“It’s a way not only to attract talent into the organization, but also a way to retain them,” said Marissa Andrada, Chipotle’s chief people officer. “We think it’s a way to hold on to great people and make an investment in our future leaders.”

But the college program has some strings attached. Participants are required to keep working at Chipotle throughout their studies and for six months after they earn a degree. And the program does not cover other expenses, like room and board or textbooks.

“For low-wage employees, other college-related expenses are likely to be a barrier,” said Michael Reich, an economist at the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment at the University of California, Berkeley. “I’d expect takeup at Chipotle to be low.”

At some Chipotle locations, employees who attend college say restaurant scheduling issues have made life difficult for them. Cristy Garcia, who attends the New School and quit her job at Chipotle on Friday, said her manager at one of the chain’s Manhattan locations scheduled her for shifts that overlapped with her classes.

“They made me feel guilty for prioritizing my education,” Ms. Garcia, 18, said. “The fact that they’re introducing a program now that asks students to use them as a way to access education is very ironic.”