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Assistance Commission has revised the Scholarship and Grant Program Rules at its July 17, 2002 meeting to correct superseded citations and clarify wording in section 2103.E.1.c. This section indicates the maximum length of exception for parental leave, which is up to two consecutive semesters (three consecutive quarters) per child. The intention of the rule and its enforcement since inception, is that the maximum exception applies to each pregnancy. The wording has been revised to replace the words "per child" with "per pregnancy."

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.

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

§301. Definitions

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Exceptional Child --a student defined as an exceptional child in accordance with R.S.17:1943(2), R.S. 17:1943(4), excluding gifted and talented.

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Full-Time Student--

a. - b. ...

c. for continuation purposes, a student is considered to have met the full-time requirement if by the completion of the academic year he has earned at least 24 hours of total credit as reported by the institution for the fall and spring semesters at institutions defining 12 semester hours as the minimum for standing as a full-time undergraduate or as reported by the institution for the fall, winter and spring quarters at institutions defining 8 quarter hours as the minimum for standing as a full-time undergraduate. For purposes of TOPS and except where specified otherwise within these rules, a student shall be credited for hours earned as reported by the institution which the student attends in accordance with that institution's published policies. Students should be aware that these policies may differ depending on the school the student attends. (see 705.A.7., 705.D., 805.A.7., and 907.A.2 907.A. for more expanded TOPS requirements);

d-g. ...

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

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§701. General Provisions

A. - E.7. ...

8. Students funded under the Tuition Assistance Plan (TAP) or the Louisiana Honors Scholarship program during the 1997-98 award year, who lost eligibility due to their failure to maintain the required grade point average, shall be continued as TOPS Opportunity or Performance recipients, respectively, however, their eligibility for an award shall be suspended pending their satisfaction of the continuation requirements of §705.A.8 and 9 §705.A.7 and 8. If a student satisfies the applicable requirements of §705.A.8 and 9 §705.A.7 and 89 no later than the end of the 2000 Spring semester, he/she shall be eligible for reinstatement of the award in accordance with §705.B, for the semester following the satisfaction of the requirements of §705.A.8 and 9 §705.A.7 and 8.

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§703. Establishing Eligibility

A. - A.4.b. …

c. if the student is eligible under the provisions of §703.A.5.d or f,§703.A.5.d or e, enroll not later than the semester or term, excluding summer semesters or sessions, immediately following the first anniversary of the date the student completes the home study program, which is deemed to be May 31st; or

d. if the student is eligible under the provisions of §703.A.5.d or f,§703.A.5.d or e, and has 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

A.4.d. - D. …

E. Students graduating in academic years 1996-97 and 1997-98 who qualified by reduction of the foreign language requirement qualify under §703.A.5.b.iv, (graduates who did not complete one year of high school foreign language), must provide LASFAC a copy of their college transcript showing completion of one or more foreign language courses. Eligibility for an award is not established until receipt of the transcript verifying that the foreign language credit was earned and the student shall first be awarded for the semester or term following that in which eligibility was established. Under this provision, eligibility must be established not later than the conclusion of the 1998-99 award year.

F. - G.2. ...

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§705. Maintaining Eligibility

A. - A.11. …

B. Students failing to meet the requirements listed in §705.A.8 §705.A.7 or §705.A.9 a or b. §705.A.8.a, b, or c may have their tuition awards reinstated upon regaining Steady Academic Progress (See §301.) and/or attainment of the required GPA, if the period of ineligibility did not persist for more than two years from the date of loss of eligibility. Students who fail to meet the continuation requirements of §705.a.9.b §705.A.8.c., but who meet the continuation requirements of §705.A.9.a §705.A.8.a or b., shall no longer be eligible for the stipend authorized for the Performance and Honors Awards, but shall continue to receive the award amount for the Opportunity Award.

C.-D. …

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Chapter 8. TOPS-TECH Award

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§805. Maintaining Eligibility

A. - A.8. ...

B. Students failing to meet the requirements listed in §805.A.8 and 9 §805.A.7 and 8 may have their tuition awards reinstated upon achieving Steady Academic Progress, as defined in §301, and the attainment of the required grade point average, if the period of ineligibility did not persist for more than one year from the date of loss of eligibility.

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Chapter 9. TOPS Teacher Award

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§903. Establishing Eligibility

A. - A.4.a. ...

i. at the time of high school graduation, have successfully completed 16.5 units of high school course work constituting a core curriculum as defined in §703.A.5.a.1 §703.A.5.a.i of LAC 28:IV; and

A.4.a.ii. - A.8. ...

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Chapter 13. Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP)

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§1301. General Provisions

A. - B. ...

C. Louisiana administers a decentralize decentralized LEAP Program. Certain functions of the program are delegated to participating schools. Schools approved for participation in the Louisiana LEAP Program must have federal eligibility and must annually submit a state application and be approved for state participation. Funding available for a specific award year is allocated to eligible in-state postsecondary institutions who select and certify recipients to LASFAC. LASFAC forwards award funding to the institutions for disbursement to the student or student's account.

D. - F. ...

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Chapter 19. Eligibility and Responsibilities of Postsecondary Institutions

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§1903. Responsibilities of Postsecondary Institutions

A. - B.7.b.

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), 20 U.S.C. 1087 11, 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. - G. ...

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Chapter 21. Miscellaneous Provisions and Exceptions

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

A. - E.1.b.ii. ...

c. Maximum Length of Exception. Up to two consecutive semesters (three consecutive quarters) per childpregnancy.

E.2. - E.11.a. ...

i. The following situations are not exceptional circumstances:

E.11.a.i.(a) - E.11.c. ...

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§2107. Funding and Fees

A. - C.2.a. ...

b. After the elimination of students under §2107.D.2.a,§2107.C.2.a if funds are still insufficient to award all of those students who remain eligible for award year 1998-99, then those students qualified by the actions of the First Extraordinary Session of 1998 shall be funded only after all awards to all students who are eligible pursuant to the requirements of this Chapter as they existed prior to any Act of the 1998 First Extraordinary Session of the Legislature are fully funded. Students qualified by actions of the First Extraordinary Session of 1998 include the following:

i. students qualified by reduction of Foreign Language requirement for 1996-97 and 1997-98 graduates;
ii. students qualified as Exceptional Students/Students with disabilities;
iii. students who graduated from out-of-state high schools; and,
iv. students who completed an Approved Home Study Program.

c. After the elimination of students in §2107.D.2.a §2107.C.2.a, and b, if funds are still insufficient to award all of the remaining students, then those who remain will be prioritized according to their ACT score and, within ACT score, by their EFC in ranges of $1,000, from lowest to highest. Beginning with the lowest qualifying ACT score, the students with the highest EFC shall be eliminated until the funds available are sufficient to award all remaining students or until all students with that ACT score have been eliminated. This process shall be repeated, beginning with the lowest ACT score and progressing to the highest ACT score, until the projected expenditure for awards equals the funds appropriated for that purpose.

d. After the elimination of students in §2107.D.2.a §2107.C.2.a, if funds are sufficient to award all students who were eligible prior to the Act of the 1998 First Extraordinary Session of the Legislature, but are insufficient to award all students made eligible under such Act and listed in §2107.D.2.b. §2107.C.2.b., then those students made eligible by such Act shall be rendered ineligible by application of §2107.D.2.c §2107.C.2.c, above, until funds available are sufficient to award all remaining students.

3. From among those students otherwise eligible who are denied an award because of the imposition of the procedures in §2107.D.2. §2107.C.2., if additional funds subsequently become available for expenditure in the same award year, those students who have the highest ACT scores and the least capacity to pay, as evidenced by their families' lower EFC, shall be the first to be awarded by reversing the procedure described in §2107.D.2.c §2107.C.2.c,

D. - E. ...

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§2109. Agency Decisions Subject to Appeal

A. Right of Appeal

1. A person aggrieved by an adverse decision of LOSFA under §2103 E11(2) §2103 E.11.a.(ii) may appeal the decision in accordance with the procedures provided in this section.

A.2. - A.3. ...

B. Notice of Adverse Decision

1. Notice of an adverse decision by LOSFA under §2103 E11(2) §2103 E.11.a.(ii) must be transmitted in writing to the applicant or participant. The notice must state with reasonable specificity the decision and the reason for the decision, state that the decision may be appealed, and set forth the procedure for submission of an appeal.

C. - D.9. ...

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Chapter 23. Tuition Payment Program for Medical School Students

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§2303. Establishing Eligibility

A. - A.4. ...

5. agree to the full time practice of the profession of medicine as a primary care physician in a Designated Area for at least two consecutive years after graduating from medical school and completing a residency program in a primary care field as defined in §2303.D, §2303.A.4 above; and

A.6 - A.8 ...