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Lottery Scholarships

Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship – State Scholarship
HOPE, Aspire, Access, and Merit

Application: FAFSA (yearly)

Deadline: Sept. 1 for fall starters and Feb. 1 for spring starters, not available in summer if that is student's first term of enrollment

HOPE Scholarship (Base)

Award: 0 - $3,000

Eligibility

  • Must be a Tennessee Resident
  • Enroll within 16 months of HS graduation
  • At least half-time (6 hours), awards are pro-rated based on enrollment
  • 3.0 HS GPA or at least 21 on ACT
  • Degree seeking
  • Undergraduate
  • Meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
  • Not in default of student loan or owe a federal repayment

Eligibility shall be reviewed by the institution at the end of the semesters in which the student has attempted a total of 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 semester hours

Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 after 24 & 48 attempted semester hours
Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 after 72, 96, and 120 attempted semester hours

Must be enrolled in fall and spring semesters and maintain satisfactory academic progress

Aspire Award (must be HOPE recipient)

Award: 0 - $1,500 supplement to Tennessee HOPE Scholarship

Eligibility

  • Meet Tennessee HOPE Scholarship requirements AND
  • Must have parents' or independent student's and spouse's adjusted gross income of $36,000 or less on IRS tax form.

Tennessee HOPE Access Grant

Award amount: 0 - $1 750 for 2-year institutions

Eligibility

Entering freshmen must have a minimum unweighted 2.75 GPA AND 18 - 20 ACT (860 - 970 SAT) AND Parents' or independent student's and spouse's adjusted gross income of $36,000 or less on IRS tax form. This grant is non-renewable. After first year, students will be eligible for Tennessee HOPE Scholarship by meeting HOPE Scholarship renewal criteria.

General Assembly Merit Scholarship (must be HOPE recipient)

Award amount: 0- $1,000 supplement per year to Tennessee HOPE Scholarship

Eligibility

  • Meet Tennessee HOPE Scholarship requirements AND
  • Entering freshmen must have a minimum 3.75 weighted GPA AND 29 ACT (1280 SAT)

Home school students must complete 12 college credit hours (at least 4 courses) with a minimum 3.0 GPA at a Tennessee college or university while they are enrolled in the home school program.

Lottery Recipient Retention Requirements

Students must be in a degree seeking program; certificate programs are not eligible.

Lottery Retention Standards

In order to continue receiving the Lottery scholarship, students must meet the following criteria: Student must meet the institution's SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress) standards for each term. GPA Eligibility will be reviewed by the institution at the end of the semesters in which the student has attempted a total of 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 semester hours:

  • Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 after 24 and 48 attempted semester hours; AND
  • Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 after 72, 96, and any subsequent multiples of 24 attempted semester hours thereafter; OR
  • Must have between a 2.75 – 2.99 cumulative GPA after 72, 96, and any subsequent multiples of 24 attempted semester hours thereafter and have a semester GPA of at least a 3.0 in the semester in which the student attempted 72, 96, and any subsequent multiples of 24 attempted semester hours thereafter (The student will be reviewed 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-stablished once the student meets any of the above criteria and continues to meet non-academic requirements

Student must be continuously enrolled at an eligible postsecondary institution in the fall and spring semesters and maintain satisfactory academic progress.

For students who started receiving Lottery prior to fall 2009, eligibility terminates after 5 years or a bachelor’s degree is obtained, whichever comes first. For students who started receiving Lottery fall 2009 and after, eligibility terminates after 5 years, bachelor’s degree is obtained, or the student has attempted 120 hours, whichever comes first.

Students must maintain their enrollment status as of the 14th day of the term. Note: In order to ensure as many students as possible retain the Lottery scholarship, WSCC has established the 14th day of each term as the census date for determining eligibility. Thus, students may adjust their schedule prior to the 14thday without losing their scholarship for future terms. Failure to complete all courses enrolled as of the 14th day could result in the loss of the Lottery scholarship. Please check with the Financial Aid office before officially, or unofficially, changing your enrollment status.

Option to Regain Lottery Scholarship (except Merit) -
Available One time only

This option allows students who lost their lottery (due to GPA) the opportunity to regain it by reaching the required cumulative GPA at any subsequent benchmarks. This does include remedial hours. Awards are not retroactive. The student will regain eligibility the first term after they have achieved the required GPA. Students must also stay continuously enrolled and not have changed enrollment status (dropped from full-time to part-time) in a term without written prior approval from the Financial Aid Office.

Option to Repeat One Class

Students receiving the Lottery scholarship have a one time option to repeat a course and utilize only the higher of the two grades in the calculation of the postsecondary GPA. Credit hours count for both classes in determining attempted hours for benchmark purposes.
 
It is the responsibility of the student to advise Financial Aid and Student Records when these options are exercised.
 
Additional information for Lottery is available at www.tn.gov/collegepays

Appeal Process for
Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship (TELS)

Complete the relevant appeal form. Attach verifiable documentation of medical or personal reasons listed on form and a written explanation. The student will be notified in writing and via MyWS within 14 calendar days of the request. NOTE: Appeal forms are available in the Financial Aid Office or by choosing the appropriate form on this website.

Types of Lottery Appeals

Change Enrollment Status Request

Change Enrollment Status Request : A recipient of the TELS may not withdraw or drop below full-time enrollment after the 14th calendar day (census date) of the semester (including the first day of classes) and maintain their scholarship unless the student requests and the institution approves the change in enrollment.

  • Approved - the TELS award will remain in the student's account for the current semester. However, it may be adjusted to reflect actual enrollment. This may vary by individual case.
  • Denied - the student completes the drop or withdrawal process, the student will be ineligible for the TELS award for future semesters. The student may appeal the decision to the IRP and/or TSAC; see details below.

Leave of Absence Request

Leave of Absence Request: A recipient of the TELS may be granted a medical or personal leave of absence and resume receiving the TELS award(s) upon resumption of attendance as long as all other applicable eligibility criteria are met.

  • Approved - the TELS award will be reinstated beginning the semester that the student resumes his/her education.
  • Denied - the student will lose the TELS for all subsequent semesters. The student may appeal the decision to the IRP and/or TSAC; see details below.

Request for Reinstatement Due to Grade Change

Request for Reinstatement Due to Grade Change: A student who obtains a grade change must notify the Financial Aid Office within 30 calendar days of the grade change to request reinstatement of the TELS award.

  • If the grade change makes the student eligible for a TELS award, the student can then be awarded.

Appeals to the TELS Award Appeals Panel

Appeals to the TELS Award Appeals Panel:

To appeal a Denied decision, you may submit a written request within 14 days to the Institutional Review Panel (IRP) to review the decision. The information you submitted in your original appeal will be provided to the IRP and a decision will be made with 14 calendar days.

To appeal Denied decisions rendered by the Institutional Review Pane (lRP), the student must provide a written request to the Financial Aid Office within 45 calendar days from the date the IRP decision was delivered to the student.

  • The student's letter along with the original documentation submitted to the IRP will be forwarded to the TELS Award Appeals Panel at the Tennessee Student's Assistance Corporation (TSAC).
  • The student will be notified by TSAC of a decision within 14 calendar days after an appeal is filed and documentation is received
  • The TELS Award Appeals Panel at TSAC is the final administrative appeal.