TENNAIR 2026

Please join staff from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission for a deep dive into a comprehensive analysis of the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship (TELS) program. TELS is a set of 13 distinct financial aid programs that provide support for students to pursue college, funded from the state’s education lottery revenue. However, recent revenue projections from the State Funding Board point to a persistent and growing gap between available funds from the lottery and the growing demand for TELS programs. Recognizing those challenges, THEC has undertaken an agency-wide analysis of TELS to determine how the programs have evolved over time, who is supported by each program, and the overall impact the program has on postsecondary outcomes in the state. Participants in this session can expect to learn about: 1) the full suite of TELS programs 2) the student population served by each program, their outcomes, and how these dynamics have changed over time; and 3) how THEC is measuring the scope and impact of all TELS programs.