Since Governor Phil Bredesen signed the Tennessee Education Lottery into law in June, a new lottery scholarship has been established for current college freshmen. Freshmen who graduated high school after January 1, 2003 may be eligible to receive the Tennessee Hope Lottery Scholarship, available for the 2004/05 academic year and funded by the future sale of lottery tickets in the state of Tennessee.

Students must also meet several other criteria, such as maintaining a cumulative college GPA of 2.75 while completing at least 24 credit hours prior to Fall 2004. The only application needed is the FAFSA.

The students' scholarship eligibility will be determined by UTM based on high school and college data. Scholarship award amounts will vary based on a student's enrollment status and fund availability. While the expected award amount for the scholarship is $3000 per year, students may also be eligible to receive supplemental awards of $1000 based on adjusted gross incomes and students receiving a minimum national ACT composite score of 29 and who completed high school with an unweighted 3.75 GPA. After spring coursework is completed, the final determination will be made.

Find more information for the Hope Lottery Scholarship at http://www.utm.edu/admin/finaid/scholarship_links.html or contact the Financial Aid Office at (731) 587-7040 or faquestions@utm.edu.