Join me as we learn from a homeschool veteran and college homeschool counselor, Pat W. She shares with us the wealth of knowledge she has experienced and counseled many families on throughout the years.
If you need more information, for the state of Tennessee, please find her info below. For all other states, use this information at your disposal but get it confirmed per your state offerings and requirements.
All the info you need about Grants and Bryan College: (save for later!)
Bryan College is a very homeschool friendly, Christian college located in Dayton, TN. Bryan is non-denominational, and teaches every class from a biblical worldview. Our motto is Christ Above All and our mission statement is "Education servants of Christ to make a difference in the world." Bryan is SACs accredited (same as UT) and our credits should transfer to most other colleges. We have chapel 2 - 3 times a week and we provide multiple opportunities for service and ministry projects as well mission trips. Our top majors are Engineering, Business, Education, Criminal Justice, Psychology and Exercise Health Science. We have online and on campus dual enrollment and we offer higher degrees online as well. In addition to merit scholarships, which a homeschooled student can earn with a high school GPA or a test score, we offer scholarships for athletics, Martial Arts, theater, music, worship arts, speech and debate and more! We host a one week Summer Institute in July for rising 9th graders to graduating seniors. 90% of the students who attend the camp are homeschooled students. We will be hosting a Homeschool Preview Day on April 4th! Come and visit!
After homeschooling my 9 kiddos for more than 30 years, I am finally finished and now I'm the Homeschool Admissions Counselor at Bryan College. I cannot tell you how many conversations I have had with parents who had no idea that certain opportunities existed until it was too late for their students to take advantage of such opportunities. YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS OUT ON FREE MONEY. (Pardon my yelling.) My article for parents of rising seniors can be found here. There are also articles on dual enrollment, scholarships, transcripts, choosing colleges, choosing courses, and more. In addition I have a podcast with short recordings here. Hopefully this email will give you clear and concise information that will help you better prepare your student for college.
VISIT: We would love to have you visit our campus. Feel free to set up a visit so you can go to classes, chapel, tour the campus and more. We will host a Homeschool Day on April 4th. Matt Papa will be performing in chapel. After the preview day has ended, visitors are also invited to attend a free, live presentation of the Scopes Trial at the courthouse where this famous trial took place 100 years ago!
FAFSA: If you have a senior then plan to fill out the FAFSA on December 1. Bryan's code is 00003536.
RESOURCES: Bryan offers both a free e-resource, The Journey, to help you plan for the high school years as well as a transcript builder! You can download either one (or both) of those here. The Journey includes a template for a diploma! (Although I homeschooled and graduated nine kiddos, they have never needed a diploma.) Bryan College does not weight grades. We did, in the past, but students were coming in with higher than 5.0 GPAs so we have returned to unweighted.
MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS: Bryan College does accept scores from the ACT, SAT, and the CLT. We super score both the ACT and SAT. Bryan College will use a student's high school GPA, or a dual enrollment GPA for scholarship purposes as long as a student has earned 9 or more hours of DE. If your student is a poor test taker, but a good student, then plan to have them earn at least 9 dual enrollment credits. Additional grants can be earned that require test scores so keep that in mind as you plan ahead. Below is the amount a student can earn in addition to the amount earned via an interview with faculty at the scholarship event.
TEST PREP: We partner with 36University, an online prep program. When you register using the code 'bryan' you save $3, making the cost of the program only $12 a month!
CLT TEST: This is a fairly new test that is offered virtually. There is a CLT 8 for 7th and 8th graders which some parents use for standardized testing. The CLT10 is offered 3 times a year and comes with scholarship potential. This is a good test to have your students take beginning in the 9th grade for several reasons: 1) The student gains experience taking tests and 2) There's scholarship potential for 10th graders. The CLT offers fee waivers and ADA accommodations as needed. Many Christian colleges accept the CLT. Register using the code Bryan35 for 35% off any CLT.
PSAT: The PSAT score that matters, scholarship-wise, is the score earned by 11th grade students. It is a fairly affordable test and students in 9th and 10th grade can take this test as practice as long as you find a public or private school that will allow your students to test at their location. If your student tests well, you do not want to miss having them take the PSAT in the 11th grade because it determines National Merit Scholarships. Even a semi-finalist receives full tuition at Bryan College!
ACT and SAT: Both of these tests are given multiple times a year. Both offer fee waivers and accommodations, but it may be challenging to get that worked out. The tests are changing. I've heard that the SAT has dropped the writing portion and that they plan to go virtual (eventually). The ACT has a science portion, but the SAT does not. However, the ACT's science portion has little to do with science knowledge, and everything to do with reasoning and analyzing data. I had my children take both the ACT and the SAT (pre-CLT) tests to determine which test they preferred. Colleges accept either one, without preference for one over the other. You must register two months out of the test date not to pay a late fee, so plan ahead.
CLEP: Taking CLEP tests can earn a student college credit at a lower cost than the price of college classes. Bryan College accepts up to 30 CLEP credit hours, with limitations, and they are listed at this link, starting on page 58. Some of these tests (such as foreign language) could grant your student 3, 6 or even 9 hours of credit. In the United States, students can now take CLEP tests from home.
DUAL ENROLLMENT: Dual enrollment is a great way for your student to earn college and high school credit at the same time, oftentimes for free or at a reduced price. Bryan College offers an out-of-state scholarship of $200 per class and students in Tennessee can actually take 30 hours with Bryan for under $200 tuition, plus books. (Write to bcde@bryan.edu for more information). Sophomores can take one dual enrollment class per semester if they have a 3.5 GPA. Juniors and seniors need a 3.0 GPA and they can take 12 hours in the fall, 12 in the spring, and one per summer session (8 week sessions). Local students can take classes online, on campus, or both. Students can take classes at more than one college at a time. In order to do this a consortium agreement has to be signed. Our director of dual enrollment, Stacey Gates, can help you with this. Students can sign up for summer and fall classes in March.
COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS: At Bryan College we do not put a deadline on submitting college exam test scores so your student can take the ACT, SAT, or CLT as many times as they would like up until they enter college. If your student is close to a higher scholarship bracket, and you know their GPA is not going to increase, having your student continue to take these tests may be financially beneficial if an improved score increases scholarship amounts. Bryan College partners with 36University which is an online test prep program. It costs $15 a month but if you register with the code 'bryan' it is only $12 a month. There is no minimum monthly requirement. Be sure you check out all of the scholarships offered by the colleges that your students are considering. You may be surprised. Some colleges have hard deadlines both for admission and for scholarships. Be sure and find that out before your student's senior year. Also, if there is an application fee (Bryan has waived this fee), ask if there's a code to reduce the application fee or make it free.
STACKED SCHOLARSHIPS: Bryan College does stack both merit and athletic scholarships. Many colleges do not do this. In order to compare apples with apples, have your students apply to their top two or three college choices so you can compare the financial award packages. If your student has attended either TeenPact or Summit ministries they will earn another small scholarship. If parents are in ministry full time we have a small grant. For TN students whose families make less than $60K per year, students may be eligible for full tuition with the Bryan Opportunity Program.
INDEPENDENT SCHOLARSHIPS: I did not realize until last year that there are scholarships available for students who are already enrolled in college! Take a look at these scholarships with January deadlines and with February deadlines! Remember to use an email address dedicated to scholarships only when applying (otherwise your inbox will be bombarded). Each month I post a link on the Facebook Page for Homeschool Admissions. I also try to email those of you on my contact list a link the month prior. These scholarships range from low amounts to very high amounts. Some require essays, some do not.
ADDITIONAL SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Bryan College hosts a scholarship event each semester for qualifying seniors who have been accepted. This is a free event and each participant receives additional scholarship funds based on an interview. If you have a senior or a rising senior interested in Bryan, they should apply (it's free) so they will be invited to the next scholarship event if qualified. Juniors can apply after the completion of their junior year.
SUMMER INSTITUTE: Bryan College hosts a Summer Institute in July for rising 9th graders to graduating seniors Seniors, this may be a great way to meet a future roommate and it comes with a small scholarship that is renewed annually! Bring a friend! Bring a sibling! The tracks offered are described here and they include Christian Worldview & Apologetics, Creative Writing, Criminal Justice (1 hour or 3 hour), Engineering 3DEngineering Electrical, Exercise & Health Science, Nursing, Speech & Debate, and Visual Arts (photography & painting). There are a few videos on Facebook with highlight reels of the Summer Institute.
STATE GRANTS: Below I share the links to the grants for Tennessee residents. If you live in another state, check with your department of education to find out what is offered both for dual enrollment and for college. If you do not plan to go to college in the state in which you live, then use up as many grants as possible while in high school.
TENNESSEE STUDENTS: If you've been a resident of Tennessee for one year, then chances are your student may qualify for one or more of the following grants. The sooner you are aware of the requirements for these grants, the better you can prepare to have your students earn these grants.
Dual Enrollment The first five classes are tuition free and the state gives you $300 each for the next five classes. Bryan College will also give you $200 for classes 6 - 10.
TN Promise This grant pays for 2 years of community college and is often accepted as bottom dollar at four year colleges. A student either uses the Promise or the Hope, but not both at the same time. To earn the Promise a senior has to register in the fall of their senior year and then meet the requirements necessary to qualify. Students using the Promise must earn an associates degree first.
HOPE The Hope is available for 4 years of college and a student earns the Hope by a test score (ACT 21 or SAT 1060) or by completing at least 6 dual enrollment credits at a TN college, earning a 3.0 cumulative GPA. If the student earns additional credits, their cumulative GPA cannot fall below a 3.0 because if it does, they can no longer earn the Hope with their GPA. Many homeschool families find it more beneficial to have their students earn and use the Hope at a 4 year college rather than jump through the hoops required for the Promise. Also, students who begin at a community college and then finish at Bryan College will receive a transfer scholarship based on their GPA, but they will have lost the opportunity to earn Freshmen scholarships which stack and are renewable. For this reason some have discovered that the total cost at a four year college using the Hope, with Freshmen scholarships, may be very close to the cost of attending a community college for free (using the Promise) and then transferring to a four year college.
GAMS Students who earn a 29 ACT or 1330 SAT and complete either 4 dual enrollment classes in TN with a 3.0 cumulative GPA or pass one CLEP test before graduation will earn this grant and it provides another $500 per semester.
Ned McWherter Students with a 32 ACT or 1430 SAT can apply for the Ned McWherter between January 1 and February 15 of their senior year. Recipients are selected based on test scores, GPA, difficulty of classes, and leadership activities.
Planning ahead for college with intentionality can save you thousands of dollars. Visiting colleges will help you narrow down your top choices.
Let me know if I can be of help or answer any questions you may have.
Blessings,
Pat Wesolowski
Homeschool Counselor| Bryan College
423-775-7159 | www.bryan.edu
850-212-1232 Cell
Bryan College | 721 Bryan Drive | Dayton, TN 37321
"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:9-11 (ESV)
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