Kathy Feagins, assistant director and scholarship coordinator for ETSU, confirmed that the deadline for students to apply for lottery-funded college scholarships has been extended indefinitely.
The state had originally set Aug. 20, 2004 as the deadline for all Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarships (TELS) applications. This includes the inaugural HOPE scholarships.
Feagins thinks the likely reason for the deadline extension is a lower-than-expected number of applications received.
“The expected jump in applications has not been that apparent, and only slightly higher than anticipated,” Feagins said.
The TELS law was signed by Gov. Phil Bredesen in June 2003 and became only the seventh scholarship program funded solely by state lottery revenues. Five other southeastern states and New Mexico have also created state lotteries where a percentage of lottery proceeds are specifically earmarked for postsecondary education scholarships.
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission is required by law to evaluate TELS annually and report its findings to the Tennessee General Assembly before the second Tuesday in January of each year. The evaluation will include student success, school attendance and any other relevant indicators of the program’s progress.
Stringent requirements must be met not only for students to obtain the award, but also to maintain their scholarships while in college, Feagins said. There is an informational guideline, titled “Don’t Lose HOPE: How to Maintain Your Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Eligibility,” available in the Financial Aid Office.
“Make yourselves aware of these guidelines,” Feagins said, “because once you lose your HOPE scholarship for any reason, it is lost forever.”
According to their news release, the Tennessee Lottery has exceeded it initial mandated goal of $88 million by 40 percent, raising more than $123 million for education programs in less than six months.
If net lottery proceeds cannot fully fund the TELS award program, the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation will determine the manner in which awards will be reduced, according to the TELS rules.
“Graduating seniors from 2003 were also eligible for these scholarships,” Feagins said. “The lottery bill law was extended to cover those students who were seniors during the time frame when the bill was passed.
“(Students) need to be careful about keeping their HOPE scholarships. Stay in school, pick a major early, ask questions, talk to your advisor, don’t miss a semester, and above all, remember that once you lose your scholarship, it’s gone forever.”
To learn more about the TELS rules and the education lottery, log on to www.tnlottery.com, or visit the office, located in the Advisement Resources Career Center of the Culp Center, directly across from the I. D. Bucs office.

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