Early High School Graduate

If you are an early high school graduate, you can achieve a head start at an eligible institution with TN Promise funding! An early high school graduate is a student who graduates from an eligible high school, home school program or GED or HiSET curriculum before the spring semester of what would have been their senior year of high school. To take advantage of this opportunity, you must complete all the requirements below and meet all listed deadlines.

2024 Early Enrollment Requirements

Requirements for Early College Enrollment:

1. Complete the 2024 TN Promise application by November 1, 2023 at TNPromise.gov.
2. Complete and submit the 2023-2024 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application by April 15, 2024. 
• The 2023-2024 FAFSA application is open for completion now at StudentAid.gov.
3. Complete and submit 8 hours of community service by April 15, 2024.
• Students may begin community service on November 2, 2023 and must submit to tnAchieves.org no later than April 15, 2024.
• If you plan to enroll in both the spring and summer terms at a Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT), a community college or 4-year institution, you must complete and submit a total of 16 hours of community service by April 15, 2024.
4. Complete the Mandatory TN Promise Meeting requirement by April 15, 2024.
• Early graduate students will receive a mandatory webinar via email after the TN Promise application closes on November 1, 2023. The Mandatory TN Promise Meeting requirement can be fulfilled by viewing this webinar, but we ask that students also attend the in-person meeting at their former high school so they can meet their assigned mentor. We will share more information soon!
5. Complete and submit the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application by May 15, 2024.
   
   • The 2024-2025 FAFSA application is open for completion now at StudentAid.gov.

Early graduates are not required to enroll prior to the fall 2024 term. Early enrollment is just an option! If students choose to enroll at a post-secondary institution prior to the fall 2024 term with TN Promise funding, these term(s) will count as one of the available 5 semesters/8 trimesters.

Additionally, a TN Promise early graduate who enrolls and receives funding in the spring and/or summer term will have the academic year's GPA reviewed after the summer term. To remain eligible for TN Promise, students must maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA by the end of each academic year. Students who do not meet this requirement will become permanently ineligible for the scholarship.

Students must complete all early graduate requirements outlined above PRIOR to spring enrollment to avoid triggering a reimbursement process for tuition and mandatory fees. Failure to complete the outlined steps prior to spring enrollment will require the student to pay tuition and mandatory fees at the start of the term, then be reimbursed by TN Promise only after all requirements are satisfied.