Lottery Scholarship Program — Frequently Asked Questions
What hours are used to determine when I am evaluated for continued eligibility
for the TELS scholarship? Credit hours earned since high school graduation including
hours from all courses in which an A, B, C D, F, or S was earned, hours
from all withdrawal grades including “W,WF, WP, NC, or NP” initial
and subsequent hours for all repeated courses, all credit hours attempted
at previously attended institutions, and hours earned in study abroad will
factor into your TELS credit hour total.
What grades are used in calculating a TELS Grade
Point Average? Your TELS GPA calculation includes any courses taken
after graduating from high school in which you received a grade, including
transfer work and repeated courses, except correspondence credit and grades
earned in study abroad.
Below is a summary for the previous two questions.
TELS Credit Hour
Totals (determines when your
eligibility is reviewed)
INCLUDED
All courses taken since high school graduation
Credit hours in which an A,B,C,D,F, I,W,WF,WP,NC,S,
or NP was earned
Hours for initial and subsequent taking of
repeated courses
All TELS credit hours attempted at previously
attended schools
Credit hours earned in study abroad
NOT INCLUDED
Dual enrollment taken before high school graduation
AP (Advanced Placement) credit hours
DP (Departmental Placement) credit hours
CLEP Hours
Military service credit hours
IB (International Baccalaureate)
Correspondence credit
TELS GPA Calculation
(determines if you are eligible)
INCLUDED
All grades of A, B, C, D and F
Grades of WF
Initial and subsequent grades for all repeated
courses
All TELS grades earned at previously attended
institutions (including developmental courses)
NOT INCLUDED
Correspondence credit
Dual-enrollment credits earned before high school
graduation
Grades earned in study abroad
Grades of I
I am currently signed up for a course that I failed last semester. Will
repeating this course affect my TELS GPA? Yes. You have the one-time option to repeat
one course for the TELS scholarship. The higher of the two grades will be
used in the calculation of the TELS GPA. Be sure to notify the Office of
Financial Aid prior to utilizing this option.
Can I take 15 hours of electives to earn the required
TELS GPA? Yes. However, taking 15 hours of elective
credits does not help you to get the required courses most needed
for a degree at UT. The TELS scholarship pays for 120 hours--sooner, rather
than later, you will need to earn the required courses for graduation.
I received an F in Math 110. Should I repeat the
course next semester? For the purposes of improving your UT cumulative
GPA, repeating a course is always good to do. However, those hours are
added to your TELS credit hour calculation, and both the original grade
and the repeated grade are calculated into your TELS GPA. So, it is important
that you evaluate your GPA to determine if it might be better to repeat
the course at a later time. You might want to discuss this with your advisor.For information about UT's repeat policy, please
see our page about Registration
Policies.
When am I evaluated to see if I am still eligible
for the TELS scholarship? You are evaluated for continued eligibility
once you have attempted 24 credit hours. At this point, you will need
to have earned a 2.75 cumulative GPA to continue receiving the TELS scholarship.
You are evaluated again at 48, 72, 96 and 120 credit hours. At each of
these benchmarks, you will need to have earned a 3.0 cumulative GPA to
continue receiving the TELS scholarship. It is also important that you
realize that credit hours from all withdrawal grades including “W,WF,
WP, NC, NP, or S,” initial and subsequent hours for all repeated
courses, and all credit hours attempted at previously attended institutions
will factor into your TELS credit hour total.
Can I receive summer aid from the TELS scholarship?
No. Currently, the TELS scholarship does not apply to summer aid. Mini-term
is also considered a part of summer and is not funded by the TELS scholarship.
If I have not earned my required TELS GPA
by the end of Spring term, can I use summer school to improve my GPA? First, any course that you take will be applied
to your TELS GPA; however, your GPA will be evaluated after you have attempted
your first 24 hours. If you have already attempted your 24 hours before
Summer term, then Summer school courses will not help you keep your TELS
scholarship.
Does AP credit apply towards my TELS credit hours
total? No. AP credit hours, dual-enrollment credit hours
earned prior to high school graduation, departmental placement, CLEP credit,
military service credit, and correspondence credit are not included in your
TELS credit hour calculation.
I’m going out-of-state this summer
to take some classes. Do these courses count towards my TELS GPA? Yes. Summer courses taken out-of-state will apply
to your TELS GPA.
I received an Incomplete (I) last semester. How
will this affect my TELS GPA?
Incomplete courses are still included in your TELS credit hour calculation.
Once your grade has been posted, then your GPA will be recalculated. If
your cumulative GPA falls below the required TELS GPA at the attempted
credit hours benchmark (2.75 for 24 hours and 3.0 for 48, 72, 96 and 120
hours), then you will lose your scholarship.
One of my professors is changing my grade from last semester. Is my TELS
GPA automatically adjusted to reflect this change? No. You are required to notify the Financial Aid Office of any
grade change within 30 days of that change. Once you have notified the
Financial Aid office, your TELS GPA will be recalculated.
Can I regain my TELS scholarship if I lose it? Yes. If you earn a 3.0 TELS GPA at the end of a semester in which
you have attempted 48, 72, 96 or 120 semester hours, then you can regain
the award. This option is available to you one time only.
Can I be a part-time student and receive the
TELS scholarship?
Yes, you can receive financial assistance through the TELS scholarship
as a part-time student. If you begin the semester enrolled in more than
12 hours, it is very important that you adjust your schedule to part-time
status during the first 10 days of the semester. Courses dropped during
the first 10 days of the semester do not show up on your academic record.
Any course dropped after 10 days will be recorded on your academic record
as a “W” and will be counted in your TELS credit hour calculation.
If dropping a course after the first 10 days of the semester brings you
below full-time standing, then you will lose your scholarship unless you
have received prior approval from the Office
of Financial Aid and Scholarships.
I need to withdraw from a course, but I will still
be a full-time student. Will this affect my TELS scholarship? If you withdraw from a course after the first 10
days of the semester, then the course will appear on your academic history
as a “W” until the 42nd day of the term or a “WP”
or “WF” until the 84th day of the term and the hours will
be counted towards your TELS credit hour calculation. Be sure to talk
with an advisor and a financial aid counselor before withdrawing from
a course.
I would like to study abroad. Are these courses counted towards my TELS
hours and GPA? Yes. Credits you earn through study abroad are counted
towards your TELS credit hour total. However, since you will receive “S”
credits for all courses you earn, your TELS GPA is not affected.
