La. Admin. Code tit. 28 § IV-2201

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024

Section IV-2201 - General Provisions

A. Act 457 of the 2021 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature establishes the M.J. Foster Promise Program in R.S 17:3047 et seq. The Act provides that the board shall establish the criteria for initial and continuing eligibility and other requirements not otherwise provided in the statutes. The Act further provides that the M.J. Foster Promise Program shall be administered by the board through the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance.

B. Description and Purpose. The M.J. Foster Promise Program provides financial assistance to eligible students enrolled in two year public post-secondary institutions and accredited proprietary schools to pursue an associate degree or a shorter term credential aligned with Louisiana's workforce priorities.

C. Effective Date. Awards shall be made, and these rules shall apply, beginning with the 2022-2023 academic year.

D. Authority to Audit. By participating in the scholarship and grant programs administered by the board and described in LAC 28:IV, all participants grant the board, LOSFA, and the Louisiana Legislative Auditor the right to inspect records and perform on-site audits of each institution's administration of the programs for the purpose of determining the institution's compliance with state law and the board's rules and regulations.

E. Discrimination Prohibition. The exclusion of a person from equal opportunity for an M.J. Foster Promise Program award by the board because of race, religion, sex, handicap, national origin or ancestry is prohibited. No policy or procedure of this agency shall be interpreted as superseding or contradicting this prohibition.

F. Criminal Penalties. If an erroneous award has been made and the board determines that the award was made based upon incorrect information submitted by the student or the student's parent(s) or court-ordered custodian, the board may seek reimbursement from the student, the student's parent(s) or court-ordered custodian, and if it is further determined that the award was made due to an intentional misrepresentation by the student, the student's parent(s) or court-ordered custodian, then the board shall refer the case to the attorney general for investigation and prosecution. If a student or the student's parent(s) or court-ordered custodian is suspected of having intentionally misrepresented the facts which were provided to the board and used by it to determine the eligibility of the student for the program and the board has referred the case to the attorney general for investigation, then the student shall remain ineligible for future award consideration pending an outcome of said investigation which is favorable to the student.

G. Award Amount. For the 2022-2023 academic year only, the award amount shall be applied only to tuition and fees required for enrollment. Beginning in the 2023-2024 academic year, the award amount shall be applied to tuition, required fees, and mandatory books and instructional materials. A student who is eligible for the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) as well as the M.J. Foster Promise Program shall receive the highest award available only.

1. For programs which can be completed in or which exceed one year, the award amount shall not exceed $3,200 per academic year for a student enrolled full time, or an amount proportional to the hours in which the student is enrolled if enrolled less than full time.

2. For programs which can be completed in less than one year, the award amount may exceed the amount provided for in Paragraph 1 of this Subsection.

3. In no case shall a student be awarded more than $6,400 over a three year period.

4. Students who are enrolled less than full-time may receive an M.J. Foster Promise award, provided that the award amount shall be pro-rated based upon the number of credit hours or clock hours in which the student is enrolled.

5. After the initial award payment, awards shall be applied only after all federal, state, and/or institutional financial aid and awards are applied to the costs set forth in §2201.G For purposes of this paragraph, federal financial aid and awards shall not include funding from student loans, federal work-study, or the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).

La. Admin. Code tit. 28, § IV-2201

Promulgated by the by the Board of Regents, Office of Student Financial Assistance, LR 481093 (4/1/2022), Amended LR 50178 (2/1/2024).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 17:3047 et seq.