Hello everyone, this is a reminder that I posted about this at the end of August, but it's HERE!! Most people need a few reminders so this is it...share with your class of 2026 groups. It stinks to have to pay for it when it could have been free.
The Gates Scholarship Program is for low-income, high-achieving students. The deadline to apply is September 15th. https://www.thegatesscholarship.org/
The Gates Scholarship (TGS) is a highly selective, last-dollar scholarship for outstanding high school seniors from low-income households. Each year, the scholarship is awarded to exceptional student leaders, with the intent of helping them realize their maximum potential. This year they took out the requirement of being a minority, but you still must be pell-eligible. What that means is your income must be low when you fill out the FAFSA you need to be able to quality for the Pell Grant. You may want to look up what that income looks like for your area, but this chart on the Federal Student Aid Partners should give you an idea.
I did find a great Reddit Thread from a previous winner where you can read comments and ask anything, but there are other sites around just google and look and see what other advise you can find.
The timeline for the Gates Scholarship is shown below - apply by Sept 15th!
From their website - An ideal candidate will have:
Exceptional personal success skills (e.g., emotional maturity, motivation, perseverance, etc.)
An outstanding academic record in high school (in the top 10% of his/her graduating class)
Demonstrated leadership ability (e.g., as shown through participation in community service, extracurricular, or other activities)
The Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship is for high school seniors who are U.S. citizens. It is both a regional and a national scholarship with the same application! The 2026 MVS application closes on November 12, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
Go check out the application and read more about it. It will send you to this ISTS page to apply. You will need to create an account, be sure it's an email you will check as that's how they notify the finalists and winners (through email). I suggest you making a new email address that sounds professional for your applications just so it looks more professional.
This application has an essay, requires a high school counselor report, a resume, and your grades list. It's lengthy but worth it! It's one of the first for seniors this year so go ahead and get everything together now so you have it for others as the year goes on.
Scholarships are available only to students who enroll in four-year undergraduate degree programs at accredited U.S. American colleges or universities.
Current high school seniors, or the equivalent, who are citizens of the United States are eligible to apply.
Applicants do not need to be related to a member of the Elks.
High school graduates are not eligible to apply.
Applicants must be citizens of the United States on the date their applications are submitted; permanent legal resident status does not qualify.
2026 Most Valuable Student Award Offers 500 Four-Year Awards for the 2026-27, 2027-28, 2028-29, 2029-30 Academic Years
Four-Year Total Award
No. of Awards
Total
First Place
$30,000
20
$600,000
Runners Up
$4,000
480
$1,920,000
Total:
$2,520,000
Many local Lodges, districts and state Elks associations award their own scholarships through this program. These scholarships are not to be confused with the 500 Elks National Foundation Most Valuable Student Scholarships, but the application is the same.
Each year, the month of September is Tennessee College Application & Exploration Month. If you are a senior in high school, go check out this year's list of free colleges to apply to in Tennessee. This list can save you hundreds of dollars, so if you're even considering any of these, be sure to apply while it's free. At most schools, there's a fee to apply, which can impact some people's ability to apply to various schools and see what they receive in student aid offers.
Do it before the free window closes! I'll keep my eyes peeled for other states, but I know some others have a week or month like this as well.
2025-2026 Dates
September 1-5 — Explore College & Career September 8-12 — Prepare to Apply September 15-19 — Apply September 22-26 — I Applied, Now What?
The full PDF is here, but can change as schools are added as the month progresses.
Purpose: To help a deserving female Williamson County student pursue undergraduate studies.
The Award: Up to two selected female students may receive a Scholarship (paid after the recipient satisfactorily completes her first semester and earns a passing grade) of up to $2,500 payable to the “School” in which they are enrolled.
Watch this so you be sure you don’t miss anything!
I have talked about a lot of stuff in this, so here's the links to back up what I talked about. First you should look at CollegeforTN.org to learn the lingo. The definitions of many of the items the financial aid office speaks about can be found there and it's really helpful.
The HOPE scholarship has a documentyou can download and read to see amounts, stats of losing/keeping, how many are awarded, etc. You can view many years' worth of data on the HOPE on the tn.gov site.
The Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) Student Portal, is your one-stop-shop for applying for Tennessee financial aid, including the Tennessee Promise application.
The Tennessee Student Assistance Award (TSAA) provides non-repayable financial assistance to financially-needy undergraduate students who are residents of Tennessee. Sometimes this shows up as the TSAC grant.
For the Pell Grant the application was the FAFSA and you can see the amounts they have listed for this academic year.
Lastly how to check out and accept your student loans. This is the website you will go to in order to do your counselling. The Master Promissory Note (MPN) is a legal document in which you promise to repay your loan(s) and any accrued interest and fees to the U.S. Department of Education. It also explains the terms and conditions of your loan(s).
When you want to repay your loans, this is where you go as well. Your servicer will have sent you emails about it, but you can log in and look here too.
High school students, for every "A" on your report card, you get one entry—up to 8 total—for a chance to win a car!
One lucky winner will be drawn on June 27th, and you must be present to win. They'll have free food, fun prizes, and a great time celebrating your hard work. The event will be held at Newton Nissan South, 2801 U.S. 231, Shelbyville, TN, United States, Tennessee 37160. Visit their website for all the details and to learn how to enter!
Do you know someone in the 2025 graduating class who is graduating from high school or college? Nominate them for a shopping spree at The Mall at Green Hills!
Agriculture professors and crop consultants can nominate a student by completing the form linked below. Nominations are due by July 1, 2025.
ELIGIBILITY To be eligible, students must be nominated by a professor or crop consultant. The student must have also studied or worked in the agriculture industry between 2022 and 2024. Each student must be a senior in high school or currently enrolled in an agriculture study program at an accredited college or university. The highlighted regions in the map below indicate eligibility for the Southern Agriculture Industry Advancement Scholarship. Click and view, but TN is one of the highlighted states.
