Could Disney workers get free degrees?

UCF not on the current list of nine institutions in the program

When Walt Disney Co. announced full-time and part-time hourly workers could obtain a free education, one school was noticeably absent on the list of eligible schools that were participating.

The University of Central Florida’s main campus is only about 30 miles from Walt Disney World Resort. Known for being one of the largest schools in the country, UCF also boasts about its robust online programs that many working students take advantage of.When reached for comment, UCF spokesman Mark Schlueb recently said the school was in early talks about joining the currently nine institutions — including Valencia College and University of Florida Online.

“We are very early in discussion,” Schlueb wrote in an email. “We don’t have a timeline for a decision as UCF and Guild Education are both still gathering information.”

Guild Education, a Denverbased company, is administering the educational program, which is called Disney Aspire.

A Guild spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment but had said earlier that Disney Aspire is expected to grow and expand over the years to include more programs although he did not know if UCF would be among them.

For Disney employees, they are eligible to get their tuition paid upfront by Walt Disney Co.

Some of the schools accept any students with high school diplomas while UF Online is a competitive school that requires more challenging admission requirements.

Valencia College is the only local school in Central Florida where Disney employees can attend although many of the schools offer online-only degrees. Valencia students can directly transfer to UCF after they receive their associate’s degrees through the DirectConnect Program.

Beside getting college degrees, Disney employees could also earn a high school diploma or GED as well as vocational training or learn English as a second language.

Disney, which is investing $150 million over five years, announced it would pay for employees’ education after the company saved significantly from the GOP tax cuts.