TELS Continuing Eligibility Rules

Please note that the information on this page was last updated in October, 2011. The state legislature typically makes changes to the rules in late June, and this website is typically updated by the end of October once we receive official notification of the new rules and procedures. We recommend that you visit TSAC's website for the most up-to-date information.

What are the rules for continuing eligibility?

1. GPA Requirements
   1. Repeat Provision
   2. Regain Provision
   3. Provisional Eligibility
2. Continuous Enrollment
3. Enrollment Status
4. Time Limits
5. Non-Traditional Student Requirements

I. GPA Requirements

A TELS recipient must have a 2.75 cumulative TELS GPA after the first 24 TELS attempted credit hours, and again after 48 attempted hours. A TELS recipient must have a 3.0 TELS GPA after attempting 72, 96, 120, 144 and 168 credit hours.

At the 72 bracket and subsequent checkpoints, a student may provisionally qualify with a 2.75 cumulative TELS GPA and a 3.0 semester GPA. Please see below for the full provisional rules.

The TELS GPA and the attempted hours calculations do not include grades for courses taken before high school graduation (such as dual-enrollment courses). If you believe such credits might be included in your TELS statistics, please notify the Financial Aid Office so that we can correct your record.

Grades for all courses taken after high school graduation, including repeated courses, are included in the TELS GPA. Please see the Repeat Option section below for additional information about repeated courses.

Please note that the MTSU GPA (as opposed to the TELS GPA) does include dual-enrollment courses and does not include courses which are later repeated. Therefore, the TELS GPA is frequently different than the MTSU GPA. Your TELS GPA will not appear on your transcript. However, you can view your TELS GPA in the Financial Aid section of RaiderNet.

A student is considered to have completed an Attempted Hours Bracket at the end of the semester in which the student attempts the given number of credit hours. For example, a May 2004 graduate takes 12 hours during Fall 2004 and 15 hours during Spring 2005. The student drops one class during the spring semester, finishing the semester with 12 earned hours. The student has attempted 27 hours (12+15) and has reached the 24 hour bracket at the end of the Spring 2005 semester; therefore, the student must have a TELS GPA of 2.75. In this example, all grades for Fall 2004 and Spring 2005 will be included in the TELS GPA. Grades for courses taken during the Summer 2005 term will not count in the 24 hour bracket, but will be included in the next bracket, after 48 attempted hours.

A. "Repeat" Provision

As indicated above, TSAC's TELS policy states that grades for all courses taken after high school graduation will be included in the TELS GPA, including courses later retaken for a higher grade. However, each student will be allowed to repeat a single class and request that the earlier grade be excluded from the TELS GPA. (Please Note: A student may repeat multiple classes according to institutional policy, but only one grade may be excluded for TELS purposes.) When the student reaches the next bracket (at 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, or 168 TELS attempted hours) after the course is repeated, the excluded grade will not be considered in determining whether the student meets the GPA requirement.

A student must submit a Repeat Option Request Form to request that a repeated grade be excluded. The student must additionally consult with an advisor in the University College Advising Center regarding the use of the Repeat Option.

B. "Regain" Provision

A student who was initially eligible for a Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship but who lost eligibility due to failure to meet GPA requirements may be able to regain TELS eligibility. The student must meet the following criteria:

• Must have lost eligibility due to failure to meet GPA requirements.
• Must meet requirement of at least a 2.75 TELS GPA after 48, TELS attempted hours, a 3.0 TELS GPA after 72, 96, 120,144, or 168 TELS attempted hours, or a 2.75 cumulative TELS GPA and a 3.0 semester GPA (for provisional eligibility); please see below for the full provisional rules.
• Must meet all other continuing eligibility criteria for every semester, including semesters for which the student did not receive a TELS award:
  • Must have been enrolled in at least one hour every fall and spring semester
  • Must have maintained enrollment status for every semester. (For example, a student who enrolled in full-time hours must have finished the semester with at least 12 credit hours.)
  • Must meet all other continuing eligibility criteria as stated in TSAC's TELS policy.
• Must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the current year. The FAFSA must be processed every year by September 1.

A student may regain the TELS award beginning with the semester after attempting 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, or 168 hours as defined by TSAC's TELS policy. Awards cannot be applied retroactively to prior semesters. A student may submit a Regain Option Form to notify the Financial Aid Office of eligibility under the Regain Provision, or may contact us by email, phone, or in person to request a TELS status review.

C. Provisional Eligibility

A student who has a 2.75-2.99 TELS GPA after the 72, 96, 120, 144, or 168-hour bracket may be provisionally eligible for the TELS scholarship. The student must earn a 3.0 semester GPA for each semester (including the bracket semester) and must be enrolled full-time each fall and spring semester. Students may use the Repeat and Regain Options to be eligible under provisional rules.

II. Continuous Enrollment

Students must enroll no later than 16 months after graduation from high school or home school. GED students must enroll within 16 months of the GED test date.

Students may enroll in as little as one credit hour and remain eligible for future semesters; however, all TELS recipients must enroll at least half-time (at least 6 credit hours) every Fall and Spring semester to receive the scholarship for that semester. A TELS recipient is not required to attend during Summer terms; however, all summer courses will be included in the TELS attempted hours and GPA.

Please Note: A student using his or her Regain Option must have been enrolled in at least one hour for every Fall and Spring semester, including semesters for which the student did not receive a TELS award.

III. Enrollment Status

A TELS recipient must maintain his or her enrollment status each fall and spring semester. (Example: A student receiving a full-time scholarship must remain enrolled in at least 12 hours through the end of the semester. A student receiving a part-time scholarship must remain enrolled in at least 6 hours through the end of the term.) A student who withdraws or who drops below the required number of hours will lose the scholarship for all future semesters and may be required to repay all or a portion of the current semester's awards.

If extenuating circumstances prevent a student from meeting Continuous Enrollment requirements, the student may appeal to the Financial Aid Office by submitting a Tennessee Lottery Appeal form, a detailed statement regarding the circumstances, and documentation to support the appeal. Please visit our TELS Appeals webpage for more information about filing a TELS appeal. Appeals can only be approved if a student is ineligible due to failure to meet enrollment requirements; MTSU is not able to approve appeals for students who fail to meet GPA requirements, regardless of extenuating circumstances.

IV. Time Limits

A TELS recipient who meets the above requirement may receive the Hope Scholarship until one of the following events occurs:

• Five years have passed from the initial date of enrollment (even if you have not received the lottery scholarship for some or all of the five years).
• The student completes his or her first bachelor degree.
• For students who first received the scholarship in Fall 2009 or later: The student has attempted 120 hours, not including courses taken before high school graduation, test credits, or in some cases, courses taken during the Summer 2011 term. Visit our Lottery Changes webpage for more details.

V. Non-Traditional Student Requirements

A student who initially qualifies for a lottery scholarship under non-traditional rules will continue to be eligible for the award as long as he or she meets continuing eligibility requirements as noted above and has an Adjusted Gross Income of $36,000 or less on the FAFSA. If a student meets all renewal criteria other than the GPA requirement, the student will not be eligible at that time but may be able to qualify in the future.

An Eligible 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
• Five (5) years have passed since the student enrolled in an eligible post secondary institution as a non-traditional student; or
• For students who first received the scholarship as a traditional student: The student has reached the five-year limit between a combination of the traditional semesters and the non-traditional semesters; or
• For students who first received the non-traditional scholarship in Fall 2009 or later: The student has attempted 120 hours, not including courses taken before high school graduation, test credits, and in some cases, courses taken during the Summer 2011 term; or
• For students who first received the non-traditional scholarship in Fall 2009 or later, but who originally received the scholarship as a traditional student: The student has attempted 120 hours, including courses taken both as a traditional student and a non-traditional student, but not including courses taken before high school graduation, test credits, or in some cases, courses taken during the Summer 2011 term.
  Visit our Lottery Changes webpage for more details about the recent changes for students who first received the non-traditional scholarship in Fall 2009 or later.

For more information about the lottery scholarship rules for non-traditional students, please visit our Non-Traditional Lottery Award webpage.