Class of 2017 Policies

To remain TN Promise eligible, a student must:

High School:

1. Attend and graduate from an eligible high school.
   1. A student must apply his/her senior year of high school with the Class of 2017 and meet the TN Promise established application deadline.
   2. A student must be a Tennessee resident.
      1. A student whose parent(s) do(es) not live in Tennessee but are members of the armed forces and stationed in the state or at Fort Campbell pursuant to military orders will be considered a Tennessee resident for the purpose of this scholarship.
      2. A student’s residency will be determined by the post-secondary institution.
   3. A student who completes a GED or HiSET diploma must enroll full-time in an eligible post-secondary program in the fall after he/she receives his/her diploma, provided that the diploma was earned before the student reached 19 years of age. This assumes the GED or HiSET student met all TN Promise requirements.
2. Attend all scheduled team meetings. A student must attend his/her assigned scheduled meeting as outlined in the student handbook/website.
   1. Excuse forms will be reviewed for the following:
      1. Participation in a school-sanctioned event (e.g., athletic event, choir concert, national or state conference or competition)
         • For athletic events, student must present tnAchieves with the game schedule AND a signed note from the coach.
         • For other events, student must present tnAchieves with a signed note from the faculty advisor/sponsor.
         • No rehearsals or practices of ANY type will be considered excusable absences.
         • Club meetings will not be considered excusable absences.
         • School social events (e.g., proms) will not be considered excusable absences.
         • Any event falling outside of a school-sanctioned event will NOT be considered an excused absence (e.g., club sports, auditions).
         • In order for the absence to be considered excused, a student must be a member of the school’s student body and an active participant in the event.
      2. Death in the immediate family
         • Student must present tnAchieves with a death certificate, obituary or a funeral service remembrance card that is specific to the meeting date missed to remain eligible.

• Personal illness
  • Student must present tnAchieves with a signed doctor’s note that is specific to the meeting date missed to remain eligible.
  • Illness within the family is not an excusable absence.

1. Conflict with post-secondary class schedule
   • Student must present tnAchieves with a class schedule AND a signed note from the professor confirming attendance specific to the meeting date missed to remain eligible.
2. Conflict with religious observance
   • Student must present tnAchieves with a signed note from religious leadership indicating date and time of the required religious observance or activity that conflicts with assigned team meeting and confirming student attendance.
   • No rehearsals or practices of ANY type will be considered excusable absences.
3. Personal or Immediate Family Emergency
   • Student must present tnAchieves with valid proof that is specific to the meeting date and time missed to remain eligible (e.g., emergency room documentation).
4. Students are responsible for notifying tnAchieves prior to or within 72 hours of the missed meeting via the excuse form provided at www.tnachieves.org. Failure to meet this requirement, even with a valid excuse, will result in loss of TN Promise eligibility.
   1. Work, lack of/inoperable transportation, scheduled vacations including weddings and all other excuses outside those outlined above are not considered excusable absences and will result in a student losing his/her TN Promise eligibility. This includes meetings that are rescheduled due to inclement weather.
   2. A student who arrives late to a mandatory meeting will lose his/her TN Promise eligibility. Likewise, a student who leaves a meeting prior to adjournment will lose his/her TN Promise eligibility.

• A student who has an approved absence by tnAchieves must attend a make-up meeting to remain eligible. The student must attend the make-up meeting prior to the end of the scheduled team meeting’s calendar (i.e., If a student misses the second team meeting and meets the 72 hour excuse form policy requirement, he/she is responsible for attending another meeting before the conclusion of the first team meetings.). Failure to attend a make-up meeting for any reason will result in loss of TN Promise eligibility.
  • It is important to note that tnAchieves strongly encourages students to attend their initial assigned meeting rather than requesting an excused absence, as the make-up meetings will most likely be held outside the student’s county of residence and the mentor is not asked to attend make-up meetings.

1. A student who graduates high school during the fall term is required to return to his/her high school for the assigned mandatory meetings.
2. A student who transfers during his/her senior year is responsible for alerting tnAchieves and attending the assigned mandatory meeting designated for the high school to which he/she transferred.
3. A parent/guardian cannot attend meetings on the student’s behalf. The student must attend the meetings to remain eligible.
4. A student who requires accommodations at his/her assigned team meeting will be responsible for alerting tnAchieves 72 hours in advance of the meeting (e.g., sign language interpreter).
5. A homeschool student must have documentation from his/her umbrella school indicating a school-facilitated break to be considered excused from the assigned mandatory meeting.

3. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by established deadline.
   1. Failure to qualify for federal aid in the form of a Pell Grant and/or state aid in the form of TELS (e.g., HOPE) or TSAA funding will not affect a student’s TN Promise eligibility.
   2. A student must be eligible for in-state tuition.
   3. A student must complete the FAFSA each year prior to the deadline established by TSAC.
4. Submit all financial aid verification documents by August 1 each year for community and four-year colleges.
   1. A student attending a TCAT must complete the verification process by October 1 each year.
   2. tnAchieves encourages students to submit all documents by July 15 to ensure the post-secondary institutions have adequate time to process.
   3. Student must choose the eligible institution he/she plans to attend as his/her first choice on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as well as direct his/her TSAC Student Portal to the eligible institution.
   4. It is the student’s responsibility to confirm with the post-secondary institution that his/her admissions and financial aid files are verified, processed and ready for award.
5. Complete and submit at least eight hours of community service prior to the start of each semester/trimester by the established deadline. Community service must be completed under the supervision of an established organization (e.g., nonprofit, public service organization).
6. Students must submit all information regarding community service by the established deadline at www.tnachieves.org. Failure to comply by the established dates will result in loss of eligibility. 
   1. Community service is not:
      1. Work resulting in payment.
      2. Work done under the supervision of an extended or immediate family member.
      3. Work done for an individual rather than an organization (e.g., babysitting, mowing a neighbor’s lawn, picking up trash in your neighborhood).
      4. Proselytizing (sharing faith).

College:

1. Maintain full-time status each semester.
   1. If the student falls below full-time, he/she will no longer be eligible.
   2. TCAT students must be enrolled in a full-time program.
   3. Failure to attend class could result in loss of eligibility.
2. Begin at an eligible post-secondary institution in the fall term directly following high school graduation.
   1. A student may begin at his/her post-secondary institution prior to the fall term directly following high school graduation; however, the student will be responsible for incurred tuition and fees until fall.
   2. A TCAT student may begin in the summer directly following high school graduation if he/she has met all TN Promise requirements.
   3. A student may be granted 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 acceptable eligibility criteria are met. A student must request a leave of absence with his/her chosen post-secondary institution for approval.
      1. An approved leave of absence of six months or less shall not count against the five-semester or eight-trimester limit at an eligible post-secondary institution.
      2. An approved leave of absence may extend beyond six months for military, religious or other extraordinary circumstances, but may impact a student’s number of eligibility terms.
   4. Attend an eligible post-secondary institution for consecutive semesters.
      1. A student cannot leave the post-secondary institution for a period of time and remain eligible.
      2. If a student withdraws from all classes during the semester, he/she will no longer be eligible.
   5. Maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA at the end of each academic year.
      1. TCAT students must maintain satisfactory academic progress each trimester.
   6. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the established deadline each year throughout his/her post-secondary experience.
      1. Failure to qualify for federal aid in the form of a Pell Grant and/or state aid in the form of TELS (e.g., HOPE) or TSAA funding will not affect a student’s TN Promise eligibility.
      2. A student must be eligible for in-state tuition.
   7. Submit all financial aid verification documents by August 1 each year for community and four-year colleges.
      1. A student attending a TCAT must complete the verification process by October 1 each year.
      2. tnAchieves encourages students to submit all documents by July 15 to ensure the post-secondary institutions have adequate time to process.
         1. A student may be required to pay tuition and fees out of pocket if his/her financial aid file is not processed and verified by the beginning of classes.
      3. Student must choose the eligible institution he/she plans to attend as his/her first choice on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as well as direct his/her TSAC student portal to the eligible institution.
      4. It is the student’s responsibility to confirm with the post-secondary institution that his/her admissions and financial aid files are verified, processed and ready for award.
   8. Complete and submit at least eight hours of community service prior to the start of each semester/trimester/quarter by the established deadline. Community service must be completed under the supervision of an established organization (e.g., nonprofit, public service organization).
   9. Students must submit all information regarding community service by the established deadline at www.tnachieves.org. Failure to comply by the established dates will result in loss of eligibility. 
      1. Community service is not:
         1. Work resulting in payment.
         2. Work done under the supervision of an extended or immediate family member.
         3. Work done for an individual rather than an organization (e.g., babysitting, mowing a neighbor’s lawn, picking up trash in your neighborhood).
         4. Proselytizing (sharing faith).

8. A student who meets all academic and non-academic requirements for TN Promise may transfer from one eligible post-secondary institution to another and maintain scholarship eligibility, provided the student is able to complete the diploma or associate degree in the amount of time remaining before reaching a terminating event.

Other components:

1. Only a member of tnAchieves staff may determine a student’s TN Promise eligibility.
   1. Mentors are an extension of tnAchieves, but are not tnAchieves staff members.
   2. tnAchieves mentors are volunteers and may lack adequate time to answer all questions; therefore, it is the student’s responsibility to confirm eligibility with tnAchieves staff.
2. TN Promise only funds last-dollar tuition and mandatory fees. It does not pay for books or other post-secondary expenses (e.g., application fee, program and class specific fees). TN Promise only covers fees required of all students.
3. A student cannot be mentored by a family member.
4. Mentors cannot choose students to mentor.
   1. tnAchieves staff will randomly assign students to mentors.
5. TN Promise follows the admissions requirements of the post-secondary institution.
   1. TN Promise will fund learning support classes if the student fails to meet the ACT requirements for college-level coursework.
6. A student is responsible for notifying tnAchieves staff when his/her contact information changes. Incorrect information does not preclude a student from ineligibility.
7. Inclement Weather Policy: If the student’s school is cancelled or released early due to inclement weather, tnAchieves will reschedule the mandatory meeting. It is the student’s responsibility to visit www.tnachieves.org to find the new date for his/her meeting.

Should a student fail to adhere to any/all policies, tnAchieves invokes the right to remove a student’s eligibility.

tnAchieves values honesty and integrity. A student who submits misinformation will immediately lose TN Promise eligibility. Be respectful in all correspondence and communication, including social media.

Policies may be subject to change without notice. It is a student’s responsibility to refer to the policies as posted at www.tnachieves.org for updates and changes to the TN Promise legislation.