Louisiana legislators have passed several bills this year making changes to the state’s TOPS regulations and requirements.
Two changes in particular are aimed at keeping students in Louisiana, even after they have graduated from a Louisiana college or spent their first year at an out-of-state university, said Baton Rouge Representative and University alumnus, William Daniel.
“I think there were a lot of students who left the state to pursue programs that weren’t offered in the state or on athletic scholarships but for some reason changed their minds,” he said. “I felt like if they left but met all the requirements to receive TOPS, they should be able to come back.”
Daniel, who helped write the bill with Sen. Joe McPherson, said he did not know anyone personally who was in this situation but talked to other organizations about the issue.
“I got calls from several colleges in the state and thought someone ought to look at it,” he said. “It was recognized by the Legislature and universities that there are lots of students who, given the opportunity to come back, would come to a Louisiana school. And we want to be able to help them financially.”
One change affecting graduating students is House Bill 347. It allows students who finish their undergraduate studies before four years or 12 quarters to use the remaining money toward a professional degree within the state.
Patrick Dieutrich, director of financial aid, said his department is working to pay students who fall into these categories. He said the state could be repaying as many as 400 students who are coming in from out-of-state colleges and who finished early. Funding for these students will come from the TOPS budget.
Dieutrich said with the changes in effect, the University will start to see an increase in students with TOPS but not necessarily an increase in the overall student body.
“I think with an increase in admissions standards, more students who come here and lived in Louisiana will meet TOPS requirements,” he said.
He said students wanting to apply TOPS funds to a professional school, such as law school or graduate school, would have to apply the fall after graduation.
Another change would allow students who come back to Louisiana from an out-of-state school to get the remaining amount of their four year TOPS tuition for an in-state college, Daniel said.
He said TOPS as a whole has brought positive unintended consequences to the state, causing a “trickle down” effect to Louisiana’s high schools and elementary schools.
“The original concept [of TOPS] was to provide a financial incentive to students and their parents,” Daniel said. “When we put required standards, the high schools had to gear up with their courses, and parents demanded schools teach classes to make students eligible for the scholarship.”
Parents demanded students to make those grades, he said, causing a renewed interest in all high schools in the state and an increased accountability by getting parents involved.
Cleve Brooks, director of undergraduate admissions, said any time TOPS makes changes to its rules, students step up to meet those standards.
“It’s requiring more students to take more courses to be eligible, and in turn making them more academically prepared,” Brooks said. “Graduation rates are going up and in a timely fashion because people want to take advantage of that financial support.”
Gus Wales, director of public information and communication for the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance, said money for TOPS comes from state general funds. These funds come from various sources, such as taxes and state revenues from oil and gas.
He said there is no way to tell whether TOPS will ever be denied to future students, and the decision would be in the hands of state Legislators.
Both Brookes and Dieutrich said they think taking TOPS away would be a bad political move, and students will continue to have the option of a state-paid tuition.
“I look at it as a sacred cow,” Dieutrich said. “I just can’t see a legislator wanting to take that away. The state has been late on payments before, but they always find a way to reimburse us.”
He said if there is a shortfall in available funding, the state might consider raising standards, but stopping the TOPS program is not a likely solution.