Understanding the tnAchieves Community Service Requirements: A Comprehensive Guide

The tnAchieves program provides a valuable opportunity for Tennessee students to access higher education. A key component of maintaining eligibility for the TN Promise scholarship is fulfilling the community service requirement. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the community service requirements, recent updates, and available resources.

The Importance of Community Service

The community service requirement ensures that students give back to their communities while developing skills and experience that can benefit their future careers. By contributing time to nonprofit or public service organizations, students gain valuable experience and make a positive impact on their communities. As a college student, you can also volunteer in your field of interest to gain valuable experience.

Recent Updates to the TN Promise Community Service Requirement

As of June 2, 2025, the TN Promise community service requirement has been updated to be more streamlined. These changes aim to provide students with more flexibility and clarity in meeting their obligations. It is important to stay informed about these updates to maintain eligibility for the TN Promise scholarship.

Community Service Options

To meet the TN Promise community service requirement, students have two options:

Option 1: Two Deadlines

July 1, 2025: Complete at least 16 hours (you may submit up to 32 hours).
August 1, 2026: Submit 16 additional hours for a total of 32 hours. Hours in excess of 16 submitted by July 1, 2025, will carry forward to the 2026 deadline.

Option 2: Four Deadlines

July 1, 2025: Complete at least 8 hours
December 1, 2025: Submit 8 additional hours (16 total)
April 1, 2026: Submit 8 additional hours (24 total)

Required only if attending South College, a TCAT, or William R.

Read also: About Grossmont Community College

Key Changes to Note

Rollover Hours: Community service hours can now be rolled over! For example, if you submitted more than 16 hours by July 1, 2025, those excess hours will carry forward to the August 1, 2026 deadline. Or, if you chose option 2 and you submitted 9 or more hours by July 1, 2025, 8 hours were counted towards the fall term, and the hours over 8 will be counted towards the next deadline.
Virtual Community Service Webinars: Students can view a total of 16 virtual community service webinars during their TN Promise eligibility. Each webinar will count as one hour of community service. Once you have viewed 16 virtual webinars, your remaining hours will need to be in person. Duplicate viewings of the same webinar will not be counted as an hour of community service. You may only receive credit for viewing each webinar once!

Important Dates and Deadlines

Class of 2024 or earlier: Regardless of the option you chose, you can submit any hours completed December 2, 2024 and after for all upcoming deadlines.
Class of 2025: Regardless of the option you chose, you can submit any hours completed August 1, 2024 and after for all upcoming deadlines.
Current High School Seniors (Class of 2026): Your first community service deadline will be August 1, 2026. You will be required to submit at least 16 hours of community service by this deadline. You can submit any hours completed after August 1, 2024.
FAFSA Completion: Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by April 1, 2026.
Community Service Submission: Complete and submit community service by the established deadline.

Acceptable Community Service Activities

Community service involves contributing your time to a nonprofit or public service organization, with the goal of benefiting the community through your efforts. Tasks in which you are paid for your service do not count. Both job shadowing and unpaid internship hours may be eligible for your Tennessee Promise Scholarship community service requirement. They may also grant you valuable experience with professionals who work in your field of study. Donating blood counts as one hour of community service and can only be submitted once for each deadline.

Virtual Community Service Webinars

Virtual community service webinars are designed to introduce a variety of topics to students. From job shadowing discussions focused on specific career fields to personal finance recommendations from SoFi, these webinars are meant to enrich a student’s college experience. Virtual community service webinars are available as a means to complete up to half of the total required hours of community service. Each virtual community service webinar counts as one hour. Webinars may only be accessed at tnAchieves.org. You DO NOT need to submit tnAchieves virtual community service separately. You must watch a webinar in its entirety and click “submit” to be credited an hour of community service.

Resources for Finding Community Service Opportunities

tnAchieves' Community Service Resource Guides are county-specific resources designed to help students find local volunteer opportunities. These guides provide a curated list of organizations and events where students can complete their required community service hours. Are you an organization that would like to be included on your county’s resource guide? Follow the link below to submit your opportunity! The tnAchieves Job Shadow Day is an excellent way to learn about related volunteering opportunities with employers. Each guide contains the contact information for several services supporting people in your area with issues of homelessness, transportation, food insecurity, mental/physical health, childcare, Hispanic/Latino services, legal aid and more.

How to Submit Community Service Hours

All community service hours must be submitted through the community service online form found here. Keep in mind, it is YOUR responsibility to submit your hours. Students must complete and submit all information regarding community service by the established deadlines at tnAchieves.org.

Maintaining TN Promise Eligibility

Mandatory Meeting: Satisfy the Mandatory TN Promise Meeting requirement. Failure to complete this requirement will result in the loss of TN Promise scholarship eligibility.
FAFSA Filing: File the 2026-2027 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at FAFSA.gov. Failure to complete this requirement will result in the loss of TN Promise scholarship eligibility.
Community Service Completion: Complete and submit at least 16 hours of community service for the 2026-2027 academic year. Failure to complete this requirement will result in the loss of TN Promise scholarship eligibility.
Full-Time Enrollment: Enroll as a full-time student (at least 12 credit hours or a full-time program) at a TN Promise eligible institution. Failure to complete this requirement will result in the loss of TN Promise scholarship eligibility.
GPA Requirement: If you are attending a community college or 4-year institution, you are required to maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA at the end of each academic year to remain eligible for TN Promise.
Course Program of Study (CPoS): Students must enroll in classes that fall within their Course Program of Study (CPoS).
Accurate Information: tnAchieves values honesty and integrity. A student who submits misinformation will immediately lose TN Promise eligibility.
Contact Information: Students are responsible for notifying tnAchieves staff when their contact information changes.
Adherence to Policies: Should students fail to adhere to any and all policies, tnAchieves invokes the right to remove their eligibility. Policies may be subject to change without notice.

Leave of Absence

A student may request a medical or personal leave of absence from timely enrollment in the initial semester, full-time attendance or continuous enrollment at an eligible post-secondary institution as long as all other applicable eligibility criteria are met. In order to complete an appeal prior to initial enrollment, a student must click here for instructions on submitting an appeal. In order to request a leave of absence after initial enrollment, a student must complete the appeal process as specified by his/her college.

Financial Aid and the TN Promise Scholarship

The Tennessee Promise scholarship is a last-dollar scholarship, so it covers tuition that is not paid for by the Pell Grant, HOPE Scholarship, state student assistance funds, or other means of financial aid grants. TN Promise only funds last-dollar tuition and mandatory fees. It does not pay for books or other post-secondary expenses (for example, application fee, program and class specific fees). Your college may require you to complete financial aid verification before awarding your scholarships and financial aid.

Additional Opportunities at South College

Hundreds of Tennessee Promise students have graduated from South College in fields with many opportunities such as accounting, business, criminal justice, education, health professions, and legal studies. Maintaining your Tennessee Promise Scholarship at South College requires adherence to the scholarship’s community service component, including eight hours of your time donated to qualifying nonprofits or public-service organizations, per each quarter of your enrollment. To maintain eligibility throughout your time spent as a student, you must officially volunteer for an organization, on the record, without accepting payment of any kind. The South College Opportunity Grant (SCOG) is a last resort grant for students who are eligible to participate in the Tennessee Promise Program. The SCOG will be awarded if any amount of tuition charged for a term of study is not covered by the Federal Pell Grant, Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship, Tennessee Student Assistance Award, or Tennessee Promise Scholarship. Loss of eligibility in the Tennessee Promise program will result in the loss of the South College Opportunity Grant. Not all Tennessee Promise eligible programs are eligible for the South College Opportunity Grant.

Transferring to a Four-Year University

Transferring from a community college to a four-year college is an important step toward reaching your long-term academic and career goals. Planning ahead and utilizing available resources can help ensure a smooth transfer process. If you plan to transfer to a four-year university after you earn your associate degree, we can help! Our dedicated team of COMPLETE Coaches are here to be a resource for you as you continue your academic journey. To help you get started, we have created a transfer checklist that outlines the general requirements for transferring to a four-year university. Please note that each institution has its own specific deadlines and requirements. It is critical that you are working closely with your institution and your tnAchieves COMPLETE Coach to ensure you are on track.

tnAchieves Transfer Checklist

Meet with your current college advisor to review class credits and TN Transfer Pathway.
Apply for admission at all 4-year schools that interest you.
Submit unofficial transcript from your community college to your intended 4-year university. A highschool transcript may also be required for admission.
Submit the FAFSA for the academic year in which you will transfer. Submitting the FAFSA early (by February 1) each year maximizes your access to financial aid and scholarships!

To help you with the transfer process, our team has created guides for some of the four-year institutions in Tennessee! These guides include information about various scholarships and transfer-specific deadlines. Find the guide for the college you are planning to transfer to and ensure you are meeting all of the necessary deadlines and requirements.

Affordability and Scholarships for Transfer Students

While affordability can be a challenge as you navigate the college transfer process, it does not have to keep you from transferring to the college/university of your dreams! Filing the FAFSA early each year is an important first step to determine your eligibility for certain forms of financial aid, like the HOPE scholarship or Pell grant. tnAchieves is also here to help you identify additional scholarship opportunities, like institutional scholarships and external scholarships.

INSTITUTIONAL SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Institutional scholarships are scholarships that are offered to students directly through their 4-year institution. tnAchieves' Transfer Timelines (found above) are a great place to learn more about institutional scholarships available to transfer students. There is a Transfer Timeline for every 4-year institution in Tennessee! Once you find the Transfer Timeline for your 4-year, scroll to the very bottom for scholarship information. If you plan to transfer to an out-of-state or international 4-year institution, please reach out to tnAchieves for help identifying institutional scholarship opportunities.

EXTERNAL SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

In addition to the federal/state aid you could qualify for based on your FAFSA and the institutional aid you could qualify for through your 4-year institution, you can also apply for external scholarships!

Benefits of Earning a Bachelor's Degree

Increased Earning Potential: Earn your bachelor’s degree! It will only take about two more years after you transfer before you can earn your bachelor’s degree. Bureau of Labor Statistics, individuals with a bachelor’s degree typically earn $19,000 more a year compared to individuals with an associate degree.
Expanded Social and Cultural Experiences: Meet new people and expand your perspective! By attending a 4-year institution, you have the opportunity to continue to increase your social and cultural experiences on a broader level.

Resources and Support

tnAchieves is dedicated to supporting college students on their journey to college graduation by providing proactive college coaching, resources, and guidance. Through proactive coaching and access to critical academic and financial resources, tnAchieves helps students navigate the challenges of higher education. Each guide contains the contact information for several services supporting people in your area with issues of homelessness, transportation, food insecurity, mental/physical health, childcare, Hispanic/Latino services, legal aid and more. Have questions or need help? Connect with the tnAchieves team by clicking the link below. Linked below is a comprehensive collection of tools designed to support college students in their academic journey and career exploration. These resources include personalized success guides, career assessment tools, and professional development resources that help students identify their strengths, explore potential career paths, and develop the skills necessary for success in both college and the workforce. Eligible InstitutionsTN Promise acts as a last-dollar scholarship at Tennessee community colleges and colleges of applied technology. Some four-year colleges are eligible for TN Promise funding; however, they have a different funding model. Click the link below to review colleges eligible for TN Promise funding.

tags: #tnachieves #community #service #requirements