unnecessarily in any case and that could help them reach their goals.

I think the point here is Wal-Mart's reputation is less than stellar with a lot of the general population, and as such it may not be beneficial to a school to be closely associated with them. Whether this is a deserved reputation or not, perception in this case can be very damaging. The reality may be that APU is the toughest school on the planet, but some people *will* see an association with Wal-Mart as meaning, "Lower end." It is what it is.

 

You are right; I think Sam Walton rarely does anything stupid. He's one of the most shrewd businessmen of this century. Walmart suffers from an image of poor pay for their employees, this is a very astute political move.

 

F*c*


<-----------------AMU Grad.

 

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Maybe it's just me, but I don't think this is going to be a big news maker with the rest of the world. I'd predict your average Walmart employee isn't even going to know this is an option. The McD's thing was either last year or the year before- you hear NOTHING about that, or the relationship with ACE and TESC.....and if you don't hear it making news here, you can bet that the rest of the world doesn't know about it. .

 

Logical trend, though I'm surprised it wasn't WalMart and Kaplan making a deal.

Microsoft and Cisco have governmental approval to issue Doctorates in Engineering in China out of their research labs.

I guess what it really comes down to is the continuing evolution of the business of academia. Fascinating really. Good for Walmart. If i were them though, it'd be Walton University. Most other magnates have sponsored schools, this is really no different. (Rockefeller, Carnegie, etc). Those turned out ok.

 

The education bubble is caused primarily by the willingness of the Federal government to make outrageously large loans to students who realistically will never be able to make full repayment. As long as the Federal government continues to provide artificially high amounts of cash into the educational system in the U.S., then the education bubble will continue to grow, until eventually it cannot be sustained. Nobody knows how large the bubble can grow.

The educational bubble is caused exclusively by the Federal government's pumping of artificially large amounts of cash into the education system.

 

Interesting comments from The Chronicle: Wal-Mart Employees Get New College Program

"The American Public University has been described as the higher-education version of Wal-Mart."

"If 10 to 15 percent of employees take advantage of this, that's like graduating three Ohio State Universities."

APU will apparently give credit for job experience and employee training courses.

 

That's sounding almost like a mill. "Yes, you get three credits for cash register 101."

 

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Don't be silly, anyone with experience gets cash register 201.

Really though, schools like TESC give the entire 27 credit free elective up to FEMA. 27 credits is more a cost savings than a motivation to get a degree. I still think giving 20-30 undergrad credits as a PLA would be nice, but then there are those other +/- 100 credits you must earn in order to graduate.


(Someone should do a survey, how many people who are NOT members here or at the InstantCert forum have ever used >20 FEMA credits toward a degree ANYWHERE in the United States- I'm guessing microscopic)

 

Sam already has a school named after him. The Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas (which I thought was weird, since he is an alum of the University of Missouri).

In all seriousness, the legitimacy of distance learning from primarily online schools will take a serious hit if Wal-Mart ever purchases one.
I can just see the commercials now...."Algebra 201 was 499.99, now only 429.99. We're rolling back prices to save you money so you can live better!"

 

I feel robbed. During high school and freshman year at college I worked at Burger King. Earned 3 stars, and was certified on broiler and drive-thru. UF gave me nothing!

 

Hi, there. I'll be your adjunct faculty today.

 

Ok, that is just cold. LOL. Goodness gracious Dr Bear..LOL

 

Bad optics

APU grads should rightly be concerned about the image this presents. What a shame.

Review the comments in Ezra Klein's (Washington Post reporter) related blog entry, and a NY Times article:

Ezra Klein - Wal-Mart University

Wal-Mart to Offer Its Workers a College Program - Readers' Comments - NYTimes.com

My favorite: "This is from The Onion? Right?"

 

Let's not compare Microsoft and Cisco engineers to your average Walmart employee. While some of them might be working at the store while as a college student, the majority of them seem to be content of making minimum wage for the rest of their life as long as they receive some health benefits (I'm not too familiar with the company's compensation package though).
The fact that APU agreed to this arrangement for obvious financial reasons only cheapens their degrees in the academic arena and lowers people's opinion of "for-profit online education" *sigh*. I guess that whoever brokered the deal will have a very nice christmas this year.
Though I was enrolled with them for two classes, I will never finish my degree with them now.

 

Yes, it's unfortunate that an organization known for cheapness is now linking with a university. It does cheapen the school and further damage the image of DL.