The Panola College Promise will support students’ success in completing a certificate, degree, or transferring to a four-year university. The Program covers the tuition and fees for every eligible Panola County high school graduate for up to three consecutive years immediately following graduation.

The Program provides a scholarship that is a last-pay scholarship only covering tuition and fees not already covered by other scholarships or federal and state grants. Any federal, state, or institutional awards or scholarships granted to the student will be applied to the tuition and fees first. The Panola College Promise will be the final resource applied for in-district tuition and fees at Panola College.*

The Program will cover up to 66 course hours or six consecutive 16-week terms, whichever happens first.

Students that do not complete the required course(s) in their first fall semester will be ineligible for additional scholarships.

*It is not a requirement to receive federal, state, or other institutional awards to receive the Panola College Promise. Textbooks and supplies are not covered under this program.

Eligible students must:

• Reside in Panola County while in the program.

• Register for the program by November 30 of their sophomore year of high school.

• Complete 25 hours of volunteer service by May 15 each year of high school.

• Maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher in high school.

• Submit the FAFSA and complete Panola College's general scholarship application by March 31, their senior year.

• Must start classes in the Fall semester after high school graduation.
• Must enroll in the Learning Framework course and a math course (if required for the degree program) in the first fall semester.
• Must enroll in a minimum of 9 semester hours.
• Must attend an academic advising session each semester.
• Must maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher.
• Must complete the general scholarship application by March 31 each spring before attending the fall semester.

Academic & Technical

• Nursing and Health Sciences
  • Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) (RN)
  • Licenced Vocational Nursing (LVN)
  • Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA)
  • Emergency Medical Sciences (EMT) / Paramedic
  • Health Information Technology
  • Medical Assistant
  • Medical Laboratory Technology
• Education
• Fine Arts and Humanities
• Kinesiology
• Science and Mathematics
• Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Computer Information Technology
• Cybersecurity
• Business
• Cosmetology
• Energy
  • Electrical and Instrumentation
  • HVAC
  • Petroleum Technology
  • Agriculture
  • Welding Technology

Workforce and Continuing Education

• Nurse Aide (CNA)
• Medication Aide
• Patient Care Technician
• Phlebotomy Technician
• EKG Technician
• Dental Assistant
• Pharmacy Technician
• Professional Truck Driving (CDL)
• Paraprofessional Certification

• Twenty-five (25) service hours or more in your sophomore year of high school.
• Twenty-five (25) service hours or more in your junior year of high school.
• Twenty-five (25) service hours or more in your senior year of high school.

• Submit the Volunteer Service Verification Form by May 15 each year.
• Submit all service hours for Panola Promise on this electronic form.
• Submit the form after all 25 hours of volunteer service projects are completed.
• All submissions should total 25 or more hours to meet the requirement.
• Volunteer hours are self-reported.
• You will need the name of the person you volunteered with and their phone number to complete the volunteer form.
• Volunteer hours can be the same hours completed for another organization. For example, if you volunteer at the concession stand as a band member, that will also count towards your volunteer service for the Promise Program.

All 25 volunteer service hours must be completed between August 1 and May 15 your first year and June 1 and May 15 each following year.

Hours must be volunteered, and students may not receive any payment or reward for participating. Providing false information will result in the student's disqualification from the Promise Program. 

Some examples of Volunteer/Community Service:

• Helping at a nursing home
• Volunteering at a food pantry
• Assisting a civic organization
• Tutoring
• Community clean-up
• Volunteer with a church group
• Assisting with community projects

Yes! We want to share your volunteer service opportunities with our Promise Program scholars. All submissions should come from verified organizations and follow the rules below. 

You can complete the Promise Program: Volunteer Opportunity Submission Form here.

Rules for Volunteer Service Opportunities for Promise Program students:

1. Scholars should not be used in place of student workers. 

2. Scholars may not receive any compensation for volunteer hours.

3. Student's volunteer verification form must be completed by May 15 each year. Please keep this in mind when submitting the form.

Other important information:

• All submissions will be reviewed to ensure they meet the requirements. 
• Completion of this form does not guarantee volunteers or that your opportunity will be posted. Students will reach out to you in regard to their willingness to participate. 
• Submissions should be received at least two weeks or more prior to the event.

No. Participation in the Promise Program is NOT a commitment to attend Panola College. It is an opportunity to earn the Panola College Promise Scholarship, as needed. If you decide not to attend Panola College, you are free to withdraw from the Promise Program at any time.

After you complete the pledge form, you will receive an email confirmation letting you know we received your pledge. Our offices will begin verifying students' eligibility with the high school after the pledge has closed on November 30. This process involves multiple offices at Panola College and your high school and may take us a few weeks. You can expect an email with more information about your eligibility in January.

If you are a current high school sophomore, live in Panola County, and have a 2.0 GPA or higher, we recommend that you start working towards your 25 volunteer service hours as soon as possible. You must complete all 25 hours by May 15 of each year.

Once you receive confirmation that you are enrolled in the Promise Program, you and your parent/guardian will receive 4 to 5 emails and text messages each year with information and reminders about the program. 

Yes! For example, if you volunteer at the concession stand or work a booth at Potlatch as part of a high school organization, you can count those same hours towards the volunteer hours needed for the Promise Program. You cannot count the hours that are required for participation for your organization or hours when you received compensation.

Timeline to earn volunteer hours

August 1 to May 15 during your sophomore year:

June 1 to May 15 during your junior year.

June 1 to May 15 during your senior year.

Volunteer hours must take place during the appropriate academic year. Students cannot use volunteer hours accrued during their freshman year or the summer after their freshman year. After enrolling in the program in the fall of their sophomore year, students can count their summer volunteer hours for the next year.