Tennessee college-going fee on the rise

The Tennessee Greater Training Fee not too long ago reported the biggest year-over-year improve within the state’s college-going fee because the 2015 launch of Tennessee Promise, a last-dollar free tuition scholarship for group school college students.

Greater than half—56.7 p.c—of Tennessee public highschool graduates within the Class of 2023 instantly enrolled in school, a rise of two.4 proportion factors over the Class of 2022, in line with the fee’s report.

Steven Gentile, govt director of the Tennessee Greater Training Fee, partly credited an initiative referred to as the Momentum 12 months, established by the fee and the nonprofit Tennessee Scholar Help Company, which administers state monetary help, with growing enrollment and completion charges.

Gentile famous in a press launch that the objective was not solely to extend college-going for the Class of 2023 but in addition to spice up grownup greater ed enrollment by way of Tennessee Reconnect and to enhance coordination between training and workforce coaching.

“It’s gratifying to see these efforts repay in serving to much more Tennessee college students and grownup learners pursue their desires and careers with school levels and workforce credentials past highschool,” he mentioned.

Disparities in college-going charges persist, nonetheless. Low-income college students had a 39.3 p.c college-going fee, in comparison with 65.3 p.c for his or her extra economically advantaged friends.

The report additionally discovered that whereas college-going charges elevated for all racial teams and genders, the will increase have been uneven. For instance, white girls, Hispanic or Latino males, and girls within the “different” class, which incorporates Native Individuals, Asians and Pacific Islanders, and college students of two or extra races, exceeded the statewide improve of two.4 proportion factors. However college-going amongst different teams, together with Black men and women, white males, and males within the “different” class, grew at a decrease fee than the general state’s.

“We all know there’s nonetheless a lot extra work to do to assist guarantee each Tennessean has the chance for faculty entry and success,” Gentile mentioned within the launch. He famous that serving to members of the Class of 2024 full the FAFSA will likely be a precedence for the state this summer time.