Tennessee Dependent Children Scholarship: Real Odds

The Tennessee Dependent Children Scholarship helps the children of Tennessee law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical service technicians who were killed or totally and permanently disabled in the line of duty. The parent must have been a Tennessee resident and on duty in Tennessee when the incident happened. The award is based on the student's financial need and available funds and can reach the full cost of attendance, covering tuition, mandatory fees, living expenses and books as the college defines them. It lasts four years, or the length of the program if shorter, with a possible fifth-year extension for longer programs, and requires full-time enrollment and satisfactory progress at an eligible Tennessee college. To apply, the student submits an application in the THEC Student Portal with documentation of the parent's death or disability and files a FAFSA with a valid Student Aid Index. All three items are due September 1.

Other deadlines near this one

How hard is the Tennessee Dependent Children Scholarship to win?

A large applicant pool chases this award. Apply if the student is a genuinely strong fit, but build the plan around better-odds awards first. The provider does not publish applicant or winner counts, so Solyo shows no odds figure for this award.

Odds: not published by the provider
Paperwork: ~3 hrs to file

What drives the odds here

Odds on a scholarship are mostly a question of how many students can enter. Each rule below changes the size of that field.

Fewer rivalsOpen only to Tennessee residents
Fewer rivalsRequires a specific life circumstance
Fewer rivalsOpen to a single grade level only
More rivalsA large award draws far more applicants

How Solyo estimates this: We model the applicant field from how narrow the eligibility rules are, then divide the awards available by that field. Requirements such as essays and recommendation letters improve a serious applicant’s odds, because most browsers never complete them. These are estimates derived from each award's published structure, not reported acceptance rates, which almost no scholarship provider discloses. Treat them as a way to rank where the hours go, not as a guarantee.

Who can apply for the Tennessee Dependent Children Scholarship?

These are the eligibility rules Solyo verified against the official award page, translated into plain English. Your student must meet each one.

Must be a resident of Tennessee
Must attend a college in Tennessee (the award does not travel out of state)
Open to high school seniors
For parent first responder line of duty death

Confirm these before applying

Parent must have been a Tennessee law enforcement officer, firefighter or EMT killed or totally and permanently disabled in the line of duty while employed in Tennessee

Good to know

Must attend an eligible Tennessee college full time and show need on the FAFSA

What the application takes

No essay, recommendation letters, or transcript are required. This is one of the lighter applications in the directory.

Deadline and application cycle

The current deadline is September 1, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around September 1 each year. Applications open October 1 (FAFSA opens). Request the employer's or agency's documentation of the line-of-duty incident early; it must accompany the portal application.

2027-28 FAFSA opens: October 1, 2026
Application, documentation and FAFSA due: September 1, 2027

Remind me before Sept 1 Apply on the official site

Free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge a fee. We use your student's information only to build their plan.

Common questions about the Tennessee Dependent Children Scholarship

How much is the Tennessee Dependent Children Scholarship worth?

The Tennessee Dependent Children Scholarship awards up to the full cost of attendance, based on need and available funds and is renewable in later years.

When is the Tennessee Dependent Children Scholarship deadline?

The current deadline is September 1, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around September 1 each year. Applications open October 1 (FAFSA opens). Request the employer's or agency's documentation of the line-of-duty incident early; it must accompany the portal application.

When do Tennessee Dependent Children Scholarship applications open?

Applications open October 1 (FAFSA opens), and close September 1, 2027. Request the employer's or agency's documentation of the line-of-duty incident early; it must accompany the portal application.

Who is eligible for the Tennessee Dependent Children Scholarship?

Key requirements: Must be a resident of Tennessee; Must attend a college in Tennessee (the award does not travel out of state); Open to high school seniors; For parent first responder line of duty death.

Does the Tennessee Dependent Children Scholarship require an essay?

No essay is required. The application is light on requirements. Expect to spend about 3 hours on it.

How hard is it to win the Tennessee Dependent Children Scholarship?

A large applicant pool chases this award. Apply if the student is a genuinely strong fit, but build the plan around better-odds awards first. The provider does not publish applicant or winner counts, so Solyo shows no odds figure for this award. What is known: open only to Tennessee residents and requires a specific life circumstance. Plan on about 3 hrs of work.

Is the Tennessee Dependent Children Scholarship free to apply?

Yes. The Tennessee Dependent Children Scholarship is free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge an application fee, and Solyo verifies every listed award against its official page.

Tennessee Dependent Children Scholarship