SHREVEPORT, La. — Centenary College of Louisiana will guarantee annual academic scholarships of $20,000 to $28,000 for incoming Louisiana students who qualify for three levels of the state’s TOPS program. Students who qualify for the highest tier, TOPS Excellence, will have their full tuition covered through a combination of state and college aid.
The policy applies to first-year students entering in fall 2027. Centenary will automatically match its merit awards to a student’s eligibility under the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, giving families a way to estimate their scholarship aid before applying.
Students who qualify for TOPS Excellence with a 3.5 TOPS GPA and a composite ACT score of 31 will receive an estimated $8,500 a year from the state. Centenary will cover the remaining tuition after the state award is applied.
The college’s other annual merit awards are $28,000 for TOPS Honors, $24,000 for TOPS Performance and $20,000 for TOPS Opportunity. Those awards are in addition to estimated annual state awards of $6,518, $6,118 and $5,718, respectively.
“We want students to have a clear picture of what their financial aid package will look like at Centenary before they even submit their application,” said Lauren Hawkins, Centenary’s director of admission.
Centenary is also combining its academic merit and out-of-state scholarships into a single award for students from outside Louisiana. Those scholarships range from $24,000 to $36,000 per year, based on core GPA and ACT or SAT scores.
Centenary’s academic scholarships are renewable for up to four years if students maintain the GPA required for their award, typically a 2.0.
Students who submit both their Centenary application and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid by the Nov. 15 priority deadline will receive a $1,000 grant and their complete financial aid package by the end of November, the college said. Students who visit campus also qualify for a $1,000 award. Both awards are renewable and can be combined with the academic scholarship.