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Tell Me Everything I Need To Know About FL Bright Futures!

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Looking for more information on Florida Bright Futures? You’ve come to the right place! During your senior year of high school, you can complete a Florida Bright Futures application to apply for scholarships from the state. These scholarships range from some assistance to 100% tuition coverage.

Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Submit a complete, error-free initial student Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) by no later than August 31st during your last year of high school.
  2. Meet the minimum requirements: Graduate with a standard high school diploma or its equivalent, be a Florida resident and a U.S. citizen (or eligible non-citizen), and enroll as a degree or certificate-seeking student at a Florida institution in at least six non-remedial semester credit hours.
  3. Ensure that your GPA, community service hours, and test scores (ACT, SAT, or PERT) are submitted to the Bright Futures program’s Office of Student Financial Assistance by the posted deadline.
  4. You are responsible for tracking your application and award status online and keeping the FL Office of Student Financial Assistance informed of any demographic or institutional changes.

Your application, GPA, community service hours, and test scores will be evaluated by the Florida Department of Education’s (DOE) Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA). If you are eligible for any of the four scholarships offered by the State of Florida, you will be notified of your eligibility through your online account.

Here is a list of those four scholarships, their initial eligibility requirements, how much you would be awarded at EFSC, and their renewal requirements.

Florida Academic Scholarship (FAS)

  • To earn this award, you must have taken four English classes (three must include substantial writing), four mathematics classes (at or above the Algebra I level), three natural sciences classes (two must have a substantial laboratory component), three social sciences classes, and two world languages classes (sequential, in same language). You must also have a weighted GPA of 3.50, an ACT score of 29 or an SAT score of 1330*, have completed 100 service hours, and not have received a Bachelor’s degree.
  • Florida Academic Scholarship students who are enrolled in the general Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree or an Associate in Science (A.S.) degree at EFSC are awarded $104 per credit hour each semester. Students enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree program are awarded $128.51 per credit hour each semester. Students enrolled in a Career and Technical certificate program are awarded $2.56 per clock hour. There is also a flat stipend of $300 for each semester, excluding summer. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of six credit hours.
  • To renew the Florida Academic Scholarship, you must have a 3.00 GPA and complete all the credit hours you attempt.
  • If you withdraw from classes, you will have to repay your scholarship funds.

Florida Medallion Scholarship (FMS)

  • To earn this award, you must have taken four English classes (three must include substantial writing), four mathematics classes (at or above the Algebra I level), three natural sciences classes (two must have a substantial laboratory component), three social sciences classes, and two world languages classes (sequential, in same language). You must also have a weighted GPA of 3.00, an ACT score of 25 or an SAT score of 1210*, have completed 75 service hours, and not have received a Bachelor’s degree.
  • Florida Medallion Scholarship students who are enrolled in the general Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree or an Associate in Science (A.S.) degree at EFSC are awarded $78 per credit hour each semester. Students enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree program are awarded $96.38 per credit hour each semester. Students enrolled in a Career and Technical certificate program are awarded $1.92 per clock hour. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of six credit hours.
  • To renew the Florida Medallion Scholarship, you must have a 2.75 GPA and complete all the credit hours you attempt.
  • If you withdraw from classes, you will have to repay your scholarship funds.

Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholarship (GSV)

  • To earn this award, you must achieve a weighted GPA of 3.00 in your non-elective high school courses, take at least three full credits in a single Career and Technical education program, achieve a minimum unweighted GPA of 3.50 in your career education courses, complete 30 service hours, and achieve the required minimum scores on one of the college entrance exams (ACT: Reading 19, English 17, Mathematics 19; SAT: Reading 24, Writing and Language 25, Math 24; PERT: Reading 106, Writing 103, Mathematics 114*).
  • Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholarship students who are enrolled in an Associate in Science (A.S.) degree at EFSC are awarded $48 per credit hour each semester (excluding summer). Students enrolled in an Applied Technology Diploma (ATD) program are awarded $39 per credit hour each semester. Students enrolled in a Career and Technical certificate program are awarded $1.20 per clock hour. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of six credit hours. Students enrolled in the general Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree or a Bachelor’s degree are not eligible for this award.
  • To renew the Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholarship, you must have a 2.75 GPA and complete all the credit hours you attempt.
  • If you withdraw from classes, you will have to repay your scholarship funds.

Florida Gold Seal CAPE Scholarship (GSC)

  • To earn this award, you must earn a minimum of five post-secondary credit hours through CAPE industry certifications that articulate for college credit, and you must complete at least 30 service hours.
  • Florida Gold Seal CAPE Scholarship students who are enrolled in an Associate in Science (A.S.) degree at EFSC are awarded $48 per credit hour each semester (excluding summer). Students enrolled in an Applied Technology Diploma (ATD) program are awarded $39 per credit hour each semester. Students enrolled in a Career and Technical certificate program are awarded $1.20 per clock hour. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of six credit hours. Students enrolled in the general Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree or a Bachelor’s degree are not eligible for this award.
  • To renew the Florida Gold Seal CAPE Scholarship, you must have a 2.75 GPA and complete all the credit hours you attempt.
  • If you withdraw from classes, you will have to repay your scholarship funds.

Financial aid usually disburses after your instructors complete their official attendance reports. If you’d like to know when you’re scheduled to receive your disbursement, check out the EFSC website, where we provide a list of disbursement and refund dates. Just look for your class start date to see the applicable dates for a given term.

There’s one more important thing you should know: If you decide that you need to withdraw from a class and you received a Bright Futures scholarship, then you’re responsible for repaying the funds for each withdrawn class. Keep in mind that if you intend to renew your award at the end of the term, you’ll also need to ensure that you meet the minimum credit hour renewal requirements. Bright Futures provides a handy interactive tool to help you calculate that.

If you want to learn more about your initial eligibility, you should read the 2020-21 Bright Futures Student Handbook. Information or standards can change, so be sure to visit the Bright Futures website for the most up-to-date content.

If you have any questions about the Bright Futures Program, you can contact the FL DOE’s Office of Student Financial Assistance at 1-888-827-2004 or email OSFA@fldoe.org. The EFSC Office of Financial Aid can also answer your questions at 321-433-7339 (Monday through Thursday from 8AM to 7PM) — and you can email finaid@easternflorida.edu at any time from your Titan student email account.

*ACT, SAT, and/or PERT score requirements are subject to change. Please refer to the Bright Futures Student Handbook for the most up-to-date details.

Reese Zulinke
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