Unveiling the Tennessee Education Lottery and Scholarship Program

The Tennessee Education Lottery has become a significant source of funding for educational programs in the state. This article explores the multifaceted aspects of the Tennessee Education Lottery, encompassing its scholarship programs and lottery games.

The Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship (TELS) Program

The Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship (TELS) program stands as a cornerstone of the state's commitment to higher education. Designed to meet the unique needs of Tennessee while incorporating elements of successful merit-based aid programs from other states, TELS aims to:

Improve academic achievement in high school through scholarship incentives.
Provide financial assistance to promote access to higher education.
Retain the state's "best and brightest" students in Tennessee colleges and universities.
Enhance and promote economic and community development through workforce training.

Eligibility and Application

The Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Program provides scholarship assistance to Tennesseans attending eligible Tennessee institutions. Students apply for the TELS program by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year. It is crucial to complete the FAFSA early to meet state-designated deadlines.

Maintaining Eligibility

TELS program requirements change from time to time, so review application and eligibility requirements regularly to ensure that you remain in full compliance. Understanding how dropping classes or changing from full to part-time status may impact your TELS eligibility is especially important.

A TELS recipient must maintain his or her enrollment status each fall and spring semester. (Example: A student receiving a full-time scholarship must remain enrolled in at least 12 hours through the end of the semester. If extenuating circumstances prevent a student from meeting Continuous Enrollment requirements, the student may be eligible for an appeal. Please visit the Financial Aid Appeals webpage for more information about filing a TELS appeal. The disbursement of TELS funds is also based on student’s enrollment in Coursework towards their Program of Study (CPoS) for semester. Students enrolled full-time are eligible to receive the maximum amount.

Read also: Your Guide to ETSU Academics

Students must enroll no later than 16 months after graduation from high school or home school. Students may enroll in as little as one credit hour and remain eligible for future semesters; however, all TELS recipients must enroll at least half time (at least 6 credit hours) every fall and spring semester to receive the scholarship for that semester. You will be allowed to repeat a single class and request that the earlier grade be excluded from the TELS GPA. Must have maintained enrollment status for every semester. Must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the current year.

Regaining TELS Award

You may regain the TELS award beginning with the semester after attempting 48, 72, and 96 hours as defined by TSAC’s TELS policy. Awards cannot be applied retroactively to prior semesters. A student who, at the end of a semester, reaches the 72 or 96 hour benchmark and has a 2.75 - 2.99 TELS GPA and at least a 3.0 MTSU semester GPA for the current semester in which the benchmark is reached may be provisionally eligible for the TELS award. The student must earn a 3.0 MTSU semester GPA for each semester (including the benchmark semester) and must be enrolled full-time each fall and spring semester to maintain TELS eligibility under the provisional rules.

Enrollment Status and Award Amounts

Your award will be based on your enrollment status. If you are enrolled in at least 12 credit hours, you will be eligible to receive your full one-semester award. If you are enrolled in 6 to 8 hours, you will receive 50% of your normal one-semester amount. Most students are not eligible to receive the scholarship if enrolled less than 6 undergraduate (5 graduate) hours. If you drop or add classes after your lottery scholarship is applied, your scholarship amount may increase or decrease.

Provisional Qualification

At the 72 bracket and subsequent checkpoints, a student may provisionally qualify with a 2.75 cumulative TELS GPA and a 3.0 semester GPA. Please see below for the full provisional rules.

Eligibility to receive TELS funds for a semester is based on student’s enrollment in Coursework towards their Program of Study (CPoS).

Effective Fall 2023, any TELS eligible student who is enrolled less than half-time in Coursework towards Program of Study (CPoS) MAY be eligible to receive a less than half-time TELS award amount dependent on the reason why student is enrolled less than ½ time. Students who are enrolled less than half-time CPoS and meet 1 of the approved reasons above should complete the Lottery Less Than Half-Time Exception Request form for MTSU to determine eligibility for a less than ½ time TELS award. Documentation of inability to enroll half-time or greater (i.e.

TELS for Advanced Degrees

Effective Fall 2023, any TELS eligible student who graduates with their baccalaureate degree from an eligible Tennessee college/university on-or-after July 1, 2023 AND has not reached the maximum 5 year TELS program completion limit AND immediately enrolls in an eligible advanced degree program (i.e. Masters or Doctoral) the semester after receiving baccalaureate degree MAY be eligible to receive TELS funds while working on advanced degree program (i.e. The student completes advanced degree program (i.e. Masters or Doctoral).

TELS for Advanced Degrees (i.e. Effective Fall 2023 - If you received a baccalaureate degree from an eligible Tennessee institution on-or-after July 1, 2023, you received either the traditional or non-traditional HOPE Lottery Scholarships for at least 1 semester, if you have not already reached your maximum 5 year Lottery program completion limit, AND if you are enrolled in an eligible advanced degree program (i.e.

Students must enroll in the next immediate required Fall or Spring semester after graduating with their baccalaureate degree to maintain TELS continuing eligibility. Failure to do so will result in a total and permanent loss of TELS eligibility; however, if student has a valid and documentable circumstance, they may appeal the loss.

Students will NOT receive a TELS award for courses attempted towards a certificate (undergraduate or graduate) program OR on a 2nd baccalaureate degree. For lottery purposes, these programs are NOT considered advanced degrees. However if student maintains continuing eligibility while enrolled in certificate program or 2nd baccalaureate degree program, does not reach a terminating TELS event, and later enrolls in an eligible advanced degree program (i.e.

Read also: Remembrance and Progress

An Advanced degree (i.e. Masters or Doctoral) TELS recipient must maintain their enrollment status each Fall and Spring semester. (For example, a graduate student receiving a full-time award must remain enrolled in at least 9 graduate level hours through the end of the semester. For Advanced degree (i.e. Masters or Doctoral) TELS purposes, enrollment status at MTSU is defined below. Students enrolled less than ½ time MAY be eligible to receive funds for semester dependent on reason why student is enrolled less than ½ time. As with undergraduate TELS, advanced degree TELS may only be awarded and paid on credit hours towards an eligible program of study. These steps are also applicable for students who are admitted into an Advanced degree program (i.e.

Non-Traditional Students

A student who initially qualifies for a lottery scholarship under non-traditional rules will continue to be eligible for the award as long as he or she meets continuing eligibility requirements and has an Adjusted Gross Income of $36,000 or less on the FAFSA.

Transferring Schools

It is important that you inform the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) of which school you plan to attend. You may do so by visiting College Pays TN’s Student Portal. It is recommended that you use the Student Portal, since it is processed by TSAC immediately. If you choose to send the paper form, please allow 2 weeks for processing.

If you are an Undergraduate student seeking your 1st baccalaureate degree - When you see all your transfer credits on your MTSU transcript, and you have made MTSU your school of record with TSAC for the applicable award year, complete the online MTSU TELS Transfer Notification Form. If you are a Graduate student you has already received their baccalaureate degree on-or-after July 1, 2023 from an eligible Tennessee institution, and are now seeking an Advanced degree (i.e.

If you are transferring to MTSU in the middle of the academic year (for example, if you transfer in the spring after attending another school in the fall), please be aware that you may not receive your lottery award prior to the fee payment deadline and the beginning of classes, depending on the timing of when you complete all steps for eligibility processing. Please Note: If you received your baccalaureate degree from an out-of-state institution, and you are transferring to MTSU in pursuit of an Advanced degree (i.e.

Checking Your Lottery Scholarship Status

It’s important to periodically check your lottery scholarship status and other lottery information on your PipelineMT account. Select the term you want to check (ex. The information at the top of the page is your eligibility information. The most common cause of a missing TELS award is that you listed a school other than MTSU first on your FAFSA. Inform the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) of which school you plan to attend. You may do so by visiting College Pays TN’s Student Portal. This is called changing your ‘school of record’. Your FAFSA may have been selected for verification, and we may still be waiting for you to submit required verification documents.

High School Transcript Requirements

Effective Fall 2022, any Tennessee eligible high school student graduating with an Associate degree OR a current college student who is graduating with an Associate degree will need to provide the MTSU Undergraduate Admissions Office with an official copy of their final high school transcript. The Financial Aid & Scholarship Office need the final high school transcript to confirm your initial eligibility for the Tennessee Lottery Scholarships. Continuing eligibility for the TN Lottery Scholarships will be based on all attempted coursework in a semester, regardless if applicable towards program of study or not.

Summer Lottery Scholarship

You must be enrolled in at least 6 hours to receive a summer lottery scholarship. Your award will be prorated based on enrollment.

Important Deadlines

If you add classes after the July fee payment deadline, or fail to contact us about a missing or incorrect award by that date, we will be unable to assist you with scholarship funds.

Tennessee Lottery Games

The Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation (TELC) is responsible for operating the lottery, acting for the benefit of the people of Tennessee. The lottery offers a variety of games, including:

Cash 3: A daily game where players pick 3 digits, each 0 through 9. Drawings occur thrice daily, except once on Sundays.
Cash 4: A daily game similar to Cash 3 but with 4 digits.
Wild Ball: An add-on feature for Cash 3 and Cash 4, doubling the cost and replacing the Lucky Sum.
Tennessee Cash: The first in-state progressive jackpot game. Players pick 5 numbers from 1 to 35, and 1 Cash Ball number from 1 to 5. The jackpot starts at $200,000 and grows from there and it can go up over $1,000,000. Players also win by matching at least 2 numbers, with or without the Cash Ball number. The minimum prize is a free Tennessee Cash QP ticket, for matching 2 main numbers. All other prizes are pari-mutuel.
Lotto America: Players pick 5 numbers from 1 to 52, and 1 Star Ball number from 1 to 10. Drawings are held on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evenings at 9:15 p.m. Central Time.
Powerball: A multi-state jackpot game where players choose 5 of 69 numbers and 1 Powerball number from 1 to 26.
Tennessee Treasure Hunt: Players pick 5 numbers from 1 to 38. The Jackpots start at $30,000 and increase by $10,000 until there's a winner. Players need to match their numbers to the drawn numbers to win the jackpot with prizes for matching 2, 3, or 4 main numbers drawn.
Cash 4 Life: Players choose 5 of 60 numbers in one field, and 1 of 4 green "Cash Ball" numbers in the second field. Live drawings are held on Monday and Thursday evenings at 9 pm Eastern Time on Livestream. The top prize (win or share) is $1,000-per-day-for-life ($365K yearly). Second prize is $1,000-per-week-for-life ($52K yearly).

Multi-State Games

Since 2004, Tennessee has been a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). Powerball began in 1992. Tennessee began its third multi-jurisdictional jackpot game, Hot Lotto, on May 12, 2013; it is the game's 16th member.

Purchasing Tickets and Claiming Prizes

Yes. You can purchase tickets for a certain number of draws in advance, depending on what game you play.

Yes, you can purchase Powerball tickets through the Tennessee Lottery Anytime Powerball app.

The Tennessee Lottery is not responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen tickets. Keep tickets in a safe place.

Taxes on Lottery Winnings

All lottery prizes in Tennessee are subject to federal income taxes, but not state taxes. Some prizes are subject to federal tax withholdings during payout as well. The Tennessee Lottery reports all winnings of $600 or more to the IRS.

Impact and Outcomes

The Tennessee Lottery began operations on January 20, 2004. The Tennessee Lottery has contributed more than $6 billion toward education funding, and even more money has gone into prizes. Lottery proceeds fund scholarships for Tennessee students attending eligible public or private institutions and universities across the state. Initial qualification and renewal criteria for the program were set in 2003. The legislature adjusted the qualification criteria in 2005 and the renewal criteria in 2008. Additionally, the legislature added a Non-traditional Student Grant and Dual Enrollment Grant in 2005 and several smaller provisions in 2006 and 2008. Finally, lottery scholarship coverage for summer school enrollments of six credit hours or more began in summer 2012 for students who first received the scholarship in fall 2009 or after.

The Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship (TELS) program was designed to meet the unique needs of the state of Tennessee while also incorporating the hallmark elements of existing merit-based aid programs in other states. Developed through a process involving elected officials and members of the academic community, the TELS program aims to address the following broad public policy objectives: (1) Improve academic achievement in high school through scholarship incentive (GAMS, HOPE, ASPIRE); (2) Provide financial assistance as a means of promoting access to higher education (ASPIRE, Access); (3) Retain the state's "best and brightest" students in Tennessee colleges and universities (GAMS); and (4) Enhance and promote economic and community development through workforce training (Wilder-Naifeh).

tags: #tennessee #education #lottery #overview