The Tennessee Promise application is now open for the Class of 2027.  Learn More

Record number of high school FAFSA Champions recognized for 2025-2026. Learn More

 

TN Momentum Year

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) recently released the inaugural state college-going status report, College Going and the Class of 2021. The report showed that the college-going rate among Tennessee’s high school graduates has been trending down over the past five years, from 63.8 percent for the Class of 2017 to 52.8 percent for the Class of 2021. 

Based on feedback from state and local leaders, and to increase coordination and collaboration among partners statewide, THEC is announcing three big goals for 2023 to serve as a momentum-building year:

  1. Increase the college-going rate for the high school class of 2023 to at least 60%.
  2. Increase adult enrollment in higher education through Tennessee Reconnect participation.
  3. Improve coordination and alignment in education and workforce training to ensure students have portable and stackable options for greater economic mobility.

Regional Meetings

Thank you for joining us for our TN Momentum Year 2023 Regional Meetings! THEC hosted a series of regional meetings across the state to share the state-level goals, to garner buy-in, and to discuss localized college-going rate data and strategies to support student success with local education agencies, higher education institutions, business, industry and workforce development leaders, and community-based organizations.

Resources & Tools

THEC will continue to develop up-to-date resources and materials to support the state to renew and articulate the value of education in Tennessee and work to increase enrollment in education and training beyond high school.