Tennessee College Grants

While many grants and scholarships are offered by the United States government, the amount of competition involved in obtaining these funding opportunities makes it difficult to get enough money to make college affordable. Most states will also provide grants and scholarships that can help to supplement these gifts, including the state of Tennessee. If you are a resident in Tennessee and are desperate to find sources of financing for college, here are a few places to start.

The number one program for grants is the Tennessee Student Assistance Awards program, which is available for needy students who are enrolling in a state college or university. In some situations, the maximum awards may cover the entire cost of tuition.

The Tennessee State Lottery has also assisted many students in obtaining the funding they need to attend school, with offerings like the Education Lottery Scholarship Program, which offers students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher enrolled in a state college or university up to $3800 annually.

Students with an outstanding academic record, including a top tier GPA and excellent ACT/SAT scores may qualify for the Ned McWherter Scholars Program. Students must also display qualities of leadership and attend a Tennessee state public college or university.

Dependents of law enforcement and public safety officials who have been killed or disabled are also offered a leg up toward a higher education with grants and scholarships awarded per the criteria set forth through the Dependent Children Scholarship Program. Students are required to attend a state college or university but may have their entire cost of tuition covered.

List of Tennessee College Grants

• Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Program NAIFEH Technical Skills Grant — $1300 awarded each year to varied number of undergraduate students attending Tennessee technical college.


• Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Program Tennessee Hope Access Grant — $1575 to $2400 awarded each year to varied number of undergraduate students attending Tennessee college.


• Tennessee Student Assistance Award Program — $100 to $2130 awarded each year to 26000 undergraduate students attending Tennessee college.

Paying for school is not easy, but we are here to help. OEDb's student finance section will help you find the money you need to pay your tuition and other college expenses. We cover scholarships, college grants, and student loans. Scholarships and grants are both forms of "free money", meaning they don't need to be paid back. Scholarships are typically awarded by businesses or individuals, with the money being earmarked specifically for tuition. They can be awarded based on a student's location or by religious affiliation, such as Catholicism or Islam. Grants are typically awarded by governments or non-profit organizations and the money often can be applied to several different expenses a student may incur, not solely tuition. They can be awarded based on location or ethnicity, for instance African American or Hispanic. Loans are not considered "free money", because unlike scholarships and grants, they do need to be paid back after graduation. Common federal loans include Perkins and Stafford. Loans are also available by location.