Frequently Asked Questions
What fees and other expenses does UT Promise cover?
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The UT Promise scholarship only covers tuition and mandatory fees. It does not pay for books or other post-secondary expenses, including, but not limited to, program of study fees (course fees/differential fees), late registration fees, housing fees, living and learning communities fees, etc.
Mandatory fees include facilities fee, maintenance fee, library fee, student services fee, technology fee, transportation fee, etc. Visit your UT campus’ website for more information.
Will UT Promise cover summer courses?
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UT Promise scholarship funds can be applied to summer courses if a student is receiving HOPE scholarship funds. In order to receive HOPE funds, a student must be enrolled in at least 6 hours over the summer.
Will the UT Promise Scholarship cover fully distance education programs (a.k.a. online programs)?
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Yes. If you are enrolled in a UT degree program in which all courses are online, the UT Promise scholarship will cover tuition and mandatory fees.
How will this program be funded?
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The University of Tennessee Foundation will launch the UT Promise Endowment campaign to help fund this initiative. In the interim, the University will cover the cost. Visit alumni.tennessee.edu/utpromise for more information about the UT Promise Endowment.
What does ‘last-dollar amount of tuition’ mean?
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The amount of last-dollar funding that will be provided to cover the tuition and mandatory fees costs will vary from student to student and will depend on other public funding the student is eligible for. Last-dollar programs only cover the last-dollar amount of costs left over after other financial aid is applied.
Find out more about last dollar tuition.
As a 2023-2024 UT Promise scholarship recipient, am I eligible for the $500 minimum award increase?
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Not at this time. If you are a current student receiving the UT Promise scholarship, this change does not impact your aid for this academic year. However, starting Fall 2024, if you maintain your eligibility requirements the minimum award granted will be $500.
What must I do to remain eligible for UT Promise?
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To remain eligible for the UT Promise scholarship, you must be a full-time student, be continuously enrolled at a postsecondary institution, make satisfactory academic progress, maintain your HOPE scholarship, and complete your service and mentoring requirements. (Satisfactory academic progress is also a requirement to maintain the HOPE scholarship).
Do I have to be continuously enrolled to remain eligible? Do I have to be a full-time student?
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To remain eligible for the HOPE scholarship and, thus, the UT Promise scholarship, you must be continuously enrolled at a postsecondary institution each fall and spring semester. Summer enrollment is optional. While HOPE allows for part-time enrollment, the UT Promise scholarship requires you to be a full-time student.
What if I lose the HOPE scholarship but then regain it? Can my award be re-established?
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If a student loses their HOPE scholarship eligibility due to GPA requirements but then regains it during their time as a student, they can also become re-eligible for the UT Promise scholarship. HOPE may only be re-established one time, so a student will not be eligible for HOPE or UT Promise if they lose their HOPE scholarship more than once.
What if I was eligible for UT Promise, but now my household income exceeds $60,000? Am I still eligible for UT Promise?
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Students are eligible for the UT Promise scholarship until the household income reaches $60,000. At this point, the student will become ineligible for UT Promise. Family household income is defined as:
“The accurate, verifiable total combined amount of parent and student adjusted gross income and untaxed income of less than $60,000, AND a total maximum asset amount of less than $75,000, as defined on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).”
How many years or hours will my UT Promise scholarship cover?
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UT Promise will only provide scholarship funds when a student is receiving HOPE scholarship funds.
A student may receive the Tennessee HOPE scholarship until the first of the following events:
- Student has earned a baccalaureate degree; or
- Five (5) years have passed from the date of initial enrollment at any postsecondary institution; or
- Student has attempted 120 semester hours or has received the UT Promise Scholarship for eight (8) full-time equivalent semesters at any postsecondary institution; whichever occurs later.
A student who is enrolled in a program of study that exceeds 120 semester hours in length may receive the HOPE Scholarship until the first of the following terminating events:
- Student has earned a baccalaureate degree; or
- Five (5) years have passed from the date of initial enrollment at any postsecondary institution; or
- Student has attempted at any postsecondary institution the lesser of the number of semester hours required to earn the baccalaureate degree or a total of 136 semester hours or the student has completed eight (8) full-time equivalent semesters.
Will professional judgment decisions allow someone to become eligible?
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Professional judgment refers to the authority of a school’s financial aid administrator to make adjustments to the data elements on the FAFSA and to override a student’s dependency status.
UT recognizes that many families have changes in income or family situations that cannot be reflected in the tax return data. It is possible for students to appeal their financial aid eligibility if they have unique financial circumstances. Students should complete the appeal process at their campus. If the appeal is approved, the student’s FAFSA and financial aid will be updated, and students may gain eligibility for the UT Promise scholarship. Appeals only occur at the campus level, not the system level.
Can students transfer from any institution or do they have to transfer from a community college?
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Qualifying Tennessee residents who meet the criteria for UT Promise can transfer from any institution.
Where does my mentee need to submit their community service hours?
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Each campus has different guidelines and instructions on completing and submitting community service hours. Have your mentee visit their campus-specific link to learn about and submit their requirements for community service each semester.
What if I am not matched with a mentee?
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While we hope every prospective mentor gets a chance to participate in mentorship, there are times when the number of willing mentors exceeds the number of mentees. Our team keeps your application and mentoring profile on file so when there is a student for you, we can pair you easily.
What if the student I am assigned to mentor does not respond to my attempts to connect with them?
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If your student is unresponsive, please let the UT Promise team know. We will urge the student to you while also reminding them of the program requirement to meet with their mentor three times per semester.
What are my requirements as a mentor?
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You are required to meet with your mentor three times and check off each corresponding goal within the platform. While you are only required to meet with your mentee three times per semester, you can be as involved as you would like. We encourage all mentors to keep frequent contact with their mentees to get the full benefit from the program.
What if I need to place my mentorship on hold?
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We understand that you have additional responsibilities that may impede your ability to mentor in a given semester. Please let the UT Promise team know if you need to step away from your mentorship. We will re-match your mentee with another mentor based on their goals and interests.
Where do I report that I met with my assigned UT Promise mentee?
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Starting in Fall 2023, mentors will no longer use the UT Promise Mentor Platform to report the completion of mentor meetings. Rather, you will report mentor meetings through this new form. More details about this change in process are found on the UT Promise Mentors page.