Retaining the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship (TELS)
To continue to receive the lottery scholarship year after year, you must meet continuing eligibility requirements regarding GPA and enrollment status, as well as Satisfactory Academic Progress.
GPA Requirements
- Maintain 2.75 cumulative TELS GPA after the first 24 and 48 TELS attempted credit hours
- Maintain 3.0 cumulative TELS GPA after attempting 72, 96, and 120 TELS attempted credit hours
- At the 72- hour benchmark and subsequent benchmarks, a student may provisionally qualify with a 2.75 cumulative TELS GPA and a 3.0 semester GPA. Grades for all courses taken after high school graduation, including repeated courses, are included in the TELS GPA.
Course Program of Study (CPoS)
Beginning Fall 2021, students may only receive HOPE funds for courses that count toward a student’s program of study (your declared major). Please note that all courses still count as attempted hours and are considered when evaluating eligibility when a student has reached a benchmark.
Grade Changes
In the event of a grade change, the Lottery Coordinator must be notified immediately to ensure that all grades are included in the calculation process when determining eligibility. If a grade change results in the loss of previously paid HOPE funds, adjustments will be made and student may owe a balance to the University. This could also result in the loss of HOPE funds forever.
Repeat Provision
You can repeat a single class and request that the earlier grade be excluded from the TELS GPA. (A student can repeat multiple classes according to the institutional policy, but only ONE grade may be excluded for TELS purposes). When you reach the next benchmark (48, 72, 96 TELS attempted hours) after the course is repeated, the excluded grade will not be considered in determining whether the student meets the GPA requirement.
A student must submit the Class Repeat with a Better Grade form to the Tennessee Tech Office of Financial Aid in order to request that the repeated grade be excluded.
Continuous Enrollment
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.
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 (6 credit hours) every semester to receive the scholarship for that semester. A TELS recipient is not required to attend during summer terms; however, all summer courses will be included in the TELS attempted hours and GPA.
Changes in Enrollment Status after Census Date
The institutionally defined census date at Tennessee Tech University is the 14th day of the term. As of midnight on the 14th day, courses will be locked. If a student officially drops courses after that date and it causes a change in status (i.e., from full-time to part-time, part-time to less than part-time, or full-time to less than part-time), a student may lose the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship for all future semesters. Students enrolled with full-time status, as of institutionally defined census date, may not convert to part-time status (or less) within the same semester and receive a scholarship award for the succeeding semesters. If there is a change in enrollment status due to extenuating circumstances, a student may submit a Lottery appeal. Please contact the Financial Aid Office if you are considering dropping a course(s) to discuss your options.
Co-op or Military Leave
In the event that a Lottery recipient is approved for a Cooperative Education program, or has been notified about an upcoming Military Leave, those funds may be put on “hold” during the leave of absence. Please notify the Financial Aid Office for additional information.
