House Bill 862 (Act 790), passed during the 2024 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature, grants institutions within the University of Louisiana System the authority to implement differential tuition for undergraduate programs. It also permits mandatory tuition and fee increases of up to 10% over a two-year period.
In accordance with the provisions of HB 862, institutions are also required to establish a fee waiver or scholarship to assist students facing financial hardship due to these increases. As a result, the HESF (Higher Education Support Fee) Scholarship has been created and will take effect beginning with the Fall 2025 semester.
Eligibility Requirements
- Be a Louisiana Resident
- Be enrolled full-time (12 or more hours)
- Qualify to receive Federal financial aid by meeting all Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards
- Must be eligible for payment of the Federal Pell Grant as determined by the U.S. Department of Education
- Continuing students must have a cumulative GPA of at least a 2.0. First-time freshmen do not need to meet the GPA requirement to establish initial eligibility.
- The scholarship cannot be used in connection with other scholarships and/or waivers that exempt the same fee.
Determination of Potential Candidates
Because there are a limited number of HESF Scholarships available, students are considered for this assistance based on two things: self-identifying through a University official and being proactively selected through a review of enrollment information and individual student characteristics.