Dive Brief:
- Tennessee Promise, a last-dollar program that offers to cover the remainder of tuition and fees for the first two years of community and technical school after other scholarship programs, is offering an average award of $1,020 to 16,291 students in its first year.
- Inside Higher Ed reports community and technical colleges in the middle of the state have seen the largest enrollment boosts, including Motlow State Community College, which is serving almost 75% more full-time freshmen this year with more faculty and staff to handle the jump.
- Freshman enrollment at four-year institutions is down, but analysts can’t say whether it is a direct result of Tennessee Promise; overall, the state’s freshman class in public colleges is up 10.1%.
Dive Insight:
At the University of Tennessee at Martin, a 13% drop in enrollment among freshmen is not being attributed to Tennessee Promise. And administrators are focusing on the projected increase in qualified transfer students that are expected to join the campus community once they get what they can out of the state program. According to data from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, 2% of the students taking advantage of Tennessee Promise in its first year are attending private or independent colleges that offer two-year degrees.
Oregon is next up to offer a statewide program, and governors in California and New York are among those considering similar programs for their states.