Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Program (TELS) (Public Necessity Rules)
The TELS rules were revised to facilitate administration of the TELS program, which included minimizing the inclusion of rule language that duplicated TELS program statutory language. Where duplication existed, the rules now cite the related statute. To access the code relevant to the TELS Program in the Tennessee Code Annotated: Click Here, then click on each successive folder: Tennessee Code Annotated; Title 49 Education; Chapter 4 Financial Aid; Part 9 – State Lottery Proceeds; and then click on the applicable statute(s).
Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Programs:
Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Program Recipients Must:
- Have been a Tennessee resident for one year by September 1 of the year of application date. For students beginning spring and summer terms, residency determined by February 1 as of application date.
- Be dependent child of U.S. military, Tennessee National Guard on active duty, Department of Defense employees, or full-time religious workers who maintain Tennessee residency while stationed out-of-state are eligible.
- Apply by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), available at www.fafsa.ed.gov. To receive a paper FAFSA, check with your high school counselor or call the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) 1-800-342-1663 or (615) 741-1346. Applications must be received by September 1st for fall semester, February 1st for spring and summer semesters. Early application is recommended.
HOPE and HOPE Access Recipients Must:
- Enroll in one of the Tennessee public colleges, universities, or private colleges. Click Here for listing.
- Enroll within 16 months following high school graduation or completion of a homeschool or GED program. Enrollment at an ineligible postsecondary institution during this time will make the student permanently ineligible.
Tennessee residents graduating from some out of state high schools may be eligible. For more information, please call 1-800-342-1663 or (615)741-1346.
Homeschool (and non-category I, II, III School) Student Requirements:
For HOPE Scholarship eligibility, a homeschool student must:
- Be enrolled as a homeschool student in a homeschool program for a minimum of two (2) years prior to graduating. The student must achieve a 21 Composite score or above, on a national test date for the ACT test or a 980 (math plus critical reading scores only) or above, on a national test date for the SAT test for HOPE Scholarship consideration. The student does not need to submit a grade point average as this is not a consideration. For more information, please call 1-800-342-1663 or (615)741-1346. For additional information on the General Assembly Merit Scholarship (GAMS), please Click Here.
For General Assembly Merit Scholarship (GAMS) eligibility, a homeschool student must:
- In addition to meeting the HOPE scholarship requirements, during the course of a homeschool program, be enrolled in at least four (4) college-level courses totaling at least twelve (12) semester hours and achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.0. The student must achieve a 29 Composite score or above, on a national test date for the ACT test or a 1280 (math plus critical reading scores only) or above, on a national test date for the SAT test for GAMS consideration. For information on Dual Enrollment, please Click Here.
Tennessee HOPE Scholarship Renewal Criteria:
Eligibility shall be reviewed by the institution at the end of the semester in which the student has attempted a total of 24, 48, 72, 96, and any subsequent multiples of 24 semester hours thereafter. The student:
- 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-established once the student meets any of the above criteria and continues to meet non-academic requirements
- Must be continuously enrolled at an eligible postsecondary institution in the fall and spring semesters and maintain satisfactory academic progress
Tennessee HOPE Scholarship Termination Criteria:
The attempted credit hour includes remedial and developmental studies and all regular college credit courses attempted after high school graduation.
A student may receive the HOPE Scholarship until the FIRST of the following terminating events:
- The student has earned a baccalaureate degree; or
- Five (5) years have passed from the date of the student’s initial enrollment at any postsecondary institution
Tennessee HOPE Scholarship—Non-traditional Component
The non-traditional student must be a Tennessee resident, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and be enrolled at an eligible postsecondary institution. In addition, the student must:
- Be age 25 or older, as an entering freshman in an eligible postsecondary institution or have not been enrolled for at least two (2) years after last attending any postsecondary institution
- The adjusted gross income attributable to the student must be no more than $36,000 per year
- Be continuously enrolled at an eligible postsecondary institution in the fall and spring semesters and maintain satisfactory academic progress
- Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 after 12 and 24 attempted semester hours
- To continue receiving the HOPE Scholarship, the non-traditional student shall meet the HOPE Scholarship Renewal Criteria mentioned above
The non-traditional student shall continue receiving the HOPE Scholarship until the FIRST of the following terminating events:
- The student has earned a baccalaureate degree; or
- If the student previously received a HOPE Scholarship, the sum of the number of years the non-traditional student received the non-traditional HOPE Scholarship and the HOPE Scholarship from previous years equals five (5) years; or
- Five (5) years have passed since the student enrolled in an eligible postsecondary institution as a non-traditional student
A non-traditional student shall not be eligible for the Aspire Award or the General Assembly Merit Award.
Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Programs Eligible Institutions
Lottery Scholarship Data:
Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Program Annual Report:
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