A local community college is taking part in a statewide event aimed at helping high school seniors sign up for scholarship funds while completing their college applications.
Northeast State Community College will open up its main campus as well as the Elizabethton campus on Saturday, Sept. 20, as part of the statewide Scholarship Saturday event.
Scholarship Saturday is designed to encourage students to enroll in Tennessee Promise, the state’s new program that provides two years of community college or technical school tuition-free for any student graduating from a Tennessee high school beginning in 2015. The Tennessee Promise is a last-dollar scholarship for tuition and fees not covered by the Pell grant, the HOPE scholarship or TSAA funds.
“Tennessee Promise is a wonderful opportunity for students to continue their education at Northeast State tuition free after high school,” said Jennifer Starling, dean of enrollment management at Northeast State. “We want to make signing up for the Promise and applying for college an easy process for students.”
Starling said students who are considering traditional four-year programs should also take part in the event.
“Even if students currently plan to enroll at a four-year institution, they should take the opportunity to sign up for the Tennessee Promise as a back-up option,” she said. “Northeast State has articulation agreements with all area four-year institutions, so beginning here tuition-free just makes sense.”
Students may use the scholarship at any of the state’s 13 community colleges, 27 colleges of applied technology or other eligible institution offering an associate’s degree program. The Class of 2015 will be the first eligible to take advantage of the program, which is part of the Drive to 55 initiative to increase the number of Tennesseans with some form of post-secondary credential.
Tennessee Promise Director Mike Krause said in a released statement he hoped many Tennessee students would attend the Scholarship Saturday event nearest them.
“The Nov. 1 deadline to register for Tennessee Promise will be here soon, so we encourage students to sign up early,” Krause said. “The Scholarship Saturday event is a great opportunity for students to sign up at tnpromise.gov and enjoy getting a look at their possible future campus.”
The Northeast State Community College events will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at both campus locations. During Scholarship Saturday, students can sign up for Tennessee Promise online. Free refreshments will be available. There is no fee for any student completing his or her college application at the event.
To reserve your spot for this event, call 323-0243 or 354-5263.