Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant: Real Odds

The Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant covers tuition and mandatory fees for young people who were in the custody of the Tennessee Department of Children's Services at any time after turning 13, including those later adopted or placed in permanent guardianship through DCS. The grant pays the cost of tuition and mandatory fees after other scholarships and grants, including federal foster care funds, are applied; at private colleges it is capped at the statewide average public tuition. The student must meet the basic HOPE Scholarship academic requirement, which is a 21 ACT or a 3.0 GPA, and must be admitted to an eligible Tennessee college within four years of finishing high school. To apply, the student files the FAFSA, by September 1 for fall, and DCS sends THEC an official certification of the custody history. The grant can be used for up to six years from first enrollment with satisfactory academic progress.

Other deadlines near this one

How hard is the Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant 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: ~2 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
Fewer rivalsRequires at least a 3 GPA
Fewer rivalsRequires a minimum test score

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 HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant?

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
GPA of 3 or higher (unweighted)
ACT score of 21 or higher
For current or former foster youth

Confirm these before applying

Must have been in Tennessee DCS custody at any time at age 13 or older (adoption or permanent guardianship through DCS also counts)
Must meet the HOPE academic requirement (21 ACT or 3.0 GPA)

Good to know

Must enter an eligible Tennessee college within four years of high school graduation

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). Ask the DCS caseworker or independent living specialist to send the custody certification to THEC at the same time the FAFSA is filed.

2027-28 FAFSA opens: October 1, 2026
State priority FAFSA date (class of 2026 date was March 1): March 1, 2027
FAFSA must be received for fall semester: 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 HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant

How much is the Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant worth?

The Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant awards tuition and mandatory fees, after other gift aid and is renewable in later years.

When is the Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant 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). Ask the DCS caseworker or independent living specialist to send the custody certification to THEC at the same time the FAFSA is filed.

When do Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant applications open?

Applications open October 1 (FAFSA opens), and close September 1, 2027. Ask the DCS caseworker or independent living specialist to send the custody certification to THEC at the same time the FAFSA is filed.

Who is eligible for the Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant?

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; GPA of 3 or higher (unweighted). 2 more criteria are listed on this page.

Does the Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant require an essay?

No essay is required. The application is light on requirements. Expect to spend about 2 hours on it.

How hard is it to win the Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant?

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 2 hrs of work.

Is the Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant free to apply?

Yes. The Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant is free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge an application fee, and Solyo verifies every listed award against its official page.

Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant