2024-2025 FAFSA is Now Open. Tennessee Promise FAFSA Deadline Moved to May 15th. Learn More

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission/Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (THEC/TSAC) hosts the TN FAFSA Challenge in order to honor schools and personnel who are doing the work of FAFSA completion. We also hope to increase the FAFSA completion rate among students in Tennessee. Students who complete the FAFSA are more likely to enroll in higher education, persist in their college coursework, and obtain a degree. While many schools will have higher FAFSA completion rates by the time students graduate, additional state funding, institutional dollars, and private scholarships may be available if the FAFSA is completed earlier in their senior year of high school. High schools will be recognized at the end of FAFSA season as leaders in FAFSA completion–both overall and year to year. Schools are able to track their progress using the data visualizations on the TN FAFSA Frenzy page of CollegeForTN. 

Categories

FAFSA Champions

There are two ways a high school can earn FAFSA Champion status:

(1) Increase their Tennessee Promise applicant FAFSA completion rate by 5 percentage points or more compared to the previous academic year as of the Tennessee Promise FAFSA deadline

(2) Have 90% or more of their Tennessee Promise applicants complete the FAFSA as of the Tennessee Promise FAFSA deadline

Highest Completion

Awarded to schools with the highest overall Tennessee Promise applicant FAFSA completion rate as of the Tennessee Promise FAFSA deadline:

Large School – More than 300 seniors

Medium School:  126 – 300 seniors

Small School:  51 – 125 seniors

Very Small School:  1 – 50 seniors

Most Improved

Awarded to schools with the most improved Tennessee Promise applicant FAFSA completion rate compared to the previous year as of the Tennessee Promise FAFSA deadline:

Large School – More than 300 seniors

Medium School:  126 – 300 seniors

Small School:  51 – 125 seniors

Very Small School:  1 – 50 seniors

High School Recognition

Banners

Designated schools will receive wall clings to display proudly in school hallways.

media

Designated schools will be recognized on CollegeForTN, social media, and in College Access and Success Newsletters.

Trophies

Trophies will be sent to designated schools in the Most Improved and Highest  Completion categories.

FAFSA Resources