Tennessee Aspire Award: Odds, Deadline & Eligibility

The Aspire Award is a need-based add-on to the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship for students from lower-income families. A student who earns HOPE, which requires a 21 ACT (or SAT equivalent) or a 3.0 GPA, and whose parents' adjusted gross income on the federal tax return is $36,000 or less, receives up to $750 extra per semester at a four-year college or up to $250 extra per semester at a two-year college in Tennessee. That brings a freshman at a four-year college to as much as $6,000 a year in combined HOPE and Aspire money. There is no separate application: filing the FAFSA applies the student for both HOPE and Aspire, and the FAFSA must be received by September 1 for the fall semester. The supplement continues as long as the student keeps HOPE and the income test is met. It is paid at any HOPE-eligible public or private college in Tennessee.

Other deadlines near this one

How hard is the Tennessee Aspire Award to win?

A large applicant pool chases this award. Apply if the student is a genuinely strong fit, but build the plan around better-odds awards first. The provider does not publish applicant or winner counts, so Solyo shows no odds figure for this award.

Odds: not published by the provider
Paperwork: ~1 hr to file

What drives the odds here

Odds on a scholarship are mostly a question of how many students can enter. Each rule below changes the size of that field.

Fewer rivalsOpen only to Tennessee residents
Fewer rivalsAn income ceiling applies
Fewer rivalsOpen to a single grade level only
Fewer rivalsRequires at least a 3 GPA
Fewer rivalsRequires a minimum test score

How Solyo estimates this: We model the applicant field from how narrow the eligibility rules are, then divide the awards available by that field. Requirements such as essays and recommendation letters improve a serious applicant’s odds, because most browsers never complete them. These are estimates derived from each award's published structure, not reported acceptance rates, which almost no scholarship provider discloses. Treat them as a way to rank where the hours go, not as a guarantee.

Who can apply for the Tennessee Aspire Award?

These are the eligibility rules Solyo verified against the official award page, translated into plain English. Your student must meet each one.

Must be a resident of Tennessee
Must attend a college in Tennessee (the award does not travel out of state)
Open to high school seniors
GPA of 3 or higher (unweighted)
ACT score of 21 or higher
Household income of $60,000 or less

Confirm these before applying

Must qualify for the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship (21 ACT / 1060 SAT or 3.0 GPA)
Parents' adjusted gross income must be $36,000 or less

What the application takes

No essay, recommendation letters, or transcript are required. This is one of the lighter applications in the directory.

Deadline and application cycle

The current deadline is September 1, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around September 1 each year. Applications open October 1 (FAFSA opens). Filing the FAFSA by the March 1 state priority date is the safe move; the hard cutoff for fall is September 1.

2027-28 FAFSA opens: October 1, 2026
State priority FAFSA date (class of 2026 date was March 1): March 1, 2027
FAFSA must be received for fall semester: September 1, 2027

Remind me before Sept 1 Apply on the official site

Free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge a fee. We use your student's information only to build their plan.

Common questions about the Tennessee Aspire Award

How much is the Tennessee Aspire Award worth?

The Tennessee Aspire Award awards up to $750 per semester at four-year colleges, $250 at two-year colleges (on top of HOPE) and is renewable in later years.

When is the Tennessee Aspire Award deadline?

The current deadline is September 1, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around September 1 each year. Applications open October 1 (FAFSA opens). Filing the FAFSA by the March 1 state priority date is the safe move; the hard cutoff for fall is September 1.

When do Tennessee Aspire Award applications open?

Applications open October 1 (FAFSA opens), and close September 1, 2027. Filing the FAFSA by the March 1 state priority date is the safe move; the hard cutoff for fall is September 1.

Who is eligible for the Tennessee Aspire Award?

Key requirements: Must be a resident of Tennessee; Must attend a college in Tennessee (the award does not travel out of state); Open to high school seniors; GPA of 3 or higher (unweighted). 2 more criteria are listed on this page.

Does the Tennessee Aspire Award require an essay?

No essay is required. The application is light on requirements. Expect to spend about 1 hour on it.

How hard is it to win the Tennessee Aspire Award?

A large applicant pool chases this award. Apply if the student is a genuinely strong fit, but build the plan around better-odds awards first. The provider does not publish applicant or winner counts, so Solyo shows no odds figure for this award. What is known: open only to Tennessee residents and an income ceiling applies. Plan on about 1 hr of work.

Is the Tennessee Aspire Award free to apply?

Yes. The Tennessee Aspire Award is free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge an application fee, and Solyo verifies every listed award against its official page.

Tennessee Aspire Award