The Taylor Opportunity Program for Students is the most expensive state-funded higher education program, constituting 95 percent of student aid in Louisiana. Some legislators and higher education leaders feel the program has flaws that, in time, may cost the state more than it benefits.
Proposed changes to TOPS, however, have a track record of failing. That trend has continued this legislative session, with several TOPS-related bills either dying in committee or being withdrawn.
Overwhelming support for TOPS in its current form is perhaps because of the sheer number of people it helps — nearly 90 percent of incoming in-state freshman at the University receive TOPS. Reformatting TOPS may also seem pointless to legislators because of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s stated support for the program as-is.
Various bills this session have proposed to increase GPA requirements, cap the maximum award amount or require students to pay back TOPS money if they leave the state upon graduation. Currently, TOPS is a merit-based scholarship awarded to Louisiana students who have a score of 20 on the ACT and a 2.5 GPA in high school. They must maintain a 2.5 GPA in college to keep TOPS.
Thirteen other states have TOPS-like programs.
TOPS covers the cost of tuition — but not fees — at any public university in Louisiana for any student who meets the minimum requirements. Students with better grades and test scores also receive stipends that can help cover college costs.
LSU President F. King Alexander told The Daily Reveille in February the future of TOPS is uncertain because the program has grown so large that it detracts funds from forms of need-based aid, such as the GO Grant.
Thirty percent of TOPS recipients also receive need-based Pell grants, meaning TOPS does not only benefit the affluent, according to Jason Droddy, director of External Affairs.
Droddy said although the University does not distribute TOPS monies, it structures scholarship packages around it.
“We know it’s there,” he said.
TOPS incentivizes attending college as well as getting good grades, he said. That comes with a hefty pricetag — about $250 million annually — but one that is nevertheless worthwhile, Droddy said.
Capping TOPS awards, like proposed in state Sen. Dan “Blade” Morrish’s, R-Jennings, bill that he withdrew last month, would save the state millions of dollars. Less money could dissuade award recipients from doing well in school.
Other legislators have proposed increasing GPA requirements, which would direct TOPS funds to only the highest-achieving students. Droddy said that may remove a vital incentive for average-performing students who are considering whether to go to college.
Making sure those students can attend college is important because Louisiana ranks low on the list of residents with bachelor’s degrees, Droddy said. Additionally, keeping students in Louisiana for college could also keep them in the state once they enter the workforce, he said, which is good for the economy.
Some University students, however, disagree with that notion.
“I don’t think TOPS is an incentive to stay [after graduation],” said Raymund Desentz, biochemistry junior.
Desentz believes TOPS maintenance requirements should be raised because “once you’re in college, you need to do a good job.” Students who slide by and only meet the current minimum GPA necessary to maintain TOPS should not be rewarded, he said.
However, kinesiology freshman Kavon Mitchell said adjusting to college life and academics is difficult, so it would be unfair to increase maintenance requirements. Capping the reward amount is also a bad idea, she said, because not all students can afford to attend college without TOPS.
Droddy said some people have a gut feeling that TOPS has grown into a huge program due for scaling back, but “there’s no trigger mechanism for too big” because it provides good return on investment. The graduation rate among TOPS recipients is 66 percent, while only 15 percent of those who do not receive TOPS graduate.
Further, parents and students care about TOPS and are unlikely to support any efforts to reduce awards or make them more difficult to obtain, Droddy said.