NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee is one of three states receiving a million dollar grant to increase on-time college completion rates.

The Tennessee Board of Regents announced Monday that the three-year grant will come in cash and technical assistance from the Lumina Foundation for Education and in partnership with Complete College America.

Education officials say the grant supports the state's higher education reform efforts that help students finish a degree in two years from a community college and in four years from a university

The grant will help the state's community colleges and the Regents' six universities create so-called "Guided Pathways to Success" programs.

The programs are clearly sequenced degree plans that help students understand the best and shortest paths to get them to graduation.