BATON ROUGE — A new TOPS award will cover the full price of tuition, or close to it, at Louisiana public universities for a select group of students starting this fall, pending Gov. Jeff Landry's signature.

HB 77 introduces the "Excellence" award, which will provide up to $12,000 per year for students with at least a 3.50 GPA and a score of 31 on the ACT. Tuition and fees at LSU for the 2025-2026 school year are estimated to be $12,472 according to the university's website.

The bill passed the state legislature earlier this week. If signed by the governor, high-school graduates from 2025 on will be eligible.