A record-breaking number of students applied for the Tennessee Promise program, with over 67,000 applicants from the Class of 2025, an announcement from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) said.

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.

Representative Ed Butler, R-Rickman, says it was something personal that led him to file House Bill 1803.Butler says his daughter decided to attend higher education classes in the summer and he realized the Tennessee Promise scholarship wouldn’t be available to students who make a similar choice to attend classes during those months.

Today is the deadline for high school seniors to apply for the Tennessee Promise, which offers two years of tuition-free college. Here’s what you need to know to apply.

Senator Raumesh Akbari admits it’s not easy getting legislation passed as a Democrat in the Republican supermajority in the Tennessee General Assembly, but she’s found ways to find common ground with conservatives to accomplish important educational changes.One of the biggest was the legislation Akbari co-sponsored to create the Tennessee Promise.

Tennessee students are receiving additional help this year with the extra expenses that come with attending college.tnAchieves says it has distributed more than a million dollars in tnAchieves COMPLETE grants to eligible students since the program launched statewide in August.Under the program, students can apply for up to $1,000 per semester for college expenses that are not covered by the Tennessee Promise scholarship. tnAchieves COMPLETE grants can be used for computers, tools, textbooks, transportation, food insecurity or other hardships.