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Sen. seeks to limit La. tuition scholarship plan
04/20/09 - 09:43 AM
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Sen. seeks to limit La. tuition scholarship plan

    BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A south Louisiana lawmaker wants to
limit awards from the Tuition Opportunity Program for Students
awards, which pays full tuition for Louisiana students who meet
certain academic standards and attend Louisiana public colleges.
    Sen. Butch Gautreaux’s bill, filed for the legislative session
that begins April 27, would cap the base TOPS scholarship at $3,200
- enough to cover tuition costs at every state public college
except LSU and the University of New Orleans.
    The current base TOPS award at LSU is worth $3,494 and is
expected to increase 5 percent this year to cover tuition and fee
increases of up to 5 percent statewide.
    UNO’s TOPS value is $3,228, according to the Louisiana Office of
Student Financial Assistance.
    LSU Chancellor Michael Martin said the limit in Gautreaux’s bill
would punish LSU students.
    LSU is naturally a little more expensive as the state flagship,
he said, and attracts more high-achieving students.
    “I’m not sure this is fair to students who are higher
achieving,” Martin said. “We don’t want to create an environment
where it’s more advantageous for our highest-achieving students to
go out of state.”
    Gautreaux said it is more likely students would opt for regional
Louisiana colleges, such as those in the University of Louisiana
System.
    After LSU and UNO, the next-highest TOPS award cost is Louisiana
Tech University at $3,086, while every other college, including
Southern University and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette,
is well below $3,000.