{"id":121,"date":"2024-04-25T21:19:01","date_gmt":"2024-04-25T21:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/?page_id=121"},"modified":"2026-04-07T01:10:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T06:10:33","slug":"tels","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/tels\/","title":{"rendered":"Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Program (TELS)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><mark style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF\" class=\"has-inline-color has-accent-4-color\">If eligible to receive a Lottery scholarship for the Fall 2025, Spring 2026 and\/or Summer 2026 semesters AND have not received payment of funds by June 15, 2026, please contact the MTOneStop by July 1, 2026 to ensure payment of funds is received in timely manner. If the MTOneStop is not notified of student&#8217;s potential eligibility until after July 1st, then student should expect to either not receive funds or experience a long delay in receiving payment of funds. <\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Program provides scholarship assistance to Tennesseans attending eligible Tennessee institutions. Students apply for the TELS program by completing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/FAFSA\/\">Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)<\/a> each year. Students should complete the FAFSA early to ensure that they meet the state-designated deadlines each year. TELS program requirements change from time to time, so students need to review application and eligibility requirements regularly to ensure that they remain in full compliance. For deadlines and detailed information, please take a look at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.collegefortn.org\/tennessee-financial-aid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TSAC Lottery Scholarship website<\/a>. Understanding how dropping classes or changing from full to part-time status may impact TELS eligibility is especially important. Always consult the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/one-stop\/\">MT One Stop<\/a> before taking action that may affect enrollment status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list is-style-compact-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.collegefortn.org\/tennessee-hope-scholarship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HOPE Lottery Scholarship<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.collegefortn.org\/general-assembly-merit-scholarship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">General Assembly Merit Scholarship<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.collegefortn.org\/aspire-award\/)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Aspire Award<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.collegefortn.org\/tennessee-hope-foster-child-tuition-grant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tennessee HOPE Foster Care Grant<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.collegefortn.org\/tennessee-hope-scholarship-nontraditional\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Non-Traditional HOPE Lottery Scholarship<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.collegefortn.org\/helping-heroes-grant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Helping Heroes Grant (for qualified Tennessee Veterans)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.collegefortn.org\/dualenrollment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dual Enrollment Grant<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Effective Fall 2023, any TELS eligible student who graduates with their baccalaureate degree from an eligible Tennessee college\/university on-or-after July 1, 2023 AND has not reached the maximum 5 year TELS program completion limit AND immediately enrolls in an eligible advanced degree program (i.e. Masters or Doctoral) the semester after receiving baccalaureate degree MAY be eligible to receive Lottery Scholarship funds while working on an advanced degree program (i.e. Masters or Doctoral).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Effective Fall 2023, any TELS eligible student who is enrolled less than half-time in Coursework towards Program of Study (CPoS) may be eligible to receive a less than half-time Lottery Scholarship award amount dependent on the reason why student is enrolled less than \u00bd time. See Enrollment Status section on this page for more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Effective Fall 2022, any Tennessee eligible high school student graduating with an Associate degree OR a current college student who is graduating with an Associate degree will need to provide the MTSU Undergraduate Admissions Office with an official copy of their FINAL high school transcript. The Financial Aid &amp; Scholarship Office needs the FINAL high school transcript to confirm initial eligibility for the Lottery Scholarships. A student will NOT be awarded and paid Lottery Scholarship funds until the official FINAL high school transcript has been received and reviewed<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Effective Fall 2021, Coursework Toward Program of Study (CPoS) will be applicable towards the disbursement of the TN Lottery Scholarships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For example, if student is eligible for a TN Lottery Scholarship and enrolls in 12 hours and only 6 of the 12 hours are required towards student&#8217;s official declared program of study, the Lottery Scholarship will be reduced to a half-time award based on 6 hours.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Continuing eligibility for the TN Lottery Scholarships will be based on all attempted coursework in a semester, regardless if applicable towards program of study or not. For more information regarding Coursework Toward Program of Study (CPoS), <a href=\"https:\/\/w1.mtsu.edu\/cpos\/impact.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Click Here<\/strong><\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"summerlottery\">Summer lottery scholarships<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Students can receive a full Lottery scholarship (or a prorated award for part-time enrollment) in the Summer as long as student meets continuing Lottery eligibility requirements, even if student already received a full-time award in the Fall and Spring. Summer enrollment is not a requirement for meeting the continuous enrollment requirement for TELS eligibility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Award amounts will be based on student&#8217;s CPoS enrollment status each semester. Student must be enrolled in at least 6 hours of CPoS (Courses in Program of Study) eligible coursework to receive a Summer Lottery Scholarship. The award amount will be prorated based on CPoS enrollment. Most students are not eligible to receive the scholarship if enrolled less than 6 undergraduate (5 graduate) CPoS hours. However, there are limited exceptions.&nbsp;Regardless of the number of hours a student is enrolled in and whether or not student will receive an award amount, any Summer attempted hours and grades&nbsp;<em>will<\/em>&nbsp;be counted in determining a student&#8217;s future lottery eligibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<p>For Undergraduate students, TELS Lottery Scholarships would be prorated as follows based on CPoS enrollment status:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Full Time (12+ hours) &#8211; 100% of award amount<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>3\/4 Time (9-11 hours) &#8211; 75% of award amount<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1\/2 Time (6-8 hours) &#8211; 50% of award amount<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Less than 1\/2 time (1-5 hours) &#8211; not eligible for award amount\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Students enrolled less than \u00bd time MAY be eligible to receive funds dependent on reason why student is enrolled less than \u00bd time. Student would need to complete Lottery Less Than Half-Time Exception Request form for MTSU to determine eligibility for less than \u00bd time award amount<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For Graduate students, TELS Lottery Scholarships would be prorated as follows based on CPoS enrollment status:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Full Time (9+ hours) &#8211; 100% of award amount<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>3\/4 Time (7-8 hours) &#8211; 75% of award amount<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1\/2 Time (5-6 hours) &#8211; 50% of award amount<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Less than 1\/2 time (1-4 hours) &#8211; not eligible for award amount\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><em>Students enrolled less than \u00bd time MAY be eligible to receive funds dependent on reason why student is enrolled less than \u00bd time. Student would need to complete Lottery Less Than Half-Time Exception Request form for MTSU to determine eligibility for less than \u00bd time award amount<\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Students must be enrolled in all Summer 2026 classes by June 15, 2026 to receive payment of TELS Lottery Scholarship.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All Summer Lottery funds will be awarded AFTER Spring grades are posted in mid-May.&nbsp;&nbsp;If student has registered for Summer classes and student is eligible, the Summer Lottery scholarship will be&nbsp;awarded approximately one week after Spring grades are posted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you have not received your Summer 2026 lottery award by June 15, 2026, please contact the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/one-stop\/\">MT One Stop<\/a> immediately.&nbsp; We have a limited timeframe in which we can&nbsp;process Summer Lottery Scholarship payments.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>*<\/em>Summer Lottery awards will not be applied to any student\u2019s account by the first fee-payment deadline for the Summer semester. Students are responsible for paying any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/tuition\/\">tuition<\/a> and fee not covered by other financial aid. <em>Please Note: <\/em>Additional steps may be required before Summer Lottery Scholarships are applied to student&#8217;s account.<strong> If a student meets any of the bullets listed below, please contact the <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/one-stop\/\"><strong>MT One Stop<\/strong><\/a><strong> <\/strong><strong>for special assistance.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Are a new transfer student for the Summer term.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are participating in a consortium or study abroad program for the Spring and\/or Summer terms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are only able to register for one course at the beginning of the term due to&nbsp;required prerequisites.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>**IMPORTANT**<\/strong> If students drop or add classes after Lottery Scholarship is applied, the scholarship amount may increase or decrease. Student will be responsible for repaying any portion of the award that is reduced due to dropping courses <strong>BEFORE <\/strong>the July fee payment deadline.&nbsp;If student adds classes <strong>AFTER<\/strong> the July fee payment deadline, or fail to contact us about a missing or incorrect award by that date, we <em>may<\/em> be unable to assist student with Lottery Scholarship funds. However, the attempted hours and grades&nbsp;<strong>will&nbsp;<\/strong>still be counted in determining future Lottery Scholarship eligibility.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If student changes enrollment status by dropping classes after the July fee payment deadline (such as dropping from full-time to less than 12 hours, or dropping from part-time to less than 6 hours), student will permanently lose eligibility for the Lottery Scholarship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We&nbsp;<em>strongly<\/em>&nbsp;recommend that speaking with the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/one-stop\/\">MT One Stop<\/a>&nbsp;<em>before<\/em>&nbsp;stopping attendance, adding or dropping any Summer courses after the term starts in May, since such an action may result in having to repay some or all of the Lottery Scholarship or losing future eligibility for the Lottery Scholarship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Home School Students&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Effective Fall 2021, for students who graduated high school on or after July 1<sup>st<\/sup>, 2021, AND are a Tennessee resident who graduate from an approved home school program may be eligible to receive a HOPE Scholarship if they meet the requirements listed below for their specific category of high school:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Graduating from a Category 3 High School in Tennessee\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Must have at least an unweighted 3.00 final high school GPA OR<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Must have achieved a minimum 21 ACT Composite score or equivalent SAT score<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Graduating from a Category 4 or 5 High School in Tennessee\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Must have achieved a minimum 21 ACT Composite score or equivalent SAT composite score OR<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Must have completed at least 2 (or 6 hours) dual enrollment courses while in high school AND achieved at least a 3.00 GPA in each of the 2 dual enrollment courses AND a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00 in all dual enrollment courses attempted<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For information regarding the specific categories of high schools (or nonpublic schools), <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tn.gov\/content\/tn\/education\/families\/school-options\/non-public-schools.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Click Here<\/a>.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tennessee residents who graduate from an approved home school program AND are eligible to receive a HOPE Scholarship may also be eligible to receive a General Assembly Merit (GAMS) Scholarship if the following is applicable:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Must meet the initial HOPE Scholarship requirements as a graduate from an approved home school program<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Must have achieved a minimum 29 ACT Composite score or equivalent SAT composite score&nbsp;for GAMS consideration;&nbsp;<strong>AND<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Prior to high school graduation, enrolled in at least four (4) dual enrollment courses totaling at least twelve (12) semester hours at an eligible postsecondary institution and achieved a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0;&nbsp;<strong>OR<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prior to high school graduation, participated in a Governor\u2019s School program, and achieved a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0;&nbsp;<strong>OR<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prior to high school graduation, took two (2) Advanced Placement (AP) exams and made a score of at least three (3);&nbsp;<strong>OR<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prior to high school graduation, took one (1) College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) test and made a score of at least 55<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship (TELS) continuing eligibility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To remain eligible and continue to receive the Lottery Scholarship year after year, students must meet continuing Lottery Scholarship eligibility requirements regarding GPA and enrollment status and federal <a href=\"https:\/\/w1.mtsu.edu\/policies\/academic-affairs-students\/320.php\">Satisfactory Academic Progress<\/a> standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">GPA requirements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>a 2.75 cumulative TELS GPA after the first 24 and 48 TELS attempted credit hours.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>a 3.0 TELS GPA after attempting 72, 96,&nbsp; 120 and any multiple of 24 credit hours thereafter.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>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. Grades for all courses taken after high school graduation, including repeated courses, are included in the TELS GPA.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Continuous enrollment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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 enroll in Summer classes; however, all Summer courses will be included in the TELS attempted hours and GPA.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8220;Repeat&#8221; provision<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Students are allowed to repeat a single class and request that the earlier grade be excluded from the TELS GPA. (A student may repeat multiple classes according to institutional policy, but only <em><strong>one<\/strong><\/em> grade may be excluded for TELS purposes.) When a student reachs the next bracket (at 48, 72, 96 TELS attempted hours) <em>after<\/em> the course is repeated, the excluded grade will not be considered in determining whether the student meets the Lottery GPA requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A student must submit a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/forms\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"30\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Repeat Option Request Form<\/a>&nbsp;to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/one-stop\/\">MT One Stop<\/a> to request that a repeated grade be excluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8220;Regain&#8221; provision<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If student lost the Lottery Scholarship because of grades, student may be able to get it back:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Must meet requirement of at least a 2.75 TELS GPA after 48 TELS attempted hours, a 3.0 TELS GPA after 72 and 96 TELS attempted hours, or a 2.75 cumulative TELS GPA <strong><em>and<\/em> <\/strong>a 3.0 semester GPA after 72 and 96 TELS attempted hours (for provisional eligibility); please see below for the full provisional rules.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Must meet all other continuing eligibility criteria for every semester, including semesters for which the student did not receive a TELS award:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Must have been enrolled in at least one hour every Fall and Spring semester<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>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.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Must meet all other continuing eligibility criteria as stated in TSAC&#8217;s TELS policy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the current year. The FAFSA must be processed <em>every<\/em> year by September 1.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Students may regain the TELS award beginning with the semester after attempting 48, 72, and 96 hours as defined by TSAC&#8217;s TELS policy. Awards cannot be applied retroactively to prior semesters. Students must submit a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/forms\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"30\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Regain Option Form<\/a>&nbsp;to notify the Financial Aid Office of eligibility under the Regain Provision, or may contact the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/one-stop\/\">MT One Stop<\/a>&nbsp;by email or in person to request a TELS status review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Provisional eligibility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A student who, at the end of a semester, reaches the 72 or 96 hour benchmark <strong>and <\/strong>has a 2.75 &#8211; 2.99 TELS GPA <strong>and<\/strong> at least a 3.0 MTSU semester GPA for the current semester in which the benchmark is reached may be provisionally eligible for the TELS award. IF student is Provisionally Eligible to receive award, the student must earn a 3.0 MTSU semester GPA for each semester (including the benchmark semester) AND must be enrolled full-time each Fall and Spring semester to maintain TELS eligibility under the provisional rules. Students may use the Repeat and Regain Options to be eligible under provisional rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Please Note:<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"hours\">Enrollment Status &amp; Fund Disbursement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Eligibility\/Disbursement of TELS funds for a semester is based on student\u2019s enrollment in Coursework towards their Program of Study (CPoS) classes. &nbsp;For more information regarding Coursework Toward Program of Study (CPoS),&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/cpos\/impact.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Click Here<\/strong><\/a>. Lottery Scholarship award amounts are prorated based on student&#8217;s CPoS enrollment each semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Undergraduate students, TELS Lottery Scholarships would be prorated as follows based on CPoS enrollment status:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Full Time (12+ hours) &#8211; 100% of award amount<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>3\/4 Time (9-11 hours) &#8211; 75% of award amount<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1\/2 Time (6-8 hours) &#8211; 50% of award amount<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Less than 1\/2 time (1-5 hours) &#8211; not eligible for award amount\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Students enrolled less than \u00bd time MAY be eligible to receive funds dependent on reason why student is enrolled less than \u00bd time. Student would need to complete Lottery Less Than Half-Time Exception Request form for MTSU to determine eligibility for less than \u00bd time award amount<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For Graduate students, TELS Lottery Scholarships would be prorated as follows based on CPoS enrollment status:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Full Time (9+ hours) &#8211; 100% of award amount<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>3\/4 Time (7-8 hours) &#8211; 75% of award amount<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1\/2 Time (5-6 hours) &#8211; 50% of award amount<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Less than 1\/2 time (1-4 hours) &#8211; not eligible for award amount\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Students enrolled less than \u00bd time MAY be eligible to receive funds dependent on reason why student is enrolled less than \u00bd time. Student would need to complete Lottery Less Than Half-Time Exception Request form for MTSU to determine eligibility for less than \u00bd time award amount<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A TELS recipient must maintain their enrollment status every Fall and Spring semester. (Example: A student receiving a full-time scholarship award must remain enrolled in at least 12 hours through the end of the semester. A student receiving a part-time scholarship award must remain enrolled in at least 6 hours through the end of the term.) A student who withdraws\/stops attending and drops below the required number of hours will lose the Lottery Scholarship for all future semesters and may be required to repay all or a portion of the current semester awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If extenuating circumstances prevent a student from meeting Continuous Enrollment requirements, the student may be eligible for an appeal. Please visit the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/appeals\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"57\">Financial Aid Appeals webpage<\/a> for more information about filing a TELS appeal. TELS 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Effective Fall 2023, any TELS eligible student who is enrolled less than half-time in Coursework towards Program of Study (CPoS) MAY be eligible to receive a less than half-time TELS award amount dependent on the reason why student is enrolled less than \u00bd time. Approved reasons for enrolling less than half-time are defined as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Student is in final semester of college and is expected to graduate at end of semester<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Student unable to enroll half-time or greater in CPoS eligible coursework for semester<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Student\u2019s Program of study restricts students to enrolling less than half-time for semester<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Students who are enrolled less than half-time CPoS and meet 1 of the approved reasons above should complete the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/forms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Lottery Less Than Half-Time Exception Request form<\/u><\/a> for MTSU to determine eligibility for a less than \u00bd time TELS award. Documentation of inability to enroll half-time or greater (i.e. statement from Advisor, printout of DegreeWorks) will be required to be submitted with the Lottery Less Than Half-Time Exception Request form in order for request to be approved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Time limits<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Effective starting the Fall 2023 semester, a TELS recipient who meets the above requirements may receive the Lottery Scholarship until the first of the following events occurs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>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).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The student completes advanced degree program (i.e. Masters or Doctoral). Completion of baccalaureate degree is no longer a terminating event.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Non-Traditional Lottery Scholarship<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Effective for the fall 2022 semester, students who are considered independent for financial aid purposes, per the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), may qualify for a Lottery Scholarship of up to $2,850.00 per semester.\u00a0 A student must meet residency, financial need, and academic requirements to qualify. Students may qualify for a Tennessee Non-Traditional Lottery Scholarship if able to answer YES to ALL of the following questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list is-style-compact-list\">\n<li>Completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the current academic year<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tennessee resident<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adjusted Gross Income (AGI), including spouse\u2019s if married, is equal or less than $36,000.00<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do NOT have a Bachelor\u2019s degree<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have attempted at least 12 credit hours, and have minimally maintained a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75, on coursework attempted for the Fall 2022 semester or after*<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><em>*Per TSAC guidance, coursework earned prior to the Fall 2022 semester may not be considered to establish eligibility under the \u201cnew\u201d non-traditional lottery rules that take effect for the Fall 2022 semester<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To request a review of your eligibility, please complete the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/forms\/\">Tennessee Lottery Non-Traditional Review Form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">TN Reconnect Grant to Non-Traditional Lottery Scholarship Pathway<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>If student is transferring to MTSU, and either received or were eligible to receive the Tennessee Reconnect Grant at the prior school, student may qualify for a Lottery Scholarship of up to $2,850.00 per semester.\u00a0 A student must meet residency and academic requirements to qualify. Students may qualify for a Tennessee Non-Traditional Lottery Scholarship through the TN-Reconnect Grant Pathway if able to answer YES to ALL of the following questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the current academic year<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tennessee resident<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adjusted Gross Income (AGI), including spouse\u2019s if married, is equal or less than $36,000.00<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do NOT have a Bachelor\u2019s degree<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Graduated with an Associate\u2019s degree while maintaining eligibility for the Tennessee Reconnect Grant<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Immediately enrolled or are enrolling in a Bachelor\u2019s degree program at MTSU within 1 required semester of graduation with Associate\u2019s degree (Summer is not a required semester)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>To request a review of eligibility, please complete the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/forms\/\">Tennessee Lottery Non-Traditional Review Form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Non-traditional Continuing Eligibility requirements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A student who initially qualifies for a Lottery Scholarship under non-traditional rules will continue to be eligible as long as meet continuing eligibility requirements <strong><em>and<\/em> <\/strong>has an Adjusted Gross Income of $36,000 or less on the FAFSA. If a student meets all renewal criteria other than the AGI requirement, the student will not be eligible to receive an award amount at that time but may be able to qualify in a future academic year if the AGI drops below $36,000.<br><br>Effective starting the Fall 2021 semester, an eligible non-traditional student shall continue receiving the Lottery Scholarship until the FIRST of the following TERMINATING events:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Student completes an advanced degree program (i.e. Masters or Doctoral). Completion of baccalaureate degree is no longer a terminating event; or<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Five (5) years have passed since the student enrolled in an eligible post-secondary institution as a non-traditional student<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">TELS for Advanced Degrees (i.e. Masters or Doctoral)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Effective Fall 2023 &#8211; If student received a baccalaureate degree from an eligible Tennessee institution on-or-after July 1, 2023, received either the traditional or non-traditional Lottery Scholarship for at least 1 semester, have not already reached maximum 5 year Lottery Scholarship program completion limit, AND if enrolled in an eligible advanced degree program (i.e. Masters or Doctoral), student may continue to receive the Lottery Scholarship until 1 of the following events occurs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Student completes an advanced degree program (i.e. Masters or Doctoral). Completion of baccalaureate degree is no longer a terminating event; or<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Five (5) years have passed since the student enrolled in an eligible post-secondary institution as a non-traditional student<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Students must enroll in the next immediate required Fall or Spring semester after graduating with their baccalaureate degree to maintain TELS continuing eligibility. Failure to do so will result in a total and permanent loss of TELS eligibility; however, if student has a valid and documentable circumstance, they may appeal the loss. For more information on filing an appeal, please visit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/appeals\/#lottery\">https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/appeals\/#lottery<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Students will NOT receive a TELS award for courses attempted towards a certificate (undergraduate or graduate) program OR on a 2<sup>nd<\/sup> baccalaureate degree. For lottery purposes, these programs are NOT considered advanced degrees. However if student maintains continuing eligibility while enrolled in certificate program or 2<sup>nd<\/sup> baccalaureate degree program, does not reach a terminating TELS event, and later enrolls in an eligible advanced degree program (i.e. Masters or Doctoral), student MAY potentially be eligible to receive a TELS awards as a graduate student at that time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An Advanced degree (i.e. Masters or Doctoral) TELS recipient must maintain their enrollment status each Fall and Spring semester. (For example, a graduate student receiving a full-time award must remain enrolled in at least 9 graduate level hours through the end of the semester. A graduate student receiving a part-time award must remain enrolled in at least 5 graduate level hours through the end of the semester.) A student who withdraws\/stops attending and drops below the required number of hours will lose eligibility for all future semesters, and may be required to repay all or some of the current semester awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Advanced degree (i.e. Masters or Doctoral) TELS purposes, enrollment status at MTSU is defined below. Advanced degree\/Graduate students must be enrolled at least \u00bd time CPoS to be eligible to receive TELS funds for semester:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Full-Time: 9 or more credit hours<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00be Time: 7-8 credit hours<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00bd Time: 5-6 credit hours<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Less than \u00bd time: 1-4 credit hours\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Students enrolled less than \u00bd time MAY be eligible to receive funds dependent on reason why student is enrolled less than \u00bd time. Student would need to complete Lottery Less Than Half-Time Exception Request form for MTSU to determine eligibility for less than \u00bd time award amount<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>As with undergraduate TELS, advanced degree TELS may only be awarded and paid on credit hours applicable towards the students&#8217; major. Semester classes must be CPoS eligible to receive lottery funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Transferring Lottery Scholarship to MTSU from another institution<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If student is currently receiving a Tennessee Educational Lottery Scholarship (TELS) scholarship at another college or university, student will need to complete the following steps so that Lottery Scholarship eligibility will follow when transfer to MTSU.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These steps are also applicable for students who are admitted into an Advanced degree program (i.e. Masters or Doctoral) at MTSU, who previously received TELS at a prior institution, who have remaining years of eligibility, and who graduated with their 1<sup>st<\/sup> baccalaureate degree on-or-after July 1, 2023:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/pipeline.mtsu.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Pipeline.mtsu.edu<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and log in<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click on\u00a0<strong>Registration &amp; Student Records<\/strong> on the left menu<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click on the&nbsp;<strong>Transcrip<\/strong>t icon<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enter the Transcript Level and Transcript Type and click Submit<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Scroll down to the bottom to check for the most recent semester&#8217;s grades<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2)\u00a0 Notify the Financial Aid Office at current school. <\/strong>Inform your current school&#8217;s Financial Aid Office that you are planning to transfer, so they can cancel your future aid (including the Lottery Scholarship and any other grants, loans, or scholarships receiving there).\u00a0<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3)\u00a0 Add MTSU to Your FAFSA. <\/strong>If you did not list MTSU on your FAFSA as one of the institutions to receive your information, you will need to add our school code.\u00a0The Federal School Code for MTSU is\u00a0<strong>003510<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4)&nbsp; Notify TSAC that you are changing schools<\/strong>. It is important to inform the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) of which school you plan to attend. You may do so by visiting&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.collegefortn.org\/tsacstudentportal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">College Pays TN&#8217;s Student Portal<\/a>.&nbsp;If you have any questions you can contact TSAC by calling them at (800) 342-1663 or (615) 741-1346.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.collegefortn.org\/tsacstudentportal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation website<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Log in to the TSAC Student Portal.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If you have not previously logged in to the system, you will be required to create an account at the link provided.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>After signing in, locate the area displaying the current academic year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select link stating &#8220;Click here to process an institution transfer request for Academic Year 20__-20__&#8221;.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select drop down menu beside &#8220;Transfer to&#8221; and select institution you will be attending.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select &#8220;Process Transfer Request&#8221;.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5)&nbsp; Submit a TELS Transfer Notification form to the MT One Stop<\/strong>. If you are an Undergraduate student seeking your 1<sup>st<\/sup> baccalaureate degree &#8211; When you see all your transfer credits on your MTSU transcript, and you have&nbsp;made MTSU your school of record with TSAC for the applicable award year,&nbsp;complete the online&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/forms\/\">MTSU TELS Transfer Notification Form<\/a>. If you are a Graduate student you has already received their baccalaureate degree on-or-after July 1, 2023 from an eligible Tennessee institution, and are now seeking an Advanced degree (i.e. Masters or Doctoral) at MTSU, please complete the online <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/forms\/#Lottery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>TELS Graduate Transfer Notification form<\/u><\/a>.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>6)\u00a0 Are you transferring to MTSU mid-year?<\/strong> If you are transferring to MTSU in the middle of the academic year (for example, if you transfer in the Spring after attending another school in the Fall), please be aware that\u00a0you\u00a0<strong>may not receive your Lottery Scholarship award prior to the fee payment deadline and the beginning of classes, <\/strong>depending on the timing of when you complete all steps for eligibility processing. MTSU is required by state policies to verify your initial and continuing eligibility, and this process cannot be completed until you have taken all steps noted above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>7)&nbsp; Are you transferring back to Tennessee after attending an out-of-state college or university?<\/strong> If you were initially eligible for a TELS award upon completion of high school requirements, and were enrolled&nbsp;at a regionally accredited out-of-state post-secondary institution within 16 months after graduation,&nbsp;and are now transferring to an eligible Tennessee post-secondary institution, you may be eligible to receive the TELS award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Please Note:<\/strong> If you received your baccalaureate degree from an out-of-state institution, and you are transferring to MTSU in pursuit of an Advanced degree (i.e. Masters or Doctoral), you are ineligible to receive TN Lottery Scholarships; regardless of your eligibility at the point of graduating from high school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Checking your Lottery Scholarship status<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s important to periodically check your lottery scholarship status and other lottery information on your PipelineMT account. Here\u2019s how!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do I check my Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship (TELS) status and eligibility?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s important to periodically check your lottery scholarship status and other lottery information on your PipelineMT account. Here\u2019s how!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to <a href=\"http:\/\/pipeline.mtsu.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pipeline.mtsu.edu<\/a> and log in<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click on&nbsp;<strong>Financial Aid<\/strong> in the left menu<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click&nbsp;<strong>Lottery Eligibility<\/strong> icon<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select the term you want to check (ex. fall 2017)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The information at the top of the page is your eligibility information. If you\u2019ve lost your TELS award due to not meeting the GPA requirement at a benchmark, or you\u2019ve lost your TELS eligibility by dropping too many classes, this section will tell you that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don&#8217;t see your Tennessee Educational Lottery Scholarship (TELS) on your account?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The most common cause of a missing TELS award is that you listed a school other than MTSU first on your FAFSA. If you did, the state is going to plan to send your lottery scholarship funds to that other school!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Inform the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) of which school you plan to attend. You can do so by visiting College Pays TN&#8217;s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.collegefortn.org\/tsacstudentportal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Student Portal<\/a>. This is called changing your &#8216;school of record&#8217;. If you have questions you can contact TSAC by calling them at (800) 342-1663 or (615) 741-1346.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please contact the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/one-stop\/\">MT One Stop<\/a>&nbsp;after you&nbsp;update your school of record on the&nbsp;TSAC database for the applicable award year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Your award may not be posted because your high school may not have reported your final cumulative GPA to TSAC, or your GPA may have been reported so recently that TSAC has not yet notified MTSU.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Check with your high school counselor to make sure that he or she intends to report your final cumulative GPA to TSAC, the state agency which administers the lottery scholarship.&nbsp;<em>Please note that your high school guidance office cannot update your final GPA to TSAC until&nbsp;AFTER you have graduated from high school.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please contact the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/one-stop\/\">MT One Stop<\/a>&nbsp;once you have verified that&nbsp;your High School Guidance Office has reported your GPA to TSAC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You may not yet be able to see any financial aid posted to your MTSU student account, including the lottery scholarship or student loan offers.&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We may not have received your FAFSA yet; please file a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fafsa.gov.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FAFSA<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.fafsa.gov.\">.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You may not have listed MTSU on your FAFSA; please add MTSU (003510) to your <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fafsa.gov.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FAFSA<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.fafsa.ed.gov\/\">.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Your FAFSA may have been selected for verification, and we may still be waiting for you to submit required verification documents. Please submit the required documents; you should have received an email via your MTSU email account with information about how to view the list of requirements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You should receive an email regarding your financial aid package approximately 2-3 weeks after you file your FAFSA or submit your FAFSA to MTSU, if you have NOT been selected for verification. If you have been selected for verification, you should receive an email regarding your financial aid package approximately 3-4 weeks after you submit all required verification paperwork.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If eligible to receive a Lottery scholarship for the Fall 2025, Spring 2026 and\/or Summer 2026 semesters AND have not received payment of funds by June 15, 2026, please contact the MTOneStop by July 1, 2026 to ensure payment of funds is received in timely manner. If the MTOneStop is not notified of student&#8217;s potential [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-121","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1414,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/121\/revisions\/1414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/financial-aid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}