Dive Brief:
- Tennessee Promise, a program after which President Barack Obama has styled his free community college proposal, is seeing major success this year.
- Inside Higher Ed reports that the number of students in the state who have filed applications for federal financial aid jumped from 42% by February 2014 to 61% by 2015, a larger jump than any other state.
- The deadline for filing the application to be part of the Tennessee Promise initiative was Feb. 15, whereas the federal deadline is June 30 — but the state with the next highest increase in applications is reportedly Delaware, with just a 3.3% rise.
Dive Insight:
The promise of free community college tuition certainly will draw more high school graduates into post-secondary coursework. In Tennessee, the early FAFSA deadline to qualify for Tennessee Promise will give colleges a way to project enrollment and prepare for the 2015-16 academic year. Inside Higher Ed reports some community colleges are already brainstorming ways to meet the expected increase in demand for advising, online learning, course scheduling, and tutoring services.
Those who are keeping an eye on Tennessee will not know exactly how many more students enroll in higher education institutions because of the offer of free tuition until the summer, but the early influx in aid applications shows a promising level of interest by students.