The skyrocketing price of obtaining a college degree, along with the subsequent debt incurred by students, is often at the forefront of the discussion on access to higher education. To alleviate the financial burden, as well as increase the number of college-going students, Tennessee implemented a ground-breaking program—Tennessee Promise—to bring tuition-free schooling to high school graduates. The program offers two years of tuition-free attendance at any of 13 community or 27 technical colleges within the state. According to the Tennessee Promise website, the program "provides students a last-dollar scholarship" that covers tuition and fees not covered by the Pell grant, the HOPE scholarship, or state student assistance funds. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must meet strict deadlines and requirements, and once in the program, they must maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA.
The Reality
So, what was the actual impact of Tennessee Promise? During their session at AACRAO’s Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Tim Amyx, George Pimentel, and Emily Short of Volunteer State Community College discussed how the program impacted their institution—for better and worse.
When Tennessee Promise was implemented in Fall 2015, Volunteer State saw a spike in the number of prospects—from 1,000 the previous year, to 4,300. This number impacted recruiting activities and the recruitment budget. The full-time freshman head count also increased significantly—from 1,507 the previous year to 2,166 students. The school had expected an overall increase, but the response was overwhelming for all departments.
Cultural Shifts
The bump in prospects and yield reflect a cultural shift in this region of Tennessee. The original mindset had parents discouraging their children from attending college and many students thinking that college wasn’t an option due to financial constraints. Piggybacking with this, faculty also needed to embrace a cultural shift to accommodate the needs of these new students; this included shifting schedules, adding additional courses, and extending the teaching day. Now, with Tennessee Promise, students can see financial barriers removed, and more accessibility to faculty and the courses they want.
At Volunteer State Community College, the Tennessee Promise program has shown that:
- The college-going culture can change once tuition is removed from the equation;
- Academics must adapt to meet increased demand; and
- Institutions must have adequate support systems to ensure student success.
Handouts from the presentation are available here.