Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship (TELS) Program Guidelines at the University of Tennessee. This is important information for current UT recipients of the HOPE Lottery Scholarship. Please read these guidelines.

TELS Information from The Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC)

- Note to Transfer Students -

Transfer students must have an official academic transcript sent to UT Admissions from all prior institutions, including the most recent semester attended. Generally this delays payment of TELS awards during the first semester at UT, especially for mid-year transfer students.

Request for Change from Full-Time to Part-Time Enrollment - This form is used to request a change from full-time to part-time enrollment in the same semester. Students enrolled in a full-time status, as of the 14th day of classes, may not drop or withdraw to part-time status within the same semester without prior approval. Tennessee Law limits the reasons for enrollment status change to documented medical or personal reasons only. Students must include documentation with their request to be considered for an enrollment status change.

Request for Leave of Absence - Students may request a leave of absence for personal (illness or death of an immediate family member), medical, or military mobilization reasons. Students may also request a leave of absence during an internship or co-op program that is required or encouraged as a part of the academic program in which the student is enrolled. Students should include any supporting documentation with their application. Students whose requests are approved will be granted a leave of absence without affecting their eligibility to retain the TELS Program Scholarship.

Eligibility Appeal - Any student who wishes to appeal the denial or revocation of the HOPE Scholarship should complete the Appeal form. Students should include any supporting documentation with their appeal. An Institutional Review Panel (IRP) will review appeals and the student will be notified of the panel's decision in writing. If the IRP denies your appeal, you have forty-five (45) calendar days to appeal, in writing, directly to the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) TELS Award Appeal Panel. You are not permitted to appeal directly to the TSAC TELS Award Appeal Panel unless the UT IRP denies your appeal.

Notification of Repeated Class Grade Replacement - Use this form to notify the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships of your intention to use your one-time course repeat option. This option utilizes the highest grade for a repeated course in the TELS GPA calculation. However, the semester hours for both attempted courses will be included in the 120 attempted hour limit. This option can be used to either retain or regain your HOPE Scholarship.

Request for Review of HOPE GPA - Use this form to request a review of your HOPE GPA to determine your eligibility to regain the HOPE Scholarship. You may only regain the HOPE Scholarship one time during your college career.