Disney has announced cutbacks to its popular Disney Aspire college tuition program. The cutbacks will be effective November 27th, according to an email sent to Cast Members. As part of the cutbacks, Disney will introduce an annual funding cap of $5,250 to Disney Aspire in-network schools. Eventually, funding caps will apply to all students across all schools, according to the email. Other changes include the removal of Masters programs and Penn Foster Trades programs from Disney Aspire entirely.
Disney Aspire Program Changes
Disney Aspire debuted in 2018 and more than 4,600 current employees had completed the program. Disney says that more than 11,600 students are currently enrolled in the Disney Aspire program. More than 8,000 students are enrolled through Walt Disney World, and more than 3,000 students are enrolled through Disneyland. Disney touted that the Disney Aspire program was “the most comprehensive educational investment program of its kind”. That’s about to change.
Before we get further into the new changes, here’s a look at how Disney used to describe the Disney Aspire program before the recent changes:
Disney Aspire is an educational investment program that provides hourly cast members and employees with resources they need to achieve their educational goals. It breaks down barriers to higher education, inspires career mobility and helps the company’s workforce prosper by offering 100% upfront tuition coverage for a network of schools and universities, along with added benefits, like reimbursement for books and fees.
One of the toughest challenges students face is the high cost of tuition. Disney Aspire offers comprehensive tuition coverage to eligible hourly employees to help them remove this barrier.
This benefit allows them to pursue higher education without the burden of excessive student debt. The program covers tuition, required fees, and even required books for approved courses or programs.
In addition to undergraduate and master’s degree programs, Disney Aspire offers tuition coverage for high school completion, English language learning and college prep. Any fees or required book purchases that come from these educational pursuits are eligible for reimbursement through the program.
These changes to the Disney Aspire program could have a massive ripple effect on Disney’s ability to recruit and retain employees. In 2024, Disney said that 1 in 4 applicants to U.S. hourly roles within The Walt Disney Company cite the Disney Aspire program as one of their primary reasons for applying to work at Disney. Other stats released earlier this year about the program include that more than 60% of employees using Disney Aspire were earning a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, nearly 50% of students identified as people of color, and 60% identified as women.
For students that are currently enrolled, the current term will continue to be fully funded by Disney, but the amount may count toward the 2025 funding cap. Disney suggests that students discuss options with their school before future enrollment, and they say that any spend that exceeds the new annual cap will be billed to the student from the school.
Effective immediately, Master’s programs and Penn Foster trades are no longer available for new enrollment. Students currently enrolled in these programs may continue with their schooling, but the funding cap will come into play. If students had applied for a discontinued program before September 5, 2024, they may continue if accepted, but there will be new rules around funding caps. Any applications that were in progress, but not fully submitted will be rejected.
Disney says that they “remain fully committed to [students’] educational success and career journey”, and that they will continue to provide support with even more details to be announced. Disney says that they “look to extend our available career resources and services for employees in the future” and Disney says more details will be announced in the future.
There are no announced changes to the Disney College Program, which is a completely separate program than the Disney Aspire program.
A Disney spokesperson offered the following comment about the changes to the Disney Aspire program:
Since Disney Aspire was first introduced, we have continued to evolve the program to meet the needs of our cast members and employees, as well as the needs of our business.
Disney Aspire continues to offer an evolving catalog of programs and degree options across various fields of study, skills and professions, providing our eligible employees the opportunity to pursue disciplines and diplomas including high school equivalency, English language learning, and undergraduate degrees.
In addition to Disney Aspire and our education reimbursement program for salaried employees and cast members across the U.S., we also offer a variety of hands-on learning, training, and career development experiences that help employees and cast members to get to where they want to go professionally.
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