re: Can someone explain TOPS to me?

quote:

---

So this billionaire named Taylor put up his fortune to give free tuition for top Louisiana students to keep them here. The program was designed and targeted to the best. Income and need had nothing to do with it. It was to elevate our educated and professional class. But it was popular, so the legislature expanded it to cover more students.

---

quote:

---

The original 1989 “Taylor Plan” required that students earn a 2.5 GPA in a 17.5 unit college prep curriculum and score of 18 on the ACT. Because the program was implemented initially for low and moderate-income students, the legislature capped the family income requirement at $25,000 for families with one dependent child, increasing it by $5,000 for each additional child, up to a maximum of $35,000. The “Taylor Plan” awarded qualified students with tuition and fees at any 4-year public college or university in Louisiana.

---