Military Service: Requesting Exceptions to Residency and Enrollment Requirements

The state allows certain exceptions for military personnel and their families in regard to the lottery scholarship enrollment and residency rules:

1. A Tennessee resident who graduates from a high school in another state or country due to a parent's military service or employment with the Department of Defense
2. A student who withdraws mid-semester or does not enroll for a required semester due to active military service
3. A student whose spouse, child, mother, or father is mobilized for active duty
4. A student who attends an out-of-state college due to military mobilization
5. A student who entered active duty within two years after high school graduation instead of attending college

The student must be otherwise eligible, apart from the specified exception, and must provide documentation of the military service. For all exceptions, the student must meet any admission or lottery scholarship requirements other than the specified exception. For example, the student must submit a high school transcript, ACT and/or SAT scores, etc., to the Admissions Office, both to be accepted for admission and to verify initial eligibility for the lottery scholarship.

 

Military Dependent Living Outside of Tennessee

Who Qualifies: A Tennessee resident who graduates from a high school or homeschool in another state or country due to a parent's military service or employment with the Department of Defense

Special Requirements:

• Must be under 21 years of age
• At least one parent or stepparent must be engaged in active military service, on full-time national guard duty, or actively employed by the US Department of Defense
• Student must be claimed by parent or stepparent as dependent for federal income tax purposes
• If qualifying based on military service: Parent must have listed Tennessee as the home of record at the time of entry into military service
• For high schools located in another state: High school must be regionally accredited by the appropriate agency for the applicable state
• For high schools in another country: High school must be regionally accredited by an accrediting association recognized by the applicable country
• (Alternately, student may qualify by graduating from a homeschool or qualify through GED requirements.)
• Student must be otherwise eligible for a lottery scholarship

Documentation Required:

For all students:

• Military Service Appeal Form
• Personal statement (detailed letter from student explaining situation)

If qualifying based on military service:

• Documentation from the military to establish that the parent's State of Record is Tennessee
• Documentation that the parent has been stationed outside of Tennessee, such as a copy of the orders showing dates and location of service

If qualifying based on DOD employment:

• Letter from parent's employer verifying the following:
  • Parent is an employee of the Department of Defense
  • Parent is a resident of the state of Tennessee
  • Parent is currently assigned to a location outside of Tennessee by the DOD

When to Appeal: For best results, submit your appeal and supporting documentation no later than two months before the semester in which you wish to enroll.

 

Student Taking Leave of Absence During Military Service

Who Qualifies: A student who has been enrolled in college but withdraws during a semester or does not enroll for a required fall or spring semester due to active military service or basic training

Special Requirements:

• Student must reenroll within one year following mobilization
• Student cannot have dishonorable discharge
• Student must be otherwise eligible for a lottery scholarship

Documentation Required: (in order to establish the location of the active service, as well as the beginning and end dates)

• Military Service Appeal Form
• DD214, showing a discharge other than dishonorable
• Copy of orders, showing dates and location of service
• Personal statement (detailed letter from student explaining situation)

When to Appeal: You will not be able to appeal until the end of your military service, since we are required to verify that you did not receive a dishonorable discharge. For best results, submit your appeal and supporting documentation no later than two months before the start of the semester in which you wish to return to MTSU.

 

Student Taking Leave of Absence Due to Military Service of Spouse, Child, Mother, or Father

Who Qualifies: A student whose spouse, child, mother, or father is mobilized for active military duty or employment with the Department of Defense outside of Tennessee

Special Requirements:

• Must establish the reason for the student's need to take a leave of absence, such as moving to another state or country with the mobilized family member
• This request for a leave of absence will be processed as a standard lottery appeal, rather than a military appeal. Please visit our appeal website for more information.
• Student must be otherwise eligible for a lottery scholarship

Documentation Required: (in order to establish the location of the active service, as well as the beginning and end dates)

For all students:

• TELS Leave of Absence Request Form
• Personal statement (detailed letter from student explaining situation)

If qualifying based on military service:

• Documentation that the family member has been stationed outside of Tennessee, such as a copy of the orders showing dates and location of service

If qualifying based on DOD employment:

• Letter from family member's employer verifying the following:
  • Parent is an employee of the Department of Defense
  • Parent is currently assigned to a location outside of Tennessee by the DOD

When to Appeal: You may appeal before you take the leave of absence. However, we generally can only approve such appeals for one semester at a time; you will need to file subsequent appeals if you need to take a leave of absence for more than one semester. For best results, submit your appeal and supporting documentation no later than two months before the start of the semester in which you wish to return to MTSU.

 

Student Enrolled Out-of-State Due to Military Service

Who Qualifies: A student who attends an out-of-state college due to military mobilization (Under standard rules, a student who attends an in-state school but then transfers out-of-state loses lottery scholarship eligibility.)

Special Requirements:

• Student must enroll at a regionally accredited college or university
• Courses taken at the out-of-state institution must transfer to MTSU and count toward the student's degree program
• Student must be military member (That is, this exception does not apply to family members of the military personnel.)
• Student must reenroll at MTSU (or another eligible institution) within one year following mobilization
• Student cannot have dishonorable discharge
• Student must be otherwise eligible for a lottery scholarship

Documentation Required: (in order to establish the location of the active service, as well as the beginning and end dates)

• Military Service Appeal Form
• DD214, showing a discharge other than dishonorable
• Copy of orders, showing dates and location of service
• Personal statement (detailed letter from student explaining situation)

When to Appeal: You will not be able to appeal until the end of your military service, since we are required to verify that you did not receive a dishonorable discharge. For best results, submit your appeal and supporting documentation no later than two months before the start of the semester in which you wish to return to MTSU. Please note that regardless of your appeal results, we will not be able to verify your eligibility until your transfer transcript is fully processed.

 

Student Who Pursued Military Service Instead of College

Who Qualifies: A student who entered active duty within two years after high school graduation or GED completion instead of attending college

Special Requirements:

• Student must enroll within one year after date of separation from active duty
• Student must enroll within seven years after date of entry into military service
• Student must have a fully honorable discharge
• Student must be otherwise eligible for a lottery scholarship

Documentation Required: (in order to establish the location of the active service, as well as the beginning and end dates)

• Military Service Appeal Form
• DD214, showing a discharge other than dishonorable
• Copy of orders, showing dates and location of service
• Personal statement (detailed letter from student explaining situation)

When to Appeal: You will not be able to appeal until the end of your military service, since we are required to verify that you did not receive a dishonorable discharge. For best results, submit your appeal and supporting documentation no later than two months before the start of the semester in which you wish to return to MTSU. Please note that regardless of your appeal results, we will not be able to verify your eligibility until your transfer transcript is fully processed.

 

Please Note: Military appeals will be reviewed by institutional and/or state representatives to verify eligibility under the military exceptions. We will generally try to process all such appeals within three weeks of receipt. However, response times may be longer if we must verify your eligibility with the state, especially if they need to complete an independent review of the documentation.

Who to Contact for More Information

Still have questions? Please contact Melanie Collins.

Updated April 2012