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HB0504 • 2026

Scholarships and Financial Aid

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 4, Part 7, relative to future teacher scholarships.

Education
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
White
Last action
2025-05-27
Official status
Effective date(s) 07/01/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not provide specific details on how the reduced service obligation will affect program effectiveness.

Tennessee Future Teacher Scholarship Act

This bill amends Tennessee's future teacher scholarship program to expand eligibility and extend its duration.

What This Bill Does

  • Expands eligibility for the scholarship to include post-baccalaureate students seeking an initial educator license.
  • Extends the scholarship program until July 1, 2030.
  • Removes requirements that students must be eligible for or maintain a certain GPA in the HOPE scholarship to qualify for the Tennessee Future Teacher Scholarship.
  • Reduces the service obligation from four years to two years for recipients of the scholarship.
  • Sets the scholarship amount at $3,500 per academic year.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Students enrolled in educator preparation programs (EPPs) in their junior or senior year of college.
  • Post-baccalaureate students seeking an initial educator license.
  • The Office of Research and Education Accountability which will review the scholarship program's effectiveness.

Terms To Know

Educator Preparation Program (EPP)
A program approved by the state board of education that prepares students to become teachers.
HOPE Scholarship
An existing scholarship program in Tennessee that provides financial aid to eligible college students.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the $3,500 per year amount was determined.
  • It is unclear if there will be enough funding for all eligible candidates who apply for the scholarship.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB0504

Plain English: The amendment changes the requirements for students to be eligible for Tennessee Future Teacher scholarships and outlines conditions under which they can receive and retain these scholarships.

  • Defines an 'eligible candidate' as a U.S. citizen who has lived in Tennessee for at least one year before starting their education program, and specifies that candidates must be enrolled in their junior or senior years of undergraduate studies or post-baccalaureate programs if seeking initial educator licenses.
  • Specifies the requirements for receiving and maintaining a Tennessee Future Teacher scholarship, including signing a promissory note to teach in public schools for at least two consecutive years after graduation.
  • Sets conditions under which an eligible candidate can lose eligibility for the scholarship, such as failing to meet academic standards or not teaching in a targeted setting.
  • The amendment text does not provide specific details about what constitutes a 'targeted setting' where teachers must work after receiving scholarships.
  • It is unclear how changes to existing subdivisions and sections will affect the overall structure of the bill without seeing the full context of the original bill.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0682

Plain English: The amendment changes requirements and details of Tennessee's Future Teacher scholarship program.

  • Defines an 'eligible candidate' as a U.S. citizen who has lived in Tennessee for at least one year before starting their education program.
  • Limits the scholarship to students enrolled in specific years or post-baccalaureate studies seeking initial educator licenses.
  • Establishes a pilot program that starts in 2023-2024 and ends on July 1, 2030.
  • Sets conditions for receiving scholarships, including signing a promissory note to teach in Tennessee for at least two years.
  • The amendment text does not provide full details about all changes, such as specific funding amounts or the exact definition of 'targeted settings'.
Amendment 2-0 to SB0682

Plain English: The amendment changes the requirements for students to be eligible for Tennessee Future Teacher scholarships and outlines conditions under which they can receive and retain these scholarships.

  • Defines an 'eligible candidate' as a U.S. citizen who has lived in Tennessee for at least one year before starting their education program, and specifies enrollment criteria.
  • Specifies that to be eligible for the scholarship, students must apply through TSAC and sign a promissory note agreeing to teach in Tennessee for two consecutive years after graduation.
  • Sets conditions under which a student can lose eligibility for the scholarship, including failing to meet academic standards or transferring schools without approval.
  • The amendment text does not specify all details about how applications are processed or what happens if a student loses eligibility and wants to regain it.
  • It is unclear from this excerpt how transfers between eligible postsecondary institutions are handled beyond the requirement of continuing to meet eligibility criteria.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 07/01/2025

  2. 2025-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 488

  3. 2025-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 488

  4. 2025-05-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-05-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2025-05-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2025-04-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  9. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 33, Nays 0

  10. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 2 - SA0449)

  11. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0005)

  12. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  13. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  14. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  15. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  16. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 94, Nays 0, PNV 0

  17. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0171)

  18. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  19. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/22/2025

  20. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 10, Nays 0 PNV 0

  21. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/21/2025

  22. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/17/2025

  23. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  24. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  25. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/21/2025

  26. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/17/2025

  27. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/15/2025

  28. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rule #83(8) Suspended, to be heard in Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee on 4/15/2025

  29. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2025

  30. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  31. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/2/2025

  32. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  33. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  34. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/25/2025

  35. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 3/25/2025

  36. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/18/2025

  37. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 3/18/2025

  38. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/11/2025

  39. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 3/11/2025

  40. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/4/2025

  41. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  42. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 3/4/25

  43. 2025-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  44. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 2/25/2025

  45. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Education Committee

  46. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 7, Nays 1 PNV 0

  47. 2025-02-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 2/19/2025

  48. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  49. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Higher Education Subcommittee for 2/19/2025

  50. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 2/19/2025

  51. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  52. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  53. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  54. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Higher Education Subcommittee

  55. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee

  56. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  57. 2025-01-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  58. 2025-01-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

The Tennessee Future Teacher Scholarship Act of 2023 provides scholarships to
students in their junior or senior year of college who are enrolled in an educator preparation program (EPP) approved by the state board of education at an eligible postsecondary institution. This bill makes the following changes to the Act:

(1) In add
ition to a student who is enrolled in an approved EPP in their junior or senior year, this bill adds that a student may be eligible for the scholarship by being enrolled in an approved EPP as a post-baccalaureate student, if the student is seeking an init
i
al educator license;

(2) Presently, the scholarship program is scheduled to terminate on July 1, 2028. This bill extends the program to July 1, 2030, and commensurately extends the dates by which the office of research and education accountability, in t
he office of the comptroller of treasury, is required to review and study the Tennessee Future Teacher scholarship program and report to legislative committees;

(3) In order to qualify for a Tennessee future teacher scholarship under present law, the stu
dent must either be eligible for and receive the HOPE scholarship or, if enrolled in a private institution, maintain the concordant equivalent to the grade point average required for continuation of the HOPE scholarship. This bill such deletes requiremen
t
s. This bill also conditions continued eligibility for the Tennessee future teacher scholarship upon a student continuing to meet the standards established by the state board of education for admission to the student's EPP or the standards of the approve
d
EPP in which the student is enrolled;

(4) Present law requires that a Tennessee future teacher scholarship recipient sign a promissory note agreeing to teach in an LEA or public charter school in this state for at least four consecutive years in a targe
ted setting. This bill reduces the service obligation from four to two years; and

(5) Under present law, the amount of a Tennessee future teacher scholarship is the cost of tuition and mandatory fees charged to all students for coursework leading to com
pletion of an approved undergraduate EPP at the public institution attended less all other gift aid. For a student who attends a private institution, the scholarship must not exceed the average of the scholarship amount at all public institutions in this

state with an EPP. This bill removes the requirement that gift aid be subtracted from the cost of attendance before determining a scholarship amount and sets the scholarship at a flat $5,000.

ON APRIL 21, 2025, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED
HOUSE BILL 504, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 retains the present law termination date of July 1, 2028, for the
Tennessee Future Teacher scholarship
, substitutes the defined term "eligible candidate" for "student" when referring to scholarship recipients, and
sets the scholarship amount at $3,500, instead of $5,000, per academic year.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 682
By White

HOUSE BILL 504
By White

HB0504
001742
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
Chapter 4, Part 7, relative to future teacher
scholarships.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-701(b)(2), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(2) "Eligible candidate" means a student who is:
(A)
(i) Enrolled in an approved EPP in the student's junior or senior
year, as determined by the institution in which the student is enrolled as
an undergraduate student; or
(ii) Enrolled in an approved EPP as a post-baccalaureate student,
if the student is seeking an initial educator license; and
(B) A citizen of the United States who has resided in this state for at least
one (1) year prior to the student's admission to the eligible postsecondary
institution at which the student is enrolled;
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-701(b), is amended by deleting
subdivision (4).
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-701(c), is amended by deleting
the subsection and substituting:
(c) Subject to available funding, TSAC shall administer a pilot program to award
a Tennessee Future Teacher scholarship to future educators. The program begins with
the 2023-2024 academic year and terminates on July 1, 2030.

- 2 - 001742

SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-701(d), is amended by deleting
the subsection and substituting:
(d) To be eligible for a Tennessee Future Teacher scholarship, an eligible
candidate must:
(1) Be admitted to and enrolled in an approved EPP;
(2) Complete the scholarship application, as required by TSAC; and
(3) Sign a promissory note agreeing to teach in an LEA or public charter
school in this state for at least two (2) consecutive years in a targeted setting.
SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-701(f)(2), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(2) The student no longer meets:
(A) The standards established by the state board of education for
admission to the student's EPP; or
(B) The standards of the approved EPP in which the student is enrolled;
or
SECTION 6. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-701(h), is amended by deleting
the subsection and substituting:
(h) Subject to the amounts appropriated by the general assembly, the amount of
the Tennessee Future Teacher scholarship is five thousand dollars ($5,000). A
Tennessee Future Teacher scholarship may be awarded to a student each academic
year the student is enrolled in an approved EPP.
SECTION 7. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-701(i), is amended by deleting
the subsection and substituting:
(i) If a student receives a Tennessee Future Teacher scholarship, but does not
teach in a targeted setting for two (2) consecutive years, then the student must

- 3 - 001742

reimburse TSAC for each year the student did not teach in a targeted setting in an
amount equal to the total scholarship amount the student received pursuant to this
section divided by two (2), without interest.
SECTION 8. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-4-701(k), is amended by deleting
the subsection and substituting:
(k) The office of research and education accountability (OREA), in the office of
the comptroller of treasury, shall review and study the pilot program created in this
section and the Tennessee Future Teacher scholarships awarded through the pilot
program to determine the effectiveness of the scholarships in increasing the number of
licensed educators in this state. The study must be conducted in the fourth and seventh
year of the pilot program and four (4) years after the program terminates on July 1, 2030.
The OREA shall report its findings and conclusions of each study to the speakers of the
senate and house of representatives and to the education committee of the senate and
the committee of the house of representatives having jurisdiction over scholarships for
higher education by December 31 each year a study is conducted.
SECTION 9. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.