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Academic Common Market Guidelines

The Academic Common Market (ACM) is a consortium of southern states that facilitates access to programs of study not available in a particular state. Under this arrangement, out-of-state fees are waived for eligible students.

The Commission does not enter the tuition/application process until the student has been accepted to an accessed program at the participating out-of-state institution. When the student has obtained the letter of acceptance from the institution naming the program from the ACM, the Commission will send a Request for Tennessee Residency Certification, which is to be completed by the student. The student can then be certified to pay in-state tuition rates for the approved program.

If the student wishes to enroll in a program not listed in the current ACM inventory, he or she may request that Tennessee seek access to the chosen program. To begin this process, the student must:

Send a letter asking for the program to be made accessible via the ACM to Tennesseans
Include with this letter, the program of study, and a copy of the specific pages from the college catalog dealing with the program that includes all course descriptions

When the Commission receives this information, the petition process can begin. The Commission works closely with the University of Tennessee system and the Tennessee Board of Regents to insure that a fair evaluation of the proposed program is accomplished in a timely manner. Please be advised that access by the out-of-state institution can be denied. There are institutions that suspend or remove access to programs for various reasons.

If there are other concerns or questions regarding this process, please contact
Katrina Miller at Katrina.Miller@state.tn.us