Continuous enrollment: means a student is enrolled in the fall and spring semesters of a single academic year. 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
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
Tennessee HOPE scholarship: means a scholarship for coursework in an eligible program of study in pursuit of an associate or baccalaureate 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) To continue to receive a Tennessee HOPE scholarship, a student at an eligible postsecondary institution shall continue to meet all applicable nonacademic requirements for the scholarship and shall reapply for the scholarship upon attempting twenty-four (24), forty-eight (48), seventy-two (72), ninety-six (96) or any subsequent multiple of twenty-four (24) semester hours. At the end of the semesters in which the student has attempted a total of twenty-four (24) and forty-eight (48) semester hours, the student shall have achieved a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.75 to continue to receive the Tennessee HOPE scholarship. At the end of any subsequent semester at which continuing eligibility for the scholarship is reviewed under this subdivision (a)(1), a student shall achieve a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 to continue to receive the Tennessee HOPE scholarship.(2) Notwithstanding subdivision (a)(1) to the contrary, a student who fails to achieve a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 when continuing eligibility is reviewed at the end of seventy-two (72) semester hours or at a subsequent semester when continuing eligibility is reviewed under subdivision (a)(1), but who has a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.75 and a semester grade point average of at least 3.0 for the semester in which continuing eligibility under subdivision (a)(1) was reviewed, shall be eligible to continue to receive a Tennessee HOPE scholarship for one (1) additional semester; provided, that the student enrolls full-time in that semester and the student is still eligible for a scholarship under § 49-4-913. Subsequently, the student shall be eligible to receive the scholarship, if the student maintains both full-time and continuous enrollment, a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.75 and a grade point average of at least 3.0 in the last semester in which the student attended full-time. If, however, the student achieves a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 at any time when continuing eligibility is reviewed under subdivision (a)(1), then the student’s continuing eligibility for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship shall be reviewed under subdivision (a)(1) at the next benchmark.(b) A student receiving a Tennessee HOPE scholarship who ceases to be academically eligible for the scholarship because the student fails to meet the requirements of either subdivision (a)(1) or (a)(2) at the end of a semester at which continuing eligibility is reviewed pursuant to the applicable subdivision (a)(1) or (a)(2) may regain the HOPE scholarship if the student continues to meet all applicable nonacademic requirements for the scholarship, attends an eligible postsecondary institution without the HOPE scholarship, meets the requirements of either subdivision (a)(1) or (a)(2) at the end of a subsequent semester when continuing eligibility is reviewed under the applicable subdivision (a)(1) or (a)(2) and reapplies for the scholarship. A student who regains the scholarship and then loses the scholarship a second time by failing to meet the requirements of either subdivision (a)(1) or (a)(2) at the end of a subsequent semester in which academic qualifications are reviewed, may not regain the scholarship. No retroactive award of a Tennessee HOPE scholarship shall be made under this subsection (b) for semester hours attempted in order to regain the scholarship.(c) If a student ceases to be eligible for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship at any time for any nonacademic reason, then the student shall not be able to regain the Tennessee HOPE scholarship.(d) Notwithstanding subsection (a) and § 49-4-902 to the contrary, a student may choose to repeat one (1) course one (1) time, and have the student’s cumulative grade point average or semester grade point average, or both, calculated as if the only attempt at the course was the attempt in which the higher grade was achieved for the purposes of determining whether the student meets the continuation requirements of subdivision (a)(1) or (a)(2). Only one (1) course may be repeated for favorable treatment in calculating a grade point average under this subsection (d). TSAC shall promulgate rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this subsection (d). The rules and regulations shall be promulgated in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5.
