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A.(1)  Any student enrolled or who may enroll in a public institution of higher learning of this state who is seventeen years of age or over and who is serving in the Louisiana National Guard shall be exempt from all or a portion of tuition charges imposed by any such institution of higher learning if the applicant for free tuition is presently domiciled in Louisiana.  This exemption may be claimed for five separate academic years or until the receipt of a degree at the associate, baccalaureate, masters, or professional level, whichever occurs first.  Such student shall be exempt from all tuition charges, except that in the case of tuition at an institution which confers a professional degree, a qualified student shall be allowed a credit or exemption against such tuition each term equal to the average undergraduate tuition charged to full-time students carrying a full-time academic load attending public colleges and universities which offer baccalaureate degrees as determined by the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance.

(2)  However, any student receiving a tuition exemption under the provisions of this Section who is mobilized or called to active duty is entitled to an extension of the time the tuition exemption may be claimed equal to the amount of time served in active duty. If the service in the Louisiana National Guard of a student terminates or he is placed on scholastic probation while receiving the benefits of any exemption afforded by this Section, his exemption shall immediately be forfeited, and he shall pay to such institution all tuition charges from which he was exempted pursuant to this Section for the academic semester or quarter in which his service terminates or he is placed on scholastic probation.

B.(1)  In addition to the requirements set out in Subsection A of this Section any guardsman receiving such exemption from tuition charges must be a member in good standing of the active Louisiana National Guard at the beginning of and throughout the entire semester for which he receives benefits and to meet this requisite, he must continuously maintain satisfactory participation in the Louisiana National Guard as prescribed by regulations in effect and respectively promulgated by the Department of the Army, the Department of the Air Force, and the Louisiana Department of Military Affairs.

(2)  Notwithstanding the eligibility requirement in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection that a guardsman must be a member in good standing of the active Louisiana National Guard and effective beginning with the 2005-2006 academic year and thereafter, a guardsman who is a member in good standing of the inactive Louisiana National Guard and who is otherwise eligible for the tuition exemption provided by Subsections A and B of this Section may receive such exemption provided the guardsman’s postsecondary education was interrupted pursuant to a mobilization order.

C.  The adjutant general of Louisiana shall be responsible for overall policies, guidance, administration, implementation, and proper utilization of the program of tuition exemptions for guardsmen provided for in this Section.

D.  For any student participating in the tuition exemption program provided by this Section and who also receives benefits provided by the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, the term “tuition” as used in this Section shall mean tuition as defined for purposes of the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students by the Louisiana Student Financial Assistance Commission by rule.

E.  In addition to the tuition exemption provided by Subsection A of this Section and effective beginning with the 2005-2006 academic year and thereafter, any student enrolled or who may enroll in a Louisiana public college or university who is seventeen years of age or over and who is serving in the Louisiana National Guard pursuant to a six-year re-enlistment agreement shall be exempt from all tuition charges imposed by such institution if the student is presently domiciled in Louisiana.  This exemption may be claimed for four separate academic years or until the receipt of a degree at the associate, baccalaureate, masters, or professional level, whichever occurs first.  Such student shall be exempt from all tuition charges, except that in the case of tuition at an institution which confers a professional degree, a qualified student shall be allowed a credit or exemption against such tuition each term equal to the average undergraduate tuition charged to full-time students carrying a full-time academic load attending public colleges and universities which offer baccalaureate degrees as determined by the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance.  Except as otherwise provided by this Subsection, all conditions, limitations, and requirements of this Section applicable to initial and continuing eligibility for the tuition exemption provided by Subsection A of this Section shall apply to the tuition exemption provided by this Subsection.

F.  The provisions of this Section authorizing a partial tuition exemption at institutions which confer a professional degree shall not apply to new professional degree participants in the State Tuition Benefit Program on and after July 1, 2009.

G.  If a member of the Louisiana National Guard dies as a result of one or more wounds, injuries, or illnesses incurred while serving in state or federal active duty service or in an operation or area that the secretary of defense of the United States designates, in writing, as a combat operation or a zone of combat, his surviving spouse and his child or children shall be eligible to enroll in a public institution of higher learning of this state and shall be exempt from all tuition charges imposed by any such institution of higher learning if the applicant for free tuition is presently domiciled in Louisiana.  This exemption may be claimed for five separate academic years or until the receipt of a bachelor’s degree, whichever occurs first.  The child or children shall be eligible to claim this exemption upon attaining the age of seventeen years.  If the survivor claiming the exemption is placed on scholastic probation while receiving the exemption, the exemption shall immediately be forfeited, and tuition charges shall be paid as provided in Subsection A of this Section.

Added by Acts 1974, No. 175, §1, eff. Aug.  15, 1974.  Amended by Acts 1975, No. 816, §1; Acts 1979, No. 563, §1; Acts 1989, No. 201, §1; Acts 1991, No. 403, §1, eff. July 12, 1991; Acts 2001, No. 351, §1, eff. June 13, 2001; Acts 2005, No. 264, §1, eff. June 29, 2005; Acts 2005, No. 411, §2, eff. July 11, 2005; Acts 2008, No. 652, §2, eff. July 1, 2008; Acts 2011, No. 173, §1.