2012-2013 Incoming Freshman Academic Scholarships
(for first-time freshmen enrolling for the Summer 2012 or Fall 2012 semester)
Scholarships At a Glance (click on each heading for more details)
- Priority Deadline: December 1
- Application Requirements: Apply for admission by priority deadline (no scholarship application required)
- Academic Requirements: Minimum of 26 ACT and 3.5 GPA (23 ACT if ranked 1 or 2)
- Award Amounts: $2000-6000 per year, for 4 years
- The Fine Print
- Competitive Academic Scholarships
- Continuing Eligibility Requirements
Application Requirements and Deadlines
No scholarship application is required; all incoming freshmen who apply for admission, meet scholarship requirements, and will first enroll in the summer or fall term will be considered. (Enrolling in the spring? Visit our Spring Enrollees page.) Priority consideration will be given to students who apply for admission and submit test scores and transcripts by December 1, 2011. Scholarship award letters for priority applicants will be sent between November 2011 and March 2012.
Students who apply for admission and submit required documents between December 2 and February 15, or who apply by December 1 but submit transcripts and/or test scores after the priority deadline, may be considered if funding is available after eligible priority applicants have been awarded. If funding is available for late awards, scholarship award letters for late applicants will be sent in April 2012.
Please Note:
- Applying for admission includes submitting the $25 application fee, which is required for an admission application to be processed. Students who submit an application but not an application fee will not be considered for scholarships.
- We are happy to accept a weighted GPA if one is provided by the high school, but are unable to calculate a GPA other than what is provided on the official transcript. The GPA used for scholarship purposes is generally through the end of the junior year of high school.
- ACT and SAT scores (without writing sub-scores) through the December test date will be considered for scholarship purposes. However, for best results, students taking a December test should include MTSU as a score recipient to ensure that scores arrive in time for scholarship consideration.
- We will consider your highest test score on a single national or state test date; we are unable to "superscore" (that is, combine the highest subscores from different dates) or to accept residual scores (that is, scores for tests taken individually at a testing center rather than on a national test date).
Academic Requirements and Award Amounts
Students who apply by the priority deadline and meet minimum eligibility requirements for the following awards will be offered a scholarship as long as funding is available.
- National Merit/Achievement
• $6000 per year
• National Merit or Achievement Finalist
• Must list MTSU as 1st-choice school on National Merit/Achievement paperwork - Chancellor
• $5000 per year
• 3.5 GPA & 32 ACT (1410 SAT) - Presidential
• $4000 per year
• 3.5 GPA & 29 ACT (1280 SAT) - Academic Service
• $3000 per year
• 3.5 GPA & 27 ACT (1210 SAT) - Valedictorian/Salutatorian
• $3000 per year
• 23 ACT (1060 SAT), Ranked 1 or 2 in high school class - Provost
• $2000 per year
• 3.5 GPA & 26 ACT (1170 SAT)
• No service requirement - International Baccalaureate
• $1000 per year
• 3.5 GPA
• Will graduate with an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma (verification form required)
• IB Scholarship can be combined with any award except Buchanan Fellowship
• No service requirement, unless student is also receiving a higher scholarship which requires service hours
The Fine Print
- Scholarships are awarded to students who will first enroll in the summer or fall semester. Please visit our Scholarships for Spring Enrollees webpage for information about scholarship opportunities for freshmen enrolling in the spring semester.
- No scholarship application is required, except as otherwise noted; all incoming freshmen who apply for admission by the priority deadline and meet the minimum requirements will receive a scholarship offer.
- Unless noted, scholarships are granted for a maximum of 8 semesters. Scholarships are not available during the summer term.
- Only students who receive scholarships will be notified. Award letters will include an agreement form which must be signed and returned.
- Scholarship recipients (except Provost and IB) are required to complete 75 hours of service to MTSU each semester for most scholarship types. For more information, visit the Scholarship Service Program webpage.
- Recipients must meet GPA, enrollment, service (where applicable), and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements to maintain continuing eligibility. For more information about SAP requirements, please visit MTSU’s Satisfactory Academic Progress webpage.
- Recipients must be US citizens or permanent residents.
- In the event that MTSU offers multiple scholarships to a student, only one scholarship from the MTSU Financial Aid Office (including the Buchanan Fellowship) can be accepted. A student may receive a university scholarship in addition to a Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship.
- A student’s total aid including scholarships cannot exceed his or her budgeted Cost of Attendance. For more information, please contact the Financial Aid Office at (615) 898-2830.
- The awarding of scholarships is based on the availability of funds and the criteria set forth by the appropriate governing bodies, and is subject to change without notice. (That is, if scholarship funding is reduced by the state or the institution in the future, we will be required to adjust our awarding process accordingly. Such changes may not be posted on the website, due to timing reasons.)
Competitive Scholarships
MTSU offers two competitive academic scholarships to incoming freshmen: The Buchanan Fellowship and the DREAM Scholarship. Additionally, several Foundation Scholarships are offered by the Financial Aid Office to incoming freshmen. Competitive scholarships are awarded to students who will first enroll in the summer or fall semester. A scholarship application is required for each of the competitive scholarship types. Please visit the Incoming Freshman Scholarships homepage for links to information about these awards.
Continuing Eligibility Criteria
Scholarship recipients will be notified of specific scholarship requirements in their award letter and agreement form. Students are strongly encouraged to retain a copy of the award letter and agreement form for future reference, and to refer to this document periodically to ensure that they are meeting scholarship requirements. The following renewal criteria will generally be required for the specified scholarship types:
- Guaranteed Academic Scholarships: Scholarship recipients are required to complete 75 hours of service to MTSU each semester (except as noted). Five service hours per week will be completed in an academic or administrative department. Please visit our Scholarship Service Program webpage for information about the Scholarship Service Program at MTSU.
- Guaranteed Academic Scholarships: Students must earn an MTSU GPA of 2.75 after the first semester and 3.0 cumulative GPA after each subsequent semester, except as noted.
- DREAM Scholarships: Students must maintain eligibility for the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship by meeting lottery GPA and enrollment requirements.
- Buchanan Fellowship: Students must meet GPA and course enrollment requirements as stated by the University Honors College in the award letter.
- All scholarships: Students must enroll full-time every fall and spring semester and must meet federal Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements.
Appeal Options
If a student is unable to meet any of the continuing eligibility criteria due to extenuating circumstances, he or she may appeal to regain eligibility by submitting supporting documentation. A student may also appeal after losing eligibility for personal or academic reasons, in certain cases. Additionally, if a student is unable to meet the GPA requirement, he or she may appeal to regain eligibility when he or she is meeting GPA requirements again. Reinstatement of the scholarship is dependent on funding and is not guaranteed, regardless of circumstances or GPA. Information about the appeal process is available on our Institutional Scholarship Appeals webpage.
Updated June 2011