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The TOPS Award Amount is based upon the tuition charged during the 2016-2017 academic year.
For the fall semester of 2020, the award amount per semester at LSU is $3,731.49. If John had
continued to be eligible for the TOPS Opportunity Award, he would receive $29,851.92
($3,731.49 x 8) over a period of 8 semesters, assuming that he maintains his TOPS eligibility
throughout his college career. Since John’s award was upgraded to TOPS Performance with his
June ACT score, he will receive a total of $27,520.43 (($3,731.49 x 7) + ($200 x 7)) over a period
of 7 semesters, assuming that he maintains his eligibility for the TOPS Performance Award
throughout his college career.
It is important to remember that if John does not maintain at least a 3.00 cumulative GPA on all
courses taken at the end of each academic year, his TOPS Award will be redesignated as the TOPS
Opportunity Award, and the one semester penalty that was applied remains. Under this scenario,
John’s TOPS funding will be reduced even further. For example, John enrolls full time in the fall
semester of 2022 and the spring semester of 2023, and his TOPS Award was paid for both
semesters. After the spring semester of 2023, LSU reports to LOSFA that John earned 30 hours
during the academic year with a cumulative GPA of 2.95. John does not enroll in summer school,
so his cumulative GPA at the end of the 2022-2023 academic year is 2.95. The TOPS statutes
require that his award revert to the TOPS Opportunity Award for the remaining 5 semesters of his
eligibility. As a result, John will receive 2 semesters of TOPS funding with a stipend of $200 per
semester, totaling $7,862.98 (($3,731.49 x 2) + ($200 x 2)). The remaining five semesters of
funding total $18,657.45 ($3,731.49 x 5). Thus, the total TOPS funding for which John would be
eligible is $26,520.43.
TOPS Performance Award to TOPS Honors Award: John earned a 26 on the ACT in October
of his senior year in high school. Assuming all other initial eligibility criteria are met, he will
qualify for the TOPS Performance Award, which provides 8 full time semesters of TOPS funding
to be used in a program of study of his choice. John takes the ACT again in June immediately
after he graduates from high school, and he scores a 28 on the ACT. John’s TOPS Award will be
upgraded to the TOPS Honors Award, and he will be eligible for 7 full time semesters of TOPS
funding plus a $400 stipend per semester to be used for enrollment in a program of study of his
choosing. Depending upon the college John plans to attend, the upgrade to a TOPS Honors Award
could result in him being eligible to receive less funding for his postsecondary education.
The TOPS Award Amount is based upon the tuition charged during the 2016-2017 academic year.
For the fall semester of 2020, the award amount per semester at LSU is $3,731.49. If John had
continued to be eligible for the TOPS Performance Award, he would receive $31,451.92
(($3,731.49 x 8) + ($200 x 8) over a period of 8 semesters, assuming that he maintains his
eligibility for the TOPS Performance Award throughout his college career. Since John’s award
was upgraded to TOPS Honors with his June ACT score, he will receive a total of $28,920.43
(($3,731.49 x 7) + ($400 x 7)) over a period of 7 semesters, assuming that he maintains his
eligibility for the TOPS Honors Award throughout his college career.
It is important to remember that if John does not maintain at least a 3.00 cumulative GPA on all
courses taken at the end of each academic year, his TOPS Award will be redesignated as the TOPS