Columbia State Application Fee Waived Sept. 20

(COLUMBIA, Tenn. - Sept. 12, 2014) - - - Columbia State Community College will host "Scholarship Saturday" on Saturday, Sept. 20 for area high school and home school seniors to sign up for Tennessee Promise and complete their Columbia State application. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at all Columbia State campuses.

The college's usual application fee of $10 will be waived for any student who enrolls in Tennessee Promise and completes the Columbia State application during the event.

This event is part of a statewide initiative designed to encourage students to enroll in Tennessee Promise, the state's new program that provides two years of community college or technical school tuition-free for any student graduating from a Tennessee high school or home school.

Tennessee Promise includes a mentoring component, as well as a last-dollar scholarship to cover tuition and fees not covered by the Pell grant, the HOPE scholarship or TSAA funds. Students may use the scholarship at any of the state's 13 community colleges, 27 colleges of applied technology or other eligible institution offering an associate's degree program.

The Class of 2015 will be the first eligible to take advantage of the program, which is part of the Drive to 55 initiative to increase the number of Tennesseans with some form of post-secondary credential.

"This is an incredible opportunity for students to pursue their dreams of obtaining a college degree," said Cecelia Johnson, associate vice president for student services. "We want to celebrate this opportunity with our students and provide them with assistance in completing both the Tennessee Promise and Columbia State applications."

At the Columbia Campus, the college will partner with the Maury County Chamber and Economic Alliance to offer community members the opportunity to sign up as mentors through TN Achieves, the partnering organization that will oversee the mentoring and community service component of Tennessee Promise for 82 counties. Free barbecue will be provided by NHC Hillview staff.

During Scholarship Saturday, students may come to any Columbia State campus and use the college's computers to sign up online. All Columbia State campuses will have free pizza for those that attend.

Tennessee Promise Director Mike Krause said he hoped many Tennessee students would attend the event nearest them.

"The Nov. 1 deadline to register for Tennessee Promise will be here soon, so we encourage students to sign up early," Krause said. "The Scholarship Saturday event is a great opportunity for students to sign up at tnpromise.gov and enjoy getting a look at their possible future campus."

To learn more about "Scholarship Saturday," visit www.ColumbiaState.edu/Tennessee-Promise.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, one of the largest higher education systems in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.

Tennessee's Community Colleges is a system of 13 colleges offering a high-quality, affordable, convenient and personal education to prepare students to achieve their educational and career goals in two years or less. We offer associate degree and certificate programs, workforce development programs and transfer pathways to four-year degrees. For more information, please visit us online at tncommunitycolleges.org.