Direct Admissions FAQs

A pilot study for Tennessee high school graduates in the Class of 2026 offering automatic admission to participating Tennessee technical schools, colleges, and universities without requiring a traditional long-form application or application fee, and for seniors at selected high schools, up-front information about grants and scholarships.

For the 2025–26 school year, the TN Direct Admissions program is part of a special study to help understand how well it works. This study is being done as a randomized controlled trial—which is a type of research that gives the most reliable results. You can think of it like a lottery: schools were randomly chosen to either participate in the program or continue with business as usual. Randomly selecting schools helps make sure the two groups are similar in important ways—like size, location, student backgrounds, and available resources. That way, any differences we see in the results can be linked to the program itself—not other outside factors.

All public high schools in Tennessee had an equal chance to be part of the study. Neither the state nor the research team picked specific schools; it was completely random. This helps ensure the findings will be fair and useful across the state.

Absolutely. After receiving the Governor’s letter, students can actually “opt out” by not opting in. They won’t receive official confirmation of their direct admissions unless they claim their spot at CollegeForTN.org. Even if they use the QR code to explore their options and all the information on their dashboard, they will not be in the program if they don’t claim their spot.

THEC will only share student information with entities with which it currently has an approved data sharing agreement compliant with applicable state and federal law and policy. Every public high school in the state should already have such a data sharing agreement in effect to access the FAST system. To participate in Direct Admissions, students will be required to consent to being contacted by THEC and partner institutions, and to data sharing between them.

For the purposes of this study, only Tennessee residents who are eligible for state financial aid and in-state tuition will receive Direct Admissions letters.

For the purposes of this study, only Tennessee residents who are eligible for state financial aid and in-state tuition will receive Direct Admissions letters.

The list of participating colleges and universities has been finalized and can be found at the provided link.

Seniors from selected high schools will receive letters indicating not only which colleges have accepted them, but also what state aid is available to them based on their grades, test scores, or other criteria.

Eligible students are able to access their personalized enrollment page by logging in to their TSAC Student Portal.

First, students are strongly encouraged to talk it over with their parents and discuss which choice makes the most sense for their future. They should research the schools listed on their letter and what skills and abilities could be gained from the programs they offer. Then, students will use the QR code on their letter to view their personalized list of institutions. The URL to their Direct Admissions offer will also appear on the student’s TSAC Student Portal. They will claim a spot at the schools they want to attend, answer a few easy questions, and they are finished. The institutions will then be in touch with confirmation of their Direct Admissions and next steps.

THEC will work with participating institutions to minimize this from occurring, but some students who have already been accepted to participating institutions may still get Direct Admissions letters. Direct Admissions will not negatively affect a student’s existing acceptance or admission to any institution.

No, the purpose of Direct Admissions is to streamline their path to education and training after high school. No application. No application fee. Just claim their spot. Institutions may have a separate set of Enrollment Questions that they ask you to answer. This is not an application, just an additional set of questions to complete your file.

The selected TCAT, community college, or university will send an official letter confirming admission, and laying out clear next steps to lead the student all the way through to their first day of classes.

No, students will be directly admitted to the school itself, not individual majors or programs. Some majors or academic programs, like nursing or other medical fields, may have additional requirements. Students should let their institution know as soon as they know what they want to study, so they can work together on a plan to get headed in the right direction.

Encourage them to apply now. We always recommend acting on a student’s interest when it’s fresh. There is no advantage or disadvantage to applying through Direct Admissions or the normal college admission process.

Absolutely. In Tennessee, when we say “college,” that includes the 24 TCATs across the state, which are Tennessee’s public trade or technical schools.

All Direct Admissions offers are contingent upon graduation from an approved high school with a Traditional High School Diploma. Some financial aid offers, especially at four-year institutions, may require a student to maintain a certain GPA. That’s why students are encouraged to stay in contact with their school counselor or college and career advisor at their high school.

The deadline to claim your spot is June 1.

Yes. Missing the Direct Admissions deadline doesn’t mean the student has lost the opportunity. They can still apply by visiting the college’s website and completing the standard application process. Each college is different, so students should check each school’s deadlines for applications, financial aid, housing, orientation, and enrollment steps.

We are unable to accommodate changes to your school selections once you have submitted the form. Please review your form carefully before submitting. However, you can still apply to any school you are interested in by completing their traditional application process directly.

Your Direct Admissions letter was based on the GPA and ACT scores we had on file at the TN Promise application deadline. Just because a school isn’t listed in your letter does not mean you are ineligible. Apply through their traditional application.