Hope Scholarships

To be eligible to receive the HOPE Scholarship, students must meet the following criteria: have a 21/1060 on the ACT/SAT or an unweighted high school GPA of a 3.0, have been a TN resident for at least a year prior to high school graduation, and graduate from an eligible high school.

Homeschool students must meet all of the above and have a 21/1060 on the ACT/SAT or meet one of the following:

• Completing at least two dual enrollment classes at an eligible postsecondary institution while enrolled in the home school program totaling at least six semester hours and achieving a minimum 3.0 college GPA in each of the two dual enrollment courses and achieve a minimum 3.0 cumulative college GPA in all dual enrollment courses attempted.

The HOPE Scholarship amounts can be found in the chart below:

The HOPE Scholarship program offers two supplemental scholarships to student who are eligible.

• HOPE Aspire – students must meet all HOPE Scholarship requirements and have a household AGI of $36,000 or less. This award is $750 per semester
• HOPE Merit – students must meet all HOPE Scholarship requirements and have a 29 on the ACT and a final unweighted high school GPA of a 3.75. This award is $500 per semester. Home school students must have a 29 on the ACT and one of the following:
  • Enroll in at least four (4) dual enrollment courses totaling at least twelve (12) semester hours at an eligible postsecondary institution and achieve a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0; OR
  • Participate in a Governor’s School program, and achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0; OR
  • Take two (2) Advanced Placement (AP) exams and make a score of at least three (3); OR
  • Take one (1) College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) test and make a score of at least 55

For more information on the HOPE Scholarship, see the TSAC website.

Renewal

Students must complete a FAFSA each year for renewal. The deadline to file the FASFA is Sept. 1 for Fall and Feb. 1 for Spring and Summer semesters.

Eligibility shall be reviewed by the institution at the end of the semester in which the student has attempted a total of 24, 48, 72, 96, and any subsequent multiples of 24 semester hours thereafter. Additionally, at 72 attempted semester hours and beyond, students may be reviewed at the end of each semester if they maintain the award on a provisional basis. The student: 

• Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 after 24 and 48 attempted semester hours. After attempting 72 hours and beyond, a student may retain the award by either:
• Achieving a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or
  • Achieving a 2.75; 2.99 cumulative GPA after 72, 96, and any subsequent multiples of 24 attempted semester hours thereafter and a semester GPA of at least a 3.0 in the preceding semester in which the student will receive the award as a full-time enrolled student. (The student will be considered provisional and will be reviewed on a semester-by-semester basis and must maintain full-time enrollment.)
• Must maintain continuous enrollment and satisfactory academic progress. Continuous enrollment means a student must attend each Fall and Spring semester, and must not drop below full-time if the student was paid for full-time, or part-time if the student was paid for part-time.
• Be enrolled in at least 6 hours; 12 if a provisional student.

Termination Criteria

All attempted hours after high school graduation, including remedial and developmental studies courses, are included in the total attempted semester hours. A student may receive the HOPE Scholarship until the first of the following terminating events:

• Student has earned an advanced degree; or
• Five (5) years have passed from the date of initial enrollment at any postsecondary institution

Transfer

Once admitted to the University of Memphis, students must have all transcripts from previous colleges and universities, and a final high school transcript forwarded to the Admissions office. Once these transcripts are received, they are reviewed by the Admissions staff and then loaded into our student information system. The Scholarship Office will review: a) your eligibility upon high school graduation, b) the number of hours attempted at other institutions of higher education, c) your overall college GPA, d) your enrollment record at previous institutions to determine if you meet continuous enrollment provisions of the HOPE Lottery Scholarship statutes, and e) other information deemed pertinent to determine eligibility.

The Scholarship Office cannot make a determination of eligibility until you have been fully admitted to the University of Memphis and all official transcripts have been received by the Admissions Office.

According to the Admissions Office policy for students transferring in the middle of the school year, any transcripts received after December 1 will be processed beginning Feb. 1. This means that your eligibility for the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship may not be determined in most cases until after Feb. 1. For students transferring at the beginning of Fall semester, all transcripts must be received at least one month prior to the start date of school.

Summer

Summer semester is optional, but students who are taking at least 6 credit hours, required for their degree, can receive the HOPE Scholarship for Summer semester. Receiving the HOPE Scholarship for the Summer semester does not take away from future eligibility. All rules of the HOPE Scholarship do apply for the Summer semester.

Leave of Absence

Students who need to sit out a semester due to an extenuating circumstance can request a leave of absence from the UofM. If the leave of absence is approved, students can sit out a semester without losing HOPE Scholarship eligibility. Requests can be submitted using the link above. All leave of absence requests must have a typed personal statement and documentation attached. Requests submitted without these will not be considered.

How to Regain the HOPE Scholarship

HOPE Repeat Option

Students are allowed to repeat one course and utilize the higher of the two grades in the calculation of their HOPE GPA. This is a one-time only option. The HOPE Course Repeat Option form is available in the Scholarship Office or using the link above.

Hope Regain Option

If you lose the scholarship due to GPA but meet the GPA requirement at a future bracket (48, 72, 96, 120 or subsequent benchmark) and continue to meet all other continuing eligibility criteria for each semester, you can regain the HOPE Scholarship. This is a one-time only regain. If the scholarship is lost a 2nd time due to GPA, the loss is permanent. The HOPE Scholarship Regain form is available in the Scholarship Office or using the link above.

NOTE* - the HOPE Lottery Scholarship GPA and attempted hours may differ from your institutional GPA and attempted hours, due to the following:

• Credits gained through dual-enrollment, AP credit, or other test credits do not count in your HOPE GPA.
• All classes taken after high school graduation count in your HOPE GPA, including repeated classes which the institution may exclude from your institutional GPA.

HOPE Lottery Appeal

If the HOPE Scholarship was lost due to non-continuous enrollment at the UofM, and this was due to an extenuating circumstance, a HOPE Appeal can be filed with the institution (a HOPE Lottery Appeal cannot be filed if the HOPE Scholarship was lost due to not meeting GPA requirements). The HOPE Scholarship Appeal can be submitted using the link above.

• If the non-continuous even occurred at another institution, an appeal can be filed with TSAC, at the link below. If the appeal is approved.

Non-Traditional

The HOPE Scholarship for nontraditional age students is for independent students as determined by the FAFSA application and who have enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program at an eligible four-year postsecondary institution. Students must meet the following criteria:

• Be classified as a Tennessee resident 
• Be an independent student as determined on the FAFSA application and enroll in a baccalaureate degree program at an eligible four-year postsecondary institution
• Have an adjusted gross income of $36,000 or less on IRS tax form
• Be continuously enrolled at an eligible postsecondary institution in the fall and spring semesters
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 after 12 attempted semester hours or required GPA at subsequent benchmark. (Attempted hours and college grades earned prior to enrollment as a recipient of the Nontraditional Scholarship are not considered.)

Please contact the Scholarship Office to verify your Non-Traditional HOPE Scholarship eligibility.