2023 Tennessee Code › Title 49 - EDUCATION (§§ 49-1-NEW — 49-50-1703) › Chapter 4 - FINANCIAL AID (§§ 49-4-101 — 49-4-1008) › Part 9 - STATE LOTTERY PROCEEDS (§§ 49-4-901 — 49-4-944) › Section 49-4-909 - Eligibility for Tennessee middle college scholarship

(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 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.
Amended by 2022 Tenn. Acts, ch. 1101, s 1, eff. 5/27/2022.
Amended by 2021 Tenn. Acts, ch. 529, s 1, eff. 5/25/2021.
Acts 2017, ch. 405, § 2; 2019, ch. 469, § 1; 2020, ch. 794, §§ 33-35.