Terms & Conditions

• Federal regulations state you must be a degree-seeking student in order to qualify for federal grants, work-study, and student loans.
• Your UT financial aid offer is based on your full-time enrollment and will be reduced if you are not enrolled full time. Full-time enrollment is considered 12+ credit hours for undergraduate students and 9+ credit hours for all graduate programs.
• Some financial aid offered may be awarded for less than full-time enrollment. Students must be enrolled at least half-time (6 credit hours for undergraduate / 5 credit hours for graduate students) to be eligible for student loans. Undergraduate students may be eligible for Pell Grant funding for less than 6 credit hours based on federal funding guidelines.
• Schools are required to monitor the enrollment level of financial aid recipients. UT will check your enrollment level for financial aid eligibility on the 14th day after classes begin. If your enrollment level has changed, your financial aid offer will be adjusted accordingly, and you will be required to repay any funds you are no longer eligible to receive.
• Students must attend all courses for which they are receiving financial aid.
• All financial aid offers are subject to change pending the availability of federal, state, and institutional funding and regulatory verification. If you are selected for verification, you must complete the process before any aid will pay towards your student account.
• If any of your awards are listed as ETSI (estimated), we are still verifying your eligibility for the award and the amount.

The Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship (TELS) Program is administered by the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC). If you have been awarded any one of the HOPE Scholarships, it is your (the student’s) responsibility to be aware of the guidelines and information governing the TELS Program. You may find a link to these guidelines on the One Stop website at onestop.utk.edu/scholarships/hope.

Students must meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements to remain eligible for financial aid. You are expected to be continually aware of your progress.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

• The minimum term and cumulative GPA requirement for undergraduate students is 2.0.
• The minimum term and cumulative GPA requirement for graduate students is 3.0
• The GPA requirements for scholarships may vary.

Maximum Timeframe

• The undergraduate maximum timeframe for degree completion is 150 percent of the hours required to complete the degree program. Minors do not increase the allowable number of hours toward a degree program.
• Extra credit hours are available to those pursing a second bachelor’s degree. Visit onestop.utk.edu/financial-aid/keep for more details.
• The maximum timeframe for graduate degree completion is 150 percent of the published length of the program.

Pace

You must complete a minimum of 67 percent of the courses you attempt in order to meet pace requirements.

Additional Information

For more information about SAP and to review the entire policy, please visit the SAP page on One Stop’s website at onestop.utk.edu/financial-aid/keep.

Changing the number of hours you take during the semester could impact your financial aid.

Students Who Drop Courses But Remain Enrolled

Adjustments to financial aid will be made according to the enrollment level (defined by number of credit hours) as of the close of business on the last day to adjust hours for financial aid, as published on the official university academic calendar.

• If you drop classes prior to the close of business on this day, you must repay any financial aid that you are no longer eligible to receive.
• If you drop classes after this day and maintain enrollment for the semester, you will not be required to repay financial aid funds. Please not that different requirements apply to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress.
• Dropping courses after this day without prior permission may lead to permanent loss of the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship.

Students Who Withdraw from All Courses

• Federal Return of Title IV Finds (R2T4) calculations must be performed for students receiving federal Title IV aid who officially withdraw from all courses, drop all courses, fail all courses, are dismissed, take an unapproved leave of absence, or fail to return from an approved leave of absence.
• If you drop all courses on or after the first day of class, you may be required to repay all federal student aid.
• If you drop all courses after the first day of class, you will be subject to the Federal R2T4 calculation. Although you may not be charged any tuition after withdrawing from courses, you may still be responsible for repaying some (or all) of your federal student aid.

Withdrawal and Repayment Information

If you withdraw from the university, it is important to be aware of the impact the R2T4 policy will have on the aid disbursed and your continued eligibility. In several scenarios you may be required to return part or all of the financial aid you have been awarded. For additional information visit onestop.utk.edu/withdraw.

Students Who Fail All Courses

Due to regulations from the US Department of Education, institutions are required to complete a Federal R2T4 calculation for financial aid recipients who fail to meet course objectives in all courses attempted for the semester. These students are considered by the federal government to have “unofficially withdrawn” from the university.

• The refund calculation determines how much of the federal financial aid you received for the semester was actually “earned” and how much must be “repaid” by you to the appropriate financial aid program.
• The amount is based on your last documented date of attendance. If no documented date of attendance exists, the midpoint of the term will be used as the last documented day of attendance.

• Students must have a valid Social Security Number
• Be a citizen of the United States or eligible non-citizen
• UT institutional and state scholarships require EVEA compliance
• American citizens and resident aliens aged eighteen through twenty-five who were assigned male at birth are required to register with the Selective Service System. You can register at www.sss.gov.
• You cannot be in default on a federal student loan or owe a repayment from a federal grant over payment You can check your status online at nslds.ed.gov/nslds/nslds_SA/.
• Financial aid offers not accepted within 90 days are subject to being cancelled and will only be reinstated pending the availability of funds.
• Other requirements may also apply