Love's Tuition Reimbursement & Education Benefits 2027

Love's Travel Stops offers one of the more generous education benefits in the travel stop and convenience store industry. Through its Fuel Your Growth program, eligible team members can earn a high school diploma, a college degree, or a career certificate with tuition fully covered for select programs. The company also runs paid training for diesel technicians, which gives you a debt-free path into skilled trade work.

Below, you'll learn how Love's education benefits work, who qualifies, and how to get started. You'll also see how Love's compares with other companies that offer tuition reimbursement and what to keep in mind before you enroll.

Does Love's Pay for College?

Yes, Love's pays for college through Fuel Your Growth, a company-funded education program it launched in June 2024 with the education platform Guild. Love's says it was the first travel stop operator to offer a company-funded tuition program through Guild. The benefit is open to eligible full-time and part-time team members across the U.S.

The program goes beyond traditional degrees. You can choose from high school completion, college prep, undergraduate degrees, certificates, bootcamps, and language classes, all delivered online with flexible start dates. Guild also provides career services and one-on-one coaching to help you map out where you want to go next.

Fully Funded Programs

Love's pays 100% of tuition for select programs in the Guild catalog. These include certain associate and bachelor's degrees, undergraduate and graduate certificates, bootcamps, high school completion, and college prep courses. English and Spanish language learning classes are fully covered, too.

Books and required fees are reimbursable at 100% for eligible programs, up to the annual funding cap. That matters if you're working hourly shifts, since textbooks and course fees can add hundreds of dollars a term at many schools.

Partial Tuition Coverage

If the program you want isn't fully funded, Love's still pays up to $5,250 per year for other undergraduate and graduate programs and certificates in the Guild catalog. Depending on the school, that amount could cover most of a year's tuition at a low-cost online college. Any grants or scholarships you receive are applied first, so filing the FAFSA can make the company's contribution stretch further.

Guild's network for Love's includes schools such as Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), Oregon State University, and eCornell, the online learning arm of Cornell University. Certificate options have included areas like accounting, web app development, and leadership.

Who Qualifies for Love's Education Benefits?

Fuel Your Growth is open to eligible U.S.-based full-time and part-time team members after about 30 days of employment. You'll also need to be in good standing with the company. That short waiting period sets Love's apart from employers that require six months or a year on the job.

Love's employs more than 40,000 team members and operates more than 640 locations in 42 states. Love's job postings list the company-funded tuition program among its standard benefits, alongside health coverage and a 401(k) match. Confirm the details with your manager or the Guild portal, since program terms can change over time.

How To Use Love's Fuel Your Growth Program

Most of the enrollment process happens through Guild. Here's how it generally works:

• Create a Guild account: Sign up through the Love's education portal to browse programs and see which ones are fully or partially funded.
• Talk with a Guild specialist: Get one-on-one help picking a program and completing applications, with bilingual Spanish-speaking support available.
• File the FAFSA: Grants and scholarships are applied before Love's funding, so filing can lower your total costs and show what aid you qualify for at online colleges that accept FAFSA.
• Apply to your school: Complete the school's application and any admissions requirements.
• Start classes: Choose a start date that fits your work schedule and keep in touch with your Guild coach as you go.

Love's Diesel Technician Training

Love's also invests in technical training for team members at Love's Truck Care and Speedco, its truck maintenance businesses. These programs don't run through Guild, but they can be just as valuable if you want to work with your hands.

Love's Truck Care Academy

The Love's Truck Care Academy is a paid, accelerated training program for newly hired Love's Truck Care and Speedco team members. It launched as a five-week, in-residence program and now covers 11 heavy-duty systems through classroom and hands-on instruction. Academy locations include Indianapolis, Indiana; El Reno, Oklahoma; and Casa Grande, Arizona.

Graduates are placed at a Love's Truck Care or Speedco location as level five diesel technicians. After one year on the job, they keep a tool set valued at $3,500, which removes one of the biggest startup costs in the trade.

Diesel Technician Apprenticeship

Love's also offers a Diesel Technician Apprenticeship Program, which the company values at $12,000. Apprentices earn a competitive wage while working toward diesel technician certification, with no student debt. Those who complete the apprenticeship also receive a $3,500 tool kit after one year as a diesel technician.

Love's lists starting pay of $22 to $27 an hour for newly hired diesel technicians, plus commission after reaching certain sales milestones. If you'd rather train before applying, online diesel mechanics courses and degrees can help you build a foundation. Programs like these are part of a broader group of trade schools that pay you to attend or train you on the job.

Career Outlook for Diesel Technicians

Diesel service technicians and mechanics earn a median annual wage of $61,770, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Employment is projected to grow 4% through 2035, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

Most diesel technicians start with a high school diploma or equivalent, but the BLS notes that employers may prefer candidates with postsecondary training, and industry certification may be required. Paid programs like Love's academy and apprenticeship let you check both boxes without paying for school yourself.

How Love's Compares to Other Companies

Education benefits vary quite a bit among convenience store and retail chains. Here's how Love's lines up with a few well-known employers.

Wawa

Wawa offers tuition reimbursement of up to $5,250 per calendar year for undergraduate degrees. Wawa's education benefits are open to full-time and part-time associates after six months of employment.

Unlike Love's, Wawa uses a reimbursement model, so you typically pay tuition upfront and get repaid after passing your courses. Love's shorter waiting period and fully funded programs give it an edge for new hires.

Sheetz

Sheetz reimburses up to $5,250 per calendar year for tuition at accredited colleges, universities, and trade programs. Sheetz's tuition reimbursement requires a 3.0 GPA and an average of at least 16 hours of work per week during the semester.

Sheetz also offers the Big Joe Scholarship, worth up to $5,000 a year for eligible employees or their dependents. However, its reimbursement usually covers tuition only, while Love's covers books and required fees for eligible programs.

Walmart

Walmart's Live Better U program also runs through Guild and covers 100% of tuition at partner schools. Walmart's education benefit starts on the first day of employment for full-time and part-time associates.

Walmart focuses on undergraduate programs, certificates, and high school diplomas. Love's covers a similar range and adds partial funding for graduate programs, which can help if you're aiming for a master's degree down the road.

Things To Consider

Love's education benefit can cover your entire program if you choose a fully funded option, but you'll pay part of the cost yourself for programs outside that list. Education assistance above $5,250 in a calendar year also counts as taxable income on your W-2. Weighing whether tuition reimbursement is worth it for your situation can help you decide how much to take on at once.

Balancing school with shift work takes planning, too. Many travel stops run around the clock, so look for programs with flexible pacing, such as self-paced online colleges, that let you study around changing schedules.

FAQs About Love's Education Benefits

These questions come up often among Love's team members and job seekers. The answers can help you plan your next step.

Does Love's Offer Scholarships for Employees?

Love's has funded employee scholarships in the past through the Learning with Love's Scholarship, administered by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. Earlier awards went to both employees and their dependents. Ask HR whether the scholarship is still offered and how it works alongside Fuel Your Growth.

Can Love's Employees Use the Benefit for a Graduate Degree?

Yes, though graduate degrees typically fall under the partial coverage of up to $5,250 per year. Graduate certificates may be fully funded, depending on the program. If you're planning on a full master's degree, you'll likely need to combine Love's funding with federal aid or scholarships.

Can You Learn a New Language Through Love's?

Yes, Fuel Your Growth fully covers English and Spanish language learning classes. These courses can help you communicate with a wider range of customers and coworkers. They can also prepare you for a degree program if English is your second language.

Do Love's Truck Care Team Members Qualify for Fuel Your Growth?

Love's describes Fuel Your Growth as open to eligible U.S.-based full-time and part-time team members, and the program isn't limited to store roles in Love's announcement. That means truck care team members may be able to use Guild programs alongside paid technician training. Confirm your eligibility with your manager, since specific rules can vary by role.

Make the Most of Your Education Benefits

Love's gives you several ways to grow, from fully funded degrees to paid diesel technician training. Learn.org offers information and resources to help you compare affordable online degrees and companies that offer free college tuition as you weigh your education options.