Tops/Scholarships
TOPS / Scholarships
TOPS: Taylor Opportunity Program for Students
Act Scores and TOPS Awards:
19= TOPS Tech Award ( https://www.osfa.la.gov/tops_tech.html) Used at 2 year technical colleges, proprietary and cosmotology schools, and see site for other descriptions
22 = Opportunity Award covers tuition & certain fees
24 = Performance Award covers tuition & certain fees + $400.00/year
28 = Honors Award covers tuition & certain fees + $800.00/year
TOPS will not cover all the costs for college. It is vital that a home study student use the high school code of 969999 on the ACT/SAT, so they are identified as a home study student for TOPS processing. After identifying a home school TOPS request, LOSFA confirms with BESE that the student was enrolled in an approved home study program. When LOSFA receives a TOPS request from a home schooler, they send an eligibility form to BESE to confirm that they were enrolled in an approved home study program for the minimum amount of time (1 or 2 years as stated below). Also, to send your student's ACT scores directly to TOPS put the code 1595 down as one of your college codes on the ACT test.
TOPS Opportunity, Performance, and Honors Award pays 8 semesters (undergraduate or graduate). Tops Tech Award pays based on the school applied to.
Students in a BESE approved Home Study Program are not required to take the courses listed in the TOPS Core Curriculum. They are encouraged to take these in order to prepare for entry to colleges and universities with specific admission requirements, but are not required in order to receive TOPS.
Must have completed their final year of homeschooling in a BESE approved home study program. If the student ever attended a high school, they must have completed their final two years of high school in a BESE approved home study program. It is highly recommended by CHEF of LA to do Approved Home Study for your student's junior and senior year even if your student never attended a public school, because not all individuals at TOPS know the proper information and your student could get overlooked.
Fill out the FASFA form online after Oct 1st, of your student's senior year. Your student will receive a letter from TOPS stating he is eligible for TOPS. Contact the TOPS office if your student does not receive this letter by early summer. You will need to fill out the FASFA online every year for your student to renew his TOPS while in college.
TOPS Contact Information:
Phone: 1-800-259-5626
Website: www.mylosfa.la.gov/students-parents/scholarships-grants/tops/
Email: www.mylosfa.la.gov/contact/
Departmental Scholarships: Once your student is in college, don't forget to check out departmental scholarships. Scholarships are available from certain departments after the student has begun a course of study. Grades, work habits, and availability qualify students for these.