Wegmans Scholarship Program Attains $100M Milestone

Wegmans' Employee Scholarship Program is on track to award college tuition assistance to 1,736 new recipients for the upcoming academic year. The Rochester, N.Y.-based retailer expects to pay about $4.9 million to new and returning scholarship recipients during the 2015-16 school year.

Since the program began in 1984, more than 32,000 Wegmans employees have received $100 million in scholarship funds.

"It is so rewarding to see our employees achieve their goals, and in many cases, build a career at Wegmans," said Colleen Wegman, the company's president. "This program has made a profound impact on our own company and on the communities we serve."

Part-time employee scholarship recipients can receive up to $1,500 annually for four years (a maximum of $6,000), and full-time employees can receive up to $2,200 a year for four years (as much as $8,800 total). There's no limit on the number of scholarships given out each year, and no restrictions are made on a student’s course of study. Recipients may choose any area of study from an accredited college and enter any field they want after graduating, although many, as Wegman observed, choose to pursue careers at the company after college.

To receive a scholarship, Wegmans associates must meet work-performance requirements. Eligibility additionally depends on a minimum number of work hours over a specified time period. A team from Wegmans evaluates all scholarship applications.

Family-owned Wegmans operates 85 stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts.