♦ The TN Promise deadline to submit community service hours for fall 2022 is July 1, 2022. ♦

Tennessee Promise

Campus:  Blountville
Office:  Tennessee Promise                            
Room:  C2402, General Studies Building
Office Hours:  8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday
Address:  2425 Highway 75, P.O. Box 246, Blountville, TN 37617
Phone:  423.354.5235
Email:  jajohnson@NortheastState.edu
Web:  www.NortheastState.edu/Promise

Office Hours

Tennessee Promise Logo8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday

Tennessee Promise is part of the state's Drive to 55 campaign, which aims to increase the percentage of Tennesseans with college degrees or certifications to 55 percent by the year 2025. Through Tennessee Promise, graduating high school seniors who meet and maintain eligibility criteria can earn an associate degree or certificate free of tuition and mandatory fees. Apply before the November 1 deadline here. Find more information regarding program requirements here, or download the following handbooks: 

Current Program Dates and Deadlines

  1. Complete the 2022 TN Promise application by November 1, 2021
  2. File the 2022-23 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on www.studentaid.gov by March 1, 2022. The 2022-2023 FAFSA is now available for submission!
  3. Complete mandatory webinar requirement between November 2021 and March 2022.
  4. Apply to a community or technical college during spring 2022 and connect with your tnAchieves mentor.
  5. Complete and report your first 8 hours of community service by July 1, 2022. Community service must be completed on or after November 2, 2021 in order to be considered and reported by July 1, 2022.
  6. In order to be eligible to receive TN Promise funding you must provide documentation, if requested by your institutions financial aid office, to complete FAFSA verification.
  7. For more information on current program deadlines or requirements please visit the partnering organization serving your county: tnAchieves (Carter, Johnson, Sullivan, Washington) or The Ayers Foundation (Unicoi). 

UPDATE: The Class of 2022 TN Promise mandatory meeting webinar will be available in November 2021 in tnAchieves CONNECT! The 40-minute mandatory webinar discusses important TN Promise scholarship information, requirements and upcoming deadlines, as well as next steps for financial aid and enrollment. You must watch the webinar to its entirety and answer the questions following the webinar by March 1, 2022 in order to remain TN Promise eligible. The webinar can be viewed via computer, tablet and/or mobile device. Visit www.tnachieves.org for more information.

Featured Community Service Opportunities

Community service hours must be reported to the corresponding partnering organization prior to each deadline. tnAchieves serves Carter, Johnson, Sullivan, and Washington counties. The Ayers Foundation serves Unicoi county.

Tennessee State Parks We need and value all kinds of volunteers. You can volunteer for a one-time, short term project or you can become a regular and return time and time again. Many parks have volunteer projects every month. Tasks include trail work, park beautification projects or lending a hand at one of the annual events. Click here for events in your area. Remember, every effort helps! 

The GREENS Club is looking for some hardworking students to help with our raised-bed gardens. We have 27 raised-bed gardens on the Blountville campus and need help with maintaining the beds. You could help with planting crops, harvesting crops, watering, and weeding. If you work the gardens, you’ll get to take home fresh organic produce. No special experience or knowledge required. If interested, please contact Jim Henrichs at 423.354.2481 or by email at  jahenrichs@northeaststate.edu. You can also stop by his office (P202) in the Pierce Administration Building next to Admissions.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee needs your help. Each year, the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee depends on the countless hours of scores of volunteers to assist in serving the needs of our community. Volunteers from the community took time out of their schedules to help sort and pack food, deliver meals, and much more. If you are in need of service hours for EDUC 1030, Tennessee Promise, or would like to get involved in your community, please consider this opportunity to give back. For more information please contact Josie Russell at 423.279.0430 ext. 203 or by email at  communityrelations@netfoodbank.org.

Community Service Opportunities Job Shadowing     

Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect only cover mandatory tuition and fees. Mandatory tuition and fees at NeSCC include undergraduate in-state tuition, student activity fees, campus access fees, technology fees, and international education fees. TN eCampus fees, Health Professions course fees, Nursing fees, Music fees, or other program specific fees are not covered by Tennessee Promise or Tennessee Reconnect and must be paid for by the student or with external scholarship funds. Book costs, access codes, educational supplies, calculator rentals, printing costs, parking fines, and library fines are not covered.

Any external scholarships received by a student are in addition to funds received through the Tennessee Promise or Tennessee Reconnect program. The Federal Pell Grant, the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship (TELS), the Tennessee Student Assistance Award (TSAA), and any tuition discounts/fee waivers must be applied to a student’s mandatory tuition and fees prior to receiving Tennessee Promise or Tennessee Reconnect funds. However, external scholarships will not reduce the amount of funding a student receives from Promise or Reconnect. The State and the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) consider all aid other than state and federal as "gift aid", so it will not be factored in prior to awarding Promise or Reconnect funds. Northeast State Foundation Scholarships awarded to students are considered "gift aid".

The Mentor Handbook can be found on the tnAchieves website. For more information on mentoring, please contact Graham Thomas at 615.604.1306 or graham@tnachieves.org.

Northeast State Resources

Campus Engagement

For questions concerning Northeast State programs and services, please contact 423.354.KEEP (5337) or promise@NortheastState.edu.

Mentors are crucial to the Tennessee Promise program. Mentors help students navigate the college admissions process and keep on track with Tennessee Promise requirements in order to receive the scholarship. Northeast State's service area is Carter, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington counties. 

Who can become a mentor?

  • Be 21 years or older
  • Apply online by December 1
  • Be subject to a background check
  • Complete mandatory mentor training
  • Attend mandatory High School Team Meeting in the spring
  • Attend College Team Meeting in the fall

To become a mentor in your community and help students from your local high schools, sign up with tnAchieves here. For more information, please contact Graham Thomas at 615.604.1306 or graham@tnachieves.org. Deadline to apply is December 1.