Scholarship Eligibility

To be eligible, the applicant must:

• Be admitted to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville for Fall 2019
• Reside in one of the 52 Appalachian counties* in Tennessee
• Meet eligibility criteria for federal Pell grants
• Qualify for Tennessee’s HOPE scholarship
• Achieve minimum 21 ACT (980 SAT) OR an overall weighted minimum 3.0 grade point average (GPA).
• Select a STEM major in the College of Arts & Sciences, such as:
  • Biochemistry
  • Biological Sciences
    • Cellular and Molecular Biology
    • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
    • Microbiology
  • Chemistry
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences
    • Environmental Sciences
    • Geology
  • Geography
  • Mathematics
  • Neuroscience
  • Physics and Astronomy
  • Statistics

*Pre-med and pre-dental students interested in the ASPIRE grant will need to choose a major from the list above.

Although all eligible applicants will be reviewed, special consideration will be given to students from the 34 counties classified by the Appalachian Regional Commission** as economically distressed or at-risk, as well as to students who would be the first in their families to attend college and those scoring 25 or higher on the math subsection of the ACT.

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* Appalachian Counties in Tennessee: Anderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Cannon, Carter, Claiborne, Clay, Cocke, Coffee, Cumberland, De Kalb, Fentress, Franklin, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Lewis, Loudon, McMinn, Macon, Marion, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Smith, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Washington, and White

** Distressed Counties in Tennessee: Bledsoe, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, Clay, Cocke, De Kalb, Fentress, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Jackson, Johnson, Lawrence, Lewis, Macon, Marion, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Scott, Unicoi, Warren, and White