HOPE Scholarship Eligibility Requirements

See below for the Eligibility information that is posted on the State of Tennessee's HOPE Lottery Scholarship Website under the "Eligibility" Tab.

 

Entering freshmen must meet the following criteria to receive the HOPE Scholarship

  • Be a Tennessee resident as classified by the Tennessee Board of Regents; pursuant to TCA 49-8-104,
  • Graduate from a TN eligible high school,
    • Exceptions may be granted to TN residents who graduate from high schools located in states other than Tennessee. They include:
      • High schools located in bordering out-of-state counties
      • High schools in which dependents of active duty military members or civilian workers of the US Department of Defense, Tennessee National Guard on active duty may attend.
      • Members of the Armed Forces or TN National Guard must have Tennessee as the Home of Record at the time of entry into military service; or be classified as an in-state student under the Tennessee Board of Regents promulgated rules by the FAFSA application date.
      • High schools in which dependents of full-time religious workers in foreign nations may attend.
      • Out-of-state boarding schools that are regionally accredited or accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).
  • Enroll in one of the Tennessee public colleges, universities, or private colleges. Click Here for listing.
  • Entering freshmen must achieve a minimum of a 21 ACT or a minimum of 1060 SAT, exclusive of the essay and optional subject area battery tests (concordant equivalent score) OR
  • Overall minimum 3.0 grade point average (GPA*)
  • Home School graduates – Click the link to learn more about the HOPE Scholarship for home school students.
  • GED ® recipients – minimum 21 ACT exclusive of the essay and optional subject area battery tests and qualifying GED ® score. Minimum average Revised GED ® score is 170.
  • HiSet recipients – minimum 21 ACT exclusive of the essay and optional subject area battery tests and qualifying HiSet score. Minimum average HiSet score is 15.
  • ACT/SAT exams must be taken on a national test date or state test date and prior to the first day of college enrollment. The ACT Residual test and the ACT Superscore are not accepted.
  • Must enroll within 16 months following high school graduation at any postsecondary institution. 

*Grade point average means a grade point average on a 4.0 scale calculated with additional internal quality points awarded for advanced placement, honors or other similar courses according to the Uniform Grading Policy adopted by the State Board of Education.

 

Eligibility of Transfer Students from Colleges and Universities outside of Tennessee

A student who is otherwise eligible for the HOPE Scholarship but instead enrolls in an out-of-state regionally accredited postsecondary institution either immediately following high school graduation or up to 16 months immediately following high school graduation may transfer to an eligible Tennessee postsecondary institution as a degree seeking student and receive the HOPE Scholarship as described in TCA 49-4-929.

At the point of enrollment at the out-of-state institution, the student must maintain continuous enrollment and meet renewal requirements as described above without the HOPE Scholarship. All requisite eligibility requirements must be met while attaining the appropriate cumulative GPA at the corresponding benchmark.

If at any time the student drops from full-time enrollment to part-time enrollment or withdraws from the out-of-state regionally accredited postsecondary institution, the student will no longer meet the minimum requirements as described in TCA 49-4-929. However, upon transferring to an eligible TN postsecondary institution, the student may appeal the ineligible status in order to restore HOPE Scholarship eligibility if the change in enrollment status was due to a documented medical or personal reason. Click here for more details.

Please note: grades earned at the out-of-state postsecondary institution cannot be appealed.

 

Renewal Criteria

  • The student must have a minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA at the end of the semester in which the student attempted 24 and 48 semester hours.
  • The student must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA at the end of the semester in which the student attempted 72 semester hours and any multiple of 24 semester hours thereafter.
  • If the student does not have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA at the end of the semester in which the student attempted 72 semester hours and any multiple of 24 semester hours thereafter, then the student must:
    • Have a minimum 2.75 – 2.99 cumulative GPA and have a semester GPA of at least 3.0 at the end of the semester in which the student attempted 72 semester hours and any multiple of 24 semester hours thereafter. The student’s continued eligibility will be determined on a semester-by-semester basis and must maintain full-time enrollment.
  • If a student ceases to be academically eligible for the HOPE Scholarship, the student may regain the award one-time only. The award may be re-established once the student meets any of the above criteria and maintains continuous enrollment and satisfactory academic progress at an eligible postsecondary institution without the HOPE Scholarship.
  • The student must re-apply each year by completing the FAFSA and be continuously enrolled at an eligible postsecondary institution in the fall and spring semesters and maintain satisfactory academic progress.

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