The application deadline for the Tennessee HOPE lottery scholarship is Friday, Oct. 29 for the 2004-2005 academic year.

Applications processed by the Oct. 29 deadline will be considered for both the HOPE aid and other Tennessee Education Lottery, such as the General Assembly Merit scholarship and need-based grants.

Director of the Tennessee lottery Myron Oglesby-Pitts said in a press release, “This opportunity is too good to pass up. If you still have not applied for HOPE, I encourage you to apply online immediately to get the scholarship you have earned.”

Oglesby-Pitts also said that if students do not apply for the scholarship for their first semester, they will be ineligible in the future.

“That could mean giving up as much as $20,000 over the course of an education.”

Eligible students may apply for HOPE and other lottery scholarships by completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.edu.gov.

The Tennessee legislature passed several changes to lottery policy to expand eligibility to more students.

The ACT requirements for home-schooled students changed to 21 from the previously required 23, high school core curriculum requirements were eliminated and Tennessee residents who attended out-of-state boarding schools or attended high school in counties bordering Tennessee became eligible.

Under the revised rules, children of military and National Guard members on active duty out of state will receive the scholarship if they maintain “home of record” in Tennessee. The Tennessee Education Lottery scholarship program awards up to $4,000 per academic year to students attending Tennessee colleges and universities.

47,000 awards have been made in 2004 alone, and approximately 80 percent of UTM students are receiving some form of lottery aid.