TELS (Tennessee Educational Lottery Program)
Tennessee residents awarded the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship and Tennessee HOPE Access Grant must be aware of the specific requirements in order to retain their scholarship. Students must file a FAFSA each year to ensure access to the scholarship. The financial aid office must review renewal eligibility for the scholarship when students have crossed a benchmark. The benchmarks are 24, 48, 72, and 96 TELS attempted credit hours, with an additional benchmark at 120 TELS attempted credit hours for degrees that require more than the standard 120 credit hours to complete requirements. A scholarship recipient must:
- After 24 and 48 TELS attempted credit hours, have a minimum TELS GPA of 2.75; OR
- After 72, 96, 120 TELS attempted credit hours, have a minimum TELS GPA of 3.00; OR
- If after 72, 96, 120 TELS attempted credit hours, the student has a 2.75 – 2.99 TELS GPA, the student may continue to receive the scholarship on a provisional basis if they earned a semester GPA of at least a 3.0 for the most recently completed semester. Students on the provisional track must earn at least a 3.0 GPA in each subsequent term to maintain eligibility; AND
- Maintain continuous enrollment from one term to the next, excluding summer; AND
- Maintain enrollment at the same level for the full term (i.e. not drop below full-time status)
- Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress.
The TELS GPA includes all grades for college courses completed after graduation from high school. TELS attempted hours include courses in which students enroll but withdraw after the official drop/add date, remedial coursework, and any courses taken at another higher education institution. The TELS program provides a Repeat Provision that offers students the ability to repeat one course to improve their TELS GPA. A Regain Provision exists that allows students to regain their HOPE/TELS at subsequent benchmarks. Each of these provisions may be used once. Students should consult with the financial aid office for a more detailed explanation or assistance in interpreting the rules of the programs.
Tennessee HOPE Scholarship Termination Criteria
Students may receive the HOPE Scholarship until the first of the following terminating events:
- Student earns a baccalaureate degree; or
- Five years have passed from the date of initial enrollment at any postsecondary institution; or
- Student has received the award for eight full-time equivalent semesters; or
- Student has attempted the number of semester hours required to earn degree.
Students with a documented medical condition, certified by a licensed physician, that restricts their ability to maintain a full-time schedule, may appeal to the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) for an extension to the five-year limit. However, they must continue to meet all applicable academic and nonacademic requirements for the HOPE Scholarship. Such students have ten years from initial enrollment in which they can maintain eligibility.