You cannot appeal the loss of your lottery scholarship based on failure to meet the gpa requirements, but you can earn it back.
Regaining your TELS award
If you lose your TELS award due to your gpa, you can earn it back by improving your grades. We will review your gpa again when you reach the next checkpoint. If you then have the required gpa, you will regain your scholarship for the next major semester. You will not receive a retroactive TELS award for the semester(s) during which you improved your gpa. And you can only regain your TELS award one time.
If you lose the General Assembly Merit Scholarship due to grades and then regain your eligibility, you will only receive the Hope Scholarship (or Need Based Supplement, if you qualify) and you will not be entitled to the additional General Assembly Merit Scholarship funds.
Attempted hours do not include
- College level classes completed before high school graduation or any credit hours earned by examination (AP, CLEP, or challenge exams)
- Classes that you audit
Attempted hours include
- All classes for which you have registered, including developmental studies classes and classes in
which you have received a "W" or an "I"
- All classes dropped after the end of the second week of classes (census date)
- All previous classes taken, even those that are considered “non-transferable” (if you transferred from another school)
- Any class for which you have received a grade, even if you repeat the class. But, you can petition to have ONE repeated grade replace a previous grade in your TELS gpa. (Both classes will count in your total number of attempted hours.) You can do this ONE TIME ONLY. But, even if using the repeated grade raises your gpa to the required level, you will only regain your TELS award at the next checkpoint. Use your ONE TIME wisely. The forms are available in the Records Office, room 101 Burgin Dossett Hall
TELS GPA VS. ETSU GPA
Under TELS rules, your "TELS gpa" is calculated and reviewed after every 24 attempted hours as described above. It is this figure that determines whether you have met the gpa requirement to remain eligible to receive the TELS award. Your “TELS gpa” may be different than your “ETSU gpa”. The "ETSU gpa" reflects all hours earned and recalculates when you repeat a course, but it is not used for determining TELS eligibility. You can track your TELS gpa throughGoldLink.
Full-time vs. Part-time status
- Eligible students enrolled in 6-8 hours receive half of a TELS award
- Eligible students enrolled in 9-11 hours receive ¾ of a TELS award
BUT
Students receiving TELS who are full-time (12 hours or more) as of the census date and change to part-time status
will lose eligibility for a TELS award for all subsequent semesters, unless you request and the Office of Financial
Aid approves the change. You must have documented medical or personal grounds such as illness, death or illness of
immediate family member, or extreme financial hardship. Part-time students receiving TELS who drop below 6 hours
will lose eligibility for a TELS award for all subsequent semesters unless you request and the Office of Financial
Aid approves the change. You must have documented medical or personal grounds such as illness, death or illness of
immediate family member, or extreme financial hardship.
If you are enrolled in 9-11 hours and are receiving ¾ of a TELS award and then drop to 6-8 hours after
the census date, you will not lose your eligibility for future TELS awards, but you may be required to repay
the overaward.
Continuous Enrollment Required
Think twice about taking a break from school!
You MUST maintain continuous enrollment in order to maintain your TELS eligibility. That means that you MUST be
enrolled for the fall and spring semester every year. You do not have to be enrolled in summer school. If you need
to take a break for verifiable and documentable personal or medical reasons such as illness or medical treatment of
yourself or of an immediate family member, extreme financial hardship of your immediate family, or to fulfill a
religious commitment expected of all students of your faith, you MUST petition ETSU's Institutional Review Panel for
a Leave of Absence IN ADVANCE. Emergency situations, which will not become verifiable and documentable until after
the fact (such as injuries sustained in an accident or the death of an immediate family member), will be addressed
on a case-by-case basis, but in most circumstances, you will have adequate opportunity to request a leave of
absence BEFORE you leave ETSU for all non-emergency medical and personal situations. Students who choose to
participate in a short course or other personal or professional development program for which ETSU does not grant
academic credit MUST request a leave of absence BEFORE they withdraw from their current enrollment. Failure to
request the leave of absence BEFORE participating in such programs necessitating not being enrolled at ETSU will
result in loss of the scholarship. If you are mobilized for active duty military service, you can receive a
personal Leave of Absence and your TELS eligibility will not be affected.
Finish each semester you start
If you fail to complete a semester for any reason, you must repay your TELS award unless you file and
are granted a refund from the comptroller's office. You must provide written documentation substantiating
your reasons for the appeal.
Grade changes
If you have lost your TELS award and receive a grade change which reinstates your eligibility, you must
notify the office of financial aid within 30 calendar days of the grade change. This includes changing an
Incomplete "I" grade. If you fail to complete the "I" or if your completed grade makes you ineligible for
the TELS award, you must repay any award you received since the "I" grade was posted.
Transient (visiting) students
You may be eligible for a TELS award if you "visit" another TELS eligible school for a semester.
You should contact the office of financial aid at your "home" institution for the appropriate form.
Remember, if you have already received a TELS award for the fall and spring semesters, you cannot receive
TELS funds for the summer semester.
Awards made in error
If you receive a TELS award for which you are not eligible, and the mistake is later discovered,
you must repay the award.
You can receive a
TELS award until the first of the following occurs:
- You earn a baccalaureate degree
- You attempt a total of 120 hours (exceptions are made for some programs which require more
than 120 hours to graduate)
- Five years have passed since you initially enrolled at any postsecondary institution
You must reapply every year!
You must complete the renewal FAFSA every year. The application deadline is September 1 for fall term and
February 1 for spring and summer terms. You can pick up a FAFSA form in the Office of Financial Aid or
apply on-line at http://www.FAFSA.ed.gov.
Appeals Process
ETSU has established an Institutional Review Panel (IRP) to hear appeals for students who are denied or who
lose their TELS award. If you receive notice that you have lost your eligibility for a TELS award, you have 30
days to file an appeal with the Financial Aid Office (Additional time, up to a maximum total of 45 days, will
be granted in the event of verifiable, documented extenuating circumstances). To review specific instructions
and limitations and to access the appeal form, click HERE.
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