Undergraduate Program Tuition Reimbursement

Effective July 12, 2023

Qualifications

To be eligible, you must

• submit an application and be approved for the program
• reach 90 days of continuous employment
• work a minimum average of 10 hours per week, based on a 52-week average or portion of 52 weeks if employed less than 1 year
• maintain a total performance rating of at least meets expectations/successful
• receive management approval
• participate in an approved area of study
• attend a regionally accredited school
• earn at least a C in the course
• submit required paperwork by the established deadline and
• be employed at Publix when the reimbursement check is issued.

Approved areas of study

The approved majors for the undergraduate program are:

Other majors may also be approved if they're related to your current job or established career path. "Established career path" is the natural progression within your current business area.

What Publix pays toward this program

Publix reimburses tuition costs and related fees for the undergraduate program while you attend a 4-year college/university or a 2-year college/community college, up to the amounts listed below.

Reimbursement limits	4-year college/university	2-year college/community college*
Lifetime limit	$16,000	$4,400
Annual calendar limit	$4,000	$2,200

*Reimbursement received from this level will be deducted from the reimbursement limits for a 4-year college/university.

Note: Tuition reimbursements are added to your regular pay, and the entire amount of your tuition reimbursement is subject to income taxes. Federal and state income tax withholding (if applicable) and Social Security and Medicare taxes (FICA taxes) will be deducted from your tuition reimbursement. Federal income tax will be withheld at the supplemental income tax withholding rate. The gross amount of your tuition reimbursement will be included in Box 1 of your Form W‑2.

Lifetime limit increase

Effective Jan. 1, 2022, the lifetime limit has increased.

You are eligible for a new lifetime limit if you

• reached the lifetime limit previously and are still enrolled in your approved area of study after Jan. 1, 2022, or
• reapply for a different eligible area of study and meet the qualification requirements.

Undergraduate program application

To apply for acceptance into the tuition reimbursement program, complete the undergraduate program application and submit it following the instructions on the application form.

• Once your application is processed, you'll receive an email at your store or support work location to inform you of your acceptance into the program.
• If you do not receive an updated status email within 6 weeks, contact the tuition reimbursement department to find out the status of your application.

Note: Classes completed prior to program acceptance are not eligible for reimbursement.

Reimbursement request form

If you've been accepted into the program, you may submit a request for reimbursement once your classes/semester ends.

To request reimbursement

• complete the undergraduate reimbursement request form
• submit it along with a
• grade report and
• receipt showing detailed tuition costs and method(s) of payment, such as grants/scholarships, student loans, check, credit card, etc.  

Keep your confirmation page for future reference to confirm that the tuition reimbursement department received all the required documents. If you have not received an email confirmation within 48 hours of submitting, contact the tuition reimbursement department. It can take up to 6 weeks to process your application or reimbursement request.