LOUISIANA STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE COMMISSION
OFFICE OF STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) Bulletin
TOPS BULLETIN NUMBER: T2002-9
DATE ISSUED: May 16, 2002
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, Registrars and Auditors, System Governance, Board of Regents, Department of Education, Louisiana Officials, Louisiana Legislators, and Commission Members

TOPIC:

Scholarship and Grant Programs Technical Changes

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 has revised the Scholarship and Grant Program Rules at its May 15, 2002 meeting to provide a definition of "Join" the United States Armed Forces, to provide for documentation of completion of the core curriculum and to define who may request exceptions and deferments on behalf of students. These provisions incorporate into the rules clear language that clarifies administrative procedures since the inception of the program and do not represent a change in policy.

The full compilation of the TOPS rules with all changes incorporated to date may be viewed on our web site at www.osfa.state.la.us. The revisions, with inserted language underlined and stricken language stuck out, follow:

Title 28

EDUCATION

Part IV. Student Financial Assistance Higher

Education Scholarship and Grant Programs

§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.

Full-Time Student -

g. Correspondence courses may not be used to establish full time status.

Join - enters on active duty.

Chapter 7. Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) Opportunity, Performance, and Honors Awards

§703. Establishing Eligibility

A. To establish eligibility for a TOPS Opportunity, Performance or Honors Award, the student applicant must meet all of the following criteria:

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 college or university defined in §301, and:

b. if the student joins Joins the United States Armed Forces within one year after graduating from an eligible Louisiana or an eligible non-Louisiana high school or from an eligible out of country high school, enroll not later than the semester, excluding summer semesters or sessions, immediately following the fifth anniversary of the date that the student graduated from high school or within one year from the date of discharge, whichever is earlier; or

d. if the student is eligible under the provisions of §703.A.5.d or f and has joined Joined and is on active duty with the United States Armed Forces within one year of completion of the twelfth grade of an approved home study program, enroll not later than the semester or term, excluding summer semesters or sessions, immediately following the fifth anniversary of the completion of the approved home study program or within one year from the date of discharge, whichever is earlier; or

5. a. graduate from an eligible public or nonpublic Louisiana high school or non-Louisiana high school defined in §1701.A.1, 2, or 3; and

i. at the time of high school graduation, an applicant must have successfully completed 16.5 units of high school course work documented on the student's official transcript as approved by the Louisiana Department of Education constituting a core curriculum as follows:

Chapter 8. TOPS-TECH Award

§803. Establishing Eligibility

A. To establish eligibility for the TOPS-TECH Award, the student applicant must meet the following criteria:

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 college or university defined in §301, and:

b. if the student joins Joins the United States Armed Forces within one year after graduating from an eligible Louisiana or an eligible non-Louisiana high school or from an eligible out of country high school, enroll not later than the semester, excluding summer semesters or sessions, immediately following the fifth anniversary of the date that the student graduated from high school or within one year from the date of discharge, whichever is earlier; or

d. if the student is eligible under the provisions of §803.A.5.d and has joined Joined and is on active duty with the United States Armed Forces within one year of the date the student completed the home study program, which is deemed to be May 31st , enroll not later than the semester or term, excluding summer semesters or sessions, immediately following the fifth anniversary of the date the student completed the home study program, or within one year from the date of discharge, whichever is earlier; and

6. if qualifying under the terms of §803.A.5.a., at the time of high school graduation,:

a. have successfully completed one of the following core curriculums:

(i) 16.5 units of high school course work constituting the TOPS core curriculum as defined in §703.A.5 and documented on the student's official transcript as approved by the Louisiana Department of Education.; or

(ii) For students graduating in the 2000-2001 school year and thereafter, the high school course work documented on the student's official transcript as approved by the Louisiana Department of Education constituting the following TOPS-TECH core curriculum:

Chapter 21. Miscellaneous Provisions and Exceptions

§2103. Circumstances Warranting Exception to the Initial and Continuous Enrollment Requirements

D. Procedure for Requesting Exceptions to the Initial and Continuous Enrollment Requirement

1. The student should complete and submit an application for an exception, with documentary evidence, to the Office as soon as possible after the occurrence of the event or circumstance that supports the request. Through the 2000-2001 academic year, the student must submit application for an exception no later than May 30 of the academic year the student requests reinstatement. Commencing with the 2001-2002 academic year, the student must submit the application for exception no later than six months after the date of the notice of cancellation. The deadline for filing the exception shall be prominently displayed on the notice of cancellation. If the applicant for an exception is a Dependent Student, a parent or legal guardian of the Dependent Student may submit the application for exception on behalf of the applicant.

§2105. Repayment Obligation, Deferment and Cancellation

D. Procedure for Requesting a Deferment

1. The recipient should complete and submit an application for a deferment, with documentary evidence, to the Office as soon as possible after the occurrence of the event or circumstance that supports the request. The recipient must submit the application for deferment no later than three months after the date of the notice of repayment. The deadline for filing the request shall be prominently displayed on the notice of repayment. If the applicant for a deferment is a Dependent Student, a parent or legal guardian of the Dependent Student may submit the application for exception on behalf of the applicant.