McDonald’s Archways program helps 90,000 workers pursue education

McDonald’s says more than 90,000 crew members have taken steps toward their goals through Archways to Opportunity, a U.S. program the company launched in 2015 to make restaurant work a path to school credentials and better jobs. The benefit is offered at participating company-owned and franchise restaurants and covers high school diploma help, college tuition assistance, English-language learning, and education and career advising.

For crew members trying to decide whether a McDonald’s job is a stopgap or a bridge, the practical value is in the details. Eligible employees can pursue a high school diploma at no cost, get free education and career advising, learn English as a second language, and use upfront college tuition assistance of up to $3,000 after 90 days of employment. That makes the program most useful for younger hires finishing school, parents trying to fit classes around shifts, and workers who want the credentials to move into shift leadership, management or a different field.

McDonald’s has steadily raised the size of the bet. The company said in 2018 that it had invested $150 million into Archways to Opportunity. By 2020, it said the program had increased access to education for more than 50,000 restaurant employees and awarded more than $90 million in high school and college tuition assistance. In 2021, McDonald’s said Archways had helped more than 65,000 managers and crew. By 2024, the company said McDonald’s and participating franchisees had invested more than $240 million in the program since launch.

That growth matters in a system where ownership is split between corporate and franchise restaurants, and where workers often move between stores while chasing better hours or a promotion. McDonald’s says Archways is available across participating U.S. locations, giving franchise operators a recruiting tool and employees a benefit that can travel with the job. Recent annual tuition assistance through the program topped $25.8 million, a figure that suggests workers are not only hearing about the benefit but using it.

The company has tried to frame that use as part of a larger career pipeline, not a one-off perk. Its materials describe Archways as support for employees who are finishing high school or college, learning English, or building skills for advancement. McDonald’s has also said the program is meant to support “America’s best first job,” a reminder that the company sees retention and internal mobility as part of the same pitch. For workers weighing low wages, burnout and the pull of better-paying jobs elsewhere, Archways is one of the clearest ways McDonald’s tries to make staying look more valuable than leaving.