Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 3, March 20, 2024
A. To
continue receiving the TOPS Opportunity, Performance or Honors Awards, the
recipient must meet all of the following criteria:
1. have received less than four years or
eight semesters of TOPS Award funds, except as provided in
§701. E.1 b,
§701. E.2.b and
§701. E.3 b;
and
2. submit the renewal FAFSA in
accordance with
§505 F; and
3. not have a criminal conviction, except for
misdemeanor traffic violations and if the student has been in the United States
Armed Forces and has separated from such service, has received an honorable
discharge or general discharge under honorable conditions; and
4. agree that awards will be used exclusively
for educational expenses; and
5.
continue to enroll and accept the TOPS Award as a full-time undergraduate
student, professional or graduate student in an eligible college or university
defined in §301, and maintain an enrolled status throughout the academic term,
unless granted an exception for cause by the board; and
6. minimum academic progress:
a.
i. in an
academic undergraduate program at an eligible college or university, by the end
of each academic year (TOPS), earn a total of at least 24 college credit hours
as determined by totaling the earned hours reported by the institution for each
semester or term in the academic year (TOPS), including any hours earned during
an intersession ending during the academic year. These hours shall include
remedial course work required by the institution, but shall not include hours
earned during qualified summer sessions, summer sessions or intersessions that
do not end during the academic year or by advanced placement course credits.
Unless granted an exception for cause by the board, failure to earn the
required number of hours will result in permanent cancellation of the
recipient's eligibility; or
ii.
beginning in the 2008-2009 and through the 2010-2011 academic year (TOPS), in
an academic undergraduate program at an eligible college or university, by the
end of each academic year (TOPS), earn a total of at least 24 college credit
hours as determined by totaling the earned hours reported by the institution
for each semester or quarter in the academic year (TOPS), including any hours
earned during an intersession ending during the academic year or immediately
following the spring term. These hours shall include remedial course work
required by the institution, but shall not include hours earned during
qualified summer sessions, summer sessions or intersessions that do not end
during the academic year or intersessions that do not immediately follow the
spring term or by advanced placement course credits. Unless granted an
exception for cause by the board, failure to earn the required number of hours
will result in permanent cancellation of the recipient's eligibility;
or
iii. beginning in the 2011-2012
academic year (TOPS), in an academic undergraduate program at an eligible
college or university, by the end of each academic year (TOPS), earn a total of
at least 24 college credit hours as determined by totaling the earned hours
reported by the institution for each semester or quarter, intersession and
summer session in the academic year (TOPS) (includes any hours earned during
any intersession and/or summer session ending before the following fall
semester or quarter). These hours shall include remedial course work required
by the institution and hours for repeated courses, but shall not include hours
by advanced placement course credits, by credit by exam, or through the
College-Level Examination Program. Unless granted an exception for cause by the
board, failure to earn the required number of hours will result in permanent
cancellation of the recipient's eligibility; or
b. in a program for a vocational or technical
education certificate or diploma or a non-academic undergraduate degree at an
eligible college or university, by the end of each academic year (TOPS), earn a
total of at least 24 college credit hours as determined by totaling the earned
hours reported by the institution for each semester or quarter, intersession
and summer session in the academic year (TOPS) (includes any hours earned
during any intersession and/or summer session ending before the following fall
semester or quarter). These hours shall include remedial course work required
by the institution and hours for repeated courses, but shall not include hours
by advanced placement course credits, by credit by exam, or through the
College-Level Examination Program. Unless granted an exception for cause by the
board, failure to earn 24 hours during the academic year (TOPS) will result in
permanent cancellation of the recipient's eligibility; or
c. in an academic graduate or professional
program at an eligible college or university, by the end of each academic year
(TOPS), earn at least the total college credit hours required by the college or
university for full-time enrollment for each semester or quarter as determined
by totaling the earned hours reported by the institution for each semester or
quarter, intersession and summer session in the academic year (TOPS) (includes
any hours earned during any intersession and/or summer session ending before
the following fall semester or quarter). These hours shall not include hours by
advanced placement course credits, by credit by exam, or through the
College-Level Examination Program. Unless granted an exception for cause by the
board, failure to earn the required number of hours will result in permanent
cancellation of the recipient's eligibility; or
d. in an eligible cosmetology or proprietary
school, meet the federal grant aid steady academic progress requirement at that
school; and
7. maintain
steady academic progress, as defined in §301; and
8.
a.
through the 2013-14 academic year (TOPS), maintain at an eligible college or
university, by the end of the spring semester, quarter, or term, a TOPS
cumulative college grade point average on a 4.00 maximum scale of at least:
i. a 2.30 with the completion of 24 but less
than 48 credit hours, a 2.50 after the completion of 48 credit hours, for
continuing receipt of an Opportunity Award, if enrolled in an academic program;
or
ii. a 2.50, for continuing
receipt of an Opportunity Award, if enrolled in a program for a vocational or
technical education certificate or diploma or a non-academic undergraduate
degree; and
b. beginning
with the 2014-15 academic year (TOPS), maintain at an eligible college or
university, by the end of the academic year, a TOPS cumulative college grade
point average on a 4.00 maximum scale of at least:
i. a 2.30 with the completion of 24 but less
than 48 credit hours, a 2.50 after the completion of 48 credit hours, for
continuing receipt of an Opportunity Award, if enrolled in an academic program;
or
ii. a 2.50, for continuing
receipt of an Opportunity Award, if enrolled in a program for a vocational or
technical education certificate or diploma or a non-academic undergraduate
degree; and
c. the
provisions of §705. A.8.b shall not apply during the 2014-2015 academic year to
students who met the requirements of §705. A.7 at the end of the spring
semester of 2015, but who did not meet the requirements of §705. A.8.b at the
end of the 2014-2015 academic year;
d. beginning with the 2015-16 academic year
(TOPS), maintain at an eligible college or university, by the end of the
academic year, a TOPS cumulative college grade point average (Opportunity,
Performance, Honors) on a 4.00 maximum scale of at least:
i. a 2.30 with 24 but less than 48 earned
credit hours for continuing receipt of an Opportunity Award, if enrolled in an
academic program for the last semester attended during the academic year;
or
ii. a 2.50 with 24 but less than
48 earned credit hours for continuing receipt of an Opportunity Award, if
enrolled in a program for a vocational or technical education certificate or
diploma or a non-academic undergraduate degree for the last semester attended
during the academic year; or
iii. a
2.50 with 48 or more earned credit hours for continuing receipt of an
Opportunity Award, if enrolled in any program of study for the last semester
attended during the academic year; and
e. a 3.00 for continuing receipt of either a
Performance or Honors Award; or
f.
the minimum grade necessary to maintain good standing, if enrolled in a
graduate or professional program; or
g. meet the federal grant aid steady academic
progress requirement at that school, if enrolled in an eligible cosmetology or
proprietary school; and
B.
1.
Students failing to meet the requirements listed in §705. A.7 or §705. A.8 a,
b, d, f, or g may have their TOPS Awards reinstated upon regaining "steady
academic progress" (see §301) and/or attainment of the required TOPS cumulative
grade point average, if the period of ineligibility did not persist for more
than two years from the date of loss of eligibility.
2. If the two-year period is interrupted due
to a student's active duty in the United States Armed Forces, the two-year
period will be extended for a length of time equal to the student's active duty
service.
3. Students who fail to
meet the requirements of §705. A.8 e, shall no longer be eligible for the
stipend authorized for the Performance and Honors Awards, but shall be eligible
to receive the award amount for the Opportunity Award if they meet the
continuation requirements of §705. A.8 a, b, d, f, or g.
4.
a. A
student shall have one semester or quarter after the 2015-16 academic year
(TOPS) for which the TOPS Award will be paid to meet the requirements of §705.
A.8.d if the student:
i. failed to meet the
requirements listed in §705. A.8.d solely because the calculation of the TOPS
cumulative grade point average (Opportunity, Performance, Honors) at the end of
the 2015- 2016 academic year (TOPS) includes both hours and grades for courses
taken before the 2015-16 academic year (TOPS) in both academic and technical
courses of study; and
ii. was a
high school graduate or home study completer who enrolled for the first time as
a full-time student in an eligible postsecondary institution before the 2015-16
academic year (TOPS); and
iii. not
suspended after the 2014-15 academic year (TOPS).
b. The TOPS Award of a student who meets the
requirements of §705. B.4.a shall not be suspended unless the student fails to
meet the requirements of §705. A.8.d by the end of the fall semester or quarter
of 2016 in which case:
i. the students TOPS
Award shall be suspended effective at the end of the fall semester or quarter
of 2016; and
ii. the provisions of
§705. B.1 shall apply.
c. If a student does not enroll full time for
the fall semester or quarter of 2016 and any subsequent consecutive semesters
or quarters and is granted an exception for all of those semesters or quarters,
the provisions of §705. B.4.b shall be extended to the end of the next semester
or quarter during which the student enrolls full-time and for which the
students TOPS Award is paid.
C. In the event the board determines that an
ineligible student has received an award as the result of an administrative
error or erroneous information provided by the student or the student's
parent(s) or court-ordered custodian or incorrect certification from the
student's high school, the student's eligibility for the award shall be
terminated and no further awards shall be made to the ineligible student. If an
ineligible student has received an award due to an administrative error or
incorrect certification, the board will not pursue recoupment from the student
of funds that were awarded. If an erroneous award has been made and the board
determines that the award was made based upon incorrect information submitted
by the student or the student's parent(s) or court-ordered custodian, the board
may seek reimbursement from the student, the students parent(s) or
court-ordered custodian, and if it is further determined that the award was
made due to an intentional misrepresentation by the student, the student's
parent(s) or court-ordered custodian, then the board shall refer the case to
the attorney general for investigation and prosecution. If a student or the
student's parent(s) or court-ordered custodian is suspected of having
intentionally misrepresented the facts which were provided to the board and
used by it to determine the eligibility of the student for the program and the
board has referred the case to the attorney general for investigation, then the
student shall remain ineligible for future award consideration pending an
outcome of said investigation which is favorable to the student.
D. It is the student's responsibility to
ensure that all requirements necessary to maintain award eligibility are
completed. The Office of Student Financial Assistance shall only consider the
official report of grades and hours earned which are received from the school
attended. Students should be aware that individual school policies may affect
the reporting of grade point average and hours earned for the academic year and
accordingly, should become familiar with these policies.
E. 2005 Natural Disaster Maintaining
Eligibility Requirements
1. To continue
receiving the TOPS Opportunity, Performance or Honors Awards, a displaced
student must meet all of the criteria in §705 A-D above, except as follows.
a. The TOPS Award of a displaced student who
enrolls for the first time as a full-time student in an eligible out-of-state
college or university during the 2005-2006 academic year (TOPS) and
subsequently enrolls at a Louisiana-eligible college or university shall not be
reduced due to enrollment in an eligible out-of-state institution during the
2005-2006 academic year (TOPS).
b.
The TOPS Award of a displaced student who has been enrolled in a
Louisiana-eligible college or university and who subsequently enrolls as a
full-time student in an eligible out-of-state institution during the 2005-2006
academic year (TOPS) shall not be cancelled due to such out-of-state
enrollment.
c. The TOPS Award of a
displaced student who has been enrolled in a Louisiana-eligible college or
university and who subsequently enrolls as a full-time student in an eligible
out-of-state institution during the 2005-2006 academic year (TOPS) shall not be
reduced for those semesters or terms such displaced student was enrolled in an
eligible out-of-state institution during the 2005-2006 academic year
(TOPS).
d. The period of suspension
of a TOPS Award for a displaced student due to the student not meeting a
requirement to maintain a minimum grade point average or to make steady
academic progress shall be extended on a one-for-one basis for each semester or
term in which the student does not enroll on a full-time basis in an eligible
college or university during the 2005-2006 academic year (TOPS).
2. For the purposes of
this Subsection,
displaced student means:
a. a student who on August 26, 2005:
i. was enrolled in one of the following
institutions:
(a). Delgado Community
College;
(b). Dillard
University;
(c). Louisiana State
University Health Sciences Center at New Orleans;
(d). Louisiana Technical College: Jefferson,
Sidney N. Collier, Slidell, Sullivan, and West Jefferson campuses;
(e). Loyola University;
(f). New Orleans Baptist Theological
Seminary;
(g). Nunez Community
College;
(h). Our Lady of Holy
Cross College;
(i). St. Joseph
Seminary College;
(j). Southern
University at New Orleans;
(k).
Tulane University;
(l). University
of New Orleans;
(m). Xavier
University; or
ii. had
a home of record in Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard,
St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, or Washington Parish; or
b. a student who on September 20, 2005:
i. was enrolled in one of the following
institutions:
(a). McNeese State University;
(b). Sowela Technical Community
College; or
ii. had a
home of record in Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia,
Jefferson Davis, St. Mary, Terrebonne, or Vermilion Parish.
3. For the purposes of
this Subsection, home of record for a dependent student shall
mean the domiciliary address of the student's parent or court-ordered custodian
and for an independent student shall mean the domiciliary address of such
student.
F. Public
Health Emergency Maintaining Eligibility Requirements
1. To continue receiving the TOPS
Opportunity, Performance or Honors Awards, an affected student must meet all of
the criteria in §705 A-D above, except as follows.
a. An affected student shall not be required
to meet the minimum academic progress requirements set forth in
§705.A.6
b. An affected student
shall not be required to meet the steady academic progress requirements set
forth in §705.A.7
c. An affected
student shall not be required to meet the continuation GPA requirements set
forth in §705.A.8
d. The period of
suspension of a TOPS Award for an affected student due to the student not
meeting the requirement to maintain minimum academic progress or to make steady
academic progress shall be extended on a one-for-one basis for each semester or
term the student is unable to complete or in which the student does not enroll
on a fulltime basis due to measures taken to mitigate the public health
emergency.
2. For the
purposes of this Subsection,
affected student shall mean:
a. a student who was enrolled full time as of
the census date at an eligible college or university during the spring semester
of 2020;
b. a student who was
enrolled full time at an out-of-state college or university as of the census
date during the spring semester of 2020; or
c. a student who was scheduled to be enrolled
full time at a school operating on a basis other than semesters during the
spring of 2020.
G. 2020 Natural Disaster Maintaining
Eligibility Requirements
1. To continue
receiving the TOPS Opportunity, Performance or Honors Awards, a displaced
student must meet all of the criteria in
§705 A-D above, except as follows.
a. The TOPS Award of a displaced student who
enrolls as a full-time student in an eligible out-of-state college or
university during the 2020-2021 academic year (TOPS) and subsequently enrolls
at a Louisiana-eligible college or university shall not be reduced due to
enrollment in an eligible out-of-state institution during the 2020-2021
academic year (TOPS).
b. The period
of suspension of a TOPS Award for a displaced student due to the student not
meeting a requirement to maintain a minimum grade point average or to make
steady academic progress shall be extended on a one-for-one basis for each
semester or term in which the student does not enroll on a full-time basis in
an eligible college or university during the 2020-2021 academic year
(TOPS).
c. A displaced student
shall not be required to meet the minimum academic progress requirements set
forth in §705.A.6
d. A displaced student shall not be required
to meet the steady academic progress requirements set forth in
§705.A.7
e. A displaced student shall not be required
to meet the continuation GPA requirements set forth in
§705.A.8
2. For the purposes of this
Subsection,
displaced student means:
a. a student whose home of record on August
26, 2020, was located in, or who, on August 26, 2020, was attending a
postsecondary institution located in Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Caddo,
Calcasieu, Cameron, Grant, Jackson, Jefferson Davis, Lasalle, Lincoln,
Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Rapides, Sabine, St. Landry, Union,
Vermilion, Vernon, or Winn Parish: or
b. a student whose home of record on October
8, 2020, was located in, or who, on October 8, 2020, was attending a
postsecondary institution located in Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu,
Cameron, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Rapides, St. Landry, St. Martin,
or Vermilion Parish.
c. a student
whose home of record on October 26, 2020, was located in, or who, on October
26, 2020, was attending a postsecondary institution located in Jefferson,
Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, or Terrebonne Parish.
3. For the purposes of this
Subsection, home of record for a dependent student shall mean
the domiciliary address of the student's parent or court-ordered custodian and
for an independent student shall mean the domiciliary address of such
student.
H. 2021 Natural
Disaster Maintaining Eligibility Requirements
1. To continue receiving the TOPS
Opportunity, Performance or Honors Awards, a displaced student must meet all of
the criteria in
§705 A-D above, except as follows.
a. The TOPS Award of a displaced student who
enrolls as a full-time student in an eligible out-of-state college or
university during the 2021-2022 academic year (TOPS) and subsequently enrolls
at a Louisiana-eligible college or university shall not be reduced due to
enrollment in an eligible out-of-state institution during the 2021-2022
academic year (TOPS).
b. The period
of suspension of a TOPS Award for a displaced student due to the student not
meeting the requirement to maintain a minimum grade point average or to make
steady academic progress shall be extended on a one-for-one basis for each
semester or term in which the student does not enroll on a full-time basis in
an eligible college or university during the 2021-2022 academic year
(TOPS).
c. A displaced student
shall not be required to meet the minimum academic progress requirements set
forth in §705.A.6
d. A displaced student shall not be required
to meet the steady academic progress requirements set forth in
§705.A.7
e. A displaced student shall not be required
to meet the continuation GPA requirements set forth in
§705.A.8
2. For the purposes of this
Subsection, displaced student means a student whose home of
record on August 27, 2021, was located in, or who, on August 27, 2021, was
attending a postsecondary institution located in Jefferson, Lafourche,
Livingston, Plaquemines, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the
Baptist, Tangipahoa, or Terrebonne Parish.
3. For the purposes of this Subsection,
home of record for a dependent student shall mean the
domiciliary address of the student's parent or court-ordered custodian and for
an independent student shall mean the domiciliary address of such
student.
4. Notwithstanding the
definition of displaced student set forth in Subsection H.2,
the provisions of this Section shall apply to any student who, on August 27,
2021, was a member of the Louisiana National Guard called to active duty to
assist in the preparation for and response to Hurricane Ida.
I.
1. A student who successfully completes a
baccalaureate degree without having exhausted his period of award eligibility
shall receive an award for the remainder of his eligibility if he enrolls in a
graduate or professional school at an eligible college or university no later
than the fall semester immediately following the first anniversary of the
student's completion of an undergraduate degree and has met the requirements
for continued eligibility set forth in
§705.A.6 The remaining
eligibility may not be used to pursue a second undergraduate degree.
2. Beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year
(TOPS), a student who successfully completes any type of technical, vocational,
or academic credential other than a baccalaureate degree without having
exhausted his period of award eligibility shall receive an award for the
remainder of his eligibility if he enrolls in a program of study leading to a
baccalaureate degree, to a vocational or technical certificate or diploma, or
to a non-academic degree at an eligible college or university no later than the
fall semester immediately following the first anniversary of the student's
completion of an associate's degree and has met the requirements for continued
eligibility set forth in
§705.A.6
AUTHORITY NOTE:
Promulgated in accordance with
R.S.
17:3021-3031,
R.S.
17:3042.1, and
R.S.
17:5001 et
seq.