Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant

About this scholarship

The Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant helps qualifying students who experienced state custody pay postsecondary costs after other gift aid has been counted. The award equals the institution's cost of attendance minus scholarships and grants that do not require repayment, but it cannot exceed tuition and mandatory fees. At an eligible independent institution, the cap is the statewide average tuition and mandatory fees for a comparable public two- or four-year institution. Applicants begin by completing the FAFSA by September 1 for fall, March 1 for spring, or May 1 for summer. They must also satisfy the minimum high school eligibility rules for the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship and obtain official certification from the Tennessee Department of Children's Services. That certification must document state custody at age 13 or older, a qualifying adoption after such custody, or permanent guardianship through DCS under the program's stated conditions. Students must be admitted to an eligible postsecondary institution within four years after high school graduation or its equivalent. The grant can continue for up to six years after initial enrollment if the recipient maintains satisfactory academic progress.

Eligibility

• Meet the minimum high school eligibility requirements for the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship
• Have been in Tennessee state custody at age 13 or older or meet the program's qualifying adoption or permanent-guardianship pathway
• Obtain official eligibility certification from the Tennessee Department of Children's Services
• Be admitted to an eligible postsecondary institution within four years after high school graduation or its equivalent
• Complete the FAFSA by September 1 for fall enrollment
• Allow all other gift aid to be applied before this grant is calculated
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress at the eligible institution