Tennessee
Promise

What is Tennessee Promise?

The Tennessee Promise Scholarship is a last-dollar scholarship that will allow students to attend an eligible institution the semester following their high school graduation free of tuition and mandatory fees. If a student graduates high school early, during the fall semester, they could enroll in the spring semester immediately following high school graduation and receive the TN Promise Schoalrship award.

The Tennessee Promise Scholarship will pay the tuition and mandatory fees on a student’s bill after the Federal Pell Grant, Hope Scholarship (TELS), and Tennessee Student Assistance Award (TSAA) has been applied. Please see the TN Promise Covered Fees for more information regarding what the Tennessee Promise Scholarship will cover.

High School Class of 2024 Seniors

• • Start Now! Submit your application by registering on the TSAC Student Portal.

• • September 1, 2023: Apply to DSCC for the upcoming fall 2024 semester.

• • August 1, 2024: Submit your free 2024-2025 FAFSA.

• • Spring 2024: Attend a mandatory meeting coordinated by your assigned partnering organization. Details about the mandatory meeting requirements will be provided to applicants following the application deadline in the fall.

• • July 1, 2024: Complete and submit 8 hours of community service to your Partnering Organization. Community service must be completed on or after November 2, 2023 in order to be considered.

• • Fall 2024: If selected, provide requested documentation to complete FAFSA verification.

What are the eligibility requirements?

In order to receive the Tennessee Promise Scholarship, student must:

• • Complete an initial application by November 1 of their senior year in high school.

• • File the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) by the deadline at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa.

• • Attend one mandatory meeting with your Partnering Organization prior to graduating high school.

• • Graduate from a Tennessee high school or boarding high school and enroll at an eligible Tennessee community or technical college.

• • Complete 8 hours of community service for each semester, including the summer before beginning college. Check with your Partnering Organization for community service options. Complete hours for Fall semester before July 1 each year and for Spring semester before December 1 each year. (Summer semester community hours are due before April 15, if the student plans to attend during the summer semester.)

• • Apply to DSCC and complete all admissions requirements.

• • Complete Financial Aid Verification, if applicable.

• • Enroll and attend at least 12 credit hours per semester.
    • Exceptions to the 12 hour rule can be made if it is the last semester prior to graduation, there is a documented disability on file, enrolled full time in the Nursing Program, or in the only class available for a particular semester. Please contact financialaid@dscc.edu if one of these exceptions applies.
    • Any approved less-than-full-time semester will not count toward a student’s 5 semester limit.

• • Be continuously enrolled in fall and spring semesters.
    • Summers are optional, but TN Promise will cover the tuition for summer semester, regardless of the amount of hours enrolled in, as long as community hours for the summer semester are submitted.
    • The summer semester, regardless of hours, will not count toward a student’s 5 semester limit.

Students graduating early must meet the following requirements:

• • Submit a TN Promise Scholarship application for the next academic year on or before November 1st. (Ex. a student graduates in December 2023, they would have to complete a 2024-2025 TN Promise application by November 1, 2023)

• • Submit the current AND next year’s FAFSAs on or before March 1st. (Ex. the student would have to submit the 2023-2024 FAFSA for the spring term they are wanting to enroll in AND meet the 2024-2025 FAFSA deadline for the following fall semester)

• • The mandatory meeting requirement must be met

• • Complete and submit eight (8) hours of community service on or before April 1 of the spring semester. (Ex. the student would have to complete 8 hours of community service by April 1, 2024 for the spring 2024 semester). If the student plans to attend summer semester also, an additional 8 hours would have to be submitted by the April 1st deadline, totalling 16 hours needed by April 1st.

• • A student is not eligible for an award until all requirements are met. Any student not meeting the requirements would be expected to self-pay.

Need a semester off?

If a student cannot enroll in school for a semester due to extenuating circumstances, then the student will need to request a leave of absence. The IRP (Institutional Review Panel) will review the request, like an appeal, and approve or deny the leave of absence. Allowable reasons may include, but are not limited to,

1. • Illness of recipient, illness or death of immediate family member, extreme financial hardship of the student or student’s immediate family, to fulfill a religious commitment encouraged of members of that faith, or other extraordinary circumstances beyond the student’s control.

1. • Members of the United States National Guard or Armed Forces Reserves required to attend initial active duty training or mobilized shall be granted a leave of absence. Such student must provide the appropriate office with a copy of the military orders and complete a leave of absence request form.

1. • If a student’s leave of absence is denied, the student may appeal and seek relief from the TSAC Appeals Panel.

Requests for a leave of absence need to be submitted by the appeal priority dates of July 15 for fall, December 1 for spring, and May 1 for summer semesters. To complete a leave of absence request, complete the TN Promise appeal form.