New HOPE Scholarship Requirements Broaden Eligibility, Help Retention

The Tennessee legislature has approved changes to the HOPE lottery scholarship program including provisions to ease requirements so more students can retain the scholarships.

Beginning with the fall 2008 semester, a student will retain the scholarship if a 2.75 cumulative GPA is maintained at the 24-hour and 48-hour benchmarks. Once the student hitsthe 72-hour benchmark, the student can retain the scholarship in either of the following ways:

• Maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA at each of the remaining benchmarks until graduation, starting with the 72-hour benchmark.
• Maintain a 3.0 GPA each semester beginning with the semester that crosses the 72-hour benchmark if the cumulative GPA is between 2.75 and 2.99 at the remaining benchmarks. Students who lose the award when the term GPA falls below 3.0 GPA will lose the scholarship for one semester, but they can regain it by bringing their GPA up to a 3.0 again.

Students are eligible for the lottery scholarship for five years from the time of initial enrollment.

Please note that these are preliminary interpretations concerning the latest legislative changes to the HOPE lottery program. These interpretations are subject to change pending the receipt of final official guidelines from the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) regarding the HOPE lottery program. Once all finalized regulations are received, HOPE recipients will be notified and the information will be posted accordingly.

Questions about the HOPE lottery scholarship should be directed to the U of M Scholarship Office at 901-678-3213.

For official information about the HOPE lottery scholarship, please go to: http://www.collegepaystn.com/