The Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (otherwise known as the TOPS Scholarship Program) is designed to help Louisiana college students pay for their university educations. Students attending cosmetology schools, colleges, universities, and tech schools in the state of Louisiana can qualify for an array of award opportunities available each year. The information below highlights some of the most popular scholarship programs available, along with a list of annual award amounts to consider. One of these options may help you pay for a higher education in the future.
The Awards of the Scholarship Program
Louisiana currently offers four awards through the scholarship program, all of which have slightly different academic requirements. Those awards include:
- TOPS Opportunity Award: This award is issued to in coming college freshmen who hold a minimal college GPA of 2.50. That GPA is purely based on a student’s core courses, and each applicant must have a minimum of 17.5 core credit hours recorded for acceptance into the program. The minimum ACT score for this award is 20, and the minimum SAT score is 950. You must enter college within a year of graduating from high school to earn this renewable TOPS scholarship.
- TOPS Tech Award: This award is issued to students planning to attend a technical college after their high school graduation. Students must begin their attendance within a year of graduating from high school, and they must up-hold a 2.50 GPA or higher in their core high school courses. Applicants must have 17 to 19 units of tech courses to apply for this scholarship, depending on which option they wish to fulfill. If you would like to apply for this scholarship opportunity, you will need a minimal ACT score of 17 or an 830 score on the SAT. Awards are only issued to full time students pursuing post-secondary educations.
- TOPS Performance Award: This scholarship is designed for academic elitists striving to earn a college degree. Students must have a 3.00 GPA or higher to qualify for the award, and they must enter college full time within one year of their high school graduation. That GPA will be based on at least 17.5 units of core courses in high school. To qualify for this award, you will need at least a 3 score on your ACT, or an equivalent 1070 score on the SAT.
- TOPS Honors Award: This award is similar to the Performance Award, but it requires higher test scores for entry. Students must still hold a 3.00 GPA to qualify based on 17.5 core units in high school. However, this award requires a minimum ACT score of 27 for acceptance into the program, which would equate to 1220 on the SAT. You must be a US resident to receive this award, and you must also pass TOPS Louisiana Residency requirements.
With the range of requirements listed in the awards above, you should be able to find a scholarship that works for you. You can speak to a financial adviser at your school for more information about meeting TOPS award requirements.
Scholarship Amounts
The amount of money you can earn for your scholarship will vary based on the school you decide to attend. Here is a list of the annual awards available at different universities in the state of Louisiana:
- Baton Rouge Community College – $2,112
- Bossier Parish Community College – $2,112
- Delgado Community College – $2,112
- Grambling State University – $3,510
- L. E. Fletcher Technical Community College – $2,112
- LAICU Institutions – $3,242
- Louisiana Delta Community College – $2,112
- Louisiana State University at Alexandria – $3,468
- Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge – $4,552
- Louisiana State University at Eunice – $2,018
- Louisiana State University at Shreveport – $3,502
- Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at New Orleans – $4,702
- Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport – $4,846
- Louisiana Tech University (Quarters) – $3,885
- Louisiana Technical College Campuses – $984
- McNeese State University – $3,392
- Nicholls State University – $3,450
- Northshore Technical Community College – $1,422
- Northwestern State University – $3,446
- Nunez Community College – $2,112
- Our Lady of the Lake College – $846
- Proprietary and Cosmetology Schools – $951
- River Parishes Community College – $2,112
- South Louisiana Community College – $2,112
- Southeastern Louisiana University – $3,464
- Southern University at Baton Rouge – $3,510
- Southern University at New Orleans – $2,944
- Southern University at Shreveport – $2,024
- SOWELA Technical Community College – $2,112
- University of Louisiana at Lafayette – $3,440
- University of Louisiana at Monroe – $3,478
- University of New Orleans – $4,102
You can refer to the list above to find out what you may be able to get at your college if you win a TOPS scholarship.
