Deadline tomorrow for lottery scholarship applications
With the HOPE Scholarship priority deadline falling tomorrow, scholarship officials are encouraging procrastinating high school seniors to apply online for the lottery-funded scholarship program immediately.
“There’s still time to take advantage of Tennessee Scholar Dollars and the HOPE Scholarship,” said Dr. Myron Oglesby-Pitts, director of the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship program. “The online FAFSA takes just one to two weeks to process and can cut out delays by eliminating mistakes.”
Beginning with the 2004-2005 academic year, the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Program will sponsor five different scholarships or awards, the most well-known of these being the HOPE Scholarship.
HOPE scholars must have a minimum 3.0 GPA or score at least 19 on the ACT. Scholars are eligible for assistance of up to $3,000 annually, or $4,000 if they meet standards of academic achievement or financial need.
To receive any of the five lottery awards, students must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, regardless of one’s income. As it is too late to obtain and complete a hard copy of the form, the FAFSA must now be completed online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
According to the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation, an estimated 65,000 students are expected to attend Tennessee colleges and universities on lottery-funded scholarships and grants next fall. About three-quarters of those – 49,000 – are expected to be HOPE Scholars. The remaining 16,000 will receive technical skill grants to attend state technology centers.
“Tennessee Scholar Dollars and HOPE are helping make higher education affordable for thousands of Tennessee’s best and brightest. If you’ve got the grades, there’s money available to help pay for college. Now, all you have to do is apply,” said Oglesby-Pitts.
To learn more about Tennessee Scholar Dollars and the HOPE Scholarship, visit www.TNScholarDollars.com, or call the HOPE Hotline at (800) 342-1663.