Research · Scholarships · October 2026
Scholarships in Tennessee: the 2 state programs and what each asks for
As of October 2026: Tennessee has 2 state scholarship programs for students who graduate from its own high schools. The table starts with Tennessee HOPE Scholarship (TELS): $4,500-$5,700/yr (4-yr, $2,250-$2,850/semester).
The table holds every state-funded award we could confirm for a Tennessee high school graduate going to college. It does not hold federal aid, or a scholarship that comes from one college rather than from the state.
Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com), October 2026. Figures and the table may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.
The findings, in plain English
Tennessee runs 1 award that turn on grades or scores. Tennessee HOPE Scholarship (TELS) is one of them. 1 of the 2 programs we could read name a GPA, and 1 name a test score. A need-based award asks about family income instead, through the FAFSA.
Tennessee HOPE Scholarship (TELS) is the award to read first. What Tennessee HOPE Scholarship (TELS) pays: $4,500-$5,700/yr (4-yr, $2,250-$2,850/semester). The next program on the table is Tennessee Promise. The table carries the deadline and the renewal rule for each one.
What this table does not tell you. Every figure on the table was read off the state's own page for that program. Nothing is estimated and nothing is carried over from an earlier year.
Every state scholarship in Tennessee
Read the row, then open the state's own page before you count on a figure.
| Program | Merit or need | What it pays | GPA it asks for | Test score it asks for | Who qualifies | Deadline | Renewable | Official page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee HOPE Scholarship (TELS) | Merit | $4,500-$5,700/yr (4-yr, $2,250-$2,850/semester); $3,200/yr (2-yr, $1,600/semester) | 3.0 weighted GPA | OR SAT 1060 / ACT 21 | Qualify by either path; enroll within 16 months of graduating | Enroll within 16 months following high school graduation | — | Source |
| Tennessee Promise | State award | Free community / technical college (last-dollar) | — | — | Apply by Nov. 2, 2026; FAFSA by April 1, 2027; mandatory mentor meeting; 16 hours community service per year | Application due November 2, 2026 via the THEC Student Portal; FAFSA due April 1, 2027 | — | Source |
Every row is a state-funded or state-administered award for a Tennessee high school graduate going to an undergraduate program, as of October 2026. A scholarship from a single college, a private foundation award, a federal program and a graduate-only award are all left out. A blank cell means the state's own page does not state it. Dollar figures and GPA floors change every year.
How to read a state scholarship
State awards come in two shapes. A merit award asks about grades, a course list, or a test score, and it does not care what a family earns. A need-based award asks about income and assets through the FAFSA, and it does not care about grades. Some awards ask about both, and the table calls those merit and need.
The deadline column is the one families miss. For most need-based state aid the deadline is really the FAFSA deadline, and it falls months before a college asks for a decision. A merit award more often has no application at all: the state or the high school nominates the student from records it already holds.
What a family should do with this
Open the official page in the last column for the one or two programs your student plausibly qualifies for, and write down two dates: the state aid deadline and the FAFSA deadline. Those are the two that close. In Tennessee the earliest date on this table is the one to put on the calendar first.
Then look past the state. A state award is usually the smaller half of an offer. The college's own merit grid and its net price for your family income move more money than any state program on this page, and both are published.
Questions parents ask
What scholarships does Tennessee offer?
Tennessee has 2 state scholarship programs for students who graduate from its own high schools. The table starts with Tennessee HOPE Scholarship (TELS): $4,500-$5,700/yr (4-yr, $2,250-$2,850/semester).
Does Tennessee have a merit scholarship?
Tennessee runs 1 award that turn on grades or scores, and Tennessee HOPE Scholarship (TELS) is one of them.
How do I find the rules for a Tennessee scholarship?
Every row links to the page the state publishes for that program. The rules and the dollar figures move from year to year, so the page is the thing to read, not a summary of it.
Method & sources: Programs come from the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation / College for TN and the agency's own program pages, read in October 2026. The population is a student who graduates from a Tennessee high school and enrolls as an undergraduate. A scholarship offered by one college, a private foundation award, a federal program and a graduate-only award are all out of scope. A value the agency's own page does not state is left blank rather than filled from elsewhere, and a page that could not be read drops every figure.
- Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation / College for TN
- Tennessee HOPE Scholarship (TELS)
- Tennessee Promise
This brief as data: /research/scholarships-in-tennessee.json. Free for editorial use with attribution to Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach).
Related: Merit scholarships by college · State scholarships in every state · High schools in Tennessee · Scholarship deadlines