Financial Assistance

Partial Payment Plans

Partial payment plans are available to everyone registering for a core course. The partial payment plan consists of two $200 payments made one month apart. The second payment will be automatically charged to the original payment method. The first payment must be made at least one month before the first class to ensure that full payment is received before the course begins.

Email [email protected] to let us know that you want to sign up for the partial payment plan. We will send you additional information, including the payment link.

Please note that this process is much more difficult to successfully complete at chapters that fill up quickly. We cannot guarantee a spot in the course.

Scholarships

The Tennessee Naturalist Program (TNP) is committed to increasing access to our core course for individuals across the state. To help reduce financial barriers to participation, TNP offers a limited number of partial scholarships each year centrally funded by TNP.

Availability and Eligibility

  • Standard Student Scholarship Award: $100 (25%) toward the $400 core course tuition.
  • A maximum of 10 partial scholarships will be awarded per year with each chapter limited to two scholarships annually.

Applicants must:

  • Reside in Tennessee
  • Demonstrate financial need based on objective criteria, including:

1. Household income relative to Area Median Income (AMI) for the applicant’s county of residence via https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il2025/select_Geography.odn

AND/OR

2. Participation in an income-based assistance program (e.g., WIC, SNAP)

To verify financial eligibility, applicants will be asked to provide – with redacted documents only – proof of household income or provide documentation showing participation in an income-based assistance program.

Application Process and Selection

Applications for scholarship assistance must be submitted two weeks before registration opens at the chapter. Late applications for a chapter that is not yet filled may be considered by the scholarship review committee. 

Scholarship applications do not reserve a seat in a course. Students granted a scholarship must register online with all others on or after the open date. If a course fills before the scholarship recipient can register, the application will not be applied to that course. Students may apply the scholarship at another chapter (with coordinator approval) within 12 months, or resubmit an application the following year.

Certification Requirement

Scholarship recipients must sign an agreement to complete certification requirements within the designated 2-years-of-first-class-date policy. Failure to certify within this time frame negates the scholarship and will require reimbursement to TNP of the scholarship amount.