Dive Brief:
- Tennessee legislators have approved a program that will provide all high school graduates with free tuition for community college.
- Students in the program will be able to attend four-year schools as juniors, upon graduation from the community colleges.
- The program, dubbed the "Tennessee Promise," is expected to cost about $34 million per year.
Dive Insight:
This should be an idea that catches on with other states, and Florida, Mississippi, and Oregon are considering it. Gov. Bill Haslam has made the program part of his “Drive to 55” campaign—an effort to boost Tennessee’s high school graduation rate to 55% by 2025. Currently, the graduation rate is 32%. The funding will come from $300 million of the state’s $400 million in excess lottery reserves, plus a $47 million endowment.