This weekend marks an important deadline for high school seniors applying for the Tennessee Promise scholarship: If they want to stay eligible for free community or technical college, they have to fill out a federal financial aid application by Feb. 15.

It can be a burden filling out the FAFSA, which stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Families have to detail their financial status, such as how much they make and what their assets are.

Margot Fosnes, president of the Robertson County Chamber of Commerce, is a Tennessee Promise mentor. Her task is to remind six high school students to fill out the FAFSA by Sunday. She says she thinks the deadline will weed out the students who aren’t serious about the program.

“My degree’s in economics, and I do financial analysis for a living — and I can testify that it’s a daunting form,” she says.

Tennessee Promise, funded by the state’s lottery reserves, is what’s called a “last-dollar scholarship.” If a student receives a federal Pell grant, Tennessee Promise would only pay whatever tuition is left over. So it’s in the state’s best interest to make sure every student is tapping into federal money first. 

State-funded financial aid is also determined by the FAFSA. That, too, would also go toward a student’s tuition before Tennessee Promise money kicks in.