What is UT Promise?
Wondering how the UT Promise works and if you qualify? Here’s what you need to know about the scholarship and requirements before you apply.
Contact Us
For questions about what the UT Promise scholarship entails, how to apply, and maintain eligibility, please email utpromise@tennessee.edu.
How UT Promise Works
UT Promise is a last-dollar scholarship, meaning it covers any remaining tuition and mandatory fees after other public financial aid—like federal Pell Grants—has been applied. The amount awarded depends on the other aid a student receives and only applies to tuition and mandatory fees.
What’s Covered:
UT Promise covers tuition and mandatory fees only. Mandatory fees may include:
- Facilities fee
- Maintenance fee
- Library fee
- Student services fee
- Technology fee
- Transportation fee
- …and other fees specific to each campus
Visit your UT campus website for details on specific fees.
What’s Not Covered:
Students are responsible for additional costs such as:
- Books and supplies
- Housing and meals
- Transportation
- Personal expenses
However, if a student receives more UT Promise funds than needed to cover tuition and fees, the remaining amount can be used toward these other educational expenses—until those excess funds are depleted. After that, students are responsible for any remaining balance.
Scholarship Requirements
To be eligible to receive the UT Promise scholarship, students must be under the family household income threshold and qualify for the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship (or Tennessee HOPE Scholarship-nontraditional).
Family Household Income
For Fall 2024, family household income must be under $75,000 based on adjusted gross income and a total maximum asset amount of less than $75,000.
Adjusted gross income (AGI) is defined as “your or your family’s wages, salaries, interest, dividends, etc., minus certain deductions from income as reported on a federal income tax return” (FAFSA).
Students who qualify for the nontraditional HOPE Scholarship must have a student and spouse’s adjusted gross income under $36,000 but a total adjusted gross income under $75,000.
Tennessee HOPE Scholarship (Freshman & Transfers)
Eligibility of Entering Freshman
- Graduate from a TN eligible high school
- Enroll within 16 months of high school graduation
- One of the following: minimum 21 ACT; or minimum 1060 SAT; or overall minimum 3.0 GPA
- Home school graduates: minimum 21 ACT
- GED recipients: minimum 21 ACT; average Revised GED score is 170
- HiSet recipients: minimum 21 ACT; minimum average HiSet score is 15
Eligibility of In-State Transfer Students
To receive the HOPE Scholarship at the University of Tennessee, eligible transfer students must:
- Send all prior college final transcripts to UT for review prior to HOPE scholarship payment to the student.
- Confirm that UT is listed as their institution of preference on the TSAC student portal for the academic year they are transferring to UT.
Eligibility of Out-of-State Transfer students
- A student who is eligible for the HOPE Scholarship but instead enrolls in an out-of-state postsecondary institution up to 16 months immediately following high school graduation may transfer to an eligible Tennessee postsecondary institution and receive the HOPE Scholarship. The student must maintain continuous enrollment.
- HOPE Scholarship eligibility for transfer students is determined by the prior college HOPE cumulative CPA at the student’s last benchmark. Once students reach a benchmark at UT, we will then use the UT calculated HOPE GPA for determining continued eligibility.
Students who believe they are eligible for HOPE and have never received HOPE Scholarship payments will need to self-identify and provide a copy of their final high school transcript and test scores to the University of Tennessee Office of Admissions.
Visit the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship page for more information on Tennessee HOPE eligibility.
Tennessee HOPE Scholarship (Nontraditional Students)
Nontraditional students must meet the following criteria to be eligible for nontraditional HOPE:
- Be at least 25 years of age and enroll at a baccalaureate program as an entering freshman or with at least two years after last attending any postsecondary institution; OR must enroll in a baccalaureate degree program at an eligible 4-year institution while maintaining continuous enrollment following the completion of an associate degree as a TN Reconnect recipient.
- Must have a student and spouse adjusted gross income of less than $36,000 on IRS tax form.
- Have a minimum 2.75 GPA after 12 attempted semester hours.*
*Nontraditional students must meet the GPA requirement before they will start receiving HOPE funds. Since UT Promise requires students to receive HOPE funds to qualify, eligible nontraditional students can only receive UT Promise funds after completing 12 credit hours and meeting the minimum GPA requirement for nontraditional HOPE.
Visit the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship page for more information on eligibility.
