NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Today is the last day students in Tennessee can take advantage of the state's free community college program called Tennessee Promise.
Graduating seniors who want to participate have to submit that FAFSA by today. To be a part of the TN promise Students should've sent in an application and attended a meeting for Tennessee Promise last fall.
There are some changes to the FAFSA this year. The federal government revamped it, and those changes are causing delays and issues for families trying to figure out how to pay for college.
The TN Promise program helps students get an associate’s degree or a certificate from one of Tennessee’s colleges of applied technology. It’s a last-dollar scholarship, meaning it pays for tuition and mandatory fees not covered by other financial aid.
As of early May, just over 60% of students who applied for the TN Promise submitted their FAFSA online, but that leaves thousands of students who haven't.
Representatives say normally students use TN as a last resort, but they say it's better to go ahead and take care of it to have that resource if needed. Since its inception, more than 120,000 students have participated in Tennessee Promise.
Last fall, nearly 65,000 high school seniors applied for Tennessee Promise, a record-setting number. Students must also complete eight hours of community service by July 1.
Fundraising efforts are underway in Brownsville and Nutbush, TN to build a statue for a major superstar who was raised there, Anna Mae Bullock. You probably know her by her stage name, Tina Turner. I was a huge fan of Tina and glad to see efforts are underway to showcase more of her ties to West Tennessee.
-Lelan Statom
