Tennessee State Scholarships

HOPE Scholarship

The HOPE Scholarship is established and funded from the net proceeds of the state lottery and awarded to entering freshmen who are enrolled at an eligible postsecondary institution within sixteen (16) months after graduating from a TN eligible high school. Awards range from $2,250 to $2,850 per semester depending on the year in college and enrollment status in the semester (awards are reduced or prorated if enrolled less than full time).

Eligibility Requirements - Entering freshmen must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a Tennessee resident as classified by the Tennessee Board of Education; 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)
  • 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 – minimum 21 ACT composite exclusive of the essay and optional subject area battery tests and/or 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA), depending on classification of home school per guidance from the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC)
  • GED ® recipients – minimum 21 ACT exclusive of the essay and optional subject area battery tests and qualifying GED ® score. The 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. The 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 is not accepted.
  • Must enroll within 16 months following high school graduation at any post-secondary institution.
  • Fisk University must be listed as the School of Record each year to potentially receive an award. Please ensure this is the case by accessing your TSAC Student Portal, and making changes here: https://clipslink.tsac.tn.gov/studentsignon/

*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 post-secondary 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 post-secondary institution cannot be appealed.

Renewal Criteria:

  • Students must re-apply for the HOPE Lottery Scholarship each year by completing the new year Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the following deadlines:
    • September 1 for each fall semester
    • March 1 for each spring semester
    • May 1 for each summer semester

Please Note:  Fisk University encourages all students to complete the new year FAFSA as soon as possible after it becomes available on October 1st of each year to ensure they meet all deadlines for State of Tennessee scholarships.

  • A student must successfully meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards at the institution that they are attending to receive the HOPE Lottery Scholarship.
  • A student may receive the HOPE Lottery Scholarship until they:
    • Graduate with an advanced degree (Masters or Doctorate – if student graduated with their 1st bachelor’s degree July 31, 2023, or thereafter), or
    • 5-years have passed since the student first received a lottery award, or
    • The student has a permanent loss event (explained below).
    • Whichever of these three (3) events occurs first.
  • Once enrolled in college, students must enroll in each required fall and spring semester.
    • Failure to do so may result in a permanent loss of eligibility for the HOPE Lottery Scholarship.
  • Students are required to maintain their enrollment status (full-time, part-time, etc.) as of the census or ‘Go Official’ date for a semester.
    • Dropping courses after the census/Go Official date may result in a permanent loss of eligibility for the HOPE Lottery Scholarship.
  • Continuing eligibility for Grade Point Average (GPA), for most students, is measured at the end of the semester in which they reach a 24 attempted hour benchmark.
    • A student must have a minimum 2.75 cumulative lottery grade point average (GPA) at the end of the semesters in which they attempted 24 and 48 credit hours.
    • A student must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative lottery GPA at the end of the semester in which they attempted 72 credit hours, and for all subsequent 24-hour benchmark (96, 120, 148, etc.).
  • If a student does not have a minimum 3.0 cumulative lottery GPA at the 72-hour benchmark, or a future 24-benchmark beyond 72, then the student must:
    • Have a minimum 2.75 – 2.99 cumulative lottery GPA and a minimum Fisk University semester GPA of 3.00 at the end of the 72-hour benchmark are beyond to maintain eligibility through Provisional Lottery Rules.
  • While under provisional lottery rules, a student is measured on a semester-by-semester basis; they must complete full-time enrollment and must earn at least a 3.00 Fisk University semester GPA for each fall and spring semester.
  • If a provisional student earns a minimum 3.00 cumulative lottery GPA at a future 24-hour benchmark (96, 120, 144, etc.), they will no longer be considered “provisional” or required to meet the provisional lottery rules.
    • The student would then be monitored for GPA every 24-hour benchmark.
  • If a student ceases to be academically eligible due to a GPA loss at a 24-hour benchmark, the student may potentially regain the award if they should meet either the regular or provisional GPA requirements at a future benchmark, as well as meet all other lottery requirements.
    • A student may only use this option one (1) time.

For further information and to apply for the Hope Scholarship see link below:

https://www.tn.gov/collegepays/tsac-student-portal.html

*For optimal performance, please use a browser other than Internet Explorer

Tennessee Student Assistance Award (TSAA)

The Tennessee Student Assistance Award Program (TSAA) was established to provide non-repayable financial assistance to financially-needy undergraduate students who are residents of Tennessee. Applicants must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment, at least half time, at a public or an eligible non-public postsecondary institution in Tennessee. The TSAA is a state-funded grant program and includes funds from the Tennessee Education Lottery.

Maximum award amounts are determined by the TSAC Board of Directors prior to the beginning of the fall term. You must file a FASFA for the award year that you are applying for the grant. Award amounts for an academic year up to $4,000 maximum annually are adjusted based on actual enrollment status.

 

Eligibility Requirements:  

  • All eligible applicants should file the FAFSA as soon as possible after October 1st because available funding is insufficient early filing of the FAFSA is strongly encouraged.
  • Your FAFSA SAI (Student Aid Index) cannot exceed $5,000.
  • Must be a Tennessee resident
  • Be enrolled at least halftime
  • Maintain institutional satisfactory academic progress according to the standards and practices of the institution
  • Not be in default on a loan or owe a refund on any grant previously received at any institution
  • Who have not received a baccalaureate degree.

For further information and to apply for the Tennessee Student Assistance Award (TSAA) see the link below:

https://www.tn.gov/collegepays/tsac-student-portal.html

Tennessee Promise Scholarship (TN-Promise)

The Tennessee Promise Scholarship is a last-dollar award designed to pay the remaining tuition and mandatory fees (minus all gift aid) for 2-year degrees at eligible Tennessee community colleges and 1-year degrees at Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCAT).

However, there is an exception granted for TN-Promise eligible students pursuing a 2-year degree (associate’s degree) at eligible 4-year public and private institutions, such as Fisk University. 

Eligibility Requirements:

To be considered for the TN-Promise:

  • The student must be on Fisk University’s roster from the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC).
  • The student must meet all eligibility requirements for the Tennessee Promise Scholarship as monitored and reported to TSAC by TN Achieves.
  • The student must enroll in the next semester immediately following high school graduation.
    • If a student graduates from high school in June, they must attend a TN-Promise eligible institution in the following fall semester.
  • The student must be enrolled full-time (12 or more credit hours) each semester.
  • The student must be pursuing a 2-year associate’s degree at Fisk University.
    • Student’s that are pursuing a 4-year bachelor’s degree are ineligible to receive a TN-Promise award.

Determination of Award Amount

The Tennessee Promise Scholarship is a last-dollar award.  That means that it will pay remaining tuition and mandatory fees minus all gift aid (e.g. Pell Grant, SEOG, TSAA, HOPE Lottery Scholarship, Aspire Supplement, Merit Supplement, Fisk institutional scholarships, etc.). 

However, per TSAC awarding guidelines, actual tuition and mandatory fees at Fisk University may not be factored in when determining the amount of the award.

When determining TN-Promise award eligibility, Fisk University must use the average tuition and mandatory fees at a 2-year TN community college in relation to the number of hours a student is enrolled.

Please Note:  As the average tuition and mandatory fees at a 2-year TN community college are much less than the actual tuition and mandatory fees at Fisk University, and as many students receive need-based aid that far exceeds the average tuition and mandatory fees at a 2-year TN community college, most students will not qualify to receive a TN-Promise award at Fisk University.  

Even if determined initially eligible for TN-Promise by TSAC and admitted into an eligible 2-year Associate’s Degree program at Fisk University.

For further information and to apply for the Tennessee Promise Scholarship, please see the link below:

https://www.collegefortn.org/tennessee-promise-scholarship/

*For optimal performance, please use a browser other than Internet Explorer