Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1640-01-19-.01 - DEFINITIONS

(1) Academic year: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(2) ACT: The ACT Assessment offered by ACT, Inc., exclusive of the essay and optional subject area battery tests.

(3) Adjusted gross income attributable to the student: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(4) Alternative study program: A program of study including, but not limited to study abroad, student exchange programs, practicums, co-op programs, and internships, that may include travel outside the State of Tennessee that is sponsored or offered by:

(a) An eligible postsecondary institution; or

(b) An eligible postsecondary institution in conjunction with either another eligible postsecondary or a postsecondary institution that is accredited by a regional accrediting association.

(5) ASPIRE award: An award for study in pursuit of an associate or baccalaureate degree at an eligible postsecondary institution to a student who meets the requirements of T.C.A. § 49-4-915.

(6) Award year: A period of time, typically nine (9) months, in which a full-time student is expected to complete the equivalent of a minimum of two (2) semesters of academic study.

(7) Certificate or diploma: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(8) Continuing education: Courses and programs that do not lead to a certificate, diploma, or degree that are designed for personal development and are an extension of the traditional on-campus learning process.

(9) Continuous enrollment: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(10) Cost of attendance: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(11) Credit hours attempted: The number of semester hours for which a degree-seeking or diploma/certificate-seeking student attending a postsecondary institution is enrolled as of the institutionally defined census date shall be considered credit hours attempted, regardless of whether a grade has been assigned. This standard shall apply to any change to a non-credit status, notwithstanding anything in Rule 1640-01-19-.13.

(12) Degree: A two-year associate degree or four-year baccalaureate degree conferred on students by an eligible postsecondary institution.

(13) Distance education: An educational process that is characterized by the separation, in time or place, between instructor and student. It may include credit hours offered principally by television, audio, or computer transmissions, such as open broadcast, closed circuit, cable, or satellite transmission; audio or computer conferencing; video cassettes or discs, or correspondence.

(14) Eligible high school: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(15) Eligible postsecondary institution: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(16) Eligible program of study: The term is defined in T.C.A § 49-4-902.

(17) FAFSA: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(18) Foster child: A child who was in the custody of the Tennessee Department of Children's Services as described in T.C.A. § 49-4-933.

(19) Full-time student: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(20) GED: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(21) General Assembly Merit Scholarship: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(22) Gift aid: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(23) Grade point average (GPA): The numbered grade average calculated using a 4.0 scale, calculated to the hundredth decimal.

(24) High school grade point average: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(25) HiSET: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(26) Home school: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-6-3050.

(27) Home institution: The eligible postsecondary institution in which the student is enrolled and is in a matriculating status working toward a degree, diploma, or certificate.

(28) Host institution: The eligible postsecondary institution the student is temporarily attending as a transient student.

(29) Immediate family member: Spouse, parents, grandparents, legal guardians, children, or siblings.

(30) Incarcerated: Currently confined to a local, state, or federal correctional institution, as well as work release or educational release facilities.

(31) Matriculating status: The student is a recognized candidate for an appropriate degree, diploma, or certificate at an eligible postsecondary educational institution.

(32) Medical disability: A documented condition, as certified by a licensed physician, which requires a HOPE Scholarship recipient to attend part-time at an eligible postsecondary institution.

(33) Non-traditional student: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(34) Parent: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(35) Part-time student: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(36) Regional accrediting association: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(37) SAT: The SAT administered by the College Board, exclusive of the essay and optional subject area battery tests.

(38) Satisfactory academic progress: Progress in a course of study in accordance with the standards and practices used for Title IV programs by the eligible postsecondary institution at which the student is currently enrolled.

(39) Semester: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(40) Semester grade point average: The grade point average for the semester as calculated by the postsecondary institution utilizing its institutional grading policy.

(41) Semester hour: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(42) TCAT: Tennessee College of Applied Technology.

(43) TELS (Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship) award: Any scholarship and/or grant provided for by these rules that a student is eligible to receive.

(44) Tennessee HOPE Access Grant: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(45) Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant: A grant in addition to the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship to a foster child to only be used towards the costs of tuition, maintenance fees, student activity fees, and required registration or matriculation fees at the eligible postsecondary institution the student attends.

(46) Tennessee HOPE Scholarship: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(47) Tennessee National Guard: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-926.

(48) Tennessee resident: A student classified as a resident of Tennessee pursuant to the provisions of § 49-8-104.

(49) Test date: The date designated for the ACT test administered by ACT, Inc., or the date designated for the SAT test administered by the College Board at national and state test centers. This shall also include the administration of either test on other dates as approved by the respective testing entities to accommodate an individual student's documented disability or other hardship, as well as a statewide test date established by the State Department of Education that is sanctioned by the respective test entities.

(50) Title IV: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

(51) Transient student: A visiting student enrolled in another institution who is granted temporary admission for the purpose of completing work to transfer back to the home institution and who expects to return to the institution in which the student was previously enrolled.

(52) TSAC: Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation.

(53) Unofficial withdrawal: The determination by an institution that a student has ceased to be academically engaged and otherwise failed to officially withdraw from a course prior to the institution's established deadline or other applicable institutional guidelines.

(54) Wilder-Naifeh Reconnect Grant: A grant program, as described in T.C.A. § 49-4-923, for students seeking a diploma or certificate at a TCAT.

(55) Wilder-Naifeh Technical Skills Grant: The term is defined in T.C.A. § 49-4-902.

Notes

Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1640-01-19-.01

Original rule filed December 29, 2003; effective April 29, 2004. Amendments filed October 21, 2004; effective February 28, 2005. Amendment filed January 25, 2005; effective May 31, 2005. Public necessity rule filed October 4, 2005; effective through March 18, 2006. Public necessity rules 1640-01-19-.01 through 1640-01-19-.26 filed October 4, 2005, expired on March 18, 2006. On March 19, 2006, rules 1640-01-19-.01 through 1640-01-19-.26 reverted to rules in effect on October 3, 2005. Repeal and new rule filed November 9, 2005; effective March 30, 2006. Public necessity rule filed November 30, 2006; expired May 14, 2007. Amendment filed November 30, 2006; effective March 30, 2007. Public necessity rule filed November 20, 2007; effective through May 3, 2008. Repeal and new rule filed November 20, 2007; effective March 28, 2008. Public necessity rule filed October 23, 2008; effective through April 6, 2009. Public necessity rule filed October 23, 2008 and effective through April 6, 2009, expired on April 7, 2009; rule reverted to its previous status. Amendment filed January 30, 2009; effective May 29, 2009. Amendment filed August 27, 2014; effective November 25, 2014. Repeal and new rule filed December 19, 2014; effective March 19, 2015. Amendments filed October 31, 2018; effective January 29, 2019. Amendments filed January 29, 2020; effective April 28, 2020. Amendments filed April 27, 2021; effective July 26, 2021. Amendments filed August 7, 2023; effective 11/5/2023.

Authority: T.C.A. §§ 49-4-201, 49-4-204, 49-4-902, 49-4-903, 49-4-912, 49-4-913, 49-4-914, 49-4-915, 49-4-916, 49-4-919, 49-4-920, 49-4-921, 49-4-922, 49-4-924, 49-4-926, 49-4-930, 49-4-931, 49-4-933, 49-4-934, and 49-4-935.