TOPS Opportunity Award

Scholarship Sponsored by Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance

Intro
To qualify for the TOPS scholarship, students must meet specific academic, residency, enrollment, and testing standards set by the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). The sections below summarize those standard eligibility rules, special-case score adjustments, renewal criteria, and rules about suspension or cancellation of the award.

Eligibility — High School, Coursework, GPA, Testing, Citizenship & Residency
- High school approval: The student must have graduated from a BESE‑approved high school. All Louisiana public high schools are BESE‑approved.
- Non‑public schools: Students who attend a private or other non‑public high school must confirm that their school is BESE‑approved for the student’s graduation year. (Use the Brumfield v. Dodd approval listing for the graduate’s year.)
- Home study: Students enrolled via Louisiana Department of Education home study must satisfy the LOSFA TOPS home study requirements.
- Core units: Completion of the 19.0 TOPS Core Curriculum units is required.
- Core GPA: A minimum TOPS Core Curriculum GPA of 2.50 is required (GPA calculated using TOPS Core Curriculum courses only).
- Standard test score: The minimum ACT composite (or SAT equivalent) required is the prior year state average, but in no case lower than a 20. (Be sure to add the LOSFA ACT and SAT codes to your test registration as required.)
- ACT superscoring: TOPS does not accept ACT superscores.
- First‑time freshman enrollment deadline: A student must begin full‑time enrollment as a first‑time freshman no later than the first semester following the first anniversary of high school graduation.
- Citizenship/residency: The student must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and satisfy TOPS Louisiana residency requirements.

Special‑case Test Score Adjustments
- BESE‑approved home study graduates: Must meet an ACT/SAT score that is 2 points higher than the standard — currently this requirement equals an ACT (or SAT equivalent) of 22.
- Louisiana residents who graduated from an eligible out‑of‑state or out‑of‑country high school: Must meet an ACT/SAT score that is 3 points higher than the standard — currently this requirement equals an ACT (or SAT equivalent) of 23.

Renewal Requirements (Maintain the Award)
- Academic year GPA after first year: At the end of the first TOPS academic year (defined as the year in which the student has earned between 24 and 47 credit hours), the student must have at least a 2.30 GPA.
- Academic year GPA after subsequent years: After earning 48 or more hours, the minimum GPA at the end of each subsequent academic year is 2.50.
- Semester/term progress: At the end of all other semesters/terms, the student must demonstrate steady academic progress, which means maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00.
- Full‑time and continuous enrollment: The student must be enrolled full‑time and continuously. For semester schools, full‑time status must be met by the 15th class day; for quarter schools, by the 10th class day. Continuous enrollment must be maintained thereafter.
- Annual credit requirement: The student must earn a minimum of 24 credit hours during the TOPS academic year. The TOPS academic year begins with the fall term of the award year and ends immediately before the next fall term; intersessions and summer terms are included in that calculation.
- Intersession credit rules: Credit earned during the intersession between fall and spring semesters counts toward the 24‑hour annual total but does not count toward meeting full‑time enrollment status.
- Course eligibility: Not every course counts toward the 24‑hour annual requirement. Consult LOSFA resources for details on which courses are eligible.

Suspension, Reinstatement, and Cancellation
- Suspension: If a student’s award is suspended for failing to meet GPA requirements, the award can be reinstated if the required GPA is regained within 24 months.
- Cancellation: If the student fails to enroll full‑time, fails to maintain continuous enrollment, or fails to earn the required 24 hours for the academic year, the award will be canceled. A canceled award cannot be reinstated unless an Approved Request for Exception to the Initial, Continuous, Full‑Time Enrollment and/or 24‑Hour Requirement has been granted.

For detailed procedures, forms, deadlines, and the LOSFA ACT/SAT codes, consult LOSFA/TOPS official resources.