Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Program (TELS)

During the 2011 summer legislative session, the state legislators made some changes regarding the lottery scholarship for students who first received the lottery scholarship in Fall 2009 or later. Visit our Lottery Changes webpage for more details.


See below for important information about lottery rule changes!*

• Initial Eligibility Requirements
• Continuing Eligibility Requirements
• Transferring to MTSU and eligible for lottery? Find out how to transfer your scholarship!
• Are you a non-traditional student? You may be eligible for a lottery scholarship!
• Appeals
  • Did you lose eligibility because you didn't meet enrollment requirements due to extenuating circumstances? You may be able to regain eligibility through the appeal process.
  • Upcoming Appeal Dates (6 meetings a year)
  • Check periodically for new appeal dates.
• Verification Opt-Out Form
  • If you have been selected for verification but only wish to receive the Hope Scholarship (and Merit Supplement, if eligible), please submit this form to request your lottery scholarship. Please note that you will not be eligible for any other types of aid until you complete verification.
• TSAC Change of Institution Request Form
  • If you plan to transfer from another school to MTSU, or if you listed another school first on your FAFSA but wish to attend MTSU instead, you will need to notify TSAC of the change. You may do so by submitting this form, by visiting College Pays TN's Student Portal, or by resubmitting your FAFSA with MTSU listed as the first-choice school. (We recommend the third option only if you also need to make other changes to the FAFSA.)

* Annual Updates to the TELS Rules: The state legislature typically makes changes to the TELS rules in June of each year. MTSU receives official notification of the new rules and procedures in late August or September of that year. This website may include basic information about the changes before that time, but detailed information about the new rules is generally not available until late October. If you wish to learn about any recent changes, please return to this website in October, or visit TSAC's website at http://www.tn.gov/collegepays/mon_college/lottery_scholars.htm for a summary of the changes.