Frequently Asked Questions

TN Promise is a last-dollar scholarship that provides the opportunity for every Tennessee high school student to earn a post-secondary credential. This also applies to students who complete a GED or HiSET prior to their 19th birthday.

The deadline to apply for TN Promise for the Class of 2023 high school seniors is November 1, 2022.

Applicants may apply online at www.tnpromise.gov.

Any high school senior who graduates from an eligible Tennessee high school or completes a Tennessee homeschool program is eligible to apply. Students will apply in the beginning of the year in which they will graduate (by November 1, 2022) and begin working with tnAchieves. To receive TN Promise funds, students must complete the tnAchieves program.

Students who complete a GED or HiSET diploma (and have met all other TN Promise eligibility requirements) must enroll full-time in an eligible postsecondary program in the fall term after they receive their diploma, provided that the diploma was earned before they reach 19 years of age.

Students who graduate early from an eligible high school, eligible home school program or obtains a GED or HiSET early may enroll in an eligible postsecondary institution with TN Promise funding prior to fall 2023 provided they meet all requirements:

• Apply to TN Promise by November 1, 2022;

• File the 2022-2023 FAFSA using 2020 tax information by March 1, 2023 (available now to all students at studentaid.gov);

• File the 2023-2024 FAFSA using 2021 tax information by March 1, 2023 (available October 1, 2022 to all students at studentaid.gov);

• Attend their assigned mandatory meeting by March 1, 2023 (see page 6); and

• Complete and submit 8 hours of community service by April 3, 2023

Early high school graduates are defined as students who graduate from an eligible high school, eligible home school program or completes a GED or HiSET prior to the spring semester of what would normally have been their senior year of high school. After the TN Promise application closes, students who have indicated an early graduation date on their TN Promise application will be notified via email by tnAchieves. If students choose to enroll in an eligible postsecondary institution in the spring term, they must meet all requirements listed above to receive TN Promise funding.

Early high school graduates are not required to begin college prior to the fall term immediately following high school graduation; however, if they chose to enroll in college prior to fall 2023 with TN Promise funding, the term(s) will be counted as one of the 5 semesters/8 trimesters available with TN Promise. Additionally, TN Promise early graduates who enroll and receive funding in the spring and/or summer semester would have a GPA reviewed at the conclusion of the academic year. This could lead to a permanent loss of eligibility. All TN Promise students must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA at the end of every academic year.

It is important to note that students must complete all early graduate TN Promise requirements outlined above PRIOR to spring enrollment to avoid triggering a reimbursement process for tuition and mandatory fees. In other words, students who have yet to complete all steps prior to spring enrollment will pay tuition and fees upfront then be reimbursed by TN Promise only when all requirements are satisfied. Students who find out they can graduate from high school early after the TN Promise application closes and/or later in the fall term of their senior year are responsible for notifying tnAchieves and completing the requirements above to be eligible for an early college start.

Please reach out to tnAchieves with any questions.

No. To be eligible, students must be able to complete the FAFSA, qualify for in-state tuition and possess a valid Social Security number. The DACA number is NOT a valid entry on the Tennessee Promise application. A student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for which the student’s U.S. citizenship or eligible non-citizenship status has been confirmed by the federal government. Note: This option is only available for:

1. U.S. Citizens;
2. U.S. permanent residents (with an I-151, I-551, or I-551C permanent resident card); or
3. Individuals who have an Arrival/Departure Record (I-94) showing one of the following designations: Refugee, Asylum Granted, Cuban-Haitian Entrant (Status Pending), Conditional Entrant (Valid only if issued before April 1, 1980), Victims of Human Trafficking (T-2, T-3, or T-4 visa), or Parolee (who meets certain conditions).

TN Promise is a last-dollar scholarship that funds tuition and mandatory fees at eligible TN Promise post-secondary institutions. These funds cannot be used for books, cost of attendance fees or fees associated with a specific program or class. In order to use the TN Promise scholarship at a four-year college or university, students must enroll in and be accepted into an associates degree program at that school – not a bachelor’s degree program. Students enrolling in a health sciences program will not be eligible to receive TN Promise funding until admitted into the actual program of study.

At a four-year institution, the TN Promise scholarship may not be last-dollar, meaning it may not fully cover all tuition and mandatory fees. The amount of funding you will receive will be based on the average amount of tuition and mandatory fees at a community college, which is estimated to be $4,700. As a last-dollar scholarship, TN Promise will provide whatever amount remains after Pell, HOPE and TSAA funds are applied. For example, if the average tuition and mandatory fees at a community college were $4,700 per year and you were receiving $4,500 in HOPE funds each year but no other federal or state aid, TN Promise would provide $200 to be applied toward tuition and mandatory fees at one of the eligible four-year institutions.

TN Promise only funds last-dollar tuition and mandatory fees and does not pay for books or other post-secondary expenses (e.g. application fee, program and service fees).

Students must begin college the fall semester immediately following high school graduation. TCAT students are able to begin in the trimester beginning in May as long as the student has completed service hours by April 1. If you are graduating early from high school, please reference "What if students graduate early from high school?" for more information. 

After students meet all TN Promise requirements, the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) will send the funds to the eligible institution after all Pell, TELS (e.g., HOPE and Wilder-Naifeh) and TSAA funding have been applied.

Students never directly receive funding from TN Promise. TSAC will send funds directly to the college.

Students never directly receive funding from TN Promise. TSAC will send funds directly to the colleges.

If a student continues to meet all requirements, TN Promise funding is available for five consecutive semesters at a community college, eight consecutive trimesters at a TCAT or until a terminating event (graduation or transfer to a non-TN Promise institution) has occurred.

Failure to meet any TN Promise deadline will result in a student being permanently ineligible for TN Promise.

If students fail to attend their assigned mandatory meeting, they will be permanently ineligible for TN Promise unless they have completed the Mandatory TN Promise Meeting excuse form. Click here to review the excuse form policy!

TN Promise eligible post-secondary institutions offer associate degree programs. In order for a student to receive TN Promise funding at one of these eligible institutions, he/she must meet all deadlines, as well as be accepted in the associate degree program. At these institutions, funding for TN Promise will not be last dollar. The scholarship will be determined by the amount a student would receive should he/she attend a community college. This amount would be portable to the eligible four-year institution. In other words, if a student’s last-dollar amount at a community college is $0 due to a full Pell Grant being awarded, he/she would not receive any funding at the eligible four-year institution. If a student receives the HOPE scholarship only, he/she would receive approximately $500 each semester from TN Promise at the four-year institution.

Please click here for community service opportunities near you on our community service page, or check your college's service learning page for ideas!

*Please remember that you cannot get paid or work for a family member and you must volunteer with an actual organization (e.g. church, school, animal or homeless shelter) to complete your community service requirement.

Students experiencing problems submitting the community service form should email concerns to [email protected]. Problems with submission do not excuse a student from meeting the established deadline.

Submit your hours via the community service form by clicking HERE.

A student may request a medical or personal leave of absence from timely enrollment in the initial semester, full-time attendance or continuous enrollment at an eligible post-secondary institution as long as all other applicable eligibility criteria are met. Medical or personal appeals will be considered in the following situations: illness of the student, illness or death of an immediate family member, extreme financial hardship of the student or student’s immediate family, fulfillment of a religious commitment expected of members of that faith, fulfillment of required military service, enrollment for a specific TCAT program being unavailable until a later trimester or other extraordinary circumstances beyond the student’s control where attendance by the student creates a substantial Scholarship, Appeals, and Exceptions for instructions on submitting an appeal. In order to request a leave of absence after initial enrollment, a student must hardship. In order to complete an appeal prior to initial enrollment, a student must visit our appeal site to complete the appeal process as specified by his/her college. In the event an institution denies a student’s request for a medical or personal leave of absence, the student may appeal the decision in accordance with the rules.

The Tennessee Transfer Pathways ensures that students may follow a prescribed curriculum that is transferable, marked by clarity and available for students to review on the first day of enrollment. There are approved transfer pathways that span multiple disciplines and are accepted at all public institutions in Tennessee. More information about participating institutions can be found HERE. Although a student who completes an associate degree is no longer eligible for TN Promise, the student should contact the four-year institution he/she is interested in to discuss other sources of aid.

tnAchieves uses the contact information initially provided on the TN Promise application to send important communication related to program requirements. Failure to notify tnAchieves of changes may result in students missing important emails and texts related to upcoming deadlines.

Yes. Due to changes in the FAFSA application process, students will report income information from 2021 taxes. Soon after filing taxes, students should go in and update their FAFSA with recently filed tax information.

Yes. TN Promise will cover remedial classes if a student should need to take them. If you score below a 19 on the ACT, you might be interested in our Summer Bridge Program.

For the time students are TN Promise scholars, they will be referred to as the class year in which they graduated from high school.

If a student is unable to begin at a TCAT the fall immediately following high school graduation due to the intended TCAT program being full, the student must be reported as on an official wait list by the TCAT in order to remain TN Promise eligible. The student must begin their program as soon as a spot is available to them. The student must also meet the initial July 1 community service deadline after high school graduation. The hours submitted by the July 1 deadline will be applied to the trimester the student is able to begin the program at the TCAT.

No, students are not required to repay their TN Promise scholarship. However, we strongly encourage students to finish their program. Before stopping, please reach out to someone on our team so we can help you find a solution that includes finishing your program!