Types of Financial Aid
There are four types of Financial Aid: Grants, Scholarships, Work Study, and Loans.
Listed below is more detailed information about each type of aid.
1. Grants
Grants are a type of financial aid a student receives based income information reported on the FAFSA. The source of a grant may be through the federal government or state government. To apply for all grants a student should complete the FAFSA by LSUA's priority deadline of March 1st prior to the start of a Fall Semester and submit all additionally requested information to the LSUA Financial Aid Office by May 1. Any additional requested information will be listed only in the student's Net Partner Account. Students must also meet Satisfactory Academic Progress standards to be considered eligible for grants.
While there are a number of Grant programs, the Federal Pell Grant is the only guaranteed grant program. Students interested in applying for all grants processed through LSUA's Financial Aid Office must: complete the FAFSA; submit all paperwork requested as listed in the student's Net Partner Account; and maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress.
Grants are a type of "Free Money", meaning they do not typically require repayment. There are schedule changes and resignations that can result in a grant having to be repaid. Due to this we strongly encourage students to check with our office before submitting any schedule changes.
The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides grant assistance to undergraduate students who:
agree to serve for at least four years as full-time “highly qualified” teachers in “high need” fields (as defined by the U.S. Department of Education)
at public or not-for-profit private elementary or secondary schools
that serve students from low-income families (as defined by the U.S. Department of Education)
Students must meet the following to qualify for TEACH Grant funds:
Be eligible for Title IV Aid
Be formally enrolled and actively pursuing coursework in the Professional Teacher Education Program (admitted to blocks) OR be actively pursuing coursework for the Minor in Education for Secondary Certification (admitted to the education program)
Have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher; or have scored above the 75% percentile on any section of the ACT/SAT (verification required)
Complete an Initial and Subsequent Counseling session (online) each year.
Complete an Agreement to Serve (once).
Students interested in receiving TEACH Grant Funds should:
Obtain the LSUA Teach Grant Application from their Education Advisor, complete advising session and have advisor sign application. The application must be completed each semester.
Register for classes according to advisor recommendations.
Print copy of schedule, attach to LSUA TEACH Grant Application and return to Education department.
Go to https://studentaid.gov/teach-grant-program and complete both the Initial and subsequent counseling (approximately 45 minutes) and the Agreement to Serve (approximately 30 minutes).
LSUA’s financial aid office will receive notification when the counseling and Agreement to Serve have been completed. The education department will forward the LSUA application and the printed schedule to the financial aid office. Funds will be processed like any other aid, and will be included in anticipated aid prior to the semester starting if all information is received in adequate time.
Students are required to complete the application each semester. The application can be found with your Education Academic Advisor or the Education Department.
Amounts are as follows:
maximum of
-$1886 Full timemaximum of
-$1414 9-11 hoursmaximum of - $943 6-8 hours
maximum of - $471 1-5 hours
2. Scholarships
Scholarships are another free source of financial aid that is awarded based on a variety of criteria such as academic performance, leadership, community involvement, etc. Scholarships may be awarded by the university or through an outside agency.
View All Scholarship Opportunities
Reach out to our Scholarship Coordinator at Scholarships@lsua.edu.
Learn what the TOPS award is, how to qualify, who is eligible, and other resources HERE.
Fall & Spring - Full time* = $2447 per semester.
Tops Performance stipend = $200 per semester
Tops Honors Stipend = $400 per semester
Students must be enrolled full time (12 credit hours) as of the 15th class day of each semester in order to receive their award. Students in clinical courses or student teaching are exempted from this rule and may still receive their award at a prorated rate.
If you enroll for Elearn 2 only after the 15th class day of the semester you will need to notify our office if you are eligible for TOPS.
100% online students must also be enrolled in 12 hours to receive TOPS for the semester. How you break this up between the terms is up to you but your hours must total 12 or more between the ELearn 1 and ELearn 2 term through the census day.
TOPS TECH: Students must be enrolled in either the Associate of Science in Radiologic Technology, Associate of Medical Laboratory Science, or the Associate of Science in Nursing programs. Only students in these programs that graduated high school Spring 2017 and beyond are eligible for Tops Tech in the below amounts.
AS Nursing / AS MLS = $1190 per semester
AS Rad Tech = $2447 per semester
TOPS Tech is valid for up to 4 semesters.
TOPS Opportunity, Performance, and Honors are valid for up to 8 semesters.
If you are receiving tuition assistance from your employer via letters of credit we will process those as miscellaneous scholarships on your account.
Please have your employer forward the full letter of credit to Scholarships@lsua.edu and AccountingServices@lsua.edu.
It is important we receive all pages of the letter of credit as these contain important stipulations regarding how it is to be applied based on your employer’s requirements. Some will require any gift aid (scholarships, grants, etc.) be applied prior to the credit. In that case, your award would reflect only any remaining balance after. In the event your gift aid fully covers your course, no award will be applied.
If your letter of credit amount is greater than the charges for that course, only the amount charged will be awarded.
Our Accounting office will send the invoice to your employer after the add/drop period of the term. If your employer requires an invoice prior to that, please notify AccountingServices@lsua.edu.
IMPORTANT: Once invoiced and payment is received, some employers will only pay specific charges and not others. If the payment received is less than the letter of credit and award amount, we will have to reduce your award. This can then create a balance owed back to LSUA and will be the student’s responsibility to pay.
GUILD is an employer paid tuition assistance program. Learn more at GUILD.com.
The LSUA Financial Aid Office will receive a roster from GUILD beginning 2 weeks prior to the start of a term. We will notify both the Accounting office and the student of their eligibility as we receive it.
If you receive an eligibility email with sufficient funding no action needs to be taken.
If you are capped or ineligible, be prepared to pay any outstanding balance.
If you have a Pell grant, accept it. GUILD will pay the balance after Pell, TOPS, and grants.
If your employer offers book reimbursement, this will reduce your annual amount, if capped, which can impact final payments.
If your eligibility changes after the “lock” date it is your responsibility to let our office know
If you lose eligibility (change jobs, GPA) you are responsible for any unpaid balance with LSUA.
If you are using student loans in order to purchase books, please email our office and let us know.
*Beginning Summer 2025 Elearn 2 GUILD awards will post after the 3rd class day instead of waiting on the actual payment. However payment is received around 3 weeks after the term ends, if the payment is insufficient your award will reflect the adjustment and you will owe that balance to LSUA.
Any other financial aid received will pay any remaining charges until your GUILD funds post.
You will not receive a refund unless you made a cash payment or have student loans; so if one is received due to schedule changes, know it will need to be repaid.
Student loans will apply to your remaining charges before any excess is refunded. Once a GUILD award is posted after the 3rd class day of the term, any remaining student loan refund will then be processed.
Amazon is another employer paid tuition assistance program and is processed similarly to GUILD.
The LSUA Financial Aid Office will receive your payment requests prior to the start of a term. We will notify both the Accounting office and the student of their eligibility as we receive it.
If you receive your eligibility notice and are eligible with sufficient funding, there is nothing you need to do in regards to the payment deadline. We will notify Accounting.
Funding will not be posted until after the census day of that term, which is when we will complete your payment requests.
We can only certify for your exact cost of tuition and fees, even if your available funding exceeds that amount.
3. Work Study
LSUA receives very limited funds to award students jobs through the Federal Work-Study Program. To qualify for a work-study award, a student must demonstrate financial need as determined by information reported on the FAFSA and other types of financial aid the student may be receiving. Students must also meet Satisfactory Academic Progress.
To apply for a campus job, students need to:
4. Loans
Loans are a resource to assist in paying for the costs of going to college in which a student or parent borrows money that must be repaid. Student loans are a type of financial aid and are subject to many of the same criteria as all other federal aid programs. It is important to remember that student loans must be repaid.
To receive a student loan at LSUA, students must complete the FAFSA, enroll in at least a half-time status of eligible hours (see the Federal Funds Info document for details on eligible courses), and be maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress. Students cannot exceed their lifetime loan limits of $31,000 for Dependent students (required to list parental information on the FAFSA) and $57,500 for Independent students. Also, loans cannot exceed annual limits or annual/semester cost of attendance budgets.
Annual limits are as follows:
Freshmen (0-29 earned hours): Dependent = $5,500; Independent $9,500
Sophomore (30-59 earned hours): Dependent = $6,500; Independent = $10,500
Students in Certificate or Associate programs cannot be awarded above the sophomore level, regardless of the number of earned hours)
Juniors/Seniors (60+ earned hours Bachelor/Post Bach programs only): Dependent students = $7,500; Independent = $12,500
The main loan program that LSUA students participate in is the Federal Direct Loan Program. Federal Direct loans include loans borrowed by the student, and Parent PLUS loans borrowed by the parent of a dependent student. For additional information regarding the Federal Direct Loan Program, visit studentaid.gov
LSUA FEDERAL LOAN STATISTICS
LSUA's current cohort default rate is 0%
The National average cohort default rate is 0%
37% of LSUA students received a Federal Direct Loan during the 2022-2023 award year
Steps to Apply for a Federal Direct Student Loan
Before a student may complete the Online Loan Application, LSUA must have received a processed a current FAFSA for the student. LSUA will award the maximum eligible loan amount available to each student. You may complete the below application if you have declined that award, reduced it, or do not yet see it in your Netpartner accept awards tab.
The following steps will guide a student on how to access the LSUA Online Student Loan Application:
Log in to your MyLSUA Account
Click on the STUDENT button located in the top right of the screen
Click on the apply for a Student Loan link
Carefully read and follow all online instructions to complete the application
All loans are subject to an origination fee prior to disbursement that is removed from the gross amount. Below are the Interest rates and origination fees for the past and current year.
Origination Fees:
Award | Fee removed from each disbursement amount: |
|---|---|
Direct Subsidized | 1.057% |
Direct Unsubsidized | 1.057% |
Direct PLUS (parent) | 4.228% |
Interest Rates:
Interest Rates for Direct Loans First Disbursed on or After July 1, 2025, and Before July 1, 2026
Award | Borrower Type | Fixed Interest Rate |
|---|---|---|
Direct Subsidized Loans and Direct Unsubsidized Loans | Undergraduate | 6.39% |
Direct Unsubsidized Loans | Graduate or Professional | 7.94% |
Direct PLUS Loans | Parents and Graduate or Professional Students | 8.94% |
All interest rates shown in the chart above are fixed rates. A fixed rate will not change for the life of the loan.
If your loan was disbursed before July 1, 2025, you likely have a different interest rate.
It is strongly recommended that students exhaust all Federal student loan eligibility before applying for private student loans. If you are not eligible for any reason to receive Federal Stafford or PLUS loans, you may wish to apply for a private student loan through an outside lender. Many lending institutions offer student loans, and while the eligibility criteria differ for each financial institution, all are credit-based. There is no limit to the amount you may be approved for, unlike the Federal loans, except your award cannot exceed your cost of attendance budget minus other aid.
LSU of Alexandria does not prefer, recommend, promote, endorse, or suggest any lender over the other. You are not required to borrow from any of the lenders on the list and there is no penalty for selecting a different lender, if you prefer. For a list of private student loan lenders, please click HERE.
The Louisiana National Guard offers a State Tuition Exemption Program (STEP) that is available to its members. It is Louisiana state law that ”Any student enrolled, or who may enroll, in a public institution of higher learning of this state who is seventeen years of age or over and who is serving in the Louisiana National Guard shall be exempt from all or a portion of tuition charges imposed by such institution of higher learning if the applicant for free tuition is presently domiciled in Louisiana.” Excerpt from § 36.1. Exemptions from tuition charges for service in the Louisiana National Guard, LSA-R.S. 29:36.1
The Louisiana National Guard offers 100% free college tuition to its members. Get your college paid for at no charge to you!
The Louisiana National Guard also provides:
$466 GI Bill benefit a month, tax-free to full-time students
Up to $20,000 sign-on bonus
Up to an additional $350 GI Bill Kicker, tax-free, to qualified applicants
Affordable healthcare
A resume booster
And, serve right here at home!
We only serve one weekend a month and two weeks during the summer.
Contact Luis Juneau at (318) 427-0418 for more information.
Office located above the cafeteria in the Student Center.
