More than 80 percent of current TOPS recipients would not qualify for the scholarship next semester if legislators cannot find the $200 million in necessary funding for the program, as the ACT requirement for students would be increased to 28.
The Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance presented a report to the joint budget committee Sunday on the fiscal status of TOPS. The program was left underfunded this semester by about $28 million, and after rumors that students would lose their scholarships, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced universities would be absorbing the shortfall as a cut.
LOSFA President Sujuan Boutte told legislators that 37,574 students would no longer qualify, based on their ACT scores. Currently, 46,155 students in the state receive the scholarship.
The only money dedicated to TOPS each year by statute is $60 million from a tobacco settlement fund. The rest, about $200 million for the next year, is left up to the legislature to find. If that money is not found, the standards would be raised based on ACT scores and a student’s “expected family contribution”—the amount of money a student’s family can pay to cover college costs.
Even some with an ACT of 28—about 225 students—would still not qualify for the award based on their family’s earnings.
The scenario is based on the possibility that legislators find no extra funding for TOPS—which has been a popular and beloved program across party lines and throughout the state. Lawmakers reiterated Monday that students and families will not see the end of TOPS next year when higher education representatives delivered status reports to the Senate Education Committee.
LSU President F. King Alexander gave impassioned remarks Monday to the committee, detailing the magnitude of funding reductions over the past few years.
Both means of funding for the University, tuition and state dollars, are among the lowest in the country compared to each state’s flagship campus. But Alexander painted a picture of efficiency at the University while budget talks swirl of which state agencies and areas can reduce spending.
“Just get us to the average in funding. The cuts can’t continue,” Alexander said.  “How many parents want to know you should come to LSU because we’ll spend less on your student than any other school in the country?”