Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 28 - EDUCATION › Part IV - Student Financial Assistance-Higher Education Scholarship and Grant Programs › Chapter 9 - TOPS Teacher Award › Section IV-903 - Establishing Eligibility

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
A. To
				establish eligibility, the student applicant must meet all of the following
				criteria:
1. be a U.S. citizen, provided
				however, that a student who is not a citizen of the United States but who is
				eligible to apply for such citizenship shall be deemed to satisfy the
				citizenship requirement, if within 60 days after the date the student attains
				the age of majority, the student applies to become a citizen of the United
				States and obtains such citizenship within one year after the date of the
				application for citizenship. Those students who are eligible for U.S.
				citizenship and who otherwise qualify for a TOPS Award, will continue to
				satisfy the citizenship requirements for a TOPS Award for one year after the
				date of the student's application for citizenship, at which time, if the
				student has not provided proof of U.S. citizenship to the Office of Student
				Financial Assistance, the student's TOPS Award will be suspended until such
				time as proof of citizenship is provided;
2. be a resident of Louisiana, as defined in
				§301 for at least two years prior to July
				1 of the award year; and
3.
				annually submit the completed free application for federal student aid (FAFSA)
				or renewal FAFSA, whichever is applicable to the student, by the state aid
				deadline defined in §501. C and §505 F; and
4. either:
a. graduate from a Board of Elementary and
				Secondary Education (BESE) -approved, provisionally-approved, or
				probationally-approved public or nonpublic high school; and
i. at the time of high school graduation,
				have successfully completed 16.5 units of high school course work constituting
				a core curriculum as defined in §703. A.5.a i; and
ii. at the time of high school graduation,
				have attained a composite score on the ACT test or the scholastic aptitude test
				(SAT) which is, or is equivalent to, at least a 23 on the 1990 version of the
				ACT; and
iii. graduate with a
				cumulative high school grade point average of at least a 3.25, calculated on a
				4.00 scale, for all courses attempted; or
b. if by the end of June in the year of
				application, the student will have completed 24 or more but less than 48 hours
				of graded college credit, have at least a 3.25 cumulative college grade point
				average on a 4.00 scale; or
c. if
				by the end of June in the year of application, the student will have completed
				48 or more hours of graded college credit, have at least a 3.00 cumulative
				college grade point average on a 4.00 scale; or
d. have received a baccalaureate degree from
				an accredited college or university and have a cumulative undergraduate grade
				point average of at least 3.00 calculated on a 4.00 scale; or
e. have received at least a master's degree
				from an accredited college or university; and
5. complete and submit such documentary
				evidence as may be required by the Louisiana Board of Regents (the board) by
				the deadline specified in §503; and
6. not have a criminal conviction, except for
				misdemeanor traffic violations; and
7. agree that the award will be used
				exclusively for educational expenses; and
8. enroll during the fall term at an eligible
				college or university, as defined in §1901, as a
full-time
				student
, as defined in §301, in a degree program or course of
				study leading to a degree in education or an alternative program leading to
				regular certification as a teacher at the elementary or secondary level in
				mathematics or chemistry.