Financial Aid/Scholarships

Type	Description
Grants	Grants are free money, and they don't have to be repaid. Grants come from the state and federal government as well as from colleges. Generally, grants are based on financial need, which means that they are awarded based on your family's size and financial circumstances. One example of a grant is the Pell Grant from the federal government. For 2020-2021, the maximum grant, which is available to students with the most financial need, was $6,345. To earn a Pell Grant, you must be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen and must complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
Scholarships	Scholarships are also free money and don't need to be repaid. Scholarships can come from a variety of places, from state and federal governments to colleges and private companies. Scholarships may be awarded based on your financial need, academic achievement, community service, athletic talent, and many other factors.
Loans	Loans are money that you borrow from a bank, government, or private lending company. A loan must be repaid with interest. Loans offered by the government often have lower interest rates and be repaid over an extended period of time. Visit www.studentloans.gov for more information.
Work-Study	Work-Study allows you to receive funds through part-time employment while you are enrolled in college and can help you pay part of your college costs. Unlike other campus jobs, students apply for Work-Study by submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

To qualify for these scholarships and grants, a student must complete the FAFSA, be a U.S. citizen, or be an eligible non-citizen (with some exceptions) and be a Tennessee resident one year prior to the application deadline. In Tennessee, to be eligible for the most amount of scholarship money and financial aid, every senior must complete the FAFSA. 

Tennessee HOPE Scholarship

The HOPE Scholarship is worth up to $2,250 per semester for freshman and sophomores and $2,850 per semester for juniors and seniors at a four-year institution; and up to $1,600 per semester for two-year institutions. The application is the FAFSA. 

• Requirements: 
  • Minimum 21 ACT composite (or concordant equivalent on the SAT) on a national or state test date OR
  • Final cumulative 3.0 GPA for entering freshman graduating from a eligible school. 

Aspire Award

The Aspire Award provides up to $750 per semester at a four-year institutions and up to $250 per semester at two-year institution as a SUPPLEMENT to the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship. The application is the FAFSA. 

• Requirements:
  • Meet Tennessee HOPE Scholarship requirements AND
  • Parents' or independent student's (and spouse's) adjusted gross income must be $36,000 or less on tax form
  • Students may receive ASPIRE or GAMS (see below), but not BOTH

General Assembly Merit Scholarship (GAMS)

The award amount is up to $500 per semester as a SUPPLEMENT to the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship. The application is the FAFSA. 

• Requirements
  • At least a final cumulative 3.75 GPA and 29+ ACT composite (or concordant equivalent on the SAT) on a national test date or state test date. 

Wilder-Naifeh Technical Skills Grant

The award amount is up to $2,000 per academic year. The application is the FAFSA

Requirements:

• Available to anyone who enrolls in a certificate or diploma program at a Tennessee College of Applied Technology and meets residency requirements 

Tennessee Promise

The Tennessee Promise is a scholarship and mentoring program that allows students in Tennessee to attend a community or technical college tuition-free. It provides students a last-dollar scholarship, meaning the scholarship will cover the cost of tuition and mandatory fees not covered by the Pell Grant, the HOPE Scholarship, or the Tennessee Student Assistance Award. Students may use the scholarship at any of the state's 13 community colleges, 27 colleges of applied technology, or other eligible institutions offering an associate degree program. For a guide on how to apply, please click the TN Promise link located under the Important Links section. 

• Requirements: 
  • Apply for the scholarship   
  • Complete the FAFSA
  • Attend mandatory mentor meeting
  • Apply to a community or technical college 
  • Complete and report eight hours of community service

Ensure that all TN Promise requirements are completed before their deadlines. 

Tennessee Student Assistance Award (TSAA)

The amount of the award is based on the institution indicated on the student's FAFSA. Award amounts for an academic year are: four-year/two-year private - $4,000; and four-year/two-year public/Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology/career schools - $2,000. 

• Requirements: 
  • Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of 5,846 or less on the FAFSA
  • Priority for this award is given to U.S. citizens 

 

American Legion Oratorical Contest

Award: $25,000 grand prize | Deadline: Feb. 9, 2026

Applicants for the national American Legion Oratorical Contest are expected to present two timed speeches totally from memory to an audience of Legion members, parents, oratorical speech judges and other interested attendees. Eligibility requirements include being a lawful permanent resident of the United States, under the age of 20, and enrolled in grades 9-12. The application must be completed, endorsed by a school official, and submitted to American Legion Headquarters no later than Feb. 9, 2026. Please see your counselor for an application. Visit the American Legion's website for more info.

Tennessee Elks Scholarships

Award: Varies | Deadline: Feb. 15, 2026

The Tennessee Elks Benevolent Trust is offering two scholarships for students who are continuing their education by majoring in nursing or attending trade school. Applications should include a letter stating your reason for choosing your career path, two letters of recommendation and documented awards and pictorials, all compiled in a standard binder. See your counselor for an application. Visit the Tennessee Elks website for more info.

Westbrook Scholarship

Award: Up to $14,000 | Deadline: Feb. 15, 2026

The Westbrook Scholarship at The University of Tennessee Chattanooga is a merit scholarship awarded to incoming freshman Biology, Geology, Environmental Science, Chemistry and Physics majors based on a competitive application process. Financial need will also be considered. To qualify, applicants should have grades of A or B in all completed high school science courses, a GPA of 3.5 or higher and an ACT composite score of 26 or higher. A separate application to the university must be submitted to the Office of Admissions by Feb. 1. More info can be found on the Westbrook Scholarship's website.

Horatio Alger Association Scholarships

Award: $10,000 to $52,000 | Deadline: Seniors - Feb. 15, 2026, Juniors - March 1, 2026

Horatio Alger Association scholarships are intended for promising students who have critical financial need, demonstrate integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity and are determined to succeed. Key criteria for qualification include demonstrated critical financial need (yearly income of less than $100,000) a 2.0 or higher GPA and U.S. citizen status. More info can be found on the association's website.

Ned McWherter Scholars Program

Award: $6,000 per year | Deadline: March 2, 2026

The application period for the Ned McWherter Scholars Program opens January 1. Applications must be submitted through the TSAC Portal, which you used when you applied for TN Promise and/or the Dual Enrollment Grant. Students must submit outstanding application requirements through the TN Cloud secure file drop with the password McWherter2627. To protect the personally identifiable information (PII) for students, THEC policy does not allow received emails to contain PII which includes Social Security Number, date of birth, etc. Therefore, please upload documents through the TN Cloud secure file drop rather than email. The deadline to apply and submit supporting documents is March 2. To be eligible to apply, students must have a minimum ACT score of 32 (not superscore) or 1430 on the SAT, and a minimum GPA of 3.75 (unweighted). More info can be found on the program's website.

More scholarship opportunities for the 2025-26 school year will be posted as they become available.

Local scholarship opportunities for the 2025-26 school year will be posted as they become available.

If you have the time, we'd like you to do 3 things. All of which are optional. If you chose to do these exercises, they should take about 5-10 minutes and can really help maximize your time. 

Short on time? No problem! These are optional and you can skip 'em! 

1. Money Goals

Grab a sheet of paper and answer this question as authentically as you can: "What does successfully paying for college look like for you?"

This question can look different for everyone. For example: 

• When I graduate from college...
• To make college affordable, I need...
• To me, an affordable college education would mean...

Take a few minutes to think it over, then keep reading. 

So, what did you come up with? 

• Graduating from college debt free? That is a goal for many students. 
• Making life easier on your folks? That one is up there too.

Did you think about....

• Earning a full-ride scholarship? 
• Graduating with an acceptable amount of debt? Not so fun, but real life fact: The national average is $37,853 per borrower. 
• What about being the envy of your peers because you earned "all the scholarships"? (Love the ambition, btw)  

Setting up a very specific goal up front will help you keep track of how close you are and keep you motivated and disciplined. 

2. College Affordability Team...Assemble! 

Think of at least one person--hopefully more like three to four people you feel should be included in your "how am I going to pay for college" conversation. 

Top Draft Picks: 

• Your parents/guardians
• Your grandparents
• Your high school counselor/college access advisor
• Another trusted and knowledgeable adult
  • A favorite teacher
  • A coach 
  • Your employer
  • Older sibling who has gone through the college process

3. Decide what is most important to you as of right now 

Look at the timeline and see where you are

1. I'm in no rush. Tell me about scholarships."
   • Terrific! Let's talk other people's money! Schedule an appointment with your counselor. 
2. "I'm a junior/senior trying to figure out what colleges are affordable so I can make a final college list"
   • This is perhaps the most important step. Schedule an appointment with you counselor.
     • Ideal timing: junior; spring- senior; fall. Although, the earlier the better!
3. "I'm a senior and I am trying to figure out the total cost of the places I'm getting into...Help? 
   • This is the easiest part. No problem at all. Again...schedule an appointment with your counselor. 
     • Ideal timing: August/September of senior year. 

FAFSA Night

Thank you all who came out to our FAFSA night. We will plan on having another one next year! 

Hey kids, remember when you were told by your folks not to take candy from a stranger? Your folks, were mostly right, except when it comes to strangers looking to help you pay for college. That is candy you should not only take, but you should learn how to look for more. This kind of candy doesn't ruin your teeth and require you to go to the dentist...unless that is what you want to be. 

As mentioned above, scholarships are free money awarded to you because someone, some company, a non-profit, a college sees something in you and wants to be a tool in your toolbox to help you succeed. 

There are 3 types of scholarships: private, local, and institutional. Each one has their own pros and cons and specific time frame when you can apply and prime season when the most $$$$ will be available. You can cut down the amount of time you spend searching for them by being strategic about when and where you look. 

Here are the very basics so you can decide which to focus on first:

• Private scholarships are available year-round. Prime season is September through April of your senior year. 
  • Please note that these tend to be the hardest to find and hardest to win. Getting enough of these to "cover college" is a bad plan.  
• 95% of local scholarships are made available only January-April of your senior year. 
• Institutional scholarships' timelines are different for every college, but to have the best chance to qualify you ideally should apply to the college by November 1st, check the colleges deadline to be sure.  

What do people who win scholarships generally have going for them? 

• Great academics (grades, test scores, etc.)
• Connected to their school in some capacity (athletics, artistic, clubs)
• A unique set of qualities
• Lots of hard work and determination

Ready to find some scholarships? Awesome. Get going!

Well hold up, before you go, lets make sure you have 5 things ready to help you do scholarship shopping a little differently.

1. Recycle essays and letters of recommendation
   • Scholarships applications usually require one or both of these items. That does not mean you need to start over from scratch every time. In fact it would be foolish if you did. Reuse the LOR's and essays over and over again.
2. Have a Resume on hand
   • A resume is just a list of stuff you've done typed up to look nice. In fact, when you're ready to make one, hop on google docs and select a resume template to help guide you. 
3. Focus on best fit scholarships rather than dollar amounts
   • Focus your efforts and energy on doing an outstanding job where you are most likely to strike gold! 
     • Which would you apply for? A $500 scholarship with 4 applicants where you are 1 of 4 or a $10,000 where you are one of thousands? You decide. 
4. Enlist your folks/mentors to help find scholarships
   • If you did the exercises on the pre-work page, you'll remember jotting down the names of your college affordability team. Here is a way they can be an incredible asset. Put them to work helping you find scholarships. 
5. Have a centralized scholarship tracker/spreadsheet
   • Whether you have enlisted the help of others or make this a solo journey, having a single place where all your scholarship information lives is super helpful and will keep things clean, organized and will help keep you motivated. 

If you are reading this, I am glad you have stuck with us and are seeing this through! This section covers the FAFSA and some other financial stuff. 

What is the FAFSA? 

FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This form is done online and you will most likely need your parent's help to fill it out every year in order to qualify for federal aid for the following school year. This year, it will be available on December 1st. 

Here is why the FAFSA is a key piece of paying for college:

The vast majority of colleges use the FAFSA to determine how much and what kinds of need-based aid you will be eligible for. 

How is determined how much my family can afford? 

There is a secret formula, kind of like that famous fried chicken recipe...a blend of 21 herbs and spices kind of formula. The FAFSA takes all of the information you put in -- income, assets, family size, parents age -- and crunches all that down into one number, which they call a SAI (Student Aid Index). The federal government, state government and colleges use that number to determine who needs $$$ the most, and how much they can expect to recieve. 

So, who is ready to FAFSA? 

How to FAFSA

Let's do this. We have broke it down into steps so you do not get overwhelmed with what you have to do.

1. Go to https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. Click on "start new form". A new tab will open. Do not panic. 
2. Create your FSA ID account. 
   • Students will need Social Security number, name, DOB, email address, password and multifactor authentication option. Parents will need to create their own account with a unique email address and password, even if they do not have a Social Security number. It is recommended to set up your username and password at least a week before starting the FAFSA. 
3. Gather Documents.
   • You will need certain documents when filling out the FAFSA. Some of these documents will be parents tax returns, bank statements, etc. More information can be found here.
4. Start FAFSAING! 
   • If you have any questions, click on the blue help button on every question page. If you still have questions that were not answered, please see your counselor or our NiswongerCare Advisor, Mrs. Frye. 

Thanks for stopping by!