NEW RULE CHANGES FOR THE TENNESSEE EDUCATION LOTTERY SCHOLARSHIP (TELS) PROGRAM

EFFECTIVE FALL 2005

We encourage you to read the following information carefully. The General Assembly revised a number of the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship rules. Some of these rule changes may apply to you this term or may enable you to regain your Lottery Scholarship in the future.

We received the new rules on Thursday, August 18 and are working diligently to put them in place for the 2005 fall term. Please be patient as we make these adjustments, but do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

SCHOLARSHIP OFFICE – 439-7094

ARC – Second Floor, D.P. Culp Center

ADMISSIONS – 439-4213

Room 106, Burgin Dossett Hall

REGAINING YOUR TENNESSEE EDUCATION LOTTERY SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

If you lost your TELS award due to your gpa, you now have a chance to earn it back. Your gpa will be reviewed again when you hit the next 24 attempted hour checkpoint. If you have the required gpa, you may receive your TELS award for the next term. During the time between losing your TELS award and reaching the next checkpoint, you must have:

Continued to meet all applicable non-academic requirements for the TELS award
Maintained continuous enrollment at an eligible postsecondary institution
Reapplied for the TELS award by completing the FAFSA in a timely manner (by September 1 for the fall term, February 1 for spring and summer terms)

You will not receive a retroactive award for the semester hours attempted in order to regain the scholarship.

If you lost the General Assembly Merit Scholarship due to grades and then regain your TELS eligibility, you will only be eligible for the Hope Scholarship (or Need Based Supplement) and will not be entitled to the additional General Assembly Merit Scholarship funds.

Remember these are the checkpoints and the required gpa’s:

24 attempted hours - 2.75 gpa

48 attempted hours – 3.0 gpa

72 attempted hours – 3.0 gpa

96 attempted hours – 3.0 gpa

YOU MUST HAVE A COMPLETED FAFSA ON FILE BY SEPTEMBER 1

TO RECEIVE TELS FUNDING FOR THE 2005 FALL TERM

REPEATING A CLASS

Under the original rules all classes completed after high school graduation, including repeated classes, were used in your Lottery gpa calculation.

Under the new rules, you may repeat one class, one time and replace the lower grade with the higher grade in your Lottery gpa calculation. However, both classes will count in the total number of attempted hours.

YOU MUST PETITION TO HAVE THE REPEATED CLASS USED TO REPLACE THE LOWER GRADE IN YOUR LOTTERY GPA CALCULATION! GO TO THE RECORDS OFFICE, ROOM 101, BURGIN DOSSETT HALL.

YOU MAY PETITION TO USE A CLASS YOU HAVE ALREADY REPEATED, PRIOR TO THE 2005 FALL SEMESTER. GO TO THE RECORDS OFFICE, ROOM 101, BURGIN DOSSETT HALL.

IF YOU PETITION TO HAVE A REPEATED CLASS COUNTED IN YOUR LOTTERY GPA, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO REGAIN YOUR TELS AWARD BUT ONLY AT THE CHECKPOINT FOLLOWING THE COMPLETION OF THE REPEATED CLASS.

YOU MUST HAVE A COMPLETED FAFSA ON FILE BY SEPTEMBER 1

TO RECEIVE TELS FUNDING FOR THE 2005 FALL TERM

ATTENDING AN OUT-OF-STATE COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY

Under the original rules if you were eligible for a TELS award and chose to attend an out-of-state college/university, you relinquished your eligibility for a TELS award, even if you transferred back to an in-state institution.

Under the new rules, you may now be eligible for a TELS award if you met all of the eligibility and retention requirements.

YOU MUST HAVE A COMPLETED FAFSA ON FILE BY SEPTEMBER 1

TO RECEIVE TELS FUNDING FOR THE 2005 FALL TERM

NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS

Under the new rules, some non-traditional students will be eligible to receive a TELS award when all of the following conditions are met.

If you:

are 25 years of age or older before the first day of classes
are a Tennessee resident for one year prior to the first day of classes
are a first-time freshman with no previous post-secondary classes attempted

And you:

have earned a 2.75 gpa when you have attempted 24 semester hours (or the required gpa at a subsequent checkpoint)
have an Adjusted Gross Income of $36,000 or less on your FAFSA

Then, you will be eligible for the Hope Scholarship for the following semester. You will not be eligible for the General Assembly Merit Scholarship or the Aspire (Need Based Supplement) award. Your continued eligibility will be dependent upon your Adjusted Gross Income.

If you are a Non-Traditional student and have any questions, please contact the Adult, Commuter, and Transfer Services Office. You may call 439-5641 and ask for Dr. Carla Warner, or stop by the ARC, second floor of the D.P. Culp Center.

FAILURE TO TIMELY ENROLL IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION

Under the old rules, you were required to enroll in a TELS eligible college or university for the fall term immediately following high school graduation. If you did not enroll then, you relinquished your TELS eligibility.

Under the new rules, you may take 16 months off between high school graduation and enrolling in a college/university. This rule change is retroactive to the 2004 high school graduates, but does not apply to the 2003 high school graduates.

If you graduated from high school in 2004 with a 3.0 high school gpa or a 21 on the ACT and this fall term will be your first term in college, you may be eligible for a TELS award.

YOU MUST HAVE A COMPLETED FAFSA ON FILE BY SEPTEMBER 1

TO RECEIVE TELS FUNDING FOR THE 2005 FALL TERM

FAILURE TO FILE FAFSA IN PREVIOUS YEARS

Under the old rules, if you failed to file your FAFSA and did not participate in the TELS program (or chose not to participate in the TELS program) the first semester you were eligible, you relinquished your TELS eligibility.

Under the new rules, you may now file the 2005-06 FAFSA and receive a TELS award if you otherwise have maintained your TELS eligibility. This rule change applies to 2004 high school graduates but does not apply to the 2003 high school graduates.

YOU MUST HAVE A COMPLETED FAFSA ON FILE BY SEPTEMBER 1

TO RECEIVE TELS FUNDING FOR THE 2005 FALL TERM

All Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship rules are subject to change. Visit the Tennessee Education Student Assistance Corporation’s website for the most up to date information: www.state.tn.us/tsac