Scholarships and Grants in Tennessee
See if You Fit the Requirements
The leading state-funded grant program is the Tennessee Student Assistance Awards that helps provide financially needy students with the necessary monetary gifts to go to college. Eligible students must be enrolled in a state college or university. Apply by filling out the FAFSA. Maximum awards may be as much as tuition costs.
In 2004 the Tennessee state Lottery was established with the understanding that the funds would primarily go towards funding state education. The State Legislature also made allotment for lottery scholarships at the time the games were approved. Today, many Tennessee students receive valuable scholarships from the Education Lottery Scholarship Program. Eligible students must have a 3.0 GPA and be enrolled in a state college or university. Qualified applicants may receive up to $3800 annually.
Outstanding academic scholars may qualify for the Ned McWherter Scholars Program. Students must be top achievers in their graduating high school class, rank in the top tier of GPA and hold top ACT/SAT scores. In addition students with demonstrated leadership skills benefit in the process. The program was designed to keep top academic talent studying within the state, so only those qualified students attending a state public college or university may receive funds.
Academic high achievers, however, may also qualify for the federally funded Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship. These awards are granted on very much the same criteria as the Ned McWherter Scholars program, except that students may attend a private or public college or university anywhere. In most states an educational board makes the selection of Byrd Scholars. Scholarships are $1500 and may be renewed for an additional 3 years if students continue to adhere to academic criteria.
Those dependents of law enforcement and public safety personnel who have been killed or disabled may qualify for state assistance in accordance with the criteria of the Dependent Children Scholarship Program. Students must be attending a state college or university to qualify, but full tuition may be covered.
Specialized Studies Programs
In order to relieve dwindling numbers of well-qualified teachers many state governments have established innovative and proactive scholarships, grants and loan forgiveness programs that offer incentive to those students pursuing teaching as a profession:
- The Christa McAuliffe Scholarship Program provides scholarship support to students attending a teaching program within the state. Qualified students will be willing to agree to teach in Tennessee. Maximum award is $500.
- The Tennessee Teaching Scholars Program is another incentive program for student teachers. Students must be at least in their junior year of studies and willing to teach in the state of Tennessee following graduation. Students must also exhibit academic talent and motivation.
- The Minority Teaching Fellows Program is designed to provide minority education students with awards up to $5000 per academic year to study teaching in a Tennessee college or university. In exchange recipients must agree to teach in a K-12 public school within the state for a specified amount of time following graduation.
- Not only are teachers generally in short supply, but they are also often sought out for underserved areas and in needed subjects. The Tennessee Math and Science Teacher's Loan Forgiveness Program targets those education students specializing in teaching math or science. Eligible students will receive up to $2000 per academic year in exchange for teaching in a math or science subject in the Tennessee public school system for a specified amount of time after graduation.
- Go here to see more scholarships for teachers on a nationwide scale.
Nurses are one of the most depleted professions for a number of reasons. Factors that have contributed to an ongoing critical shortage of nurses are lack of challenging positions for new grads, adequate training programs and a shortage of nurse educators. For some the lack of trained nursing faculty is the core issue. In response, Tennessee has established the Graduate Nursing Loan Forgiveness Program that offers graduate level nurses an attractive offer in exchange for their professional skills in a state-sanctioned nursing program following graduation. Go here to see more scholarships for nurses on a nationwide scale.
Application information can be located at the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation website.