Some Chick-fil-A employees are graduating from college free of debt due to a unique program.Thanks to a partnership among three entities independent Chick-fil-A operators, Point University and Ficus Education 177 Chick-fil-A employees were able to graduate this year while working at locations across the country, restaurant industry website QSR reported.Over 70 of the Chick-fil-A employees participated in a recent graduation ceremony at Point University, a private Christian institution in Georgia.CHICK-FIL-A FOOD AND EMPLOYEES HELPED MAN LOSE WEIGHT AND CHANGE HIS LIFEIn attendance were more than a dozen Chick-fil-A operators."This all began in 2023 with one operator's and one university's vision: to give his team the opportunity to earn a college degree without student debt," Doug Danowski, president of Ficus Education in Georgia, told Fox News Digital."That single decision sparked a movement."The Ficus Education employer-sponsored partnership allows employees at independently operated Chick-fil-A restaurants to complete their degrees online through Point University without having to pay out-of-pocket tuition or take out student loans.CHICK-FIL-A EMPLOYEES FULFILL TEXAS COUPLE'S ALL-AMERICAN DREAM: 'BUCKET LIST'"What started as one operator's desire to invest in his team has grown into a national movement: hundreds of degrees earned, over an estimated $11 million in student debt avoided and real business impact," Danowski said.Select Chick-fil-A franchise operators pay their employees' tuition as an incentive to recruit and retain workers.For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle"It's a partnership built around one question: How can we help operators recruit, develop and retain their people, and strengthen their restaurants?" Danowski said.More than 500 independent Chick-fil-A operators have participated in the program since its inception, Danowski said.Ficus Education hosted a hospitality suite for independent operators, their graduates and special guests immediately before the commencement ceremony.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER"Through Point [University] and through the partnership with Ficus [Education], we've been able to create this day when Chick-fil-A team members are going to walk across the stage and get their four-year degree or their master's degree, which is going to bring them forward in their careers," Andr Kennebrew, chair of the board of trustees at Point University and a former Chick-fil-A development program leader, told attendees in remarks shared with Fox News Digital.The federal education debt now exceeds $1.6 trillion, according to the U.S. Department of Education.As the Office of Federal Student Aid recently announced it has resumed collections of defaulted student loans, the 177 Chick-fil-A graduates collectively avoided more than $6 million in debt, according to QSR.The program makes it possible for employees to progress in their careers at Chick-fil-A, some with dreams of opening their own franchise, "or go somewhere else and be a doctor or a lawyer or whatever," Kennebrew said."This is worth continuing," Kennebrew said of the program."This is worth growing."