When University students arrived at their homes for the Thanksgiving holiday, many of them received an unexpected letter regarding their TOPS scholarships.
Jack Guinn, Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance executive director, sent a letter notifying students of changes in the way their GPAs will be computed to determine whether they will remain eligible to receive TOPS.
In the past, individual post-secondary educational institutions have sent LOSFA their students’ GPAs. This was problematic because of issues associated with the transfer of credits between colleges and universities.
LOSFA now will compute each student’s GPA, rather than the student’s particular university.
Many students rejoiced at the news, while others were confused about the exact meaning of the letter’s contents.
This change could potentially reduce or expand the number of students who will receive TOPS, but LOSFA does not expect the difference in number of recipients drastically to affect funding, according to Director of Public Information and Communications Gus Wales.
“We made the change in an attempt to level the playing field,” Wales said.
One of the problems with individual post-secondary educational institutions computing GPAs for TOPS is many of the universities will not accept credits from other in-state universities. The student’s home university does not count the non-transferable credits in cumulative GPAs.
The cumulative GPA is what universities sent to LOSFA to qualify for TOPS awards.
Now that LOSFA computes the GPAs, the computation will be standardized.
“We want to treat all kids the same,” Wales said.
Some University students who have taken classes at other institutions met the notification of non-transferable credits with a sigh of relief.
Crystal Permenter, business administration sophomore, took classes at Louisiana Tech this past summer. She was glad to know she and other students who have taken classes elsewhere will not have to worry so much about receiving their TOPS scholarships.
Permenter said she would be disappointed if the good grades she earned at another university did not count toward her TOPS GPA.
Other University students thought it was a good decision for the GPA computation to be in the hands of a non-biased institution such as LOSFA.
“They are the people who are in charge of TOPS funding being handed out,” said Andrew Hunter, petroleum engineering junior. “They obviously have the most information to make decisions.”
LOSFA posted the newly computed GPAs to its Web site Oct. 18. Students who want to know their GPAs may view them at www.osfa.state.la.us.