Scholarships and Financial Aid

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not pass and its exact impact is uncertain as it was not enacted into law.

Expanding Eligible Institutions for Tennessee Promise Scholarships

This bill aims to expand eligibility for Tennessee Promise scholarships by including certain career-focused institutions that are accredited by the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences (NACCAS) and have their main campus in Tennessee.

What This Bill Does

• Adds NACCAS-accredited institutions with a primary campus in Tennessee as eligible postsecondary schools for the Tennessee Promise scholarship.
• Requires TSAC to check if there are available slots at TCATs before awarding scholarships to students who want to attend NACCAS-accredited institutions.
• Sets the scholarship amount equal to what is given to students attending William R. Moore College of Technology, which covers tuition and mandatory fees minus other gift aid.
• Allows students pursuing certificates or diplomas from eligible postsecondary institutions to receive the scholarship starting in fall 2025.

Who It Names or Affects

• Students who want to attend NACCAS-accredited institutions for career training programs.
• TSAC, which will manage the eligibility process and award scholarships.
• NACCAS-accredited institutions with a main campus in Tennessee.

Terms To Know

Tennessee Promise Scholarship

A scholarship program that helps students pay for college or career training programs in Tennessee.

NACCAS

National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, which accredits certain types of career-focused institutions.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill did not pass the Senate Education Committee.
• It only applies to students who cannot find a spot at TCAT for their desired program.
• Details about how TSAC will manage the new eligibility requirements are not specified in this summary.

Official Summary Text

Under present law, the Tennessee Promise scholarship is available to students who meet certain eligibility criteria and who enroll in an eligible po
stsecondary institution. Present law defines "eligible postsecondary institution" to include:

(1)
A postsecondary institution that was eligible for the Tennessee education lottery scholarship on July 1, 2013, and remains eligible thereafter
; and

(2)
The
William R. Moore College of Technology
.

This bill expands the list of eligible postsecondary institutions for purposes of the Tennessee Promise scholarship to include a
n institution accredited by the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and
Sciences (NACCAS) that has its primary campus domiciled in this state
. The scholarship amount will be the same as what is available to recipients who enroll at the
William R. Moore College of Technology
, which is
the average cost of tuition and mandatory
fees at the public two-year postsecondary institutions less all other gift aid
. The scholarship will be available to qualified students enrolling in a NACCAS-accredited institution who pursue a course of study
leading to a certificate, diploma, or other
credential
. T
o be eligible for the scholarship at
a NACCAS-accredited institution
,
this bill requires that
TSAC must first determine that there are no available enrollment slots at a
TCAT
in the county in which the student resides for the student's desire
d program of study. If there are available enrollment slots at a
TCAT
in the county in which the student resides for the student's desired program of study, then the student must be enrolled in a
TCAT
in order to receive the scholarship.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 738
By Parkinson

SENATE BILL 803
By Massey

SB0803
001344
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to higher education.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-708(b)(3), is amended by
adding the following as a new subdivision (C):
(C) An institution accredited by the National Accrediting Commission of Career
Arts and Sciences (NACCAS) that has its primary campus domiciled in this state;
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-708(b)(1), is amended by
adding the language "or an eligible postsecondary institution, as defined in subdivision
(b)(3)(C)," after "Tennessee college of applied technology".
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-708(b)(4), is amended by
designating subdivision (B) as subdivision (C) and adding the following as subdivision (B):
(B) Includes, beginning with the fall semester of the 2025-2026 academic year, a
curriculum of courses leading to a certificate, diploma, or other credential at an eligible
postsecondary institution, as defined in subdivision (b)(3)(C);
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-708(b)(5), is amended by
adding the language "or eligible postsecondary institution, as defined in subdivision (b)(3)(C)"
after "Tennessee college of applied technology".
SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-708(c)(3), is amended by
adding the language "or eligible postsecondary institution, as defined in subdivision (b)(3)(C)"
after "Tennessee college of applied technology".

- 2 - 001344

SECTION 6. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-708(c), is amended by deleting
subdivisions (5) and (6) and substituting instead the following:
(5) A Tennessee Promise scholarship:
(A) At a Tennessee public two-year postsecondary institution or
Tennessee college of applied technology is the cost of tuition and mandatory
fees at the eligible postsecondary institution attended less all other gift aid. Gift
aid must be credited first to the student's tuition and mandatory fees; or
(B) At an eligible four-year public postsecondary institution or an eligible
private institution, which includes an eligible postsecondary institution, as defined
in subdivision (b)(3)(C), is the average cost of tuition and mandatory fees at the
public two-year postsecondary institutions less all other gift aid. Gift aid must be
credited first to the student's tuition and mandatory fees;
SECTION 7. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-708(c), is amended by adding
the following as a new subdivision:
(12) Notwithstanding this subsection (c) to the contrary, to be eligible for the
scholarship at an eligible postsecondary institution, as defined in subdivision (b)(3)(C),
TSAC must first determine that there are no available enrollment slots at a Tennessee
college of applied technology in the county in which the student resides for the student's
desired program of study. If there are available enrollment slots at a Tennessee college
of applied technology in the county in which the student resides for the student's desired
program of study, then the student must be enrolled in a Tennessee college of applied
technology in order to receive the scholarship.
SECTION 8. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it, and
applies to Tennessee Promise scholarships awarded for the 2025-2026 academic year and
each academic year thereafter.