Tennessee HOPE Scholarship

Funded by the Tennessee Education Lottery and administered by TSAC, the HOPE Scholarship pays Tennessee residents attending an in-state college a per-semester award if they graduated high school with at least a 3.0 GPA and/or a 21 composite ACT (1060 SAT), file the FAFSA, and enroll within 16 months of graduation. It pays up to $2,250/semester as a freshman or sophomore (up to $2,850/semester as a junior/senior) at four-year schools and schools with on-campus housing, or up to $1,600/semester at two-year schools. Renewal requires a 2.75 cumulative GPA through 48 attempted hours, rising to 3.0 at 72+ hours.

Eligibility

Demographics3.0 GPA and/or 21 ACT/1060 SAT satisfies initial eligibility (either path qualifies). Renewal checkpoints: minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA at 24 and 48 attempted semester hours, minimum 3.0 GPA at 72 hours and every 24 hours thereafter (a 2.75-2.99 GPA is also accepted at 72+ checkpoints if the semester GPA was at least 3.0). Eligibility generally ends five years after initial enrollment or upon earning an advanced degree.

Applying

$3,200/year at two-year schools ($1,600/semester); $4,500/year (freshman/sophomore, $2,250/semester) to $5,700/year (junior/senior, $2,850/semester) at four-year schools and schools with on-campus housing.