Non-Traditional Hope Scholarship

A non-traditional student may qualify for a Hope Scholarship by meeting eligibility criteria and academic requirements. The student must meet the following criteria:

• Must be a first-time student or be returning to college after a break of at least two (2) years
• Must be a least 25 years old at the time of first enrollment or re-enrollment
• First enrollment or re-enrollment must be at an eligible institution, such as MTSU
• Must have an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $36,000 or less on the FAFSA
• Must earn a 2.75 TELS GPA after 12 TELS attempted hours (Visit Continuing Eligibility Rules for information on how the TELS GPA is calculated.)
• Must meet eligibility requirements in regard to citizenship, residency, and enrollment status (all TELS requirements except those pertaining to ACT and high school GPA standards).
• Must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the current year. The FAFSA must be precessed every year by September 1.

A student who meets the above criteria may qualify for a Hope Scholarship of $4000 per year; award amounts are prorated for enrollment of 6 to 11 hours. According to TSAC's TELS policy, a non-traditional student is not eligible to receive a Merit Scholarship, Aspire Supplement, or Access Grant.

Renewal 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.

Questions?  Please contact us!

Return to MTSU Scholarship homepage

Return to non-traditional students and military personnel webpage

Updated October 2012