Institutional Review Panel

To participate in the Tennessee Educational Lottery Scholarship program the University must have a TELS Institutional Review Panel. The purpose of the panel is to hear appeals from students who for justifiable reasons did not comply with the continuous fulltime enrollment rule that is the TELS requirement. Possible appeals will result from medical and personal problems experienced by the student such as illness, death of a family member, religious requirements, employment requirements, etc. The IRP is composed of one member of the faculty, one member of the staff and one student. The IRP will consider appeals and student requests for leaves of absence.

Procedures for the IRP:

1. Decisions must be made and communicated in writing to the student within 14 days of appeal.
2. The reason for the appeal by the student must be documented and maintained by the IRP.The IRP decision must be maintained on file for four years or until the student graduates whichever comes first.
3. The student who files an appeal will be notified that the IRP decision may be appealed to the TELS Award Appeals Panel at the following address:

Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation

c/o TELS Award Appeals Panel

404 James Robertson Parkway, Suite 1950

Nashville, TN  27243

The appeal to the TELS Award Appeal Panel must be made within 45 days of the IRP decision. The TELS Panel will mail a decision to the student within 14 days of receiving the appeal. The decision of the TELS Award Appeal Panel is the final administrative appeal.