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Sherry Brouillette worries about the constant state of change in Louisiana higher education.

Brouillette, the director of college counseling for Catholic High School, works with more than 200 seniors and their parents to address questions about college applications and admissions.

These days, some of the calls she gets are related to proposed changes to the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, or TOPS.

“When you take the economy into account, whatever changes are made will definitely impact our students,” she says. “At this point, we’re just not sure how.”

Alterations to TOPS are by no means certain. But in the months leading up to a legislative session in which lawmakers must deal with a $1 billion shortfall with an anticipated $150 million in higher-education funding on the chopping block, all cards are on the table.

LSU System President John Lombardi suggested at an October meeting of the Postsecondary Education Review Commission that the popular merit-based scholarship program be capped for all qualified freshmen and eliminated entirely for families that make more than $100,000 per year or choose to send the student to a private university. The program, which costs the state around $130 million and growing, would save approximately $19 million in the 2011 fiscal year with a $2,000 cap on all awards, according to Lombardi’s report. Lombardi declined comment.

The ensuing debate assumes that TOPS, at some point, will cost more than the state can afford. Current state projections show that if tuition is raised at 5% per year, TOPS payouts will increase to almost $170 million in the next five years. The program has cost $1.2 billion since its inception in 1998.

Part of the problem is that TOPS is tied to tuition increases, which must be approved by the Legislature. If tuition goes up in order to meet university budget deficits caused by state cuts, the amount TOPS costs the state per year also will rise, increasing the total state deficit. While it is possible to unlink the two, the prospects of the Legislature giving up the power to sign off on tuition increases are small at best.

That leaves the state and higher education in an endless cycle of shortfall. Although reigning in TOPS will not solve the state’s budgetary woes single-handedly, it would eliminate the direct payment of tuition increases from the general fund. But LSU Chancellor Michael Martin and University of Louisiana System President Randy Moffett disagree with a cap because the original intent of the program was to award students based on academic success.

“The truth of the matter is that the student earns the award,” Moffett says. “The family might benefit, but it is the student’s achievement.”

The University of Louisiana System recently adopted admission criteria that are higher than some of the TOPS standards. For example, a student who qualifies for TOPS must have a minimum ACT score of 20. In order to be admitted to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette or Louisiana Tech, a student must have an ACT score of 24 or above starting in 2011. That lends support to the argument that TOPS requirements should be increased.

“The ACT score for TOPS is currently at the state average,” Moffett says. “If TOPS is a merit-based scholarship, we should be considering a higher ACT score. There are some students that would not be included.”

The University of Louisiana [44.6%] and LSU [44.2%] account for almost 90% of all students awarded TOPS funding since the program’s inception, according to the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance.

There is no way to tell what the impact of raising TOPS standards would have on the overall cost of the program. But even assuming a decrease, there is still the matter of looming deficits in university budgets due to lack of state funding. The University of Louisiana System has charged “academic excellence” fees in the past, a definite option in lieu of budget shortfalls. Martin says if LSU takes another cut, the institution will be forced to levy either a tuition increase or a $1,000 “flagship fee” in order to bridge the gap.

“I don’t want a flagship fee,” he says. “I don’t want to pass it on students, but the reality is that students might have to bear a bigger share of the cost of their education.”

Increased fees, which are not covered by TOPS, also hit students in the pocketbook. While Martin says the fee would be dropped for any student who demonstrates economic hardship, it’s still a bitter pill to swallow in the middle of a recession.

So will changes to TOPS prompt a mass exodus of Louisiana’s best and brightest out of state? The answer remains unclear.

There is little dispute that the program has been a major incentive for students to pursue an education in the state. But Moffett argues that the overall low cost of tuition statewide is also a reason for students to stick around. According to the College Board, average tuition and fees for a four-year public institution in Louisiana totaled $4,290 for the 2009-10 academic year. That’s almost $1,742 less than the average cost of in-state tuition in the South. For example, a Louisiana student attending a Tennessee university would pay an average of $6,114, plus huge out-of-state-tuition fees.

“Purely from a tuition standpoint, the cost of an education in Louisiana is a great bargain,” Moffett says. “I don’t think modifying fees could come anywhere close to undermining that.”

Martin says the issue is worth consideration as the debate about TOPS moves forward, but he believes students—and their parents—also understand the value of a high-quality education.

“That means more to them than an inexpensive education,” he says. “I firmly believe our students are ready to step up should this come to pass.”

Between 75% and 80% of the 242 seniors at Catholic High will probably score high enough to qualify for TOPS, Brouillette says. Last year, 92% of the 2009 senior class chose to pursue higher education in the state partially because of the program. Even though some families easily afford private-school tuition, others make big sacrifices. When translated into college applications, the promise of TOPS money makes remaining close to home more attractive, especially in hard economic times.

“You’ll definitely see a larger number of students going out of state if they cap the program,” she says. “It’s definitely a concern.”

THE FOUR TOPS

Among the standard eligibility requirements for the 
four award components of TOPS are:

TOPS Opportunity Award

Minimum high-school GPA 2.50

Core units 17.5

Minimum ACT score 20

TOPS Performance Award

Minimum high-school GPA 3.00

Core units 17.5

Minimum ACT score 23

TOPS Honors Award

Minimum high-school GPA 3.00

Core units 17.5

Minimum ACT score 27

TOPS Tech Award

Minimum high-school GPA 2.50

Core units 17 tech option 1

Core units 19 tech option 2

Minimum ACT score 17

SOURCE: Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance