Bright Futures Scholarship Update
Interested in a full tuition scholarship for a Florida university? Every student attending a Florida high school has the potential to earn a full tuition - Bright Futures!
What is Bright Futures?
Bright Futures is a scholarship program which allows Florida high school seniors with significant academic merit to earn a scholarship to any public college/university or technical college in the state. It also offers the same funds to students attending a private college in Florida. This scholarship is uniquely for Florida high school graduates attending college at a Florida university, and may not be used for any college outside of the state of Florida.
The Florida Medallion and Florida Academic Bright Futures Scholarships are for students planning to enroll in a 4 year bachelor's program. The Florida Gold Seal is for students enrolling in a 2 year technical program.
What are the requirements?
Florida Academic Scholarship
FAS recipients will receive 100% tuition and fees for any fall, spring, or summer session if they attend a public university in Florida for the academic year 2018/2019. They will also receive an additional $300 per term for any additional educational expenses (books).
1) Curriculum Requirements: 4 credits in English, 4 Math, 3 Natural Science, 3 Social Science, 2 credits in World Language;
2) GPA requirement: 3.5 Bright Futures cumulative GPA;
3) ACT or SAT score: ACT composite score of 29 or higher; SAT score of 1290 or higher – only the Math and Reading of the SAT sections are taken into consideration;
4) Community Service: 100 community service hours.
Florida Medallion Scholarship
NEW: FAS recipients will receive 75% tuition and fees for any fall, spring, or summer session if they attend a public university in Florida for the academic year 2018/2019.
1) Curriculum Requirements: 4 credits in English, 4 Math, 3 Natural Science, 3 Social Science, 2 World Language;
2) GPA requirement: 3.0 Bright Futures cumulative GPA;
3) ACT or SAT score: ACT composite score of 26 or higher; SAT score of 1170 or higher (M and R only);
4) Community Service: 75 community service hours.
Florida Gold Seal: this scholarship is for students attending technical schools. It's a bit more complicated, so please contact us to learn more.
How can I find out if I qualify for Bright Futures?
High school students can use this link to enter their county, last name, and student ID number to see where they stand in qualifying for the Bright Futures scholarship.
By what date must I meet the requirements?
Curriculum: you must meet these requirements by the end of your senior year.
GPA: you must meet this requirement by the end of your senior year.
ACT or SAT Score: remember that you are only required to meet the requirement for either ACT or SAT, not both. You can continue to test during your entire senior year, including the June tests. All SAT and ACT scores will be considered through June 30 of the student’s senior year.
Community Service Hours: you must have completed your community service hours and turned them into your high school by the spring of your senior year - the exact date varies, so check with your high school.
How and when do I apply?
A student WILL NOT automatically receive the scholarship, even if they meet all of the requirements. EVERY SENIOR MUST FILL OUT THE BRIGHT FUTURES APPLICATION IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE SCHOLARSHIP. It is best to fill the application out early – in October - so that if there is an error on the application, it can be caught in time by the Guidance Department at your high school.
If a student plans on attending an out-of-state university, they should still complete the application for the Bright Futures scholarship. If, for any reason, that student decides to come back to Florida and attend college in Florida, the Bright Futures scholarship will be available for that student for up to two years. If a student goes out of state for college then comes back to Florida and attends a Florida college and has not filled out the application, they will no longer be able to apply and will not receive the scholarship.
How does Bright Futures work once a student starts college?
Bright Futures is currently good for 120 hours of study at a Florida university, and those 120 hours must be completed within five years of graduating high school;
If a student is completing an undergraduate degree that requires more than 120 hours, BF will also pay for those additional hours. A student must simply fill out an Extended Hours Application after they have completed 100 hours and mail it to the Florida Department of Education;
To maintain a BF scholarship during undergraduate studies, a student must maintain a 3.0 GPA for FAS and a 2.75 for FMS;
The student must also take at least 6 hours per semester for BF to be dispersed, and no more than 45 hours during an academic year;
The Bright Futures Scholarship renews after the spring semester, based on the student’s GPA for the entire academic year. A student can boost their GPA during the summer* semester to continue receiving the scholarship.
If a student who qualified for an FAS scholarship has a GPA between 2.75 and 2.99, they will drop down to an FMS scholarship. Below a 2.75, a student will lose their scholarship.
A student who had obtained a BF scholarship and lost it due to the GPA requirement must file a Reinstatement Application with Bright Futures once they have brought their GPA up to at least 2.75.
If a student drops a course (after add/drop period) paid for by Bright Futures, the student must reimburse BF for that course.
If a student does not receive credit for a course or fails a class, a student will lose their Bright Futures scholarship, regardless of GPA.
Still confused about Bright Futures? Contact us today to set up your appointment. We can assist you with all aspects of the college application process.
*Bright Futures will become available during the summer for FAS students in 2018 and for FMS students in 2019 with a total of 6 credit hours paid at 100%, divided in any way between Summer A, B, and C sessions.
