Welcome,

School Counselors!

This will serve as your dedicated page on the tnAchieves website! As a high school counselor, you play a crucial role in guiding and supporting students on their educational journey. This page will provide you with tools, resources and updates specifically designed to offer support to you and your students as they work to achieve academic and career goals.

At tnAchieves, we understand the importance of your work and we are committed to providing you with the support you need. Whether you are looking for information on scholarship programs, college readiness tips or the latest news and events, this page is your one-stop for all things tnAchieves and TN Promise.

Thank you for your dedication and hard work! Together, we can make a significant impact on the future of our students.

Please see below to explore the available resources and feel free to reach out with any questions!

High School Journey

For many students, the journey to college starts by completing the TN Promise scholarship application. From there, students are met with a series of requirements, deadlines and processes that may be unfamiliar! The short video below introduces students to the steps and expectations related to the TN Promise scholarship and the college-going process. Please share this video with your seniors as a quick overview of what to expect!

Counselor Resources

  • The Class of 2025 TN Promise application is now open for completion at TNPromise.gov! To become eligible for the TN Promise scholarship, students must complete the TN Promise application online by November 1, 2024. Upon successful completion of the scholarship application, students will receive a confirmation email from the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) for their records! Any student who does not complete the application by the deadline will not be eligible to receive the scholarship.

    We encourage all students, regardless of post-secondary plans, to complete the TN Promise application for eligibility. Many students may not currently plan to attend a TN Promise eligible institution next fall, but plans often change as students go through their senior year. We want to ensure all students can take advantage of TN Promise, even if only as a backup plan. As mentioned above, if a student does not complete the application, they cannot become eligible for TN Promise at a later date.

    After the November 1st application deadline, tnAchieves will begin communicating with applicants and their parent/guardian. It is important that students provide accurate and working contact information when completing the scholarship application. We strongly encourage students to use a personal email address rather than a high school email address as many districts only allow students to receive emails from within the district, and high school email addresses are often disabled after graduation. 

    We are excited to begin working with you and your Class of 2025 TN Promise applicants! Please feel free to use our website as a resource for materials, information and guidance. Additionally, we ask that you encourage your students to become familiar with TN Promise scholarship eligibility requirements, the tnAchieves program and policies!

    We will continue to update this page with additional resources as we move through the school year. If you have any questions, please contact Holly Hunnicutt at holly@tnachieves.org

    Downloadable General TN Promise/tnAchieves Content:

  • The 2025-2026 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is expected to open by December 1, 2024. Check back for more information!

  • UT Promise is an undergraduate scholarship program guaranteeing free tuition and mandatory fees for qualifying Tennessee residents attending a UT campus in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Martin, Memphis and Pulaski. Please click here to learn more!

  • tnAchieves Summer Programs provide recent high school graduates with a valuable opportunity to prepare for college prior to the start of the fall term. These programs focus on fostering student confidence both academically and socially in a supportive environment. Aside from the academic benefit, these programs offer sessions on college readiness, time management, financial planning, etc. which help a student transition more seamlessly into college life. High school counselors play a crucial role in encouraging students to take advantage of our programs, ensuring they are well-prepared for the road ahead. Please click here to learn more about our programs!

  • TN Promise applicants have the opportunity to enroll early with the TN Promise scholarship. Any student who graduates from an eligible high school, home school program, GED or HiSET curriculum before the spring semester of what would have been the student’s senior year of high school will be considered an early high school graduate. Any student that meets this definition will have the opportunity to enroll at an eligible institution with TN Promise funding prior to the fall 2025 term, provided that all necessary requirements outlined are met.

    Requirements for Early College Enrollment:

    • Complete the 2025 TN Promise application at  TNPromise.gov by November 1, 2024.

    • Complete the Mandatory TN Promise Meeting requirement by March 15, 2025.

      • As an early graduate, students will receive a mandatory webinar via email after the TN Promise application closes on November 1, 2024. The Mandatory TN Promise Meeting requirement can be fulfilled by viewing this webinar, but we ask that students also attend the in-person meeting at their former high school if possible. The mandatory meeting schedule will be available soon!

    • Complete and submit at least 8 hours of community service by April 1, 2025.

      • Students may begin completing community service hours on November 2, 2024 and must submit to tnAchieves.org no later than April 1, 2025.

      • If students plan to enroll in both the spring and summer terms at a Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT), a community college or 4-year institution, they must complete and submit a total of 16 hours of community service by April 1, 2025.

    • Complete and submit TWO separate Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) applications by April 15, 2025.

      • Complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA AND the 2025-2026 FAFSA by April 15, 2025. 

      • The 2024-2025 FAFSA application is open for completion now at StudentAid.gov. The 2025-2026 FAFSA application will open this fall!

     Early enrollment is completely optional! Students are not required to enroll prior to the fall 2025 term. If a student chooses to enroll at a post-secondary institution for the spring term with TN Promise funding, the spring term will count as one of the available 5 semesters/8 trimesters allowed with the scholarship. Additionally, if a student enrolls and receives funding in the spring and/or summer term, the academic year's GPA will be reviewed after the summer term. To remain eligible for TN Promise, students must maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA by the end of each academic year. If this requirement is not met, the student will become permanently ineligible for the scholarship.

    Students must complete all early graduate requirements outlined above PRIOR to spring enrollment to avoid triggering a reimbursement process for tuition and mandatory fees. Failure to complete the outlined requirements prior to spring enrollment will require students to pay tuition and mandatory fees at the start of the term, then be reimbursed by TN Promise only after all requirements are satisfied.

CONTACT US

CONTACT US

Have questions or need help?

Holly Hunnicutt serves as the Director of High School Partnerships and would love to help.