MTSU offers one of the best values in higher education. With the 乐播传媒入口 Education Lottery (HOPE) Scholarship, MTSU Guaranteed Scholarships, and the federal Pell Grant, many students pay little or no tuition. Any additional funds can be applied to housing, meal plans, and other expenses. Even students who receive a partial Pell Grant can still attend very inexpensively. In fact, nearly half of MTSU students graduate without college debt.
Please note: These scholarship amounts apply beginning Fall 2026 only to first-time freshmen who are 乐播传媒入口 residents and attend school full-time.
Your actual cost may vary. We encourage every student to speak with an Enrollment Coordinator to learn what financial aid and scholarships they may qualify for.
Below are a few examples of how scholarships and financial aid help you pay for tuition.
For Students Starting Fall 2026
Rachel聽is undecided on her major聽with a high school GPA of 3.0聽and a 21聽on the ACT test.聽She submits her聽application聽by聽December 1, 2025. Her family income level allows her to receive the maximum Pell Grant.聽Her聽yearly tuition and fees look like this:聽
Tuition and Fees (15 hours per semester)
$11,071*
Pell Grant (Full)
-$7,395
TN HOPE Lottery Scholarship
-$4,500
Balance in student account
+$824
*Estimates include 2025-26 tuition and Pell rates.
Keith聽plans to study聽photography聽and has a high school GPA of 3.5聽and a 22 on the ACT. He聽submits his application by December 1, 2025.聽His family income level allows him to receive the maximum Pell Grant.聽His聽yearly聽tuition and fees聽look like this:
Tuition and Fees (15 hours per semester)
$11,071*
Pell Grant (Full)
-$7,395
TN HOPE Lottery Scholarship
-$4,500
Guaranteed Scholarship – True Blue Level
-$3,500
Balance in student account
+$4,324
*Estimates include 2025-26 tuition and Pell rates.
Mary plans to study psychology and has a high school GPA of 3.5 and a 25 on the ACT.聽She聽submits her application by December 1, 2025. Her聽family income level allows her聽to receive the maximum Pell Grant.聽Her yearly聽tuition and fees look like this:
Tuition and Fees (15 hours per semester)
$11,071*
Pell Grant (Full)
-$7,395
TN HOPE Lottery Scholarship
-$4,500
Guaranteed Scholarship – Presidential Level
-$4,500
Balance in student account
+$5,324
*Estimates include 2025-26 tuition and Pell rates.
John plans to study Mechatronics and has a high school GPA of 3.5 and a 30 on the ACT. He submits his application by December 1, 2025. His family income level allows him to receive a partial Pell Grant. His tuition and fees per year look like this:
Tuition and Fees (15 hours per semester)
$11,071*
Pell Grant (Partial)
-$1,571
TN HOPE Lottery Scholarship
-$4,500
Guaranteed Scholarship – Trustee Level
-$5,000
Balance in student account
+$0
*Estimates include 2025-26 tuition and Pell rates
Jane plans to study English and has a high school GPA of 3.5 and a 30 on the ACT.聽She聽submits her application by December 1, 2025. Her聽family income level does not allow her聽to receive a Pell Grant.聽Her yearly聽tuition and fees look like this:
Tuition and Fees (15 hours per semester)
$11,071*
TN HOPE Lottery Scholarship
-$4,500
Guaranteed Scholarship – Trustee Level
-$5,000
Tuition Owed
$1,571
*Estimates include 2025-26 tuition and Pell rates.
Let’s find out how this will work for you!
We realize that everyone鈥檚 situation is a little different. We want to help you find the answers specific to you. Additional scholarships and discounts are available for State Employees, University Employees, Military Dependents, and others. Click below to contact an Enrollment Coordinator at MT One Stop who will personally answer your questions and help you get the most you can in scholarships and savings.
Ready to take the next step toward becoming a Blue Raider?
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. By combining scholarships, state and federal grants鈥攍ike the HOPE Scholarship and Pell Grant鈥攜ou could cover the full cost of tuition and fees. In some cases, students even receive additional funds to help with housing, meals, or books.
A Federal Pell Grant is funded by the government and does not have to be repaid. The Federal Pell Grant may only be awarded to undergraduate, degree-seeking students who have not already obtained a bachelor’s degree. A student may not receive Federal Pell Grant funds from more than one school at a time. Award amounts vary based on the Student Aid Index (SAI) resulting from the FAFSA and the student鈥檚 enrollment status. Awards will be adjusted if the student is not enrolled full-time (12 or more credit hours). The Federal Pell Grant may be available in the summer semester. Eligible students may receive the Federal Pell Grant until the completion of the bachelor鈥檚 degree OR until the equivalent of 12 full-time semesters of the grant.
Funded by the proceeds of the 乐播传媒入口 Lottery, the HOPE Scholarship is available to incoming freshmen who graduate from an eligible state high school. They must also meet the following criteria:
Enroll within 16 months of high school graduation
And meet one of the following:
Minimum 21 ACT; or minimum 1060 SAT; or Overall minimum 3.0 GPA
Homeschool graduates- minimum 21 ACT
GED recipients- minimum 21 ACT; minimum average Revised GED score is 170
HiSet recipients- minimum 21 ACT; minimum average HiSet score is 15
In some cases, student might also qualify for the 乐播传媒入口 Nontraditional Hope Scholarship. You can view more information about this process here: /financial-aid/tels/
In-state transfer students can use their existing HOPE Scholarships at MTSU. To be considered, they must:
Send all prior college final transcripts to MTSU to be reviewed prior to HOPE Scholarship payment to student.
Confirm that MTSU is listed as their institution of preference on the for the academic year they are transferring to MTSU.
Yes. Qualifying students are also eligible to receive other scholarship awards including MTSU鈥檚 Guaranteed Scholarships, department and college scholarships such as , external scholarships, and state discounts.
Guaranteed Scholarship awards require a minimum GPA of 3.5 for freshmen and a 3.0 with 60 credit hours earned for a new transfer student. Scholarship amounts for freshmen vary by ACT performance. The application deadline for our freshmen guaranteed scholarships is December 1, prior to the fall in which you will be attending. Transfer students must apply by March 1, prior to the fall in which you will be attending.
Positive balances can be applied to other university services such as housing and meal plans. The amount would be split between fall and spring semesters.
