Promise programs increasingly pervasive, popular

Around the country, free or greatly reduced tuition programs at institutions of higher education – oftentimes called “promise scholarships” – are being increasingly utilized as a way to support education and workforce development. With a focus on those programs occurring at the community level, a new interactive database from the Upjohn Institute sheds light on more than 85 examples of place-based promise programs, including their history, their scope, and their impacts. Last month, SSTI examined recent legislation around promise scholarships in seven states, including Tennessee, whose program provides two years tuition-free at state community or technical colleges. Now in its fourth year, that program has exceeded most application expectations: 62,860 of the state's 74,000 graduating seniors in public and private schools – 85 percent – applied for the program, according to The Tennessean.