Due to the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and recent weather events, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission has decided to extend the Tennessee Promise Scholarship FAFSA deadline and the priority FAFSA deadline to the Tennessee Student Assistance Award to March 1, 2022.
This deadline extension will be in effect for new and continuing students.
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission will continue to work closely with Tennessee high schools, higher education institutions, and Tennessee Promise partnering organizations to support students in completing the FAFSA.
Students who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are more likely to enroll in higher education, persist in their college coursework, and obtain a degree.
“We know that many Tennessee students rely on the assistance of high school faculty and college access professionals to complete the FAFSA,” said Dr. Emily House, executive director of THEC and TSAC. “With recent school closures due to weather and illness, we are moving the Tennessee Promise FAFSA deadline to March 1 to ensure Tennessee students have the support they need to complete the FAFSA, access financial aid, and ultimately, enroll in postsecondary education.”
Tennessee students are currently lagging behind the FAFSA completion rate from previous years, at just 49.5%. In 2021, nearly 76% of Tennessee Promise applicants finished the FAFSA. This means Tennessee families are leaving hundreds of thousands dollars of free financial aid on the table by not completing the FAFSA.
Filing a FAFSA is the first step students must take to apply for most state and federal financial aid for college. To assist in navigating the FAFSA process, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation have curated a number of resources for students and schools to support Tennessee’s FAFSA completion efforts. Student resources include step-by-step FAFSA-filing instructions and videos. School resources include guides focused on helping high schools strengthen their FAFSA completion numbers.
ABOUT THEC:
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission is relentlessly focused on increasing the number of Tennesseans with a post secondary credential. We pursue this goal by innovating for student access and success, creating a policy environment conducive to increased degree attainment, and protecting students and consumers.
For more information on THEC and the TN FAFSA Challenge, visit https://www.collegefortn.org/
