Applications Open For Two-Year Tuition-Free College Scholarship, Tennessee Promise

Applications are now open for Tennessee Promise scholarships.

The state scholarship program provides free tuition to a two-year college program to any person who has completed high school. Livingston Academy Gear Up Coordinator Vanessa Farris said that the program opens the door for opportunities many students don’t know they need.

“Every year we do see students who at this time of the year would have said, ‘I’ll never use that,'” Farris said. “But plans changed, and it’s there for them and we’ve seen a good number of students take advantage of that. So we encourage all students to apply.”

Farris said that the path Tennessee Promise leads students on to a two-year higher education program services to aid them both in their transition to higher education and through their finances.

“For some of them they’re going to get a degree at TCAT that’ll be the end or a degree at Vol State that will be the culminating of the end,” Farris said. “That will prepare them for their career and they’ll be able to step out at the end into the workforce at the end of one or two years and they’ll be very happy with that. For other students, that’s just the start, and they will transfer on to Tennesse e Tech or another four-year school and move on and get a four-year degree, but they’ve saved two years of tuition so they see the benefit of saving money.”

Farris said that because the program is so well-funded, the scholarships are available for every single person in the state that graduates high school with no limits. She said that the application is easily available online and typically takes about 30 minutes. She said that after applying, students will need to complete eight hours of community service as well as complete a FAFSA application.

Applications are due by November 1st.