Columbia State Application Fee Waived September 26




(COLUMBIA, Tenn. - Sept. 16, 2015) - - - Columbia State Community College will host "Scholarship Saturday" on Saturday, Sept. 26 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 on Saturday only for any student who enrolls in Tennessee Promise and completes the Columbia State application during the event. Free food and drinks will also be available for anyone signing up.

At the Columbia Campus, the event will take place in Warf Plaza in front of the J. H. Warf Building. The Columbia Campus is located at 1665 Hampshire Pike in Columbia, and the other campuses are located at the following addresses.

• Clifton Campus - 795 Main Street, Clifton
• Lawrence County Campus - 1620 Springer Road, Lawrenceburg
• Lewisburg Campus - 980 Ellington Parkway, Lewisburg
• Williamson Campus - 104 Claude Yates Drive, Franklin

This event is part of a statewide initiative designed to encourage students to enroll in Tennessee Promise, the state's 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 is part of Governor Bill Haslam's Drive to 55 initiative to increase the number of Tennesseans with some form of post-secondary credential, such as a college degree or technical certificate.

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 institutions offering an associate's degree program.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for students to pursue their dreams of obtaining a college degree," said Dr. Margaret D. Smith, executive vice president and provost for academic and student programs and services. "We want to provide high school seniors an opportunity to have the assistance they need 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.

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 hopes many Tennessee students would participate and complete their application.

"Tennessee Promise has changed the conversation about going to college in our state, and I hope we can encourage students to sign up early," Krause said. "Scholarship Saturday provides a chance for students to sign up for the Promise and make a connection with their local college."

The deadline for high school seniors to apply for Tennessee Promise is Nov. 2. Mentors must apply by Nov. 1. To learn more, visit http://tennesseepromise.gov.

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.