(a) To be eligible for a Tennessee middle collegescholarship a student shall:
Terms Used In Tennessee Code 49-4-909
Academic year: means three (3) consecutive semesters beginning with a fall semester and including the spring and summer semesters immediately succeeding the fall semester. See Tennessee Code 49-4-902
diploma: means a credential, other than a degree, the receipt of which indicates satisfactory completion of training in an eligible program of study offered by an eligible postsecondary institution. See Tennessee Code 49-4-902
Dual enrollment grant: means a grant for study at an eligible postsecondary institution that is funded from net proceeds of the state lottery and awarded to students who are attending high school and who are also enrolled in college courses at eligible postsecondary institutions for which they will receive college credit. See Tennessee Code 49-4-902
Eligible postsecondary institution: means an eligible independent postsecondary institution or an eligible public postsecondary institution. See Tennessee Code 49-4-902
Grade point average: means the numbered grade average calculated using a 4. See Tennessee Code 49-4-902
Middle college: means a program operated by an eligible public two-year postsecondary institution in partnership with an LEA that permits students in the fall semester of their junior year in high school to enter the eligible public two-year postsecondary institution and to earn both a high school diploma and an associate degree in two (2) years. See Tennessee Code 49-4-902
Scholarship: means a Tennessee HOPE scholarship or a Tennessee HOPE access grant. See Tennessee Code 49-4-902
Semester: means fall, spring, or summer semester at a postsecondary institution, if the institution is on a semester system, or the equivalent, if the institution is on a system other than a semester system. See Tennessee Code 49-4-902
State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
Tennessee HOPE scholarship: means a scholarship for coursework in an eligible program of study in pursuit of an associate, baccalaureate, or advanced degree at an eligible postsecondary institution that is funded from net proceeds of the state lottery and awarded under this part. See Tennessee Code 49-4-902
(1) Not be ineligible for the scholarship under § 49-4-904;(2) Be classified as a resident of this state, pursuant to § 49-8-104;(3) Have obtained a minimum cumulative high school grade point average of 3.0 by the end of the student’s sophomore year;(4) Be admitted to, and enrolled in, an eligible public two-year postsecondary institution that is partnering with an LEA to offer middle college in the fall semester of the student’s junior year in high school; and(5) Make application for the scholarship as prescribed by TSAC.(b)(1) To maintain eligibility for the Tennessee middle college scholarship, a student shall meet all nonacademic requirements of the program, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 at the end of each semester for all postsecondary courses attempted under the Tennessee middle college scholarship, and be enrolled full-time.(2) If a student drops out of middle college, fails to maintain eligibility for the Tennessee middle college scholarship at the end of any semester, or fails to maintain full-time status, the student shall not be able to regain the scholarship.(c) A student may receive a Tennessee middle college scholarship until the first of the following events:
(1) The student has earned an associate degree or completed high school; or(2) Two (2) years have passed from the date of the student’s enrollment as a middle college student in an eligible public two-year postsecondary institution.(d) Subject to the amounts appropriated by the general assembly and any provision of law relating to a shortfall in funds available for postsecondary financial assistance from the net proceeds of the state lottery, a Tennessee middle college scholarship awarded to a student enrolled in middle college shall be two thousand dollars ($2,000) for full-time attendance for each semester.(e)(1) A student who successfully completes middle college and receives both a high school diploma and an associate degree shall be eligible to receive a Tennessee HOPE scholarship at the time of transfer to an eligible four-year postsecondary institution in pursuit of a baccalaureate degree, if the student:
(A) Meets all academic and nonacademic requirements for the Tennessee HOPE scholarship;(B) Meets the requirements of § 49-4-911(a)(1) or (a)(2);(C) Transfers to the eligible four-year postsecondary institution no later than sixteen (16) months after graduation from high school; and(D) Applies for the Tennessee HOPE scholarship.(2) To continue to be eligible for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship at the end of subsequent semesters when eligibility is checked, the student shall meet the requirements of § 49-4-911.(3) Time enrolled in an eligible postsecondary institution as a middle college scholarship student will not count towards the terminating events under § 49-4-913.(f) A student who enrolls in middle college and receives a Tennessee middle college scholarship, but does not complete middle college and does not receive an associate degree shall be eligible for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship upon enrolling in an eligible postsecondary institution no later than sixteen (16) months after completion of high school, if the student:
(1) Is not ineligible for the scholarship under § 49-4-904;(2) Meets all requirements of § 49-4-905(a); and(3) Meets the requirements of § 49-4-907 or § 49-4-908.(g) A student who does not receive a Tennessee middle college scholarship in the fall semester of the junior year in high school shall not be eligible to receive a Tennessee middle college scholarship at any later time.(h) No retroactive award of a Tennessee middle college scholarship shall be made under this section.(i) A student receiving a Tennessee middle college scholarship shall not be eligible for a dual enrollment grant under § 49-4-930.(j) The award of Tennessee middle college scholarships shall commence with the 2018-2019 academic year.
