Partnership with Starbucks College Achievement Plan

Starbucks and Arizona State University (ASU) launched the College Achievement Plan (CAP) providing Starbucks employees with access to higher education, addressing one of the most significant barriers to college completion—affordability. 

Hailed as one of the most innovative public-private partnerships in higher ed, the College Achievement Plan, offers Starbucks employees a CAP scholarship applied by ASU each semester toward undergraduate tuition.  After the CAP scholarship and any need-based federal aid grants are applied (if applicable), the remaining tuition and fees are covered by the Starbucks Tuition Benefit and applied directly to the students ASU account before the start of the semester or session.  

While the program offered tuition assistance, ASU + Starbucks leadership recognized the need for a scalable operating platform that could process high volumes of applications and determine financial aid eligibility with rapid turnaround times needed before each start term.

ASU + Starbucks needed an expert partner who could identify solutions that would streamline the financial aid process, improve the student experience, and create a scalable model for making a college education possible for Starbucks’ diverse workforce, including non-traditional students.

Robert Heil has been at the forefront of public-private partnerships and joint ventures with some of the biggest names in tech and education, including Apple.  ASU + Starbucks reached out to Robert and his firm to help support a platform that could process the financial aid eligibility for the program.  Processing financial aid is one of the most complicated tasks for any financial aid office and extremely rapid turnaround times were required by Starbucks to maximize participation in the program and to create an exceptional experience for students. Robert’s solutions-focused approach allows ASU + Starbucks to help manage the complexity and time requirements of the process, opening doors of access and affordability to thousands of learners and highlighting the impact of innovative public-private partnerships on educational access.

• Exponential Increases in Access and Affordability:  To date, 13,000+ students have graduated with their degrees through the ASU + Starbucks College Achievement Plan and more than 25,000 Starbucks team members/learners are participating in the program, highlighting the impact of this innovative public-private partnership. 
• Improved Efficiencies and Operational Advantages:  The partnership with Robert’s firm allows the Arizona State University Financial Aid Office to operate with greater efficiencies, cost structures and turnaround times to learners. 
• Enhanced Student Experiences:  Timing is paramount to the success of the program and significantly enhances the student experience. ‍
• Confidence with Compliance: Processing financial aid is extremely complicated for any university program. The CAP requires determining eligibility for federal aid combined with a CAP scholarship. The partnership helps ASU + Starbucks ensure the program is operating in full compliance.

Robert Heil’s collaboration with the ASU + Starbucks College Achievement Plan is one of the many examples of Robert’s ability to bridge gaps between higher education and corporate initiatives to create accessible paths to degree completion for today’s workforce. Robert’s involvement in multiple public-private partnerships helps colleges and universities create scalable models for growth while opening doors for access and affordability to thousands of learners.