Last Updated: March 23, 2021
Florida Bright Futures Requirements
The Florida Bright Futures Scholarships are provided every year by the Florida Legislature for both Florida Academic Scholars and Florida Medallion Scholars. This scholarship is financially supported by the Florida Lottery since 1997 and is a merit-based scholarship. It is awarded according to the number of credit hours the student attends every semester and covers nearly the entire college tuition according to the brilliance of the student.
The eligibility requirements for this scholarship are generally tricky and found to be time-consuming to crack. The information is split into different chapters for the requirements for different exams, for the requirements of non-traditional students, for stating the length of the scholarship awards and their amounts along with information regarding transferring the scholarship between institutions.
This page covers all the information regarding the different requirements for the test- initial eligibility requirement, the requirement to avail the award, and renewal requirements.
Types of Bright Future Scholarships
The Bright Futures Scholarship is of different kinds with each kind having different eligibility requirements and with each of them aiming at students with different requirements and eligibility. When some scholarships cover the entire college tuition, some others only cover 75% of the same.
- Florida Academic Scholars and Florida Medallion Scholars- This scholarship provides the student with an amount equal to the entire amount of their tuition and application fees. It also provides students with an additional $300 for their external expenses per semester. The difference between these two scholarships is that the FAS is aimed at students with “A” grades whereas FMS is for students with “B” grades. That is, students applying for FAS should have a GPA of 3.5 when compared to the 3 required for FMS among other requirements.
- Gold Seal Vocational Scholars- This scholarship can be availed by students who have enrolled in career education or a certificate program. When the FAS and FMS scholarships let the student choose any course they want, GSV focuses on students who take up technical degree programs like AS, AAS, CCC, etc.
- Gold Seal CAPE Scholars- This scholarship funds students who have enrolled in a career education or certificate program. Students who have completed an associate degree program and move on to a Bachelor of Sciences degree may also receive funds for up to 60 credit hours for the Bachelor of Science degree program. If the student has completed an associate in applied science program, they may receive awards for up to 60 credit hours for a Bachelor of Applied Science program.
General Requirements for the Bright Futures Scholarship
The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship has specific requirements for each of its scholarships. At the same time, there are general requirements that must be met even to plan to apply for the same. There are-
- Candidate must a Florida resident and a U.S. citizen. The student must otherwise be determined by the student’s post-secondary institution as an eligible non-citizen.
- Candidate should complete the FFAA(Florida Financial Aid Application) after high school graduation.
- Candidate must have earned a Florida high school diploma or its equivalent from a public high school in Florida. The candidate could also have completed a home education program.
- Candidate should have NO felony charges against them unless they have been granted clemency.
- Candidate should be accepted by and enrolled in an eligible Florida public or independent post-secondary institution for a degree or certificate program.
- Candidate must be enrolled in at least 6 non-remedial credit hours per term.
Specific Eligibility Requirements for the Bright Futures Scholarship
The Eligibility requirements specific for each scholarship is as follows-
Florida Academic Scholars and Florida Medallion Scholars
Candidates must either graduate from a public high school in Florida with a standard diploma/ graduate from a Florida dept of Education private high-school/ receive a GED/ finish home education or graduate from a non-Florida high school. The eligibility criteria include a required amount of coursework, GPA, ACT or SAT scores, and a certain number of service hours.
GPA- The GPA considered for Bright Futures Scholarship is the weighted high school GPA of the 16 college preparatory credits. Students can also choose to use additional credits from the same courses mentioned or from AP, IB, or AICE fine arts courses to meet the required GPA.
Entrance Exams- The ACT score considered is a composite score from all for subject areas- English, Math, Science, and Reading. The SAT score is a combination of the Reading, Writing, and Math sections. The additional writing scores are not considered for the scholarship. It is essential that students request that their official ACT/SAT score be sent to one of the 12 state universities in Florida while registering for the exam. Students are required to attempt only ONE of the standardized tests.
Service Hours- Ensure that the district school board (if a non-public school) has a system in place to calculate the service hours of students. Service hours include business or government internships, working for nonprofit community service, or other similar activities. The documentation of service hours must be signed by the student, their parent, and a member of the organization.
The student must also take the effort to identify a social or professional issue and develop an idea to address the issue through detailed study. They should present papers and write about the same by evaluating and reflecting upon the experience with tackling the issue at hand.
| Type | GPA | ACT Minimum Score | SAT Minimum Score | Service Hours |
|---|
| FAS | 3.50 | 29 | 1330 | 100 hours |
| FMS | 3.00 | 25 | 1210 | 75 hours |
Coursework- The coursework required must be of 16 course credits in all. This includes English, Mathematics, Natural Science, Social Science, and World Language. The credits required for each of them are as follows
| Course | Credit Score |
|---|
| English | 4 |
| Mathematics | 4 |
| Natural Science | 3 |
| Social Science | 3 |
| World Language | 2 |
Qualifying through Other Ways
Though the requirements mentioned above are the ones looked for in candidates, there are ways in which students can be eligible for the scholarship without fulfilling all the eligibility requirements. This is possible if students can compensate a few of them with other qualifications. The AICE and IB Diplomas mentioned have to be earned before high school graduation for them to be counted since their confirmations generally come late.
| Merit Recognition Program | ACT Score | SAT Score | Scholarship |
|---|
| National Merit Finalists and Scholars | - | - | FAS |
| National Merit Finalists and Scholars | - | - | FMS |
| National Hispanic Scholars | - | - | FAS |
| National Hispanic Scholars | - | - | FMS |
| AICE Diploma | - | - | FAS |
| AICE Diploma | - | - | FMS |
| IB Diploma | - | - | FAS |
| IB Diploma | - | - | FMS |
| AICE Curriculum | 29 | 1330 | FAS |
| AICE Curriculum | 25 | 1210 | FMS |
| IB Curriculum | 29 | 1330 | FAS |
| IB Curriculum | 25 | 1210 | FMS |
Gold Seal Vocational Scholars
This scholarship given to students who have enrolled in technical education of certificate programs requires to meet these initial requirements-
- Candidates should have a minimum of 3 GPA in core high school courses.
- Candidates must take a minimum of 3 full credits in one Career and Technical Education program.
- Candidates require a 3.5 GPA in the career education courses.
- Candidates should have completed 30 service hours.
Entrance Exams- Students can choose to give either the ACT, SAT or PERT exams where the PERT will be considered only for the GSV scholarship. It is essential that students request to send their scores to one of the 12 state universities or public high schools in Florida while applying for the test. The required scores in each of the subjects in these tests are as follows.
| Exam | Subject | Score Required |
|---|
| ACT | Reading | 19 |
| ACT | English | 17 |
| ACT | Math | 19 |
| SAT | Reading | 24 |
| SAT | Writing and Language | 25 |
| SAT | Math | 24 |
| P.E.R.T. | Reading | 106 |
| P.E.R.T. | Writing | 103 |
| P.E.R.T. | Math | 114 |
Gold Seal CAPE Scholars
The Goal Seal CAPE Scholarship is given to students who are enrolled in career education courses or certificate programs that are technical in nature. Students who have completed their associate in science program and moved on to a Bachelor in Science degree will be able to receive the scholarship for 60 credit hours for the Bachelor in Science degree. At the same time, students who have completed an associate in applied science will also receive a maximum of 60 credit hour scholarship for the Bachelor in Applied Science degree program.
The eligibility requirements for the same are-
- Candidates should have a minimum of 5 post-secondary credit hours through CAPE industry certifications that amount to college credit.
- Candidates should complete a minimum of 30 service hours.
Application Requirements for Non-Traditional Students
Students who have been home-schooled and students who have acquired a GED Diploma which is a high school equivalent in Florida have a separate requirement list when compared to other students. These requirements are-
Students from Home Education Program
The students who have been home-schooled must be registered with the district for the present year and the previous year to be able to qualify for the scholarship. At the same time, if the student has not been registered, having the required transcripts and test scores will make them eligible for the GED Diploma provision.
The requirements for home-schooled students are as follows-
- Candidates must meet the general requirements for the scholarship as mentioned above.
- Candidates must submit an FFAA before August 31.
- Candidates must take the ACT/ SAT test and either request that the score is sent to one of the 12 state universities in Florida. This will make the score reach the FDOW repository directly. Students can also mail an official copy of the test scores in the original sealed envelope to the attention of Home Ed.
- Students must have their service hours documented and submitted to the district home education office where the student is registered. Service hours do not include hours the student benefited financially or materially from nor will service to family members be considered.
- Students do not have to provide student transcripts if they are home-schooled.
- The test scores and service hour requirements are the same for traditional students and home-schooled students.
General Educational Development (GED) Students
Students who have earned a high school equivalency diploma in Florida and want to be considered for the scholarship need to meet the coursework and grade point requirements before taking the GED exam. The documentation required to apply for the scholarship are as follows-
- Students must submit an FFAA during their final year before taking the Ged examination.
- Students must attempt ACT/SAT/P.E.R.T. before the GED exam since only these test scores will be considered. They also require a student transcript where the school counselor must add the test scores. Students can either request that the scores be sent to state universities in Florida before applying for the test or mail an official copy.
- Students require a transcript which should be submitted to the FDOW by the student’s Florida public school, registered private school, Virtual School, and/or dual enrollment coursework from a state college or university in Florida.
- The required coursework must be completed by the student with a minimum grade average before the GED exam.
- Service hours must be performed during high school and completed before the GED exam. Service that has benefited the student financially or materially and service that has been done to family members will not be considered as service hours.
