Financial Aid

Grants and Scholarships

Academic Service

Academic Service scholarships are based on scholastic achievement and the fulfillment of a 75-hour work obligation. The scholarships cover the cost of tuition and mandatory fees and are limited to two years.

Eligibility Requirements:
Applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Graduated from high school in 2011 or 2012 with a minimum grade point average of 2.9 or the equivalent or a 21 ACT. (Awards to GED and home-school students will be based upon evidence of comparable scholastic ability.)
• Be a first time college student.
• Enroll as a full-time student each semester

Maintenance Requirements:
Continuation will be evaluated at the end of each semester based on the following criteria:

• Fulfill a 75 hour work obligation each semester for the 2011-2012 academic year. 
• Maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.5 each semester.
• Enroll in at least 12 credit hours and maintain full-time status throughout the semester
• We will only evaluate the overall GPA at the end of each term to verify you are maintaining a 2.5 Cumulative GPA. We will not look at individual class performance.

Application Procedures:

• Be accepted for admission to Pellissippi State.
• Have a copy of your official high school transcript sent to the Pellissippi State Admissions and Records Office.
• Complete the Pellissippi State Scholarship Application

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Edscholar Scholarship

Sponsored by edsouth Funding, dedicated to expanding access to higher education for qualified post secondary students in Tennessee. The award amount is $2,250 for the academic year.

Eligibility Requirements:

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Enroll in a degree program at Pellissippi State
• Be a Tennessee resident
• Have a 3.25 GPA for 7 semesters or ACT Composite score of 23
• Demonstrate financial need according to the FAFSA
• Show community service and leadership
• Meet college standards of admission

Application Procedures:

• Complete the Pellissippi State Scholarship Application
• Essay: On a separate sheet of paper attached to the application, submit an essay on one of the topics below. Include your name on the essay. Please limit your essay to 250 words or less.
  1. Elaborate on your involvement in community service or leadership roles, specifically noting initiative taken and leadership shown.
  2. Describe a community activity or project in which you had (or have) a leadership role. How did you specifically contribute to it's success? What did the project achieve?
  3. Why is participating in community service or leadership important to you?
• Submit an official high school transcript containing at least seven semesters of course work and your grades.
• Submit official results of your SAT or ACT exam.
• Two letters of recommendation - one academic and one personal from an unrelated party.
• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and have the information sent to Pellissippi State (Code 012693).
• Submit all of the above documentation to the Pellissippi State Financial Aid Office.

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East Tennessee Foundation

The East Tennessee Foundation administers scholarships to students living in East Tennessee. The eligibility requirements may vary per scholarship. Please refer to their web site at www.easttennesseefoundation.org for more information on each scholarship available, the eligibility criteria, an application and the deadlines. Please note the Coffey Scholarships are specific to Pellissippi State or Roane State college students.

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Access and Diversity Scholarships

The Access and Diversity Scholarship is designed to assist in meeting the college’s goal to enhance education by increasing access and diversity at all levels. Applicants who meet the eligibility criteria for the Access and Diversity Scholarship will be selected by the Financial Aid Scholarship Committee. The committee will select recipients from the pool of qualifying students by using a holistic and competitive process that considers an applicant’s academic standing, educational goals, community involvement and other attributes described in this document.

TO QUALIFY, a student must meet ALL of the following criteria:

1. Be admitted to the College
2. Be a Tennessee resident
3. Have a minimum cumulative high school or college Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.5 or a minimum General Education diploma (GED) score of 450
4. File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
5. Submit a completed scholarship application to the financial aid office by March 15, 2012.
6. Meet with director of Access and Diversity to complete an academic plan for the upcoming semester

ADDITIONALLY, a student must meet AT LEAST ONE of the following criteria:

1. Be a member of an underutilized population (African American, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Asian)
2. Show documented financial need as determined by the Financial Aid Office
3. Be an adult student (age 25 or older)
4. Complete disclosure and documentation procedures with Services for Students With Disabilities indicating that the student is eligible for accommodations at the College
5. Graduate from an inner city high school in the college’s service area (Austin-East, Central, Fulton)
6. Graduate from a rural high school in the college’s service area (Carter, Gibbs, Heritage, William Blount)

Award Amount: the amount of the scholarship shall be determined as follows:

1. Full-time student (12 or more credit hours) - $1,000 per academic year, the amount to be divided equally between fall and spring semesters
2. Part-time student (11 or fewer credit hours) - prorated amount to be based on number of hours attempted each semester

Award Stipulations: The grant will be awarded fall semester and renewed spring semester if the following criteria are met:

1. Student must maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA
2. Student must successfully complete 2/3 of attempted hours,
3. Student must participate in the mentoring and retention program through the Access and Diversity Office

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GEAR UP TN Bridge Scholarship

To be eligible, for the GEAR UP TN Bridge Scholarship, a student must:

• Be a participant in GEAR UP TN in the following counties: Campbell, Cocke, Grundy, Hardeman, Johnson, Lake, Meigs, Union or Wayne.
• Be a 2011 or 2012 high school graduate with a regular or special education diploma from a public high school participating in GEAR UP TN.
• Be a United States citizen and a permanent resident of the State of Tennessee and be less than 22 years of age at the time of the scholarship reward.
• Be enrolled as a full-time or at least half-time freshman (Half-time students must maintain no less than six hours. If a student drops below six hours at any time, he/she is no longer eligible for the award.) at a regionally accredited college or university in the state of Tennessee or be enrolled as a first-year student of post secondary study at any Tennessee technology center in the fall of 2012.
• Complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• GEAR UP TN Bridge Scholarship award amount is $750.

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Project Grad Scholarship

Students that successfully graduate from Austin East or Fulton High Schools and fulfill other achievable requirements (see below) are guaranteed a $1,000.00 scholarship for four years of college.

The Scholarship Component

When the partnership between GRAD and a high school is established, the scholarship component becomes available to all entering ninth graders. Project GRAD’s non-competitive scholarships typically provide a minimum of $1,000 per year for four years in any accredited college or university in the United States. The scholarships are available to all students who meet the eligibility requirements. The eligibility requirements, which are formalized in the "contract," provide students with motivation to stay in school and focus on college preparation.

A campus-based Scholarship Coordinator, together with social services/parent involvement staff, work to help students graduate and gain access to college through a number of key activities:

Walk for SuccessSM and Learning Contract:

Early in the ninth grade year, the Scholarship Coordinator, Project GRAD staff, social services/parent involvement counselors, school staff and community volunteers visit the homes of all students to inform them about Project GRAD's goals and enlist their support in fulfilling the scholarship component's criteria. They are also asked to sign a learning contract that stipulates what is expected of both the student and parents, as well as what the high school and GRAD will provide during the high school years and beyond. In order to receive the scholarship, the contract stipulates that the student must:

• Graduate from the GRAD feeder system high school
• Graduate with at least a 2.5 GPA
• Attend at least two summer/intersession institutes
• Successfully complete the courses designated as college preparatory by their state, district, and school
• Graduate in four or fewer years

Summer/Intersession Institutes and College Visits: Beginning during the summer after GRAD is launched, students between grades nine and ten are expected to attend a four-week Summer Institute. These are planned jointly by high school and college partners, situated on a college campus, and taught at least in part by college faculty. These Institutes serve a dual function: they provide remediation and/or academic enrichment, depending on the student’s needs, so that he or she is better prepared to succeed academically during the coming school year. They also encourage students to think that college is a realistic possibility. Following the initial Institute, students must complete at least one more Institute during the summer between grades ten and eleven and/or between grades eleven and twelve.

College Support: Once students have matriculated in college, they will work with a College Manager. The College Manager works with them and their colleges to help assure a successful first year experience, keeps up with the students as the scholarship is renewed annually, and invites students back to their high schools to provide mentoring experiences for future GRAD graduates during College Day activities.