The Tennessee Higher Education Commission has spent the last 10 days partnering with dozens of community partners across Tennessee to assist students from the Class of 2024 with their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) ahead of the August 1 deadline for Tennessee Promise scholarship applications.

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) is partnering with several education and community organizations across the state to launch its “FAFSA Frenzy” campaign to provide support to students and families completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Tennessee students have until May 15 to complete their FAFSA applications and secure financial aid for the 2024-2025 school year, with public universities offering resources to assist.

Jose Martinez, a senior at Senn High School in Chicago, wants to teach someday — maybe English. He’s applied to several top colleges in Illinois, but for now, he’s in limbo, unable to complete the financial aid forms he’ll need to attend.

Every March, my North Star Academy Lincoln Park High School students anxiously await financial aid offers from colleges and universities. But this year, they may not know how much financial assistance they will receive until May or June. That’s a devastating timeline for students from the low-income communities my school serves — they’ll have less than a month to figure out the next four years as they get ready to make the biggest decision of their young lives.

Southwest Tennessee Community College Director of Admissions, Recruitment, and K-12 Policy Rosie Britton says last year Tennessee families left more than $2 billion in student aid unclaimed due to missed opportunities or missed information regarding the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).This year students will have less time to start the application process.The FAFSA application process has historically run from October 1 through June 30 but this year it will open no later than December 31.