Wal-Mart Helps More Than 8,000 Students Pay for College

Paying for college can be a financial burden on students and their families. But more than 8,000 students across the country will get some relief in the form of scholarships from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. The world's largest retailer will award more than $8 million in scholarships through three programs that the Wal-Mart Foundation provides annually.

"We are proud to help deserving students in communities where our stores and clubs are located," said Margaret McKenna, president of the Wal-Mart Foundation. "These scholarship programs are one way that we can help our associates, their children and the general community to live better lives by getting the best education that they can."

The three programs are:

• Sam Walton Community Scholarships: Each Wal-Mart store and Sam's Club* will present two of the $1,000 scholarships. The scholarships are open to the general community and are awarded based on financial need, academic record, community involvement and work experience. Last year, more than 7,200 high school seniors received scholarships for a total of more than $7.2 million.
• Associate Scholarships: These $2,000 scholarships are awarded to graduating high school seniors who work for Wal-Mart or are dependents of a Wal-Mart associate, and have been employed by Wal-Mart for at least six months.
• Higher REACH Scholarships: These scholarships pay for college classes in amounts up to $2,000 per individual. The program is open to associates who have been out of high school at least one year and employed by the company for at least six months, and are planning to further their education by taking college classes.

Last year, Wal-Mart provided more than $67 million in educational initiatives, including teacher recognition programs, scholarships, educational programs and support for local schools and universities. The company also supports programs that improve graduation rates and adolescent literacy.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) and its foundation are proud to support the charitable causes that are important to customers and associates in their own neighborhoods. Through its philanthropic programs and partnerships, the company supports initiatives focused on enhancing opportunities in education, job skills training, sustainability, and health and human services. In 2007, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and the Wal-Mart Foundation gave $296 million to communities across the United States.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart discount stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and Sam's Club locations in the United States. The company operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom. Wal-Mart serves more than 176 million customers weekly in 14 markets. The company's securities are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WMT.

* All stores and clubs with two qualified applicants

SOURCE Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.