NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam's free tuition program is in need of mentors.

They are a key part of the so-called Tennessee Promise initiative to cover full tuition at two-year colleges for any high school graduate.

So far, more than 35,000 high school students have applied for the program. The state's goal was 20,000 applications.

However, the state has still not reached its goal of 6,000 mentors.

They receive training and serve an hour a month to help Tennessee Promise enrollees with items such as signing up for classes and following through on required financial aid paperwork. Many enrollees are first-generation college students.

Mike Krause was appointed by Haslam to oversee the program. He says about 5,000 have signed up to be mentors. The deadline is Nov. 1.

For more information about Tennessee Promise or becoming a mentor, visit http://www.tnpromise.gov.