[Effective 7/1/2024]

(a) As used in this section:

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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 49-4-930 v2

  • diploma: means a credential, other than a degree, the receipt of which indicates satisfactory completion of training in an eligible program of study offered by an eligible postsecondary institution. See Tennessee Code 49-4-902
  • Dual enrollment grant: means a grant for study at an eligible postsecondary institution that is funded from net proceeds of the state lottery and awarded to students who are attending high school and who are also enrolled in college courses at eligible postsecondary institutions for which they will receive college credit. See Tennessee Code 49-4-902
  • Eligible postsecondary institution: means an eligible independent postsecondary institution or an eligible public postsecondary institution. See Tennessee Code 49-4-902
  • Eligible public postsecondary institution: means :
    (A) An institution operated by the board of regents of the state university and community college system. See Tennessee Code 49-4-902
  • Grade point average: means the numbered grade average calculated using a 4. See Tennessee Code 49-4-902
  • Middle college: means a program operated by an eligible public two-year postsecondary institution in partnership with an LEA that permits students in the fall semester of their junior year in high school to enter the eligible public two-year postsecondary institution and to earn both a high school diploma and an associate degree in two (2) years. See Tennessee Code 49-4-902
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Scholarship: means a Tennessee HOPE scholarship or a Tennessee HOPE access grant. See Tennessee Code 49-4-902
  • Semester: means fall, spring, or summer semester at a postsecondary institution, if the institution is on a semester system, or the equivalent, if the institution is on a system other than a semester system. See Tennessee Code 49-4-902
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • THEC: means the Tennessee higher education commission. See Tennessee Code 49-4-902
  • TSAC: means the Tennessee student assistance corporation. See Tennessee Code 49-4-902
(1) “Certificate” or “diploma” means a credential, other than a degree, the receipt of which indicates satisfactory completion of training in a technical education program of study offered by an eligible postsecondary institution;
(2) “Course” includes a course taken at an eligible postsecondary institution, or the equivalent at a Tennessee college of applied technology;
(3) “Eligible postsecondary institution” has the same meaning as defined in § 49-4-902. “Eligible postsecondary institution” also means a private, nonprofit technical school that:

(A) Has had its primary campus domiciled in this state for at least seventy-five (75) consecutive years;
(B) Is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education; and
(C) In addition to offering diploma, certificate, and associate degree programs, offers a baccalaureate degree through an articulation agreement with a regionally accredited postsecondary institution;
(4) “Semester” has the same meaning as defined in § 49-4-902;
(5) “TCAT” means a Tennessee college of applied technology operated by the board of regents; and
(6) “Tuition,” also referred to as “in-state tuition” or “maintenance fees,” means the enrollment or registration fee charged for instruction in a course, which is calculated by multiplying a dollar amount by the number of semester credit hours in which a student enrolls, or the equivalent fee for a course measured by clock hours. “Tuition” does not include any other fees assessed by an institution to its students, including, but not limited to, mandatory fees, online or technology fees, application fees, book or material fees, access fees, course fees, or other fees charged to students for a specific purpose, activity, facility, or service, whether calculated on the number of credit hours or clock hours or whether charged as a flat rate.
(b) It is the intent of the general assembly that the purposes of the dual enrollment grant are:

(1) To provide an opportunity for Tennessee high school students to earn an initial technical credential or a semester of college credit by high school graduation, free of tuition and fees; and
(2) To encourage TCATs to establish technical middle college programs, in partnership with local education agencies, that permit students to earn an advanced technical certificate or diploma by their high school graduation.
(c) A high school student is eligible for a dual enrollment grant if the student:

(1) Is a resident of this state, as classified pursuant to § 49-8-104;
(2) Is admitted to an eligible postsecondary institution as a dual enrollment student, and if the student:

(A) Is a junior or senior in high school; or
(B) Has completed the eighth grade and is enrolled in a TCAT; and
(3) Submits an application, as required by TSAC.
(d)

(1) A student may receive a dual enrollment grant for one (1) or more courses per semester at one (1) or more eligible postsecondary institutions.
(2) To be eligible for a dual enrollment grant for a semester beyond the first semester of the student’s receipt of a dual enrollment grant, the student must continue to meet all eligibility requirements for the grant and must achieve a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 for all postsecondary courses attempted under a dual enrollment grant.
(3) Notwithstanding subdivision (d)(2), a student enrolled in a clock hour course that is not completed within one (1) semester maintains eligibility for the grant in the subsequent semester if the student attends the number of clock hours required for grant disbursement for the course and continues to meet all eligibility requirements. Continuing eligibility under this subdivision (d)(3) is applicable to a student previously enrolled in a clock hour course who transfers to another eligible postsecondary institution in the subsequent semester.
(e) A course attempted by a dual enrollment student does not count toward the limitation on receiving a Tennessee HOPE scholarship under § 49-4-913.
(f)

(1) If a dual enrollment student enrolls in an eligible public postsecondary institution after graduation from high school, then the eligible public postsecondary institution shall not deny credit toward an associate or baccalaureate degree for a college course taken as a dual enrollment student if the student successfully completed the course. If the dual enrollment course was not taken at the institution in which the student enrolls after graduation from high school, then the course must qualify for transfer credit.
(2) Each TCAT shall reserve an enrollment slot for each dual enrollment student in the term immediately following the last term in which the student was enrolled in the TCAT as a dual enrollment student if space is available for the student at the TCAT in the program in which the student was previously enrolled. If space is unavailable in that term, then the student must be given enrollment priority when space becomes available at the TCAT in the program in which the student was previously enrolled. A TCAT may establish a deadline by which a dual enrollment student must indicate the student’s intent to enroll in the term immediately following the student’s last term as a dual enrollment student before the TCAT is required to reserve an enrollment slot for the student in accordance with this subdivision (f)(2).
(g) Subject to the amounts appropriated by the general assembly and any law relating to a shortfall in funds available for postsecondary financial assistance from the net proceeds of the state lottery:

(1) A student who is eligible to receive a dual enrollment grant pursuant to this section is eligible to receive a dual enrollment grant for no more than:

(A) One thousand two hundred ninety-six (1,296) clock hours at a TCAT; or
(B) Ten (10) courses measured by semester hours at an eligible postsecondary institution that offers degrees;
(2) The award for a dual enrollment course taken at a TCAT is the average tuition established annually by the board of regents for regular in-state students at Tennessee colleges of applied technology, plus an additional dual enrollment access fee of five percent (5%) of the average tuition;
(3) For the first five (5) dual enrollment semester-hour courses taken at an eligible postsecondary institution, the award for a dual enrollment grant is the average tuition established annually by the board of regents for regular in-state students at community colleges, plus an additional dual enrollment access fee of five percent (5%) of the average tuition;
(4) Notwithstanding subdivision (g)(3), the award for a course taken at an eligible postsecondary institution, as described in subdivisions (a)(3)(A) – (C), that is one (1) of a student’s first five (5) dual enrollment courses, is the award described in subdivision (g)(2) if the course satisfies the requirements of a certificate or diploma program;
(5) An eligible public postsecondary institution shall not charge a student receiving a dual enrollment grant under subdivisions (g)(2)-(4) tuition or fees in excess of the student’s dual enrollment grant award, as established in the respective subdivision. However, an eligible public postsecondary institution may charge a student receiving a dual enrollment grant costs actually incurred by the institution on the student’s behalf, including, but not limited to, book and material costs, digital book and material costs, special examination fees, industry certification fees, and board examination fees;
(6) For a student’s sixth through tenth dual enrollment semester-hour courses taken at an eligible postsecondary institution, TSAC shall determine the award per semester credit hour; and
(7) Any increase in the tuition rate upon which the dual enrollment grant award is established pursuant to subdivisions (g)(2) and (g)(3) is subject to the binding range of allowable percentage adjustment for tuition as annually approved by THEC pursuant to § 49-7-202(n)(3)(A).
(h) TSAC may promulgate rules to establish award amounts at eligible postsecondary institutions and to otherwise effectuate the intent and purposes of this section. The rules must be promulgated in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5.
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