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Union University

Student Financial Planning

Admissions @ Union

Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarships (TELS)

To be considered for TELS Awards, the student must file the FAFSA by September 1 each year.

Award Types Policies and Procedures Institutional Review Panel Forms

Award Types

HOPE Scholarship, GAMS, and ASPIRE

The Tennessee HOPE Scholarship was established and funded from the net proceeds of the state lottery, and available to qualifying Tennessee residents. Amounts for the HOPE Scholarship are up to $4,500 per year (Fall/Spring total) for freshman and sophomore students, and up to $5,700 per year (Fall/Spring total) for junior and senior students. In some cases, HOPE Scholarship can also be available in the summer semester.

In addition to the HOPE Scholarship, a student may also qualify for one of two additional awards: General Assembly Merit Scholarship of up to $1,000 per year or the ASPIRE Award of $1,500 per year. If a student qualifies for both, they will only receive ASPIRE since it is the higher amount award. As long as award criteria continue to be met, should the student no longer qualify for ASPIRE, they will receive GAMS.

For full eligibility requirements for the HOPE Scholarship, GAMS award, and ASPIRE award, please refer to the state website.

Non-traditional HOPE Scholarship

HOPE Scholarship for non-traditional age students is also available in certain situations. Amounts correspond to the traditional HOPE Scholarship awards, but eligibility requirements differ. Please refer to the state website for more information on eligibility. If you believe you qualify for the non-traditional HOPE Scholarship, please complete the request form located in the "forms" section of this webpage and submit to the Office of Student Financial Planning for review.

Other State of TN Awards

TSAA

The TN Student Assistance Award is a state-funded grant program that was established to provide non-repayable financial assistance to financially-needed undergraduate students who are residents of Tennessee. Maximum awards are determined by the TSAC Board of Directors prior to the beginning of the Fall term each academic year. Currently, TSAA awards could be up to $4,000 per year (Fall/Spring only) as determined by eligibility criteria. For full eligibility requirements for the TSAA award, please refer to the state website.

Tennessee Reconnect Grant

The TN Reconnect Grant is available to students seeking an associate degree who are classified as an independent on the FAFSA OR at least 23 years of age by January 1 of the academic year, who have not earned an associate degree or more advanced degree and are enrolled in an eligible program of study. Award amounts vary based on remaining tuition and mandatory fees after other aid has been applied.

For full eligibility requirements for the TN Reconnect Grant, please refer to the state website.

Additional Funds

The state of TN offers additional scholarships and grants to eligible TN residents. More information regarding the Ned McWherter Scholarship Program, the Graduate Nursing Loan Forgiveness Program, and the Dual Enrollment Grant can be found on the state website.

Union University Policies and Procedures for TN Educational Lottery Scholarship (TELS) Awards and Other Applicable State Funds

The following Policies and Procedures have been developed to comply with Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 4, amended, and Union University's current financial aid practices.

Awarding and disbursing state of TN funds

  1. State awards can be included in a student's award offer if they appear to meet initial eligibility and if the student's name appears on the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) official roster for Union University, but awards will not be disbursed in advance of the school receiving state funding. If such funding is not subsequently received by Union University due to any reason, the student's state of TN award may be removed/cancelled from their award offer.
  2. Credit balances that may appear on a student's Self-Service account resulting from a TELS award that is offered will not be refunded to the student until after TELS funds have been received from TSAC.
  3. TELS award and other state applicable state funds will be prorated for enrolling at less than full-time enrollment status. Provisional students must be full-time to receive the award (see more information below).

Census Date and Determining Enrollment Intensity

Census date for purposes of determining enrollment intensity for state of TN funds will align with the general census date used by the Office of Student Financial Planning for all awards. Census policy is as follows: A Financial Aid Census Date is established to determine a student's enrollment status (for Undergraduate students, full-time: 12 hours or more; ¾ time: 9–11 hours; half time: 6–8 hours; less-than-half-time: 1–5 hours) upon which their financial aid eligibility is established for Pell grant, TEACH, and certain state of TN funds. Union University's Financial Aid Census Date shall be the last date to drop without a course showing on the transcript, generally the 10th day of class for the full semester. Students who are taking modules within a term and who do not start any course until later in the term will have a census date aligned with the last date to drop without a course showing on the transcript for the later starting courses.

Students' enrollment level (full-time = 12 or more credits, part-time = 6–11 credits, or less-than-half-time = 5 or fewer credits) for state aid will be determined at census date and award amounts for state aid set at this time. Students who have received state of TN funds and change enrollment (adding or reducing credits after census date) should be aware this could impact state of TN eligibility (see below).

Continued eligibility

  1. It is the student's responsibility to know the state requirements to continue to receive a TELS award. Some, but not all, requirements are:
    • The student must file the FAFSA each year and have an official EFC) prior to September 1st. Please be aware that starting academic year 24-25, EFC will be replaced with SAI. See our webpage for FAFSA Simplification for more details.
    • The student must achieve a TELS Cumulative GPA of 2.75 at the conclusion of the semesters in which he/she has attempted a total of 24 and 48 credit hours. These semesters shall be referred to as benchmark semesters.
    • At the conclusion of the semesters in which the student has a total of 72, 96, and 128 TELS hours attempted, he/she must achieve one of the following:
      • Achieve a TELS Cumulative GPA of 3.0, OR
      • Achieve a TELS Cumulative GPA of 2.75-2.99 AND a semester GPA of 3.0 or above (provisional status)
  2. Cumulative GPA and attempted hours for TELS eligibility differ from cumulative GPA and attempted hours for academic purposes. The following chart shows how credit hours attempted affect TELS attempted hours and the calculation of TELS GPA:
    Credit hours Attempted Counted in TELS Attempted Hours Used to Calculate TELS GPA
    Credits taken prior to HS Graduation
    (AP, Rising HS Senior, Dual Enrollment, etc.)    		 No No
    Testing No No
    Audit No No
    Continuing Education No No
    Withdrawn before census date * No No
    Withdrawn after census date * Yes No
    Pass/Fail Yes No
    Incomplete Yes No
    Change from Credit to Audit after census Yes No
    Repeated Courses Original
    Repeat    		 Yes
    Yes    		 Yes
    Yes
    All Others Yes Yes

Loss of eligibility/appeal process

  1. It is the student's responsibility to know the factors which may cause him or her to lose a TELS award. Some, but not all, factors are:
    • The student fails to achieve the required cumulative TELS GPA for a benchmark semester.
    • Students can lose TELS awards due to non-continuous enrollment. Non-continuous enrollment is defined as:
      1. Students who do not enroll in both the Fall and Spring terms of an academic year.
        • Students may submit a TELS Leave of Absence Request prior to the period of non-enrollment for approval
      2. Students who, at census date, are full-time enrolled or part-time enrolled (see Census Date and Determining Enrollment Intensity above) who drop from full-time to part-time or less-than-part time or from part-time to less-that-part-time.
        • Students may submit a Change of Enrollment Status request for prior approval.
  2. Five calendar years have passed from the student's initial start in the TELS program.

Appeals, Prior Approvals, and Other Forms

A student who has been denied TELS because of loss of eligibility may appeal to Union's TELS Institutional Review Panel (IRP — see below for more information) if he/she has certain documented medical or personal reasons. The IRP will either approve the appeal or request a hearing. If the appeal is ultimately denied by Union's IRP, the student may further appeal the case to the IRP of TSAC. Appeal for reinstatement of eligibility is made by submitting the TELS Eligibility Appeal Form to the Financial Aid Office. Note: The Attorney General of TN has ruled that failure to achieve required GPA is not appealable.

  1. Students who request a Leave of Absence or a Change of Enrollment status and are denied, but do not enroll subsequent semester or drop enrollment level anyway will not be eligible for TELS awards in subsequent semesters but are able to appeal the decision to the Institutional Review Panel (IRP).
  2. There is no appeal for not meeting the required GPA. If a student loses a TELS Award due to failure to achieve required GPA, he may regain the award by improving his TELS GPA during a subsequent benchmark semester. This regain provision may be used only once.
  3. If a student who loses TELS due to GPA subsequently has a grade changed that results in a higher cumulative GPA, he/she may request reinstatement by submitting the TELS Reinstatement Request — Grade Change to the Financial Aid Office within 30 days of the grade change.
  4. Students who have repeated a course for a higher grade can, as a one-time appeal, request to have the lower grade no longer calculated into the TELS GPA. Student should complete and submit Request for One-Time Course Repeat form for review.
  5. If a student loses a TELS Award for any other reason, he/she is no longer eligible to receive it in any future semester. See subsequent list of "Decisions that can be appealed."
  6. Union University will not replace TELS funds for which the student has failed to meet continued eligibility requirements with institutionally controlled funds.

TELS Institutional Review Panel (IRP)

Purpose

The purpose of the IRP is to review and/or hear appeals from institutional decisions denying or revoking an applicant's TELS award. Such decisions shall be made initially by Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) or by the Financial Aid Officer responsible for certifying eligibility for TELS and shall be communicated to the student.

IRP Members

At Union University the IRP shall consist of three campus members who are not part of the Office of Student Financial Planning, who are designated by Director of Student Financial Planning. IRP Members also review Satisfactory Academic Progress appeals and other appeals as necessary.

Decisions that can be appealed

  • Ineligible due to failure to meet timely enrollment requirement
  • Ineligible due to failure to maintain continuous enrollment
  • Ineligible due to denial of request for leave of absence
  • Ineligible due to denial of request to change to part time enrollment status
  • Ineligible due to denial to reinstate TELS award due to grade change
  • Ineligible due to denial of one-time course repeat GPA substitution

Decisions that cannot be appealed

  • Incorrect ACT, HS GPA, or grades from another postsecondary institution
  • Incorrect information provided to Union from any other entity
  • Request for exceptions to HS GPA or curriculum track requirements

Acceptable reasons for appeal

  • Illness of student
  • Illness or death of an immediate family member
  • Extreme financial hardship of student or student's immediate family
  • Other extraordinary circumstances beyond the student's control where fulfilling the eligibility requirement would create a substantial hardship.
  • To fulfill a religious commitment expected of all students of that faith
  • Parent or sibling called into active military service
  • Grade change due to institutional error
  • Grade change do to grade assignment for a previous incomplete
  • Grade change for other reasons

Procedures for appealing

  • A student shall submit a completed TELS Eligibility Appeal Form with appropriate documentation to the Office of Student Financial Planning.
  • The Office of Student Financial and send copies to IRP members for consideration.
  • IRP members shall review the appeal, record their individual decisions, and return forms to the Office of Student Financial Planning within 7 days (but no later than 14 days) of the receipt of the appeal.
  • IRP decision of an appeal shall be determined by the majority (2/3) of members rendering one of the following:
    • Appeal Approved — Final Decision
    • Appeal Denied — Final Decision
    • Hearing Required — Interim Decision
  • The Office of Student Financial Planning shall inform the student by email of the results of the appeal, and a copy of the correspondence will be placed in the student's financial aid file.
  • If an interim decision of Hearing Required is rendered, a hearing date no later than 14 days from the receipt date of the decision will be scheduled with the student and panel members. All panel members must be present at the hearing. Within 7 days of the hearing, a final decision will then be required from the IRP.
  • IRP decision resulting from the hearing shall be determined by the majority (2/3) of members rendering one of the following:
    • Appeal Approved — Final Decision
    • Appeal Denied — Final Decision
  • The IRP decision resulting from a hearing shall be put into writing, including a summary, if applicable, the pertinent facts and issues and the panel's decision.
  • The final decision will be provided to the student as soon as is practicable. A copy of this notification will also be retained in the student's financial aid file.
  • If an appeal receives a final decision of Appeal Denied, the student shall be informed of their right to appeal to the TELS Review Panel of TSAC.

Concurrent Enrollment/Consortium Agreements

A Union student enrolled in another eligible institution at the same time they are enrolled at Union will be eligible to receive one TELS award for the total number of enrolled hours.

School policy requires that a student apply in the Academic Center for permission for concurrent enrollment. A student wishing to receive TELS funding for concurrent enrollment must provide the Office of Student Financial Planning:

  1. a copy of the Academic Center's permission,
  2. enrollment information from the host institution, and
  3. the completed TELS Consortium Agreement form.
These documents should be submitted to the Financial Aid Office no later than 14 days after the semester begins.

TELS Forms

The following forms are available from this website for student use: