How the TOPS bailout will affect students at Nicholls and other La. universities - Rebekah Allen, The Advocate (Baton Rouge)

For the first time, a TOPS scholarship will not cover the cost of tuition for students attending Louisiana's public colleges and universities. The Louisiana Legislature on Thursday passed a budget for the upcoming school year that does not fully fund the $300 million Taylor Opportunity Program for Students. The state is funding the program at 70 percent, meaning families will end up covering the out-of-pocket difference. For the estimated 51,000 students who will receive TOPS in the 2016-17 school year, they will, somewhat unexpectedly, be asked to pay 30 percent of their tuition, which is on top of the fees and other costs they already were expected to pay. http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20160625/WIRE/160629756