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LSU · Louisiana

LSU Merit Aid

A public flagship university that uses holistic scholarship review with no published automatic merit tiers or stat-to-dollar grids, awarding Stamps and President's Alumni Scholars at full cost of attendance at the top and university scholarships ranging from $500 to a full ride, with the Louisiana TOPS program ($7,463 to $12,000 per year by ACT tier) as the most predictable aid source for in-state students.

Verified Apr 2026Analyst pt-browser
Merit tiers41 automatic on stats
Get merit aid20%First-year students, CDS 2024-2025
Last verifiedApr 2026Analyst pt-browser

Who this school is for

Families of Louisiana residents where TOPS (state-funded, stackable) is the largest predictable merit lever, and out-of-state families who need to understand that LSU's holistic review means there is no guaranteed scholarship floor based on stats alone. Unlike Alabama, Auburn, or Ole Miss, you cannot calculate an LSU merit offer before applying. The Ogden Honors College is the gateway to the full-COA awards (Stamps, President's Alumni) and there is no downside to applying.

Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $36,844 for 2025-2026. In-state on-campus COA: tuition and fees $12,472, food $5,400, housing $10,004, books and supplies $1,084, transportation $3,840, personal $4,044. Out-of-state COA is $53,520 (tuition and fees $29,148). 2026-2027 COA not yet published. Source

Institutional merit aid tiers

Every tier below is sourced to the school’s own published financial aid pages. Renewal terms apply only if the student maintains the stated GPA.

Full cost of attendance for four years (approximately $33,000/year in-state, $50,000/year out-of-state), plus up to $14,000 for enrichment experiences, a $1,100 one-time laptop stipend, and up to $1,550/year via President's Future Leaders in Research Program

Stamps Scholarship

ApplicationRenewable for four years. Requires 3.0 cumulative GPA and 24 credit hours per year.

RequirementsCompetitive. Strong record of high academic achievement, leadership, and service. Nominated through admissions, no published stat thresholds. Candidates must submit Common Application materials by the December 15 scholarship priority deadline. Selected in consultation with the Ogden Honors College.

One of only two full-COA awards at LSU. Ogden Honors College admission is the gateway; recommended profile is 3.5 GPA and 30 ACT composite with 30 ACT English.

Source

Full cost of attendance for four years (approximately $33,000/year in-state, $50,000/year out-of-state), plus $2,000 study abroad stipend and up to $1,550/year via President's Future Leaders in Research Program

President's Alumni Scholars Award

ApplicationRenewable for four years. Requires 3.0 cumulative GPA and 24 credit hours per year.

RequirementsCompetitive. Same holistic review as Stamps. Selected in consultation with Ogden Honors College. December 15 scholarship priority deadline.

Source

$500 to a full ride per year. Named awards include Academic Award, Academic Scholars Award, Flagship Scholars Award, Tiger Excellence Scholars Award, Tiger Nation Scholarship, Transformation Merit Award, Tiger Alumni Legacy Scholarship, and LSU Alumni Association's Global Leaders Award. Individual amounts not published on lsu.edu.

University Scholarships (multiple named awards)

ApplicationAll require 3.0 cumulative GPA and 24 credit hours per year, checked at end of spring semester. One academic year of probation to restore GPA if it drops below 3.0.

RequirementsHolistic scholarship review process weighing academic transcripts, test scores (if submitted), family background, achievements, letters of recommendation, involvement, legacy, and financial need. No separate scholarship application; the admission application by December 15 doubles as the scholarship application. LSU is test-optional through at least Fall 2026.

LSU does not publish a GPA/ACT/SAT-to-dollar grid like Alabama, Auburn, or Ole Miss. Dollar amounts for individual named awards are not disclosed on lsu.edu. The holistic approach means families cannot predict a guaranteed merit floor before applying.

Source

ACT 24-25: $500/year; ACT 26-27: $750/year; ACT 28+: $1,000/year

Louisiana Tiger Legacy Scholarship

AutomaticRequires 3.0 cumulative GPA and 24 credit hours per year. Three sub-tiers: Excellence, Superior, and Merit.

RequirementsACT 24+ · The closest thing to automatic stat-based merit at LSU, but the amounts are modest ($500-$1,000/year). Available to freshmen and transfer students.

These are very small awards compared to the automatic tiers at peer SEC schools. At Alabama, a 30 ACT earns $28,000/year out-of-state; at LSU, a 28+ ACT earns $1,000/year.

Source

Outside scholarship stacking policy

LSU does not publish a dedicated stacking or outside-scholarship displacement policy on lsu.edu. Total aid from all sources cannot exceed cost of attendance (federal requirement). TOPS (state-funded) stacks with institutional aid subject to the COA cap.

No stand-alone outside-scholarship policy page exists on lsu.edu. The listed financial aid policies cover Satisfactory Academic Progress, Scholarship Retention, Resignation, Repeated Coursework, Enrollment Status, and Special Circumstances, but none address outside scholarship displacement mechanics. The CDS confirms that cost of attendance is the maximum amount of financial aid and scholarships a student can receive, implying a COA cap exists per federal regulations, but the specific order of reduction when outside awards push total aid above COA is not published. Contact Financial Aid at 225-578-1301 for case-specific guidance.

Source

Common Data Set snapshot

From the LSU Common Data Set 2024-2025:

SAT mid-50%1180–132025th / 75th percentile
ACT mid-50%24–3025th / 75th percentile
Receive institutional merit20%First-year students
Average merit award$7,583Across recipients

Source: Common Data Set

Lesser-known scholarships at LSU

Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.

AmountState-funded: Excellence tier (31+ ACT, 3.5 GPA) $12,000/year; Honors (27+ ACT, 3.5 GPA) $8,263/year; Performance (23+ ACT, 3.25 GPA) $7,863/year; Opportunity (20+ ACT, 2.5 GPA) $7,463/yearEligibilityLouisiana residents only. Must meet ACT/GPA requirements and file FAFSA plus LOSFA application by July 1. Requires FAFSA code and LOSFA registration.

TOPS is not an LSU institutional scholarship, but it is the single largest predictable aid source for in-state students and stacks with LSU merit. Many families focus on institutional aid and forget to file the LOSFA application by the July 1 deadline.

Source

Amount$1,500 per year ($750 per semester)EligibilityRequires 3.5 high school GPA, 3.5 STEM Pathways GPA, and Gold STEM Seal endorsement.

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Amount$1,000 per year (renewable up to $4,000 over four years)EligibilityRequires 3.0 high school GPA and one year of FIRST Robotics participation.

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Common mistakes at LSU

  1. LSU uses holistic scholarship review with no published GPA/ACT/SAT-to-dollar table. The only stat-indexed awards with published thresholds are the modest Louisiana Tiger Legacy scholarships ($500-$1,000/year). Families who expect a guaranteed amount based on a 30 ACT the way they would at Alabama ($28,000/year OOS) will be disappointed at LSU ($1,000/year).

  2. There is no separate scholarship application at LSU. The Common Application for admission doubles as the scholarship application. Applying after December 15 sharply reduces merit award chances. Many families treat it as a regular deadline and apply later.

  3. TOPS is a state-funded program worth $7,463 to $12,000/year depending on the ACT-indexed tier. It stacks with LSU institutional aid subject to the COA cap. Some families focus exclusively on LSU institutional aid and forget to file the LOSFA application by July 1 or fail to meet the ACT and GPA requirements for the higher TOPS tiers.

LSU merit aid FAQ

  • Does LSU guarantee a specific scholarship amount based on GPA and test scores?

    No. Unlike some SEC peers, LSU uses holistic review for all university-administered merit scholarships. There is no published automatic tier grid. The only stat-indexed awards with published thresholds are the modest Louisiana Tiger Legacy scholarships ($500-$1,000/year based on ACT) and TOPS (state-funded, $7,463-$12,000/year). Everything else is holistic, and the range is $500/year to a full ride.

  • What is the deadline for scholarship consideration, and is there a separate application?

    December 15 is the scholarship priority deadline. There is no separate scholarship application; the Common Application for admission is the scholarship application. Some departmental scholarships (Engineering, Business, Music) require additional applications through their college or the Blackbaud Award Management portal.

  • How much does an out-of-state student actually pay at LSU after typical merit aid?

    Out-of-state COA is $53,520 (2025-2026). The average non-need institutional merit award for freshmen is $7,583, bringing the average net OOS cost to roughly $46,000. Only the Stamps and President's Alumni Scholars awards cover full COA for out-of-state students (approximately $50,000/year value). About 20% of freshmen receive some non-need institutional merit.

  • Can my student receive both TOPS and LSU institutional merit aid?

    Yes. TOPS is a Louisiana state program and stacks on top of LSU institutional aid, subject to the federal cost-of-attendance cap. However, LSU does not publish a specific stacking or displacement policy explaining what happens when total aid exceeds COA. Contact Financial Aid at 225-578-1301 for your specific scenario.

  • Why should my student apply to the Ogden Honors College?

    All Ogden Honors College applicants are automatically considered for the Stamps Scholarship and President's Alumni Scholars Award, the only full-COA merit awards LSU offers ($33,000-$50,000/year depending on residency). Admission is recommended for students with a 3.5 GPA and 30 ACT composite with 30 ACT English. There is no downside to applying.