State Grants & ProgramsFirst come, first served

Louisiana GO Grant

Offered by Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) · Free to apply

The GO Grant is administered by the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance, and it exists because merit aid gets most of the attention in Louisiana while leaving lower-income students with real gaps to fill. The administering office runs far more than this one grant: LOSFA also oversees the M.J. Foster Promise Program, Louisiana Geaux Teach, and the state's 529 START savings plans for college and K-12, placing the GO Grant inside a much larger state aid operation. Louisiana's need-based companion to TOPS tops up aid for Pell-eligible residents who still have unmet need after other gift aid, between $300 and $3,000 a year, with the figure set by each college from its allocation. Half-time enrollment is the floor, and the Pell award has to be in place in the same term the grant pays. There is no separate form to complete: state rules make the FAFSA the only application, and the campus aid office sets the amount. That matters, because each Louisiana college gets a fixed annual allocation and awards from it until it is spent, so a student can be fully eligible, file late, and still receive nothing. File the FAFSA soon after it opens on October 1, then ask the aid office whether GO Grant funds are still available.

Other deadlines near this one

How hard is the Louisiana GO Grant to win?

This is not a competition, but the funding is rationed: eligible students are routinely turned away once the money runs out, so filing date decides the outcome.

Estimated odds: most eligible students who file early receive it
Paperwork: ~1 hr to file

What drives the odds here

Odds on a scholarship are mostly a question of how many students can enter. Each rule below changes the size of that field.

Fewer rivalsOpen only to Louisiana residents

How Solyo estimates this: State programs that allocate by published formula are modelled on qualification and filing, not on competition, because there is no selection committee choosing between applicants. These are estimates derived from each award's published structure, not reported acceptance rates, which almost no scholarship provider discloses. Treat them as a way to rank where the hours go, not as a guarantee.

Who can apply for the Louisiana GO Grant?

These are the eligibility rules Solyo verified against the official award page, translated into plain English. Your student must meet each one.

Must be a resident of Louisiana
Must attend a college in Louisiana (the award does not travel out of state)
Open to high school seniors and current college students
Open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents (green card)

Good to know

Must be receiving a federal Pell Grant in the same term and have remaining unmet need after other gift aid
Amounts and availability depend on each institution's annual GO Grant allocation

Personalized matching

Does your student actually qualify?

Not sure your student clears every rule above? Solyo checks 20+ criteria against their real profile: GPA, state, grade level, intended major, and more, across every award in this directory at once.

Match my student to scholarships

What the application takes

No essay, recommendation letters, or transcript are required. This is one of the lighter applications in the directory.

Deadline and application cycle

The current deadline is June 30, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around June 30 each year. Applications open when the FAFSA opens on October 1. Availability depends on your own college's allocation, so file the FAFSA in October and ask its aid office whether GO Grant money is left.

FAFSA opens: October 1, 2026
College awards from its annual allocation: Until the campus allocation is spent
End of the award year: June 30, 2027
Unused campus funds reallocated: After the spring billing date

Remind me before June 30 Apply on the official site

Free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge a fee. We use your student's information only to build their plan.

Common questions about the Louisiana GO Grant

How much is the Louisiana GO Grant worth?

Between $300 and $3,000 per academic year at full time; the exact figure is set by your college, not by the state, based on the campus's annual GO Grant allocation and its written packaging policy. The annual award is divided evenly across the school's semesters or terms, summer is never paid, and amounts can change every year. LOSFA is blunt that awards vary among schools, which is why two students with identical FAFSAs at different Louisiana campuses can legitimately receive different amounts. Your award also cannot exceed your remaining unmet need after your Student Aid Index and all other gift aid are subtracted from cost of attendance, so ask the financial aid office how their policy calculates it.

Who is eligible for the Louisiana GO Grant?

A Louisiana resident who files the FAFSA, actually receives a federal Pell Grant, still has unmet need after all other gift aid is counted, and is enrolled at least half time (6 hours at a semester school, 4 at a quarter school) at an eligible Louisiana institution, meaning any Louisiana public college or an LAICU member independent college. There is no GPA cutoff and no essay; schools are barred from adding academic criteria beyond the satisfactory academic progress you already need for federal aid. Residency runs off the FAFSA: you count as a resident if your FAFSA (or a dependent student's parent's entry) shows Louisiana, and edge cases go through a LOSFA residency affidavit. Graduate students are excluded because they cannot receive Pell.

When is the Louisiana GO Grant deadline?

There is no GO Grant deadline, because there is no GO Grant application: the FAFSA is the only application allowed, and your college determines the award. The date that actually matters is how early you file the FAFSA, since each campus gets a fixed annual allocation and, when eligible students outnumber the dollars, schools may award first come, first served or by their own priority order. File the FAFSA as soon as it opens in the fall before the enrollment year and you compete for a full pot; file in spring and you may find your campus's allocation spoken for even though you qualify. One more calendar quirk: GO Grant never pays for summer sessions, so plan aid for summer terms separately.

Do you have to get a Pell Grant to receive the GO Grant?

Yes, and in the strictest sense: you must actually receive Pell funds, not merely be Pell-eligible, in the same period the GO Grant pays. LOSFA's rules are explicit that if your Pell is cancelled after the school has billed for your GO Grant, the school must refund the GO Grant, and if your Pell is reduced or increased mid-year the school must recalculate your GO Grant eligibility. This is also why renewal is never automatic: each year you must file a new FAFSA, keep receiving Pell, still show unmet need after all gift aid, and meet satisfactory academic progress, up to a lifetime maximum that tracks the federal Pell lifetime limit. Lose Pell for any reason, and the GO Grant goes with it.

Can you get the GO Grant and TOPS together?

Yes. Schools are expressly forbidden from writing packaging policies that automatically eliminate TOPS recipients from GO Grant awards, so a low-income student with a TOPS scholarship can hold both. The catch is arithmetic: TOPS and TOPS stipends count as gift aid in the remaining-need calculation, so a generous TOPS award plus Pell can consume your unmet need and shrink the GO Grant you would otherwise receive. And if your total aid ever exceeds your cost of attendance, the pecking order protects TOPS: loans get cut first, then institutional aid, and if more trimming is needed the GO Grant is reduced before TOPS is touched. Net effect: the two programs stack, but GO Grant fills whatever gap TOPS leaves, not the other way around.

Why do GO Grant amounts differ between colleges?

Because the state funds campuses, not students. Each participating college receives an annual allocation proportionate to its prior-year GO Grant spending, then writes its own packaging policy setting per-term amounts within the state's $300 to $3,000 annual band, how less-than-full-time students are paid, and who gets priority when money runs short (schools must give priority to students 25 or older, and transfer students must be treated the same as continuing ones). So the same FAFSA can produce different awards at LSU, a community college, and an LAICU private, all correctly. LOSFA expects schools to make a good faith effort to reach the students with the most financial need, but the distribution mechanics are campus-by-campus. Ask each school's aid office for its policy before comparing offers.

How does the GO Grant work for part-time students?

You can get it down to half time, defined as at least 6 semester hours (4 at a quarter school); below that you are ineligible. The part-time amount comes from your school's packaging policy, typically half of the campus's full-time annual award, and it can never drop below the program's $300 annual minimum. Your financial need is calculated once for the academic year using the appropriate less-than-full-time cost of attendance, and mixed years are fine: full time in fall and half time in spring still qualifies, with the school adjusting the spring payment. One quirk worth knowing: if you start half time and reach full time after the 14th class day, the school can request a second payment for the additional amount, so report enrollment changes to the aid office promptly.

When do Louisiana GO Grant applications open?

Applications open when the FAFSA opens on October 1, and close June 30, 2027. Availability depends on your own college's allocation, so file the FAFSA in October and ask its aid office whether GO Grant money is left.

Does the Louisiana GO Grant require an essay?

No essay is required. The application is light on requirements. Expect to spend about 1 hour on it.

How hard is it to win the Louisiana GO Grant?

This is not a competition, but the funding is rationed: eligible students are routinely turned away once the money runs out, so filing date decides the outcome. Solyo classifies this award as first come, first served, meaning most eligible students who file early receive it. Plan on about 1 hr of paperwork.

Is the Louisiana GO Grant free to apply?

Yes. The Louisiana GO Grant is free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge an application fee, and Solyo verifies every listed award against its official page.

More state grants & programs

Lists this award appears on

Award details are curated by Solyo and verified against the official scholarship page. Deadlines and requirements can change between cycles, so always confirm on the provider's site before applying.