Tennessee Ned McWherter Scholars Program

Scholarship Sponsored by Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation

Overview
The Ned McWherter Scholars Program is designed to encourage top Tennessee high school graduates to pursue their college education in Tennessee by providing a substantial scholarship tied to enrollment at a Tennessee public or private institution.

Award details
- Total award: $6,000 per academic year (split as $3,000 from the State of Tennessee and $3,000 from the college or university).
- Institutional match: The college’s $3,000 may be an existing campus-based award already listed in the student’s financial aid package, provided it does not require work or service in return.
- Payment schedule: Awards are paid in equal installments each term.
- Competitiveness: Funding is limited; awards are competitive.
- Renewal: The scholarship may be renewed up to three times (for a maximum of four years). To renew, recipients must remain enrolled full-time and maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA.

Who is eligible
To qualify for the Ned McWherter Scholars Program, an applicant must:
- Be a Tennessee resident and a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or eligible non‑citizen.
- Enroll full-time at an eligible Tennessee college or university within 16 months after graduating high school.
- Have at least a 3.75 unweighted cumulative high school GPA on a 4.0 scale.
- Have a minimum composite score of 32 on the ACT or 1430 on the SAT. (Note: ACT superscores cannot be used to determine eligibility.)
Applicants can earn extra consideration for honors or AP coursework and for demonstrated leadership in extracurricular activities.

Study abroad and consortium participation
Recipients may participate in study abroad programs or consortium agreements and still retain the scholarship, provided:
- The scholarship is certified by the recipient’s eligible Ned McWherter Scholars institution, and
- The student receives academic credit for the study abroad or consortium coursework from that institution.

How to apply
Your application must include:
- An official high school transcript showing grades through the first semester of your senior year, and
- An official ACT or SAT score report.

Application steps and deadlines:
- Apply through the TSAC Student Portal by clicking the “Apply Now” button.
- TSAC must receive the completed application and all required attachments by March 1.
- You may only apply during your final year of high school.
- Renewal applicants receive first priority when awards are distributed.

Quick tips (from a teacher)
- Confirm your test scores and transcript are sent as official documents well before the March 1 deadline.
- Make sure any institutional award used as the match does not carry a work/service requirement.
- Keep your GPA at or above 3.0 in college to maintain eligibility for renewal.