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Tennessee Promise, the state’s free community college program for eligible high school seniors, could be shortchanging low-income students. Researchers say these students are often saddled with non-tuition expenses, which the program doesn’t pay for.
But a top education official in Tennessee argues their findings fail to take into account efforts to help needy students connect with sources of financial aid, as well as evidence that thousands of low-income students have enrolled in college as a result of the program.