TOPS Rule Revisions Pursuant to Acts of the First Extraordinary Session, 2000, of the Louisiana Legislature |
LOUISIANA
STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE COMMISSION
|
|
TOPS BULLETIN NUMBER: |
T2000-15 |
DATE ISSUED: |
May 2, 2000 |
EFFECTIVE DATE: |
As Indicated |
| DISTRIBUTION: | Louisiana High School Principals and Counselors, City and Parish School Board Presidents, School Board Superintendents, College and University, Technical College and LAICU Chancellors, Financial Aid Offices, Business Offices, and Auditors, System Governance, Board of Regents, Department of Education, Louisiana Legislators, and Commission Members |
| TOPIC: | TOPS Rule Revisions Pursuant to Acts of the First Extraordinary Session, 2000, of the Louisiana Legislature |
To assure that your Scholarship and Grant Policy and Procedure Manual remains current, please record this document on your TOPS Bulletin index and retain it with your manual.
In compliance with recent legislative acts, rules of the Louisiana Student Financial Assistance Commission, (Louisiana Administrative Code Title 28, Part IV) have been revised to provide for TOPS applicants who applied for the award or obtained a qualifying ACT score during specific time frames, or who originally qualified and continue to qualify for higher award levels than they initially selected, or who wish to attend a certificate or diploma program or a non-academic undergraduate degree program in a vocational or technical rather than an academic program, and for nonpublic high schools that applied for Brumfield v. Dodd approval by May 15, 2000.
The full compilation of the TOPS rules with all changes incorporated to date may be viewed on our website at The revisions follow:
"Chapter 3. Definitions
§301. Definitions
Where
the masculine is used in these rules, it includes the feminine, and vice versa;
where the singular is used, it includes the plural, and vice versa.
...
Academic Year (High School)——the annual academic year for high school
begins with the fall term, includes the winter and spring terms and ends at the
conclusion of the summer term, in that order. This definition is not to be
confused with the Louisiana Department of Education's definition of school year,
which is found in Louisiana Department of Education Bulletin 741.
...
Average
Award Amount——for those students attending a regionally accredited
independent college or university in this state which is a member of the
Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and enrolled in a
program for a vocational or technical education certificate or diploma or a
non-academic undergraduate degree, the average maximum tuition, as determined by
the agency, charged to full time students attending public postsecondary
institutions for technical training that offer a vocational or technical
education certificate or diploma program or a non-academic undergraduate degree.
...
Eligible Colleges or Universities——Louisiana public colleges or
universities and regionally accredited independent colleges or universities in
the state that are members of the Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges
and Universities.
...
First-Time Freshman——a student who enrolls for the first-time as a
full-time freshman in a postsecondary school subsequent to high school
graduation, and continues to be enrolled full-time on the fourteenth class day
(ninth class day for Louisiana Tech). A student who begins postsecondary or
university attendance in a summer session will be considered a first-time
enrollee for the immediately succeeding fall term. The fact that a student
enrolls in a postsecondary school prior to graduation
from high school and/or enrolls less than full time in a postsecondary school
prior to the required date for full time enrollment shall not preclude the
student from being a First Time Freshman.
...
High School Graduate——for the purposes of these rules, is defined as
a student certified by award of a high school diploma to have satisfactorily
completed the required units at a high school meeting the eligibility
requirements of these rules or a student who has completed at least the final
two years of a BESE-approved home study program and has reported such to BESE. A
student who graduates at any time during an Academic Year (High School) shall be
deemed to have graduated on May 31st of that year. For the purposes
of determining when a student must begin postsecondary enrollment, all students
that report completion of an approved home study course to BESE during an
Academic Year (High School) are deemed to have graduated on May 31st
of that year.
...
Weighted Average Award Amount——for those students attending a
regionally accredited independent college or university in this state which is a
member of the Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and
enrolled in an academic program, the total dollar value of awards made under
TOPS in the prior academic year, excluding award stipends, to students attending
public colleges and universities that offer academic degrees at the
baccalaureate level, divided by the total number of students that received the
awards.
...
Chapter 5. Application; Application
Deadlines and Proof of Compliance
§501. Application
A. Initial Application
All
new applicants for Louisiana scholarship and grant programs must apply for
federal aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
for the academic year following the year the student graduated from high school.
For example, if the student will graduate from high school in school year
2000-2001, submit the 2001-2002 version of the FAFSA.
1.
All applicants (except those students who can demonstrate that they do not
qualify for federal grant aid because of their family’s financial condition)
must complete all applicable sections of the initial FAFSA.
2.
Students who can demonstrate that they do not qualify for federal grant aid
because of their family’s financial condition must complete all applicable
sections of the initial FAFSA except those sections related to the income and
assets of the applicant and the applicant’s parents.
3.
In the event of a budgetary shortfall, applicants who do not complete all
sections of the FAFSA will be the first denied a TOPS award.
B.
Renewal Application
1.
In order to remain eligible for TOPS awards, a student must file a renewal FAFSA
by the deadline set in §503 (unless the student can demonstrate that he does
not qualify for federal grant aid because of his family’s financial
condition).
2.
Students who can demonstrate that they do not qualify for federal grant aid
because of their family’s financial condition are not required to submit a
renewal FAFSA.
3.
In the event of a budgetary shortfall, applicants who do not file a FAFSA or who
do not complete all sections of the FAFSA will be the first denied a TOPS award.
C. The deadline for priority consideration for state aid is published in
the FAFSA's instructions and may be revised annually by the LASFAC.
...
§503. Application Deadlines
A.- A.4. ...
B. Final Deadline For Full Award
In
order to receive the full benefits of a TOPS award as provided in §701.E, the
final deadline for receipt of a student’s initial FAFSA application is July
1st of the Academic Year (High School) in which a student graduates. For
example, for a student graduating in the 2000-2001 Academic Year (High School),
the student must submit the initial FAFSA in time for it to be received by the
federal processor by July 1, 2001.
C.
...
D.
Final Deadlines For Reduced Awards
1.
If an application for an initial award under this Chapter is received after the
deadline provided in §503.B above, but not later than sixty days after that
deadline, the time period of eligibility for the award shall be reduced by one
semester, two quarters, or an equivalent number of units at an eligible
institution which operates on a schedule based on units other than semesters or
quarters.
2.
If an application for an initial award under this Chapter is received more than
sixty days after the deadline provided in §503.B above, but not later than one
hundred twenty days after that deadline, the time period of eligibility for the
award shall be reduced by two semesters or three quarters, or an equivalent
number of units at an eligible institution which operates on a schedule based on
units other than semesters or quarters.
3.
Applications received more than 120 days after the published deadline shall not
be considered.
E.
The reduction of the applicant’s period of eligibility for this award under
§503.D above shall not be cumulative with any reduction under §509.C.
...
§509. American College Test (ACT) Testing Deadline
A. The student must take the official American College Test (including National,
International, Military or Special test types) on or before the official April
test date in the Academic Year (High School) in which the student graduates.
B.
The student may substitute an equivalent score, as determined by the comparison
tables used by LASFAC, on an equivalent Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) taken on
or before the official April test date in the Academic Year (High School) in
which the student graduates.
C.
Final ACT Testing Deadline for Reduced Awards
1.
Beginning with awards made for the 2000-2001 academic year and thereafter, an
applicant’s first qualifying score on the American College Test or on the
Scholastic Aptitude Test for either the TOPS Opportunity Award or for the
TOPS-TECH Award, or if the student has not previously qualified for either the
TOPS Opportunity Award or for the TOPS-TECH Award, an applicant’s first
qualifying score on the American College Test or on the Scholastic Aptitude Test
for the TOPS Performance Award or the TOPS Honors Award that is obtained on an
authorized testing date after the date of the applicant’s high school
graduation but prior to July 1 of the year of such graduation will be accepted;
however, when granting an award to an applicant whose qualifying test score is
considered by the agency pursuant to the provisions of this Subparagraph, the
applicant’s period of eligibility for the award shall be reduced by one
semester, two quarters, or an equivalent number of units at an eligible
institution which operates on a schedule based on units other than semesters or
quarters. An applicant will not be allowed to use a test score obtained after
high school graduation to upgrade a TOPS Opportunity Award to a TOPS Performance
or Honors Award.
2.
Students who fail to achieve an ACT or SAT qualifying score by July 1st
after high school graduation shall not be considered for an award.
D.
Students who graduated during the 1998-1999 school year who are otherwise
qualified for a TOPS award and who obtained a qualifying score on the American
College Test or the Scholastic Aptitude Test on an authorized testing date after
the date of the student’s graduation but prior to July 1, 1999, shall be
considered to have met the requirements of section 509 A and B.
...
Chapter 7. Tuition Opportunity Program
for Students (TOPS) Opportunity; Performance and Honors Awards
§701. General Provisions
A.-D.3.
...
E.
Award Amounts. The specific award amounts for each component of TOPS are as
follows:
1.
The TOPS Opportunity Award provides an amount equal to undergraduate tuition for
full-time attendance at an Eligible College or University for a period not to
exceed eight semesters, twelve quarters, or an equivalent number of units in an
eligible institution which operates on a schedule based on units other than
semesters or quarters, except as provided by LSA-R.S. 17:3048.1.H, or §503.D or
§509.C.
2. The TOPS
Performance Award provides a $400 annual stipend, in addition to an amount equal
to tuition for full-time attendance at an Eligible College or University, for a
period not to exceed eight semesters, twelve quarters, or an equivalent number
of units in an eligible institution which operates on a schedule based on units
other than semesters or quarters, except as provided by LSA-R.S. 17:3048.1.H, or
§503.D or§509.C.
3.
The TOPS Honors Award provides an $800 annual stipend, in addition to an amount
equal to tuition for full-time attendance at an Eligible College or University,
for a period not to exceed eight semesters, twelve quarters, or an equivalent
number of units in an eligible institution which operates on a schedule based on
units other than semesters or quarters, except as provided by LSA-R.S.
17:3048.1.H, or §503.D or§509.C.
4.
...
5.
Students attending a regionally accredited independent college or university
which is a member of the Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and
Universities (LAICU):
a. In an academic program receive an
amount equal to the Weighted Average Award Amount, as defined in §301, plus any
applicable stipend.
b. In a program for a vocational or
technical education certificate or diploma or a non-academic undergraduate
degree receive an amount equal to the Average Award Amount, as defined in §301,
plus any applicable stipend.
6.-8.
...
9.
Prior recipients of the Louisiana Honors Scholarship who attend a campus of the
Louisiana Technical College may continue to attend that institution as a
recipient of the TOPS Performance Award.
10.
...
11.
Students enrolled and attending more than one college or university at the same
time shall be awarded as follows:
a. students attending two or more
Louisiana public two or four-year colleges or universities shall receive a total
amount not to exceed the amount that would be charged to the student by the
school with the highest tuition among those at which the student is
simultaneously enrolled.
b. students attending two or more regionally accredited independent colleges or
universities which are members of the Louisiana Association of Independent
Colleges and Universities (LAICU) shall receive a total amount not to exceed the
Weighted Average Award Amount, as defined in §301.
c. students attending a combination of
Louisiana public two or four-year colleges or universities and regionally
accredited independent colleges or universities which are members of the
Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (LAICU) in an
academic program shall receive a total amount not to exceed the amount that
would be paid at the public school with the highest tuition among those at which
the student is simultaneously enrolled or the Weighted Average Award Amount,
whichever amount is greater.
F.
Beginning with the 2000-2001 academic year and continuing for the remainder of
their program eligibility, students who meet each of the following requirements
shall be awarded a stipend in the amount of two hundred dollars per semester or
four hundred dollars per academic year which shall be in addition to the amount
determined to equal the tuition charged by the public college or university
attended or, if applicable, the amount provided for attendance at an eligible
nonpublic college or university:
1.
Prior to June 18, 1999, the student was determined by the administering agency
to be eligible for a Performance Award, but who chose either by submission of a
completed Award Confirmation Form or by not sending in a completed Award
Confirmation Form to receive an Opportunity Award and was awarded an Opportunity
Award, and
2.
The student, once enrolled at an eligible institution, has continuously met all
requirements to maintain continued state payment for a Performance Award.
G.
Beginning with the 2000-2001 academic year and continuing for the remainder of
their program eligibility, students who meet each of the following requirements
shall be awarded a stipend in the amount of four hundred dollars per semester or
eight hundred dollars per academic year which shall be in addition to the amount
determined to equal the tuition charged by the public college or university
attended or, if applicable, the amount provided for attendance at an eligible
nonpublic college or university:
1.
Prior to June 18, 1999, the student was determined by the administering agency
to be eligible for a Honors Award, but who chose either by submission of a
completed Award Confirmation Form or by not sending in a completed Award
Confirmation Form to receive an Opportunity Award and was awarded an Opportunity
Award, and
2.
The student, once enrolled at an eligible institution, has continuously met all
requirements to maintain continued state payment for a Honors Award.
...
§703. Establishing Eligibility
A.-A.2.
...
3.
submit the completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in
accordance with §501:
a. by the applicable state aid deadline
defined in §503; and
b. the dependents of Louisiana residents on active duty with the Armed Forces
stationed outside of the state of Louisiana must enter a Louisiana postsecondary
institution in that section of the FAFSA which asks the applicant to name the
colleges he plans to attend; and
4.
initially apply and enroll as a First-Time Freshman as defined in §301, unless
granted an exception for cause by LASFAC, in an eligible postsecondary
institution defined in §1901, and:
a. - f. ...
g. all students must apply for an award
by July 1st of the Academic Year (High School) in which they graduate to
establish their initial qualification for an award, except as provided by
section 503.D. For a student entitled to defer acceptance of an award under
section 703.A.4.b. or d., that student must apply by July 1st of the Academic
Year (High School) in which the student graduates, except as provided by section
503.D, and must also apply by July 1st prior to the Academic Year (College) in
which the student intends to first accept the award, and every year of
eligibility thereafter, except as provided in Section 501.B.
5.
- C. ...
D.
Students who have qualified academically for more than one of the TOPS awards,
excluding the TOPS Teacher Award, shall receive the award requiring the most
rigorous eligibility criteria.
E.
- F. ...
G.
Early Admission to College
1.
A student who enters an Eligible College or University under an early admissions
program prior to high school graduation will be eligible for an appropriate
award under the following conditions:
a. - d. ...
2.
A student who graduates from high school in less than four years or who enters
an Eligible College or University early admissions program prior to graduation
from high school shall be considered a First-Time Freshman, as defined in §703,
not earlier than the first semester following the academic year in which the
student would have normally graduated had he or she not graduated early or
entered an early admissions program. A student who graduates high school in less
than four years or enters an early admissions program will remain eligible for a
TOPS award until the semester or term, excluding summer semesters or sessions,
immediately following the first anniversary of the date that the student
normally would have graduated.
...
§705. Maintaining Eligibility
A.
...
1.
have received less than four years or eight semesters of TOPS Award funds,
unless reduced as required by section 503.D; and
2.
submit the Renewal FAFSA in accordance with §501.B; and
3.
- 5. ...
6.
continue to enroll and accept the TOPS award as a full-time undergraduate
student in an eligible postsecondary institution, as defined in §1901, and
maintain an enrolled status throughout the academic term, unless granted an
exception for cause by LASFAC; and
7.
by the end of each academic year, earn a total of at least 24 college credit
hours during the fall and spring semesters or fall, winter and spring quarters
in an academic program at an Eligible College or University, or either earn a
total of at least 24 college credit hours or complete an average of 30 clock
hours per week during the fall and spring semesters or fall, winter and spring
quarters in a program for a vocational or technical education certificate or
diploma or a non-academic undergraduate degree at an Eligible College or
University as determined by totaling the earned hours reported by the
institution for each semester or quarter in the academic year. These hours shall
include remedial course work required by the institution, but shall not include
hours earned during summer sessions or intersessions or by advanced placement
course credits. Unless granted an exception for cause by LASFAC, failure to earn
the required number of hours will result in permanent cancellation of the
recipient's eligibility; and
8.
...
9.
maintain at an Eligible College or University, by the end of each academic year
(the conclusion of the spring term), a cumulative college grade point average
(GPA) on a 4.00 maximum scale of at least:
a. a 2.30 with the completion of less than 48 credit hours, a 2.50 after the
completion of 48 credit hours, for continuing receipt of an Opportunity Award;
or
b. a 3.00 for continuing receipt of either a Performance or Honors Award.
B.-D.
...
...
Chapter 8. TOPS-TECH Award
§801. General Provisions
A.
...
B.
Description, History and Purpose. The TOPS-TECH award is a merit based
scholarship program for Louisiana residents pursuing skill, occupational
training, or technical training at a Louisiana public community or technical
college that offers a vocational or technical education certificate or diploma
program or a non-academic undergraduate degree. The purpose of TOPS-TECH is to
provide an incentive for qualified Louisiana residents to prepare for and pursue
technical positions in Louisiana.
C.
- D. ...
...
§803. Establishing
Eligibility
A.-A.2.
...
3. submit the
completed initial Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or renewal
FAFSA by the applicable state aid deadline in accordance with the requirements
of section 503; and
4. - 11. ...
...
§805. Maintaining
Eligibility
A.
...
1. have
received the TECH Award for less than two years, unless reduced as required by
section 503.D; and
2. submit the
Renewal FAFSA in accordance with §501.B; and
3.- B. ...
...
Chapter 17. Responsibilities
of High Schools, School Boards, Special School Governing Boards, the Louisiana
Department of Education and LASFAC on Behalf of Eligible Non-Louisiana High
Schools
§1701. Eligibility of Graduates Based Upon the High School Attended
A.
Graduates of the following high schools are eligible to participate in LASFAC’s
Scholarship and Grant programs, as authorized herein:
1.
Louisiana Public High Schools——public high schools listed in the Louisiana
School Directory (Louisiana Department of Education Bulletin 1462);
2.
Approved Nonpublic High Schools
a. nonpublic high schools approved by
the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) pursuant to
R.S. 17:11 and which meet the standards required by BESE for students of the
school to be eligible to receive from the state the benefit of appropriations
for such items as transportation, textbooks, and administrative cost
reimbursement, and
b. nonpublic schools approved by BESE
pursuant to R.S. 17:11 prior to May 15, 2000, which have applied for and have
had their application forwarded by the Louisiana Department of Education prior
to May 15, 2000, seeking the approval necessary for the students in such school
to be eligible to receive from the state the benefit of appropriations for such
items as transportation, textbooks, and administrative cost reimbursement; and
starting the 2003-2004 high school academic year, meet the requirements to be
eligible to receive from the state the benefit of such appropriations.
c. the approvals by BESE may be
provisional or probational approvals.
3.-B.
...
...
§1703. High School
Certification of Student Achievement
A.-B.1.
...
2.
The certification form shall contain, but is not limited to, the following
reportable data elements:
a.-b. ...
c. final cumulative high school grade
point average for all courses attempted and recorded on the transcript,
converted to a maximum 4.00 scale, if applicable (Note: Beginning with students
graduating in 2002-2003, the cumulative high school grade point average will be
calculated by using only grades obtained in completing the core curriculum.);
and
d. through Academic Year (High School) 2000, number of core units earned and the
number of core units unavailable to the student at the school attended;. After
the Academic Year (High School) 2000, core unit requirements may not be waived.
3.
- C.2. ...
D.
Certification. The high school headmaster or principal or designee shall certify
that:
1.-3.
...
...
Chapter 19. Eligibility and
Responsibilities of Postsecondary Institutions
§1901. Eligibility of Postsecondary Institutions to Participate
A....
B.
Regionally accredited private colleges and universities which are members of the
Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Inc. (LAICU) are
authorized to participate in TOPS (for both academic programs and programs for a
vocational or technical education certificate or diploma or a non-academic
undergraduate degree) and LEAP. As of April 2000, LAICU membership included
Centenary College, Dillard University, Louisiana College, Loyola University, Our
Lady of the Lake College of Nursing and Allied Health, Our Lady of Holy Cross
College, St. Joseph Seminary College, Tulane Medical Center, Tulane University,
and Xavier University.
C.
Campuses of Louisiana Technical College are authorized to participate in TOPS,
TOPS-TECH, and LEAP.
D.
...
...
§1903.
Responsibilities of Postsecondary Institutions
A.-A.7.
...
B.
Program Billing. Each term, institutions shall bill LASFAC for students who are
recipients of a TOPS Award and who have enrolled at the institution in
accordance with the following terms and conditions:
1.-7.d.
...
8.
Before applying a TOPS award to pay a student’s tuition, institutions shall
first apply the student’s "out-of-pocket" payments, including
student loans, toward tuition charges. In those cases when a student’s tuition
as defined in 26 U.S.C. 25A is paid from a source other than the TOPS award, the
institution shall apply the TOPS award toward payment of expenses other than
tuition which are described in the term "cost of attendance" as that
term is defined in 20 U.S.C. 1087(II), as amended, for the purpose of qualifying
the student or his parent or guardian for the federal income tax credits
provided for under 26 U.S.C. 25A.
C.-F.
...
...
Chapter 21. Miscellaneous
Provisions and Exceptions
...
§2107. Funding and
Fees
A.-
C.3. ...
D.
Insufficient Funds Appropriated
1.
...
2.
In the event appropriated funds are insufficient to fully reimburse institutions
for awards and stipends for all students determined eligible for the TOPS
Opportunity, Performance, Honors and TECH Awards for a given academic year, then
the number of eligible students shall be reduced in accordance with the
following procedures until such funds are sufficient.
a. Applicants who do not submit
financial data on the initial FAFSA or a renewal FAFSA or who do not submit a
renewal FAFSA to allow determination of eligibility for federal aid will be the
first students eliminated from consideration if insufficient funds are
appropriated for the program.
b.-F. ..."