Students at tnAchieves are graduating from college at the highest three-year rate in the program’s history, according to the nonprofit’s 2026 prosperity report.
The report, titled “Accelerating Economic Prosperity for Tennessee Students,” credits the statewide implementation of the organization’s COMPLETE coaching and completion grant model with helping drive an 8-percentage-point increase in the three-year graduation rate over two years.
The class of 2022 recorded a 45 percent three-year graduation rate, according to the report, surpassing the national six-year average of 43.9 percent in only three years.
“Access opens the door. COMPLETE changes the trajectory. A strong career creates prosperity that can extend across families and generations,” tnAchieves President and CEO Krissy DeAlejandro wrote in the report.
Regarding economic impact, the organization said that 57,767 tnAchieves graduates are expected to generate between $40.6 billion and $45.9 billion in lifetime earnings. Further, because 84.7 percent of graduates live and work in Tennessee, the report estimates they generate more than $600 million in economic impact for the state each year.
The report also highlights improvements among groups identified as “vulnerable populations.” Overall, 88 percent of tnAchieves students fall into at least one of the organization’s tracked vulnerable population categories, including economically disadvantaged, academically at-risk, non-white, and rural students.
Since 2020, 40 of the 67 counties served by tnAchieves have increased their three-year graduation rate by at least 10 percentage points, according to the report.
The COMPLETE model combines proactive coaching with financial assistance, including grants of up to $1,000 per term for eligible students. The report said the program has distributed nearly $9 million through 71,947 grants.
The organization is also expanding its focus beyond graduation and into workforce preparation.
Noting how nearly two-thirds of tnAchieves graduates surveyed said they need help navigating the workforce, the report highlights job shadowing and workforce mentoring as part of that effort. More than 10,000 students worked with mentors during the 2026 program year, while more than 100,000 Tennesseans have served as mentors since 2008.
In a release obtained by The Tennessee Star, tnAchieves said it plans to visit all 67 counties it serves this fall to provide community updates, compare local progress with statewide benchmarks, and recognize communities with awards for their achievements.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
