Title 49, Education

Notwithstanding title 48, chapters 51-69 to the contrary, there is created a nonprofit corporation that is known as the Tennessee student assistance corporation, which operates as a division within the Tennessee higher education commission, to administer student assistance progra…

(a) The governing board of directors for the Tennessee student assistance corporation as of June 30, 2025, is terminated on July 1, 2025. Effective July 1, 2025, the Tennessee higher education commission, created by § 49-7-201, shall serve as the governing board of directors for …

(1) It is the purpose and duty of the Tennessee student assistance corporation to:(1) (A) Administer the provisions under law of state awards of financial assistance programs to students who are residents of this state under the terms and conditions prescribed in this part and in…

The Tennessee student assistance corporation shall promulgate rules governing the making of awards of financial assistance, to establish criteria for the restriction or suspension of an eligible postsecondary institution's participation in this state's financial aid programs for …

(a) The Tennessee student assistance corporation is authorized and empowered to:(1) Invest and reinvest any funds of the corporation in treasury notes, bonds or other securities of the United States, or bonds of this state; and(2) Deposit on interest any funds of the corporation …

Requests for appropriations to support the programs of the Tennessee student assistance corporation mentioned in this part shall be presented to the higher education commission and, in the form and to the extent approved by the higher education commission, shall be submitted to t…

The employees of the Tennessee student assistance corporation shall be entitled to the same employee benefits as state employees. The required employees' contributions shall be paid by the participating employees, and the employers' contributions and any other costs shall be paid…

Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, all state financial aid granted to students, whether in the form of a grant or loan, shall be first applied to tuition, room and board and the excess, if any, shall be distributed to the recipient.

(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Tennessee Teaching Scholars Act.” (b) The Tennessee student assistance corporation shall administer the Tennessee teaching scholars program for exemplary students who desire to enter the teaching force in this state. Partic…

(a) As used in this part:(1) “Eligible postsecondary institution” means:(A) An institution in the state university and community college system, or an institution in the University of Tennessee system;(B) An eligible independent postsecondary institution as defined in § 49-4-902;…

(a) TSAC shall pay a Tennessee student assistance award on behalf of a student directly to the eligible postsecondary institution in which the student is enrolled or intends to enroll. The eligible postsecondary institution shall promptly credit the payments received from TSAC to…

A Tennessee student assistance award must be based on the financial need of the student. If a student's financial need is less than one hundred dollars ($100), then the student is ineligible for an award pursuant to this part.

TSAC shall renew an award only upon the student's application and upon verification that the applicant has satisfactorily completed the work in the immediately preceding academic year, that the applicant remains a resident of this state, and that the applicant's financial situati…

It is expressly provided that no attempt shall be made by any official or agency concerned with the administration of the Tennessee student assistance corporation to influence the selection by an applicant of the institution that the applicant might attend.

If the recipient of an award falsifies information on the application, then TSAC may, upon evidence, revoke the award. If a person's award is revoked pursuant to this section, then the person is prohibited from further payment or benefits of the award.

(a) Any award recipient who desires to transfer from one institution to another must notify TSAC and secure its authorization to transfer. (b) Failure to notify TSAC and secure its authorization may result in the loss of the award.

Any part-time or full-time student who is convicted of any criminal offense growing out of any student riot, protest or disturbance shall forfeit any further right to any student loan or grant as provided in this chapter, or any other financial assistance supported by state funds…

(a) This section is known and may be cited as the “Tennessee Future Teacher Scholarship Act of 2023.” (b) As used in this section:(1) “Approved EPP” means an educator preparation program approved by the state board of education at an eligible postsecondary institution;(2) “Eligib…

(a) The Tennessee student assistance corporation (TSAC) shall administer a loan-scholarship program for graduate students in professional nursing under the following terms and conditions:(1) Any resident of this state who becomes a candidate for a master's degree in nursing, or a…

(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Dependent Children Scholarship Act.” (b) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Corporation” means the Tennessee student assistance corporation;(2) “Dependent child” means a natural child, stepc…

(a) (1) The Tennessee student assistance corporation (TSAC) shall administer a minority teaching fellows program for talented Tennesseans who aspire to be teachers.(2) Participation in the minority teaching fellows program is limited to:(A) College juniors, seniors, and post-bacc…

(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Tennessee Promise Scholarship Act of 2014”. (b) As used in this section:(1) “Continuous enrollment” has the same meaning as defined in § 49-4-902; except that a student enrolled in a Tennessee college of applied technology …

This part shall be known and may be cited as the “Senator Ben Atchley Opportunity Grant Act.”

The purpose of this part is to restore the value of the Tennessee student assistance award maximum grant to provide financially needy students enrolled at Tennessee independent colleges and universities with a state grant of sufficient size to reduce the impact of institutional p…

The state shall grant an amount as provided in this part to Tennessee resident students enrolled at independent, nonprofit colleges and universities accredited by the College Commission of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and, to the extent feasible within existin…

The amount of the maximum grant for students enrolled at the eligible institutions of higher learning shall be determined by guidelines established by the Tennessee student assistance corporation.

Net proceeds of the state lottery shall be used exclusively for the purposes set out in the Constitution of Tennessee, Article XI, § 5 and this part. The net proceeds shall be used to supplement, not supplant, existing resources for educational purposes, projects and programs. It…

(1) As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Academic requirement” means a requirement of a specified grade point average, ACT or SAT score or cumulative grade point average that determines either initial or continuing eligibility for postsecondary financi…

(a) The scholarship and grant programs established by this part shall be administered by TSAC, which shall be responsible for determination of eligibility of students and for the distribution of funds appropriated by the general assembly for scholarships and grants awarded under …

(1) A student is ineligible for any scholarship or grant described in this part if the student:(1) Is not a Tennessee citizen;(2) Has not complied with United States selective service system requirements for registration, if such requirements are applicable to the student;(3) Is …

(a) To be eligible for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship, Tennessee HOPE access grant, Tennessee HOPE teacher's scholarship or a Wilder-Naifeh technical skills grant, a student must:(1) Be a resident of this state, as classified pursuant to § 49-8-104;(2) Make application for a Tennes…

Except for the ASPIRE award under § 49-4-915 and the Tennessee HOPE access grants under § 49-4-920, eligibility for scholarships or grants awarded under this part shall not be restricted or limited by the adjusted gross income attributable to a student. Students applying for the …

(1) To be eligible for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship as an entering freshman, a student who graduated from an eligible high school after December 1, 2003, upon having completed curriculum requirements of the high school for graduation, shall:(1) Meet the requirements of §§ 49-4-90…

(a) To be eligible for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship as an entering freshman, a student who completes high school in a Tennessee home school program, who graduates from a high school located in Tennessee that is not an eligible high school, or who obtains a high school equivalency…

(a) To be eligible for a Tennessee middle college scholarship a student shall:(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…

A student who receives a Tennessee HOPE scholarship and attends an eligible postsecondary institution may transfer to another eligible postsecondary institution without loss of the scholarship; provided, that the student continues to meet all requirements for the scholarship. The…

(a) (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 (…

(a) The receipt of a Tennessee HOPE scholarship is contingent upon admission to an eligible postsecondary institution. Academically qualifying for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship does not guarantee admission to an eligible postsecondary institution. (b) Tennessee HOPE scholarship st…

(a) Except as set forth in §§ 49-4-919, 49-4-930, 49-4-931, 49-4-933, and 49-4-937, a student may receive a Tennessee HOPE scholarship until the first of the following events:(1) The student has earned a bachelor's degree unless the student maintains continuous enrollment toward …

(a) 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, the amount of a Tennessee HOPE scholarship and Tennessee HOPE sch…

(a) To be eligible for an ASPIRE award, a student shall:(1) Be eligible for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship; and(2) Have an adjusted gross income attributable to the student that does not exceed thirty-six thousand dollars ($36,000). (1) Be eligible for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship;…

(a) To be eligible for a general assembly merit scholarship as an entering freshman, a student must:(1) Meet all requirements for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship;(2) Achieve a final high school grade point average of at least 3.75; and(3) Attain a composite ACT score of at least 29 …

Students may receive either the ASPIRE award, under § 49-4-915, or the supplemental award as a general assembly merit scholar, but not both.

(a) A student who enters the United States armed services within two (2) years after the student graduates from an eligible high school, graduates from a high school located in Tennessee that is not an eligible high school, completes high school in a Tennessee home school program…

(a) A Tennessee HOPE scholarship student who has an approved medical or personal leave of absence from an eligible postsecondary institution may continue to receive the scholarship upon resuming the student's education at an eligible postsecondary institution so long as the stude…

(a) To be eligible for a Tennessee HOPE access grant, an entering freshman student shall:(1) Meet all requirements of §§ 49-4-904 and 49-4-905;(2) Have an adjusted gross income attributable to the student that does not exceed thirty-six thousand dollars ($36,000);(3) Submit an in…