Students seem to agree that one of the hardest parts of college is finding enough money to pay for school, books and everything else a student needs or wants to do. Money is available for qualifying students through scholarships, which help them pay for tuition and books.Students can qualify for scholarships by their major, grade-point average, organization involvement or the church or parish to which they belong. Qualifications are also based on the amount of hours carried, usually full-time status, which is 12 hours.

“I received all of my scholarships out of high school because of my ACT scores,” Kandice Lafleur, general studies junior from Houma, said. “I didn’t really have to apply.”

There are many types of scholarships. Approximately 220 academic scholarships were offered to incoming freshman at Nicholls with at least a 24 ACT composite score and a 3.0 grade-point average this year.

Louisiana’s Tuition Opportunity Program for Students, a comprehensive program of state scholarships, boasts itself as one of the most innovative and progressive student assistance programs in the nation.

In order to apply for TOPS, students must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the academic year they enroll as a full-time student at a Louisiana college or university. Students must reapply every year.

The forms may be obtained from the financial aid office or by filling out the FAFSA over the Internet at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The priority deadline for turning in the FAFSA application for fall 2006 and spring 2007 semesters is April 13.

College students applying for TOPS must earn 24 hours of credit each academic year they apply. At the end of each academic year, certain cumulative external grade-point averages must be maintained. For the TOPS Opportunity Award, a 2.3 GPA must be achieved for the first academic year and a 2.5 GPA for all subsequent years. For the TOPS Performance Award, a 3.0 GPA must be maintained and a 3.5 GPA for the TOPS Honors Award.

Students currently at Nicholls can apply for private scholarships, which are set up by individuals or companies.

Anybody can set up a scholarship,” Amanda Fremin, assistant director of financial aid for university scholarships, said. “Anyone from an organization, individual or company can set one up, but they have to have criteria and the money amount of the scholarship.”

Each private scholarship has its own qualifications such as a person having to be from a certain parish or having a parent or family member who works for a specific company.

Notification of private scholarships with an opening will be sent to students through their student E-mail account with Nicholls as well as through faculty and staff. They can also be found on the bulletin board outside of the Financial Aid office in Otto B. Candies Hall.

Some donors for private scholarships choose their own recipients, while others allow Nicholls’ scholarship committee to choose them.

According to Colette Lagarde, director of financial aid, scholarships are awarded on a mixture of merit and need.

“Some private donors look at location, hours and grade-point average, while others look at who needs the money more,” Lagarde said.

There are two major advertisements a year for scholarships available at Nicholls, usually in the first two weeks of every semester.

Most of Nicholls’ departments have their own scholarship committee. Students who wish to apply for available scholarships in their specific major can do so by getting an application from the department dean, a professor, their adviser or the department bulletin board.

“I checked the mass communication department board, and that is how I found out about the scholarships for my major,” Kristen Turnage, mass communication junior from New Orleans, said.

Students can fill out a short profile and receive listings of national scholarships for which they qualify on FastWeb.com.

“FastWeb.com is a legitimate company that allows students to search nationally for different scholarships,” Fremin said.

FastWeb.com has about 600,000 scholarships worth approximately $1 billion and has automatic E-mail updates.

“Students should check within their department as well as our scholarship listings on the bulletin board, but it would be easiest for them to check their Nicholls student E-mail account,” Fremin said.