Through an opportunity which is unparallelled, conscientious and dedicated seventh-grade students in LA GEAR UP schools may potentially win scholarship funds that will be invested for them in special college savings accounts through the Rewards For Success program. This year, funds are available to award as many as 411 $1,000, $500, or $250 Rewards for Success scholarships to LA GEAR UP students.
The Rewards For Success scholarship funds will be deposited in individual college trust fund accounts established on behalf of recipients in the Louisiana Student Tuition And Revenue Trust Program (the START Savings Program). The funds can be used to help pay the costs of the students' college education, including tuition, room and board, books and fees.
Rewards For Success accounts earn interest and Earnings Enhancements are contributed to the accounts by the State of Louisiana. Act 221, which was recently passed by the Louisiana Legislature and signed into law by Governor Mike Foster on June 5, 2003, allows certain Rewards For Success accounts to earn Earning Enhancements at rates as high as 14%. Awardees who qualify for free lunch or whose families have incomes below $30,000 per year are eligible to receive the maximum rate. Students who receive Rewards For Success awards but do not qualify under the free lunch or family income guidelines will still receive Earnings Enhancement credits of 2% per year, as well as interest.
The overall goals of the Rewards For Success program are to: (1) make higher education attainable for increasing numbers of students and families; (2) elevate academic achievement; (3) promote model citizenship in schools; and (4) increase involvement of parents in student and school affairs. Louisiana students already have access to one of the most generous state scholarship programs in the nation: the Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS). TOPS pays full tuition for up to four years for qualified students to attend an in-state public university, or contributes an equivalent amount towards tuition at an in-state private college or university. Many LA GEAR UP students will also be able to take advantage of the federal Pell Grant program, which provides free college aid based on financial need. However, the Pell Grant and TOPS are often not enough to cover the full cost of attending college, a consideration especially relevant since higher education costs are rising at a rate that exceeds the overall cost of living. Rewards For Success scholarships can help bridge the college financial aid gap for achievement-minded LA GEAR UP students.
This year, more than 2,500 seventh graders were eligible to apply for scholarships under the Rewards For Success program. Students and parents or custodians completed and submitted a one-page application, which is being reviewed and scored by the student's school. Schools will then forward the applications to the LA GEAR UP office for verification and processing. Awards will be announced at special convocations to be held at each school during the fall of 2003.
Each year during the five-year term of the LA GEAR UP grant, successive classes of seventh graders at the participating schools will become eligible for the Rewards For Success program. This year's LA GEAR UP students will also be able to apply for the awards on an annual basis.

Criteria for Selection
Rewards for Success is primarily a school-based competitive program. Award slots will be allocated to the 25 LA GEAR UP schools based on the number of their 7th graders. To compete for these slots, students at each school must have an overall score of 70 or above (based on the criteria described below), with some possible exceptions for students whose grade point average is 2.0 or above. For the first round of competition in 2003, slots unfilled at a particular school will be carried over for the second round of competition in 2004. Beginning with the 2004 competition, however, unfilled slots will be awarded based on a statewide competition among eligible students at all 25 LA GEAR UP schools.