Tennessee State Scholarship

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HOPE Scholarship

The HOPE Scholarship is established and funded from the net proceeds of the state lottery and awarded to entering freshmen who are enrolled at an eligible postsecondary institution within sixteen (16) months after graduating from a TN eligible high school. Awards range from $3,500 to $5,250 depending on the year in college and housing status.

Eligibility Requirements - Entering freshmen must meet the following criteria:

Be a Tennessee resident as classified by the Tennessee Board of Education; pursuant to TCA 49-8-104,
Graduate from a TN eligible high school
Exceptions may be granted to TN residents who graduate from high schools located in states other than Tennessee. They include:
- High schools located in bordering out-of-state counties
- High schools in which dependents of active-duty military members or civilian workers of the US Department of Defense, Tennessee National Guard on active duty may attend
- Members of the Armed Forces or TN National Guard must have Tennessee as the Home of Record at the time of entry into military service, or be classified as an in-state student under the Tennessee Board of Regents promulgated rules by the FAFSA application date.
- High schools in which dependents of full-time religious workers in foreign nations may attend
- Out-of-state boarding schools that are regionally accredited or accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
Entering freshmen must achieve a minimum of a 21 ACT or a minimum of 1060 SAT, exclusive of the essay and optional subject area battery tests (concordant equivalent score) OR Overall minimum 3.0-grade point average (GPA*)
Home School graduates – minimum 21 ACT exclusive of the essay and optional subject area battery tests. Home school GPAs are not considered.
GED ® recipients – minimum 21 ACT exclusive of the essay and optional subject area battery tests and qualifying GED ® score. The minimum average Revised GED ® score is 170.
HiSet recipients – minimum 21 ACT exclusive of the essay and optional subject area battery tests and qualifying HiSet score. The minimum average HiSet score is 15.
ACT/SAT exams must be taken on a national test date or state test date and prior to the first day of college enrollment. The ACT Residual test is not accepted.
Must enroll within 16 months following high school graduation at any post-secondary institution.

*Grade point average means a grade point average on a 4.0 scale calculated with additional internal quality points awarded for advanced placement, honors, or other similar courses according to the Uniform Grading Policy adopted by the State Board of Education.

Eligibility of Transfer Students from Colleges and Universities outside of Tennessee

A student who is otherwise eligible for the HOPE Scholarship but instead enrolls in an out-of-state regionally accredited postsecondary institution either immediately following high school graduation or up to 16 months immediately following high school graduation may transfer to an eligible Tennessee post-secondary institution as a degree-seeking student and receive the HOPE Scholarship as described in TCA 49-4-929.

At the point of enrollment at the out-of-state institution, the student must maintain continuous enrollment and meet renewal requirements as described above without the HOPE Scholarship. All requisite eligibility requirements must be met while attaining the appropriate cumulative GPA at the corresponding benchmark.

If at any time the student drops from full-time enrollment to part-time enrollment or withdraws from the out-of-state regionally accredited postsecondary institution, the student will no longer meet the minimum requirements as described in TCA 49-4-929. However, upon transferring to an eligible TN postsecondary institution, the student may appeal the ineligible status in order to restore HOPE Scholarship eligibility if the change in enrollment status was due to a documented medical or personal reason. Click here for more details.

Please note: grades earned at the out-of-state post-secondary institution cannot be appealed.

Renewal Criteria:

For students who first received the HOPE Scholarship in fall 2009 and thereafter

The student must have a minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA at the end of the semester in which the student attempted 24 and 48 semester hours.
The student must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA at the end of the semester in which the student attempted 72 and 96 semester hours.
If the student’s program of study is greater than 120 semester hours in length (not to exceed 136 semester hours or the number of semester hours required to earn the degree), the student must have a minimum 3.0 at the end of the semester in which the student attempted 120 semester hours.
If the student does not have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA at the end of the semester in which the student attempted 72 and 96 semester hours, then the student must:
Have a minimum 2.75 – 2.99 cumulative GPA and have a semester GPA of at least 3.0 at the end of the semester in which the student attempted 72 and 96 semester hours. The student’s continued eligibility will be determined on a semester-by-semester basis and must maintain full-time enrollment.
If a student ceases to be academically eligible for the HOPE Scholarship, the student may regain the award one-time only. The award may be re-established once the student meets any of the above criteria and maintains continuous enrollment and satisfactory academic progress at an eligible postsecondary institution without the HOPE Scholarship.
The student must re-apply each year by completing the FAFSA and be continuously enrolled at an eligible postsecondary institution in the fall and spring semesters and maintain satisfactory academic progress.

For further information and to apply for the Hope Scholarship see link below:

https://www.tn.gov/collegepays/tsac-student-portal.html

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Tennessee Student Assistance Award (TSAA)

The Tennessee Student Assistance Award Program (TSAA) was established to provide non-repayable financial assistance to financially-needy undergraduate students who are residents of Tennessee. Applicants must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment, at least half time, at a public or an eligible non-public postsecondary institution in Tennessee. The TSAA is a state-funded grant program and includes funds from the Tennessee Education Lottery.

Maximum award amounts are determined by the TSAC Board of Directors prior to the beginning of the fall term. You must file a FASFA for the award year that you are applying for the grant. Award amounts for an academic year up to $4,000 maximum annually are adjusted based on actual enrollment status.

Eligibility Requirements:

All eligible applicants should file the FAFSA as soon as possible after October 1^st because available funding is insufficient early filing of the FAFSA is strongly encouraged.
Your FAFSA EFC (Expected Family Contribution) cannot exceed 3,500.
Must be a Tennessee resident
Be enrolled at least halftime
Maintain institutional satisfactory academic progress according to the standards and practices of the institution
Not be in default on a loan or owe a refund on any grant previously received at any institution
Who have not received a baccalaureate degree.

For further information and to apply for the Tennessee Student Assistance Award (TSAA) see the link below: