Discover Expands Fully Funded Undergraduate Degree Program to Include University of Arizona and Paul Quinn College, One of the Nation’s Oldest HBCUs

Discover will expand its fully paid education benefit program to include two more high-quality university partners: the University of Arizona and Paul Quinn College, one of the oldest historically Black colleges and universities in the country and the first urban work college.

Discover employees also will have the option to enroll in the non-degree College Start program, a newly offered way to begin taking college level courses, setting employees up for success if they decide to eventually enroll in a four-year program.

“We are continuing to invest in our dedicated workforce through our education program, the Discover College Commitment,” said Andy Eichfeld, chief human resources & administrative officer at Discover. “Our program has always been designed to help our employees pursue their careers while getting a degree, and now we’ve made it easier than ever for them to continue their education.”

The Discover College Commitment benefit covers tuition and required fees, books and supplies needed to complete select online degrees at one of four schools – Wilmington University, Brandman University and now Paul Quinn College and University of Arizona. The benefit starts from the first day of employment so all eligible U.S.-based employees can start participating as soon as they want regardless of how long they have been with the company. Discover enhanced its education assistance program in 2017 and nearly 2,000 employees already have enrolled in classes in that time.

The expanded program offerings align with the future of work and are designed to support career growth at Discover. As part of this benefit, Discover partners with Guild Education, a leading education and upskilling partner to Fortune 1000 companies. Guild’s platform provides academic counseling to help employees find the program that best fits their educational, upskilling and professional development goals, in addition to student success coaching to help ensure employees have the support they need from application to graduation.

“I love working at Discover because it's so diverse, I love the people I work with and there’s always opportunities to advance,” said Perla Villalobos, a Discover employee enrolled in the program. “I'm going to school for organizational management. My ultimate goal is to become a project manager and that's one of the reasons I decided to go back to school. I want to take on big projects and help the company.”

Earlier this year, Discover announced plans to generate nearly 1,000 new jobs in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood, an under-invested part of Chicago, over the next four years by opening a new customer care center in 2021. The facility will offer full-time quality job opportunities and benefits for Chatham residents and other South Side communities. Employees at this location will also have access to the Discover College Commitment. Discover is counting on its commitment to Chatham to serve as a springboard for economic development in the area and further expand its diversity initiatives.

“The addition of Paul Quinn College, one of the nation’s oldest historically black colleges, and the recently announced new customer care center in Chatham are important in strengthening our diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives,” Eichfeld said. “We believe that representation matters – and we know that our thriving culture and diversity contribute to our success.”

Additional educational and training benefits that Discover provides its employees include:

• Partially funded education options, including Tuition Assistance and Tuition Reimbursement.
• An internal professional development program which offers hundreds of courses on everything from communication and decision-making to agile software development.
• A world-class, in-house technology curriculum known as the Discover Technology Academy, which cultivates continuous skill development, collaborative learning and innovation in the company’s engineering culture.

"Education and upskilling have lasting impacts on people's professional growth and support business goals for the companies for whom they work,” said Natalie McCullough, president and chief commercial officer at Guild Education. “We're proud to partner with Discover on this expansion of their program. Since the launch of our partnership, Discover has seen a $1.72 return on investment from their program. We look forward to supporting Discover's commitment to equitable and innovative education and upskilling opportunities."

For more information about the Discover College Commitment program, including eligibility requirements, please visit jobs.discover.com/education.

About Discover

Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a digital banking and payment services company with one of the most trusted brands in U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company issues the Discover card, America's cash rewards pioneer, and offers private student loans, personal loans, home loans, checking and savings accounts and certificates of deposit through its banking business. It operates the Discover Global Network comprised of Discover Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation's leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance around the world. For more information, visit www.discover.com/company.

About Guild Education

Guild Education is on a mission to unlock opportunity for America's workforce through education and upskilling. Guild is a certified B-Corp, founded to bridge the gap between education and employment for the 88M working adults in the US in need of upskilling for the future of work. Guild's industry-leading technology platform allows the nation's largest employers — including Walmart, The Walt Disney Company and Chipotle — to offer strategic education and upskilling to their employees, connecting them to a learning ecosystem of the nation's best universities and learning providers, with tuition paid by the company. Guild serves working learners from all 50 states, including 54% who are students of color and 56% who are female. Guild's payments and technology platform, curated learning marketplace, and advanced education and career coaching come together to help working adult learners advance in their education and career, debt-free. For more information, visit www.guildeducation.com.

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