Counselor Toolkit

Class of 2023 Counselor Toolkit

The Class of 2023 TN Promise application opened for completion on August 1, 2022 at www.tn.gov/tnpromise. Class of 2023 students have until November 1, 2022 to complete the scholarship application in order to become eligible. tnAchieves will begin communicating with all applicants after the application deadline, so it is imperative that students provide a correct, working email address and phone number when applying for TN Promise. We strongly encourage students not to use a high school email address as many districts do not allow students to receive emails from outside organizations and emails are typically deactivated after graduation. Students must also provide parent/guardian contact information. Upon successful completion of the scholarship application, students will receive a confirmation email from the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation for their records.

The 2023-2024 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will open on October 1, 2022, and should be completed based on student and parent(s)/guardian(s) 2021 tax information. The TN Promise 2023-2024 FAFSA filing deadline will be March 1, 2023*.

tnAchieves is excited to begin working with your Class of 2023 students! As a counselor, please feel free to use our website as a resource for materials, information and guidance. Please encourage your students to become familiar with the TN Promise eligibility requirements, tnAchieves program and policies. Please also encourage your students to check their emails regularly.

For counselor questions, please contact Jessica Macey at jessica@tnachieves.org

Downloadable General TN Promise/tnAchieves Content:

Downloadable Mandatory TN Promise Meeting Content:

Downloadable College Application Content:

Downloadable tnAchieves Handbooks:

Downloadable tnAchieves Summer Bridge Program Content: 

2023-2024 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

Beginning October 1, 2022, students can complete the 2023-2024 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at StudentAid.gov. The FAFSA is the main college financial aid application students must complete in order to determine state and federal scholarship and/or grant qualification. All students should file the 2023-2024 FAFSA regardless of post-secondary plans!

Students and parents will use 2021 tax information to complete the 2023-2024 FAFSA. Students are encouraged to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible as some state/federal financial aid grants are first-come, first-served. Upon FAFSA completion, students will receive an email confirming their FAFSA submission, which will include FAFSA submission date and time. Students should save the confirmation email for their records.

The deadline to submit the 2023-2024 FAFSA to remain eligible for TN Promise is March 1, 2023*.

Step 1: FSA ID Creation

Prior to FAFSA completion, the student and a student's parent must create an FSA ID username and password at StudentAid.gov. This is the only site for FSA ID creation. The student and parent must have two working email accounts to create FSA IDs. The email addresses cannot be the same for the student and parent. It is recommended that students use a personal email address instead of a high school email as the email could be deactivated after graduation. Since FSA ID is the student and parent’s electronic signature, it is important that FSA ID information is stored in a secure place for future reference should changes need to be made after FAFSA submission.

Step 2: File the 2023-2024 FAFSA

After creating FSA IDs, students must visit StudentAid.gov to file the 2023-2024 FAFSA.

Documentation needed in order to successfully file the 2023-2024 FAFSA:

  • Student and parent FSA IDs
  • 2021 Federal Tax Return or other income documentation
  • Social Security number(s)
  • Driver’s license (if any)
  • 2021 tax information for student and parent
  • Most parents/students can import their 2020 tax information using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool via FAFSA.
  • 2021 untaxed income records, such as child support received and veterans non-education benefits
  • Current information on checking and savings account balances; stock, bond, and other investments; and business and farm assets
  • Alien registration card (if student is not a U.S. citizen)

For help while filing the FAFSA, please reach out to our team or contact the FAFSA helpline at 1-800-433-3243.

Downloadable FAFSA Filing Content:

FAFSA Dependency

FAFSA Parent