Officials say a new program allowing adults to attend community college or technical schools tuition-free in Tennessee has received thousands more applications than anticipated.
Tennessee Reconnect is in its first year and roughly 31-thousand adults have applied. State Higher Education Commission Executive Director Mike Krause says the program has surpassed officials’ expectations as they had hoped for eight-to-10-thousand applications.
Governor Haslam had promoted the program that provides grants for students 25 and older to earn an associate degree or technical certificate free of tuition or fees. It was approved by the Legislature last year and the application period opened in February.
Education commission data says around 22-thousand women applied for Tennessee Reconnect along with nearly nine-thousand men.
