Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant

About this resource

Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant – What You Need to Know

If you're a foster youth planning to go to college in Tennessee, the HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant can help cover your costs. Here's how it works:

• If you go to a public college or university in Tennessee, the grant can help cover your full tuition and mandatory fees—as long as you don’t already have enough gift aid to cover those costs.

• Gift aid means free money you don’t have to pay back, like scholarships or grants (including those from the Foster Care Independence Act and similar programs). Student loans and work-study jobs don’t count as gift aid.

• If you attend a private college or university in Tennessee, the grant helps too—but it’s limited. You can get up to the average cost of tuition and fees at a public school in Tennessee.

This grant is designed to make sure foster youth have the support they need to attend college without being held back by money worries.

Who can use this resource (eligibility)?

How to Qualify for the Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant

To get the Foster Child Tuition Grant, you need to do more than just apply—you have to meet certain requirements. Here's what you need to know:

✅ First, meet the basic HOPE Scholarship requirements:

• You must qualify for the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship (based on things like GPA, ACT scores, and residency).

• Then, you need to send an official form (certification) to TSAC from the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) showing that you meet one of the following:

📄 What the DCS form needs to show:

You qualify if any one of these applies to you:

1. You were in state custody at age 13 or older,

2. You were in state custody at age 13 or older and were later adopted through DCS or one of its partner agencies,

3. You were in state custody and placed in permanent guardianship by DCS after turning 13.

📌 Additional things you need to do:

• Start college within four years of graduating high school (or getting your GED).

• Stay in good standing at your college by meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (keeping up your grades and completing your classes).

• You can keep getting this grant for up to six years from when you first start college.

This grant is here to support your education journey. If you're unsure about your status or how to get your certification from DCS, reach out to a school counselor or contact DCS directly—they're there to help.