Requirements

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.

Eligibility of Entering Freshmen

• 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; minimum 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 to be reviewed prior to HOPE Scholarship payment to student.
• Confirm that The University of Tennessee 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.

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 freshmen 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’s 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 attain the GPA requirement before they will start receiving HOPE funds. UT Promise policy requires students to be receiving HOPE funds to receive UT Promise scholarship funds. Thus, eligible nontraditional students will not be able to receive UT Promise funds until they have completed 12 hours and meet the minimum GPA requirement for nontraditional HOPE.

Visit the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship page for more information on eligibility.

To maintain UT Promise eligibility, students must complete the following requirements:

• Be a full-time, continuously enrolled student
• Maintain the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship
• Complete the FAFSA annually
• Complete and submit 8 hours of community service every semester prior to each semester
• Meet with your mentor at least 3 times during the semester to maintain eligibility in the next semester