The Patriot Scholarship — the Fees STEP Does Not Pay
The Louisiana National Guard Patriot Scholarship pays the MANDATORY FEES on a Guard student's bill — precisely the portion the State Tuition Exemption Program does not cover. It runs up to 12 semesters or 16 quarters, and no more than four years unless extended for mobilisation. You need to be eligible for STEP and enrolled in at least one credit hour at a Louisiana public institution.
Verified August 27, 2026
What this benefit is
The Louisiana National Guard Patriot Scholarship pays the MANDATORY FEES on a Guard student's bill — precisely the portion the State Tuition Exemption Program does not cover. It runs up to 12 semesters or 16 quarters, and no more than four years unless extended for mobilisation. You need to be eligible for STEP and enrolled in at least one credit hour at a Louisiana public institution.
What it's worth: The mandatory fees on your bill paid — the part STEP leaves
- It pays the MANDATORY FEES on the student's fee bill, which is exactly what STEP does not cover.
- You must be eligible for STEP and enrolled in at least ONE credit hour at a Louisiana public postsecondary institution.
- The limit is 12 semesters or 16 quarters, and not more than FOUR YEARS unless extended for mobilisation.
- Mobilisation extends the four years, which matters for a Guard member deployed mid-degree.
- The amount is determined by the institution from its own fee schedule, so it differs by campus.
- One credit hour is enough to qualify, which is a very low enrolment threshold.
Who is entitled to it
- You are a Louisiana Guard member in good standing.
- You are in Louisiana.
Not sure whether that describes you?
Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.
How to claim it
Deadline: Each term, through LOSFA- 1Apply through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, having established STEP eligibility.
- 2Do this in addition to STEP, not instead of it. STEP pays tuition, this pays fees, and you want both.
- 3You need only ONE credit hour of enrolment to qualify — part-time study is not a bar.
- 4If you are mobilised mid-degree, ask for the four-year limit to be extended. That provision exists for exactly that.
- 5Ask the institution what its mandatory fees actually come to; the award is set from its own schedule.
- Form
- Application through LOSFA
- File with
- Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance
- Each term
- Claimed per academic term.
Sources
- authority · published policyLOSFA — Louisiana National Guard Patriot Scholarship
- operating · published policyLouisiana National Guard — STEP, the tuition half of the pair
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.