TOPS new guidelines for award renewal announced

Nicholls Office of Financial Aid held two consecutive meetings at Le Bijou Theater on Tuesday to explain how TOPS recipient students can renew, opt out or avoid cancellation of their financial aid awards.

According to the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance guidelines for TOPS, students must have full-time enrollment with at least 24 credit hours per academic year and maintain a certain GPA in order to renew their scholarship for the next year.

Ebony Holmes, public information and communication supervisor for LOSFA, explained to Nicholls students in attendance how to fulfill the full-time enrollment requirement if they need to drop below 12 credit hours mid-semester.

“If you drop a class, make sure it is after the 15th class day,” Holmes said. “You can make up the credits in either the spring or summer semesters. As long as you get your 24-hour requirement, you will be good.”

Nicholls students can fall into one of three different categories of TOPS awarded based on GPA requirements: the Opportunity, Performance and Honors awards. All of those awards cover the cost of tuition and fees at any Louisiana public college and university.

The Opportunity Award is given to students who maintain a 2.3 cumulative GPA at the end of their first year, and at least a 2.5 for the remainder of their academic years. The Performance award provides an additional annual stipend of $400, while the Honors awards stipend amounts to $800. The Performance and Honors awards goes to students with a cumulative GPA of a 3.0.

Students enrolled in Performance and Honors awards who do not maintain the minimum required GPA for the category could have their award converted to the Opportunity award level, considering they have the GPA necessary for renewal at that award level.

TOPS will be suspended if a student’s GPA drops below the Opportunity award level requirement and will only be restored when there is proof that grades have been brought up.

TOPS will be canceled if a student fails to have continuous full-time enrollment in school. A cancellation on the scholarship is permanent and will not be reinstated. However, as Holmes explained, a student could get an exemption and avoid TOPS cancellation through a case-based request.

“We do understand that things happen beyond student’s control,” Holmes said. “Anytime something happens that keeps students from completing 24 hours or not being enrolled full-time, there is an allowance for that. You just have to submit a form and our office will approve it so that your award will not be canceled.”

Exemption forms are available online at LOSFA’s website. Maternity leave, mission work and health reasons among various other things can be reviewed by LOSFA and exempted. Holmes said that taking a semester off to go to work instead of school is not a viable case for an exemption.

Another option discussed at the meeting allows students to opt out of their scholarship during a budget shortfall, according to Act 503 of the 2016 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature. If a student chooses to do this, then they are not required to be a full-time student or earn 24 hours for the academic year.

Holmes explained that TOPS rates are estimated to have dropped about 43%, the dollar amount being $1172.34, of financial aid for this upcoming spring semester per student. Official numbers will be released closer to the beginning of November.

Also at the meeting, students were encouraged to complete their federal financial aid. Students must complete FAFSA in order to renew their TOPS scholarship. The deadline for the application is July 1, 2017.

“You can actually go ahead and renew your FAFSA now,” Holmes said. “It became available October first so that you do not have to wait until January.”
Students can keep up with status of their TOPS scholarship by creating a Louisiana Award System account.