Tennessee § 49-4-911 - HOPE scholarship — Continuation requirements.

§ 49-4-911. HOPE scholarship — Continuation requirements.

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Acts 2003, ch. 298, § 1; 2004, ch. 840, § 13; 2005, ch. 481, §§ 15, 22; 2008, ch. 1142, § 3; 2009, ch. 243, § 1. Compiler's Notes. Acts 2004, ch. 840, § 30(b) provided that the amendment by that act shall apply to students seeking financial assistance from lottery proceeds for the 2004-2005 school year and thereafter. Acts 2005, ch. 481, § 30, provided that: “(a) A student who was eligible for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship, a general assembly merit scholarship, or a Tennessee HOPE access grant for the 2004-2005 academic year, but who did not attend any postsecondary institution in the 2004-2005 academic year, may apply for such scholarship or grant under the amendments made to title 49, chapter 4, part 9 by §§ 5 through 13 of the act. TSAC may award the scholarship, if the student meets all applicable requirements for the scholarship or grant and the student is admitted to and enrolls in an eligible postsecondary institution no later than sixteen (16) months after graduating from an eligible high school, graduating from a high school located in Tennessee that is not an eligible high school, completing high school in a Tennessee home school, or obtaining a GED(R). “(b) A student may apply for the retroactive award of a Tennessee HOPE scholarship, a general assembly merit scholarship, or a Tennessee HOPE access grant for any semester of the 2004-2005 academic year in which the student would have qualified for a scholarship or grant under §§ 14-20, or § 22 of the act, had such provisions been in effect during that academic year. TSAC may award the scholarship or grant retroactively, if the student meets all applicable requirements for the scholarship or grant.” Acts 2008, ch. 1142, § 23 provided that it is the legislative intent, when additional net lottery proceeds become available in a subsequent fiscal year, that the next funding priority should be adding additional semesters to the established eligibility retention requirements for the Tennessee HOPE scholarship for students who earn a cumulative 2.75 grade point average. Acts 2008, ch. 1142, § 24 provided that, subject to appropriation by the general assembly, it is the legislative intent that six million eight hundred thousand dollars ($6,800,000) from the lottery for education account may be used to supplement student assistance awards each year. Acts 2008, ch. 1142, § 27 provided that: (a) TSAC is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of the act. The rules and regulations shall be promulgated in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5. THEC is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of the act. The rules and regulations shall be promulgated in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5. Acts 2008, ch. 1142, § 28 provided that the act shall not be construed to be an appropriation of funds and that no funds shall be obligated or expended pursuant to the act unless the funds are specifically appropriated by the general appropriations act. Acts 2008, ch. 1142, § 30 provided that § 3 of the act, which rewrote this section, shall apply to students seeking to continue or regain eligibility for Tennessee HOPE scholarships who reach benchmarks for reviewing eligibility pursuant to § 49-4-911 on or after June 13, 2008.