Understanding the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship: Requirements and Award Details

The Tennessee HOPE (Helping Our Students Pursue Education) Scholarship is a lottery-funded scholarship program that provides financial assistance to Tennessee students pursuing a postsecondary education. This article delves into the requirements for eligibility, renewal, and the award amounts associated with the HOPE Scholarship.

Initial Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship, students must meet certain academic and enrollment criteria. These requirements vary slightly depending on whether the student is a traditional high school graduate, a home school graduate, or a non-traditional student.

Requirements for Traditional Students

Enrollment: Enroll in one of the Tennessee public colleges, universities, or private colleges. Must enroll within 16 months following high school graduation at any eligible postsecondary institution.
ACT/SAT Scores: ACT/SAT exams must be taken on a national test date or state test date and prior to the first day of college enrollment after high school graduation.
GPA and Test Scores for HOPE Scholarship: Requires Minimum 21 ACT or 980 SAT or Unweighted GPA of 3.0.

Requirements for Home School Graduates

Enrollment: Enroll in one of the Tennessee public colleges, universities, or private colleges. Must enroll within 16 months following high school graduation at any eligible postsecondary institution.
ACT/SAT Scores: ACT/SAT exams must be taken on a national test date or state test date and prior to the first day of college enrollment.
GPA and Test Scores for HOPE Scholarship: Home School graduates - minimum 21 ACT exclusive of the essay and optional subject area battery tests. Home school GPAs are not considered.

Requirements for Non-Traditional Students

The Non-Traditional HOPE Scholarship is available to students who meet all of the following criteria:

Student must be an independent student as determined on the FAFSA application and enroll in a baccalaureate degree program at an eligible four-year postsecondary institution; OR
Enroll in a baccalaureate degree program at an eligible four-year postsecondary institution on or after August 1, 2018 while maintaining continuous enrollment following the completion of an associate degree as a TN Reconnect recipient.
Student must be continuously enrolled at an eligible postsecondary institution in every fall and spring term.
Student must maintain satisfactory academic progress.
Student must be classified as a TN resident and admitted as In-state by UTC Admissions.
Student's adjusted gross income (combined with spouse, if applicable) must be $36,000 or less as determined by the FAFSA for the academic year awarded.
Student must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 after 12 *attempted semester hours (or required GPA at subsequent benchmark). *Note - Attempted hours and college grades prior to re-enrollment at an eligible postsecondary institution are not considered.

A non-traditional student must be enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program while maintaining continuous enrollment. Failure to remain in a baccalaureate degree program will result in a permanent loss of eligibility.

Except for an approved leave of absence, recipients enrolled at four-year eligible postsecondary institutions must remain continuously enrolled as Non-Traditional HOPE students.

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General Requirements

Enrollment Timeline: Must enroll within 16 months following high school graduation at any eligible postsecondary institution.
Testing: ACT/SAT exams must be taken on a national test date or state test date and prior to the first day of college enrollment.
FAFSA Completion: To apply for the HOPE Scholarship, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.gov.

HOPE Scholarship Award Amounts

The HOPE Scholarship award amounts vary based on the type of institution and the student's class status. The HOPE Scholarship may be combined with any financial aid up to the full estimated cost of attendance.

For entering freshmen beginning with fall 2015 and thereafter, the award amount for four-year postsecondary institutions and two-year postsecondary institutions with on-campus housing is up to $1,750 per full-time enrollment semester as a freshman and sophomore; then up to $2,250 per full-time enrollment semester as a junior and senior.
For two-year postsecondary institutions, the award amount is up to $1,500 per full-time enrollment semester as a freshman and sophomore.

It's worth noting that HOPE Scholarship award amounts are based on student class status, which is determined by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Awards to part-time enrolled students are prorated.

HOPE Supplemental Awards

Additional funding may also be available through HOPE supplemental awards.

TN HOPE Aspire Award

The TN HOPE Aspire Award, is a need-based supplemental award. Student's receiving the TN HOPE Scholarship may qualify for the TN HOPE Aspire award if they meet the following criteria.

Parent or independent student (and spouse) adjusted gross income of $36,000 or less.

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*This award cannot be combined with the General Assembly Merit Scholarship.

General Assembly Merit Scholarship

The General Assembly Merit Scholarship (GAMS) is a merit-based supplemental award. High school seniors receiving the TN HOPE Scholarship may qualify for GAMS by meeting the following criteria. Please note: Since the final high school GPA isn't typically reported by the school to the state until early/mid-June, students generally won't see a the a GAM awarded until early July.

Entering freshmen who have graduated from a Tennessee public school or category 1,2,3 private school must have at least a *3.75 final high school GPA AND at least a *29 ACT score (1360 SAT)

A Home school graduate must, in addition to meeting the TN HOPE scholarship requirements, during the course of a home school program:

Achieve a 29 Composite score or above, on a national/state test date for the ACT test, or a 1360 (math plus critical reading scores only) or above, on a national test date for the SAT test for GAMS consideration; AND

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Enroll in at least four (4) dual enrollment courses totaling at least twelve (12) semester hours at an eligible postsecondary institution and achieve a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0; OR

Participate in a Governor’s School program, and achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0; OR

Take two (2) Advanced Placement (AP) exams and make a score of at least three (3); OR

Take one (1) College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) test and make a score of at least 55

Neither an ACT/SAT Super Score nor a Residual Test Score are not acceptable for eligibility purposes.

More detailed information about the GAM Award is found online with the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation. *This 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. ACT/SAT exams must be taken on a national or state test date. *This award cannot be combined with the TN HOPE Aspire Award. If a student is eligible for both the HOPE Aspire Award and GAMS, they will be paid TN HOPE Aspire as it is the higher amount.

Maintaining Eligibility: Renewal Requirements

To retain the HOPE Scholarship, students must meet certain academic requirements and maintain continuous enrollment.

Must maintain continuous enrollment and satisfactory academic progress.
Students must complete a FAFSA each year for renewal.

GPA Requirements

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 semester hours and any multiple of 24 semester hours thereafter.
To retain the HOPE Scholarship, you must maintain satisfactory academic progress and achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.75 after attempting 24 and 48 semester hours. If your cumulative GPA is between 2.75-2.99 and your semester GPA is 3.0 or above in the prior semester then you may retain the award on a semester-to-semester basis. Under these guidelines, you must maintain full-time enrollment. Your eligibility status is checked after each semester; except for the summer.

Continuous Enrollment

You must maintain continuous enrollment at an eligible postsecondary institution.
Students must be enrolled at an eligible postsecondary institution at least part time for the fall and spring semesters to continue receiving the award. Enrollment in the summer semester is not required. Students enrolled in less than six (6) credit hours for any semester will maintain continuous enrollment but do not qualify for an award.

Regaining the HOPE Scholarship

If a student ceases to be academically eligible for the HOPE Scholarship, the student may regain the award one-time only.

If you fail to meet the HOPE Scholarship academic renewal requirements, you can regain the award one time only by meeting the renewal criteria at a later benchmark. You cannot appeal to regain your HOPE Scholarship if your GPA is the reason for losing the HOPE Scholarship.
If you lose the award by not maintaining continuous enrollment or changing your enrollment status from full time to part time, or part time to less than part time due to medical or personal hardship reasons, then you may seek an appeal request at the institution or THEC.

Important Considerations

Dual Enrollment: Grant for students currently enrolled in high school while taking post-secondary college credit. Dual Enrollment Grant Application required. Amount: Up to $1200 for the first four courses: $500 for courses 1 and 2, $200 for course 3, and $0 for course 4. Based on results from the FAFSA. Must submit FAFSA before February 1st to qualify, but state funds for this grant are limited.
Transferring Schools: If you transfer to another eligible postsecondary institution, go to the TSAC Student Portal and access your account. Select the “Transfer School” button and follow the instructions to complete the transfer.
Dropping Courses: You should never drop a course without first talking to the financial aid office at your institution. If your enrollment status is not maintained, the institution shall apply its refund policy to determine whether a refund is required and/or funds are returned to THEC. Dropping a course(s) without a documented medical or personal reason may cause you to permanently lose your HOPE Scholarship eligibility.
HOPE GPA Calculation: Whether receiving the HOPE Scholarship or not, all college courses attempted after high school graduation shall be used in calculating your grade point average. You may repeat one (1) course one (1) time and use the higher grade achieved. However, both courses attempted shall be used in the attempted hours total.

Application Deadlines

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) no later than:

September 1 for Fall
February 1 for Spring

Applications for the HOPE Scholarship must be received by September 1st for fall semester, March 1st for spring semester and May 1st for summer semester.

Resources

TSAC Student Portal: To review your eligibility status, you must register for a TSAC Student Portal account. Be sure to have your Social Security number available and use your legal name as shown on your Social Security card when registering for a Student Portal account.
FAFSA: To apply for the HOPE Scholarship, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.gov.

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