Cracker Barrel Education Benefits: Online Degrees for Cracker Barrel Employees

Cracker Barrel is unusual among large employers in how directly their careers page names what the education benefits actually are and who they apply to. The company’s official benefits page says plainly that the ‘Study Smart’ tuition reimbursement offers up to $1,000 yearly for grades of B or better, and then adds a specific qualifier that matters a lot: for eligible Management and Store Support Center employees. Translation: if you work hourly as a server, grill cook, host, retail associate, or dishwasher, that tuition reimbursement program does not apply to you directly.

What does apply to every Cracker Barrel employee — whether you are a management trainee, a corporate finance analyst at the Store Support Center in Lebanon, Tennessee, or a weekend breakfast server at a store in Ohio — is the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Foundation’s annual Employee Scholarship Program, which awards $2,500 scholarships to employees and their children based on academic achievement, community service, and merit. Since the program started in 1996, it has awarded more than $1 million to more than 800 students, and the award amount was raised from $1,500 to $2,500 in 2016.

The honest framing this article needs up front is that Cracker Barrel’s education benefits are real but tier-specific. For hourly staff, the main option is the competitive scholarship, which does not fund everyone who applies but does fund meaningful numbers of employees each year. For management and Store Support Center employees, both the scholarship and the tuition reimbursement apply. For any Cracker Barrel employee planning a full bachelor’s degree, these benefits are helpful supplements rather than primary funding mechanisms — and the practical degree funding for most employees happens through federal financial aid plus a low-per-credit online school.

This guide walks through both benefit tiers honestly, covers the scholarship application process in detail, and then addresses the question most Cracker Barrel employees actually need answered: how do I fund an online degree even though my employer is not going to pay for most of it? For the broader framework on planning an online degree as a working adult, our Complete Guide to Earning an Accredited Online Degree as an Adult Learner is the foundational resource and applies regardless of which Cracker Barrel tier you fall into.

The Two Benefits, Compared Honestly

Benefit	Study Smart Tuition Reimbursement	Foundation Employee Scholarship
Amount	Up to $1,000 per year	$2,500 per scholarship
Who qualifies	Management and Store Support Center (corporate) employees only	All Cracker Barrel employees and their children
Payment model	Reimbursement after course completion with grade of B or better	Scholarship award paid toward tuition at applicant’s school
Competitive?	No — eligible employees who meet grade requirement receive reimbursement	Yes — merit-based selection from applications nationwide
Renewable?	Yes, annually	Applicants reapply each academic year
School restrictions	Accredited institutions, with program approval	Accredited not-for-profit colleges, universities, vocational, or technical institutes — full-time enrollment required

These two benefits together tell the story. For hourly employees, the scholarship is the only Cracker Barrel-specific option, it is competitive, and the $2,500 amount covers part of a typical online bachelor’s tuition rather than a full year. For management and SSC employees, both benefits combine to provide approximately $3,500 in a year where an employee also receives a scholarship — still modest by industry standards, but meaningful when combined with federal financial aid and a low-tuition online school.

For Hourly Employees: The Scholarship Path

If you work hourly at Cracker Barrel — as a server, grill cook, line cook, dishwasher, host, retail sales associate, retail stocker, or cashier — the Study Smart tuition reimbursement does not apply to you according to Cracker Barrel’s published eligibility criteria. What does apply is the Foundation Employee Scholarship.

What the scholarship actually covers

The Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Foundation Employee Scholarship Program awards $2,500 scholarships annually to selected Cracker Barrel employees and their children. The program has been running since 1996 and has provided more than $1 million in scholarships to over 800 students as of recent years. The scholarship money is paid toward tuition at the recipient’s accredited not-for-profit college, university, vocational, or technical institute, contingent on full-time enrollment for the upcoming academic year.

The selection process weighs several factors: high school or college grades, standardized test results (for recipients still in high school), extracurricular activities, and community service. The program’s explicit framing from the Foundation is that scholarships ‘recognize and reward the accomplishments of Cracker Barrel employees and their children who excel in their studies and serve their communities.’ This is a merit-based competitive scholarship rather than a need-based or automatic benefit.

Realistic odds

Cracker Barrel employs a large workforce across more than 600 locations. The number of employees and dependents applying for the Foundation scholarship each year is not published, but the program awards a defined number of scholarships from that pool. The 2016 press release noted that $100,000 had been awarded to 41 students, which translates to roughly 41 recipients in that specific year. Recent years have seen award totals exceed $1 million cumulatively since inception, suggesting annual cohorts in a similar range.

What this means practically: the Foundation scholarship is real money and a real opportunity, but it is not something to plan your entire degree funding around. Applicants should submit strong applications and hope for the scholarship, while planning the rest of their degree funding assuming they will not receive it.

Applying

Scholarship applications open annually through the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Foundation. The application typically requires transcripts, a personal essay addressing goals and community service, evidence of extracurricular involvement, and employment verification (for employee applicants) or parent employment verification (for dependent applicants). Deadlines and exact requirements are published on the Foundation’s section of the Cracker Barrel website at crackerbarrel.com/about/giving and vary year to year.

For Management and Store Support Center Employees: Study Smart Plus the Scholarship

If you are in management — Managers in Training, Restaurant Managers, Area Supervisors, or other management roles — or work at the Store Support Center (corporate) in Lebanon, Tennessee, you have access to both benefits. The Study Smart tuition reimbursement reimburses up to $1,000 per year for coursework completed with a grade of B or better, and you remain eligible for the Foundation scholarship on top of that.

What Study Smart actually covers

Cracker Barrel’s careers page is specific: ‘Study smart, get rewarded. We’ll reimburse up to $1,000 yearly for grades of B or better. For eligible Management and Store Support Center employees.’ The structure is a conventional reimbursement model — the employee pays tuition upfront, completes the course with a B or better, and submits for reimbursement after the fact. Coursework requires pre-approval before enrollment, which is standard for tuition reimbursement programs.

The $1,000 annual cap is modest by retail and restaurant industry standards. For comparison, Tyson Foods offers $5,250 per year through its Upward Academy, McDonald’s Archways to Opportunity offers $2,500-$5,250 depending on role, Chipotle covers 100 percent of tuition at partner schools, and Walmart’s Live Better U pays full tuition at partner schools for any eligible employee. Cracker Barrel’s $1,000 reimbursement is closer to what an older-style tuition benefit looked like before the major retailers restructured their programs in the late 2010s and early 2020s.

The honest read: if you are in Cracker Barrel management pursuing a degree, Study Smart is a useful supplemental benefit but will not cover the bulk of a bachelor’s program. At the per-credit rates of the most affordable accredited online universities (SNHU at $330 per credit, WGU at a flat roughly $4,270 per six-month term, Purdue Global at $371 per credit), $1,000 covers approximately 2-3 undergraduate courses per year. Useful, but supplemental.

How Study Smart and the scholarship stack

For a management employee who receives both a Foundation scholarship ($2,500) and Study Smart reimbursement ($1,000) in the same academic year, the combined Cracker Barrel benefit totals $3,500. Combined with Pell Grant eligibility (up to $7,395 for 2025-26 for lower-income applicants) and a low-per-credit online school, this can cover a substantial portion of a part-time bachelor’s program. For full-time management employees whose income exceeds Pell Grant eligibility, the Cracker Barrel benefits offset perhaps 20-40 percent of a typical bachelor’s tuition, with the remainder coming from personal contribution or federal student loans.

The Practical Degree Funding Reality at Cracker Barrel

For most Cracker Barrel employees at any tier, the realistic degree funding structure looks like this: federal financial aid (especially Pell Grants for hourly staff and lower-income management employees) covers the largest share, a low-per-credit online school keeps total tuition manageable, Cracker Barrel benefits (scholarship, Study Smart if applicable) supplement the total, and the remaining gap is covered by personal contribution, federal student loans, or additional scholarships.

The first step for any Cracker Barrel employee planning a degree is filing the FAFSA for the current academic year. Cracker Barrel wage levels at hourly positions mean that a large share of hourly employees qualify for substantial Pell Grant funding. For management employees, Pell Grant eligibility depends on household income but can still apply, especially for single-earner households. Our detailed guide on FAFSA for Online Students covers the filing process and the specific fields that matter for working adults.

The second step is choosing a school where the per-credit rate is low enough that combined financial aid covers most tuition. SNHU’s $330 per credit rate remains the lowest in the online market. WGU’s flat-term structure works well for motivated students who can accelerate through coursework. Purdue Global offers public-university brand recognition with working-adult-friendly scheduling. For Cracker Barrel employees specifically, these three schools represent the most cost-efficient paths to a regionally accredited bachelor’s degree.

Online Schools That Work for Cracker Barrel Employees

Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU)

SNHU is regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. The flat $330 per credit undergraduate rate is the lowest rate at any major nonprofit online university, the school accepts up to 90 transfer credits toward a bachelor’s, and the eight-week accelerated terms with monthly start dates accommodate the shift-based schedules common among Cracker Barrel hourly and management employees. For an employee with 30 prior transfer credits, the remaining 90 credits to complete a bachelor’s cost $29,700 in tuition. Combining Pell Grant funding (approximately $7,000/year for Pell-eligible students), a Cracker Barrel Foundation scholarship ($2,500), and Study Smart if applicable ($1,000) produces a path where federal aid covers the majority of tuition and Cracker Barrel benefits cover the remainder for many students.

Western Governors University (WGU)

WGU is regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Its competency-based model and flat six-month term tuition (approximately $4,270 per term) can compress total program time significantly for motivated students with prior experience or certifications. WGU’s strengths are in business, IT, cybersecurity, software development, and healthcare administration. For a full review of the school’s accreditation, outcomes, and fit, see our Western Governors University online college review.

Purdue University Global

Purdue Global is a public nonprofit online university within the Purdue University system, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Its approximately $371 per credit rate is slightly higher than SNHU’s but the school offers Purdue-system brand recognition that can matter for Cracker Barrel employees targeting corporate or professional roles after graduation. For a full review, see our Purdue Global online college review.

For a broader comparison of online bachelor’s degree costs across more schools, see How Much Does an Online Bachelor’s Degree Cost?. For additional strategies on graduating with minimal debt, our guide on how adult students can graduate with minimal debt walks through stacking scholarships, grants, and employer benefits effectively.

Questions Cracker Barrel Employees Actually Ask

Can I get tuition reimbursement if I’m an hourly server or cook?

Under the current Study Smart program as published on Cracker Barrel’s careers page, tuition reimbursement is limited to eligible Management and Store Support Center employees. Hourly front-of-house and back-of-house staff are not covered. What hourly employees do qualify for is the Foundation Employee Scholarship, which is competitive rather than automatic. Hourly employees pursuing a degree typically rely on federal financial aid and personal contribution for the bulk of funding, with the Foundation scholarship as a potential supplement if awarded.

How do I become eligible for Study Smart?

Study Smart eligibility is tied to being in a Management role (Restaurant Manager, Managers in Training, Area Supervisors, etc.) or working at the Store Support Center in Lebanon, Tennessee. For hourly employees, the pathway to Study Smart eligibility is promotion into management. Cracker Barrel has a defined promotion track — the Managers in Training (MIT) program — that moves proven hourly employees into management roles, which then unlocks the Study Smart benefit among other management-tier benefits.

When does the Foundation scholarship application open?

Scholarship applications typically open in the first quarter of each calendar year for the upcoming academic year (fall start). Specific deadlines vary year to year and are published on the Foundation section of the Cracker Barrel website. Employees and their children should check the Foundation page in January or February each year to confirm the current year’s application window.

Can my children apply for the Foundation scholarship even if they don’t work at Cracker Barrel?

Yes. The Foundation Employee Scholarship is explicitly available to both Cracker Barrel employees and their children. The dependent track is a substantial share of annual awards. Dependent applicants need to be high school seniors or college undergraduates enrolling full-time at an accredited not-for-profit institution for the upcoming academic year, and their Cracker Barrel employee parent must be actively employed at the time of application.

Can I use the scholarship for an online degree program?

Yes. The scholarship specifies accredited not-for-profit colleges, universities, vocational, or technical institutes. Online programs at schools like SNHU, WGU, Purdue Global, and most state universities qualify, provided the student is enrolled full-time. ‘Full-time’ for online programs generally means at least 12 credits per term at the undergraduate level. Part-time students are not eligible for the scholarship under its current terms.

How much will taxes affect these benefits?

Study Smart reimbursement up to $5,250 per calendar year is tax-free under IRS Section 127, and since Study Smart caps at $1,000, no portion is taxable. Foundation scholarships used for qualified education expenses (tuition, required fees, textbooks, and required equipment) are tax-free as scholarship income under IRS rules. Scholarships used for room and board are taxable. For most Cracker Barrel scholarship recipients using the money directly for tuition, there is no tax cost.

What about the Cracker Barrel Cares fund?

Cracker Barrel Cares is an employee-funded mutual assistance program that helps employees experiencing extreme financial hardship. It is not an education benefit specifically, but employees facing unexpected hardship (medical emergency, family crisis, natural disaster) that affects their ability to continue education may be able to apply. Cracker Barrel Cares is funded by voluntary employee donations and provides one-time assistance rather than ongoing education support.

Putting a Plan Together

The realistic plan for a Cracker Barrel employee at any tier comes down to three actions. First, file FAFSA for the current academic year at studentaid.gov — this determines your Pell Grant eligibility and federal aid, which will likely be the largest piece of your degree funding regardless of your Cracker Barrel tier. Second, apply for the Foundation Employee Scholarship during the annual application window if you or your children are eligible — the award is competitive but the application is not burdensome. Third, if you are in management or Store Support Center, submit Study Smart pre-approval requests before enrolling in coursework each term.

For hourly employees considering whether to pursue a degree given the more modest Cracker Barrel education support, the honest answer is yes, it still makes sense for most people who want one. The combination of Pell Grant funding and a low-per-credit online school like SNHU produces a workable path to a bachelor’s with relatively low total debt even without substantial employer funding. The Foundation scholarship, if awarded, is a meaningful bonus. For employees targeting eventual promotion into Cracker Barrel management, the Study Smart benefit will apply once you reach that role — and a bachelor’s degree is typically useful in demonstrating readiness for the promotion in the first place.

To find accredited online programs that fit both Cracker Barrel’s scholarship requirements and your career goals, our online program explorer tool lets you filter by cost, major, transfer credit policy, and schedule flexibility. For a complete framework on returning to school as a working adult, including the specific considerations that apply to shift-based workers, see our guide to returning to college after 30 and the Complete Guide to Earning an Accredited Online Degree as an Adult Learner for the foundational planning framework.