State Scholarships

The 1869 legislation by the Tennessee General Assembly designating the university as the land-grant institution for Tennessee under the Morrill Act of 1862 required the university to provide tuition-free scholarships to three students from each county, appointed by members of the legislature. In 1873 the distribution system was changed to allow each state representative to appoint three cadets to such a scholarship, and each senator, two. In 1879 legislation establishing qualifying examinations for prospective “State Cadets” was passed, although, in making their appointments, legislators were not required to choose students who had passed the examination. The president of the university was authorized to distribute any state scholarships not awarded by members of the legislature.