UNC Charlotte has been selected as a university partner in Amazon’s Career Choice program. This program provides Amazon’s hourly employees access to fully funded tuition for any of UNC Charlotte’s 171 bachelor’s degree programs in 77 areas of study, including degree completion programs designed specifically for working adults in the School of Professional Studies.
“As Amazon’s select university partner in this region, we provide accessible, affordable, quality higher education to help upskill the local workforce and meet North Carolina's evolving employment needs,” said UNC Charlotte Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber. “Charlotte is uniquely positioned to provide flexible higher education options that meet the demands of today’s working adults and drive even more economic growth, opportunity and success.”
This partnership also helps strengthen a growing, vibrant city, according to Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles.
“UNC Charlotte and Amazon both contribute significantly to the economic vitality of our city,” said Lyles. “We are fortunate that these two powerhouses are partnering together in efforts to train, educate and expand the workforce in the Charlotte region and North Carolina.”
Students transferring to UNC Charlotte from Amazon’s community college partners — including Central Piedmont, Rowan Cabarrus Community College and Wake Technical Community College — have the opportunity to continue to receive Amazon’s employee tuition benefit. This applies to the 49erNext co-admission program for students earning an associate degree and to the 49er Finish program for former UNC Charlotte students who have not completed a degree. Amazon employees who are currently enrolled at UNC Charlotte also may apply to receive free tuition through this program.
Career Choice is part of Amazon’s Upskilling 2025 pledge — a $1.2 billion commitment to upskill more than 300,000 Amazon employees by 2025.
“We’re looking forward to UNC Charlotte coming on board as an education partner for Career Choice, adding to the hundreds of best-in-class offerings available to our employees,” said Tammy Thieman, global program lead of Amazon’s Career Choice program. “We’re committed to empowering our employees by providing them access to the education and training they need to grow their careers, whether that’s with us or elsewhere. We have intentionally cultivated a partner network of third-party educators and employers committed to providing excellent education, job placement resources and continuous improvements to the experience. Today, over 50,000 Amazon employees around the world have already participated in Career Choice and we’ve seen first-hand how it can transform their lives.”