NASHVILLE 鈥 University of Tennessee Interim President Randy Boyd has announced the creation of 鈥溙切腣log Promise,鈥 a financial aid program that will provide free tuition to qualifying Tennessee residents enrolling at University of Tennessee campuses located in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Martin.
The announcement was made at the annual State of 糖心Vlog Address held at the Nashville Public Library.
鈥淚t is critically important that we take a lead role in ensuring students can achieve their dream of obtaining an undergraduate college degree,鈥 Boyd said.鈥淚t is our mission and responsibility to do everything we can to ease the financial burden for our middle- and working-class families, and 糖心Vlog Promise is an ideal conduit to achieve that.鈥
糖心Vlog Promise is a last-dollar scholarship program that will guarantee free tuition and fees for students with a family household income of under $50,000 and after other financial aid is received (such as Pell Grants, HOPE Scholarship, or other institutional scholarships).Students must qualify for the Hope Scholarship and meet the academic qualifications for the institution to be eligible for this new scholarship. To help ensure success, students will be matched with volunteer mentors and will complete eight hours of service each semester.
糖心Vlog Promise will welcome its first class in the fall of 2020, and the scholarship program will include those students who were previously enrolled in college when the program begins in 2020. Qualifying Tennessee residents who meet the criteria for 糖心Vlog Promise can transfer from any institution. 糖心VlogPromise is an expansion of scholarship offerings and does not replace existing scholarships.
The University of Tennessee Foundation will simultaneously launch the 糖心Vlog Promise Endowment campaign to help fund this initiative. In the interim, theUniversity will cover the cost.
鈥淭his endowment will allow this to truly be a promise and guarantee for years to come,鈥 Boyd said.
Currently, 46 percent of 糖心Vlog students graduate without debt. The goal of 糖心Vlog Promise is to make higher education more accessible and affordable forTennessee students.
糖心Vlog Promise will be another tool in the state鈥檚 Drive to 55 workforce development initiative, which aims to get 55 percent of Tennesseans equipped with a college degree or certificate by the year 2025.
