citizenship, residency & criminal convictions
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Citizenship, Residency & Criminal Convictions. Citizenship A student must be a U.S. citizen, or a permanent resident who is eligible to apply for citizenship Residency - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access
Citizenship, Residency &Criminal Convictions Citizenship A student must be a U.S. citizen, or a permanent
resident who is eligible to apply for citizenship Residency A student who has resided in Louisiana, completed
their last two full years of high school in an approved school and graduated, as certified by the high school, shall have met the residency requirement for TOPS OR
24 consecutive months for a parent or custodian of a dependent student
Criminal Convictions Must not have any final criminal convictions. This
does exclude misdemeanor traffic violations
TOPS Core Curriculum – 19 UnitsFor students graduating in 2014 - 2017
English – 4 Units Math – 4 Units Science – 4 Units Social Studies – 4 Units Foreign Language – 2 Units (same language)
Fine Arts – 1 Unit (or 1 Performance, Studio, Visual Art or Speech III & IV)
Please visit our Web site for more details
ACT Without Penalty: April 12, 2014
Loss of 1 semester eligibility: June 14, 2014
Students who fail to achieve a qualifying ACT score by July 1 of the graduating year shall not be considered for an award
Highest composite score will be considered
TOPS does not consider the essay portion of the ACT when calculating the composite score needed to qualify
List TOPS code 1595 & your SSN on the ACT
SAT An equivalent SAT score may be substituted for
the ACT score
SAT Test Deadlines Without Penalty: March 8, 2014 Loss of 1 semester eligibility: May 3, 2014 and June 7,
2014
Students must use the SAT scholarship code 9019 on the registration form
TOPS does not consider the essay portion of the SAT when calculating the composite score to qualify
Opportunity, Performance & Honors Awards GPA on a 4.00 scale (not rounded) on 19.0 core units
Must complete the 19 core units (for 2014 – 2017 grads)
Maximum of eight semesters or twelve quarters
A TOPS award may be combined with other forms of financial aid up to the “Cost of Attendance” for the institution
Provides amount equal to tuition to a public school in Louisiana OR the average cost of a public education tuition to a private LAICU school ($2043 per semester for 2013-2014)
TOPS Eligible Institutions: LAICU
Centenary College Dillard University Louisiana College Loyola University New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Our Lady of Holy Cross College Our Lady of the Lake College St. Joseph Seminary College Tulane University Xavier University
TOPS Awards Opportunity Award (tuition amount)
2.50 core curriculum GPA on a 4.00 scale A minimum score of a 20 on the ACT (940 SAT)
Performance Award (tuition plus $400 annual stipend) 3.00 core curriculum GPA on a 4.00 scale A minimum score of 23 on the ACT (1050 SAT)
Honors Award (tuition plus $800 annual stipend) 3.00 core curriculum GPA on a 4.00 scale A minimum score of 27 on the ACT (1210 SAT)
TOPS Application Apply Jan 1 – July 1 of graduation year
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) – www.fafsa.ed.gov Must be completed if the student is eligible for
federal grant aid (Pell Grant) Must be completed if the student is seeking any
other form of financial aid The only application needed for TOPS
TOPS Processing Cycle STEP 1 – Student takes ACT
ACT scores are sent to LOSFA electronically STEP 2 – Student files FAFSA (Jan 1-July 1)
FAFSA data is sent to LOSFA electronically STEP 3 – Student completes 19 core units prior to
high school graduation Academic Records from the high schools are sent to
LOSFA electronically STEP 4 – Student is determined eligible for TOPS
Students will be mailed an award letter (by mid-July) College will see student online at TOPS Master Roster
STEP 5 – College will send LOSFA a bill Students enrolled full-time through the 14th class day
Award Details TOPS Recipients serving in the National Guard will
receive: tuition exemption equal to the TOPS award amount, any applicable TOPS stipend and $600 annually for books and supplies
Students who join the military have 1 year from their date of separation to enroll in college
Returning Out of State Students – cannot use TOPS out of state, can come back and use remaining semesters if continuation requirements were met
Graduate Study – can use remaining semesters
TOPS Continuation Award Letter TOPS recipients should familiarize themselves with the
Rights and Responsibilities included with their award letter TOPS recipients are personally responsible for knowing
and complying with the TOPS continuation requirements
Award Acceptance Students have one year in which to enroll in a Louisiana
approved post-secondary institution Must be continuously enrolled on a full-time basis during the
Fall and Spring semesters or Fall, Winter, Spring quarters
Award Retention 24 Hours each academic year, excluding Advanced
Placement hours GPA requirement for each award level Renewal of the FAFSA is highly recommended
TOPS Retention: GPA
At the end of each Academic Year, the following cumulative GPA must be maintained: Opportunity Award: 2.30 first academic year
2.50 all subsequent years Performance Award: 3.00 Honors Award: 3.00 Students falling below 3.00 would revert to the
Opportunity Award Tech Award: 2.50
Must meet steady academic progress requirements of 2.00 at the end of any semester or quarter
Award is reinstated upon attainment of the required GPA Students failing to meet their GPA requirement will be placed
on suspension not to exceed two years/one year for Tech or Award will be canceled
What is College? Think of “college” as any form of education
after graduating high school: Public Colleges Private Colleges Community Colleges Louisiana Technical Colleges Cosmetology Schools Proprietary Schools
Types of Financial Aid Scholarships
Gift Aid – Based on Merit
Grants Gift Aid – Based on Need
Employment Opportunities
Loans Must be repaid – may be based on need
Institutional Aid Each institution has its own merit-based
scholarship programs
Many schools have their own need-based aid programs
Investigate aid opportunities early Each institution has its own aid application
process and deadline
Upperclassmen should also check with their department for aid opportunities for students in a specific major
Private Aid The best source of information on private
aid is the Internet. There are numerous free scholarship search services available See LOSFA website Useful Internet Links page
or Surfing the Web for a listing
Private aid can be based on merit or financial need
Sources of private aid include companies, civic organizations, religious organizations, clubs, etc.
Campus-Based Federal Aid Programs www.studentaid.ed.gov Federal Work Study Pell Grant
Maximum award amount is $5,500/yr FSEOG
Grants range from $100 - $4,000
TEACH Grant Provides up to $4,000/yr to students who
intend to teach in schools that serve students in low income families
Iraq & Afghanistan Service Grant Federal Perkins Loans Direct Loans
FAFSA
FAFSA The Free Application for Federal Student
Aid (FAFSA) is the application for both federal and state aid programs Be sure to fill out the FAFSA even if you don’t
think you’ll qualify for need based aid
The FAFSA is the only application needed for the TOPS scholarship
You should never be asked to pay to fill out the FAFSA. It is a FREE application www.fafsa.ed.gov
FAFSA: Student Information Social Security Number State of Legal Residence Citizenship status Interest in Student Loans and Work-Study
programs Financial information = your income, assets, and
types of federal benefits received Highest grade completed by Parent 1 and Parent 2 High School completion status
High School Diploma GED Home Study
Name of student’s High School
FAFSA: Parental Information Skip if you are an independent student
Remember: Grandparents, foster parents and Legal Guardians cannot complete this application
Whose information do you use? If your parents are divorced or separated, answer the
questions about the parent you lived with most during the past 12 months
If this parent is remarried as of today, answer the questions about that parent and their spouse
If your parents are not married and live together, select “unmarried and both parents live together” and provide information about both
If your parent is single or widowed, answer the questions about that parent
If your widowed parent is remarried, answer the questions about that parent and their spouse
FAFSA: Student and Parent Financial Information Students will record their income, assets, and
types of federal benefits they receive
Parents will record their income, assets, and type of federal benefits they receive
Parents and Students are encouraged to utilize the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when completing FAFSA. This tool allows you to access your IRS tax return information and transfer it directly to FAFSA from the IRS website. It’s the easiest way to provide your tax data.
FAFSA: School Information May list up to 10 institutions to receive
FAFSA data when filing online Make sure to list a Louisiana school first for
TOPS purposes
Housing plan
Enrollment status
FAFSA: Signatures For a dependent student, both the student
and the parent must sign
FAFSA on the Web may be signed by: Using a pin number
The parent and student must have separate pin numbers
Parents may use the same PIN for all of their children
Printing the signature page Must mail within 14 days
Student Aid Report (SAR) The SAR provides you with:
Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Pell Grant Eligibility Listing of Institutions which will receive your
data A financial aid history A listing of your responses to the FAFSA
Corrections may be made: Online at www.fafsa.ed.gov By phone at (800) 433-3243
Senior Year
Timeline
Senior Year Timeline Summer before Senior Year:
Contact the financial aid offices of the colleges you are interested in attending for information on institutional aid opportunities
Search for private scholarships and grants Schedule campus visits at the schools you are
interested in attending If you are an athlete and plan to play in college,
register with the NCAA Clearinghouse If you would like to attend a U.S. Military
Academy, write your U.S. Senator or Representative
Senior Year Timeline Fall of Senior Year:
Meet with your counselor to make sure you are on track for TOPS and college admissions requirements
Apply for college admissions Apply for institutional scholarships Apply for private aid Attend College Fairs and Career Day events Take the ACT or SAT again
Senior Year Timeline Spring of Senior Year:
Apply for TOPS and Federal Aid by filing the FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov
Take the ACT or SAT again Contact the financial aid office at the school you
plan to attend to verify: FAFSA deadline, meet with a financial aid officer if you have special circumstances, notify the office of any private aid you will be receiving, complete the institutional data form (if required)
Receive your financial aid award letter Compare your financial aid packages and
decide which school you want to attend
ACT Beginning academic year 2014-2015 a minimum English
AND Math sub-score on ACT are required for a student to qualify for college level coursework at a four-year public institution in Louisiana
English Sub-score = 18 Math Sub-score = 19
Students who do not meet the minimum English AND Math ACT sub-score requirement will require developmental coursework, therefore making them ineligible for admission at a four year institution
It is always recommended to speak with the Admissions Office at the school you wish to attend as some may give special consideration based on other factors
Contact LOSFA
www.osfa.la.gov
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(800) 259-5626
(225) 219-10128:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday
Contact Mrs. Schlotterer
College Corner microsite
http://www.runnels.org/microsite/display/college-
corner
(225) [email protected]