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.

The Louisiana Student Financial Assistance Commission proposed revisions to its Scholarship and Grant program rules at its February 20, 2002 meeting to change the grade reporting data elements that are required of post secondary institutions eligible to participate in the Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS). The TOPS statute requires computation of a cumulative grade point average based on all courses attempted. Due to the large volume of transfer students on TOPS, this has proved burdensome on schools to compute a cumulative grade point average on transfer students, which can differ from their institutional policies. LOSFA will compute a cumulative grade point average for all TOPS recipients using the new data elements that will be submitted at the end of each semester. The proposed revisions would, effective with the fall semester 2002, require all postsecondary institutions eligible to participate in TOPS to report the following for each TOPS recipient: Semester hours attempted; semester hours earned; semester quality points earned; and, resignation from the institution or withdrawal from all courses. This change will ensure that the TOPS statutory standard is consistently applied to all award recipients. This change also supports ACT 1012 from the 2001 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature, that mandates the Board of Regents to maintain a TOPS information reporting system. LOSFA will acquire and share data with the Board of Regents in support of that mandate. It is expected that the Board of Regents will eventually request this information to be reported for all enrolled students.

The Louisiana Student Financial Assistance Commission encourages comments on these proposed changes. Interested persons may submit written comments until 4:30 pm, May 20, 2002, to Jack Guinn, Executive Director, Office of Student Financial Assistance, P. O. Box 91202, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-9202 or by e-mail to wgarcia@osfa.state.la.us.

The full compilation of the TOPS rules with all changes incorporated to date may be viewed on our website at www.osfa.state.la.us. The revision follows with new language underlined and removed language stricken:

Title 28
EDUCATION
Part IV. Student Financial Assistance-Higher Education Scholarship and Grant Programs

Chapter 19. Eligibility and Responsibilities of Postsecondary Institutions

...

§1903. Responsibilities of Postsecondary Institutions

A. Certification of Student Data.

1. Through the summer term of 2002, upon Upon request by LASFAC, and for the purpose of determining an applicant's eligibility for a program award, an institution will report the following student data:

a.. admission and full-time undergraduate enrollment; and

b. eligibility for, or enrollment in, a course of study leading to initial teacher certification; and

c. enrollment in math or chemistry as a major while pursuing teacher certification; and

d. graduate or undergraduate enrollment in wildlife forestry or marine science; and

e. cumulative college grade point average; and

f. cumulative college credit hours earned; g. academic year hours earned.

2. Effective the fall semester of 2002, upon request by LASFAC, and for the purpose of determining an applicant's eligibility for a program award, an institution shall report the following student data:

a. admission and full-time undergraduate enrollment; and

b. eligibility for, or enrollment in, a course of study leading to initial teacher certification; and

c. enrollment in math or chemistry as a major while pursuing teacher certification; and

d. graduate or undergraduate enrollment in wildlife forestry or marine science; and

e. semester hours attempted;

f. semester hours earned;

g. semester quality points earned; and

h. resignation from the institution or withdrawal from all courses.

B. - G. ...