LSU· Renewal Rules

Keeping LSU’s Merit Aid for Four Years

What the financial-aid office actually requires after freshman year — minimum GPA, credit-hour pace, and the cliffs that quietly downgrade families mid-degree.

Verified May 20269 days ago· PT

At a glance

Renewable tiers
4 of 4
One-time tiers
0
Tiers with published renewal terms
4
Renewal risk profile
moderate

Renewal risk profile

LSU's renewal bar is achievable for steady students but isn't generous. Most awards require a cumulative GPA in the 3.0–3.4 band plus full-time enrollment. Audit the strictest tier on this school's list before assuming the four-year value is locked in.

  • Stamps Scholarship: 3.0 GPA
  • President's Alumni Scholars Award: 3.0 GPA
  • University Scholarships (multiple named awards): 3.0 GPA
  • Louisiana Tiger Legacy Scholarship: 3.0 GPA

Renewal terms by tier

  • Stamps Scholarship

    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

    To keep it: Renewable for four years. Requires 3.0 cumulative GPA and 24 credit hours per year.

    Source: https://www.lsu.edu/honors/student-info/scholarships.php

  • President's Alumni Scholars Award

    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

    To keep it: Renewable for four years. Requires 3.0 cumulative GPA and 24 credit hours per year.

    Source: https://www.lsu.edu/honors/student-info/scholarships.php

  • University Scholarships (multiple named awards)

    $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.

    To keep it: All 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.

    Source: https://www.lsu.edu/financialaid/scholarships/incoming-students.php

  • Louisiana Tiger Legacy Scholarship

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

    Entry requirements: 24+ ACT

    To keep it: Requires 3.0 cumulative GPA and 24 credit hours per year. Three sub-tiers: Excellence, Superior, and Merit.

    Source: https://www.lsu.edu/financialaid/policies/university_scholarship_retention_requirements/Louisiana_Tiger_Legacy_Scholarship_Retention_Requirements.php

How families lose this aid

  • Assuming LSU has a published automatic merit grid like Alabama or Auburn.

    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).

  • Ignoring TOPS for Louisiana residents.

    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.

Renewal questions families ask

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.
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.

How LSU compares across our verified dataset

  • 70 of 78 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    LSU is one of them. The cohort minority (8 schools) only awards one-year scholarships — meaning the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

Sources used on this page

Every renewal claim is checked against LSU’s own published materials.

More on LSU merit aid

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