Scholarships: Bright Future Requirements

The Bright Futures Scholarship Program is an excellent opportunity for Florida residents to make postsecondary education a more affordable experience. If you meet eligibility requirements, it can help cover most if not all of your tuition costs at an in-state university or in a certification program. The scholarship program is extremely competitive and has several requirements that take years to acquire, so it’s important to be as informed as you can as soon as you can. While the Bright Futures Handbook is available to answer every small detail regarding the program, it can be overwhelming to shift through. However, listed below is the Bright Future requirement for all their varying opportunities.

General Requirements for ALL Bright Future Scholarships

There are several different scholarships to meet varying student achievements and each scholarship has a different set of requirements. However, there are some requirements that are essential for all scholarships.

• Complete your Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) by August 31 of your high school graduation year.

• Be a Florida resident, and a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen. Regardless of a parent’s residency or citizenship status, if the student meets these requirements, they are eligible.

• Graduate from a Florida high school with a standard diploma or its equivalent. This diploma can be earned in either a public high school or a certified private high school.

• Attend a postsecondary program in Florida and enroll in at least 6 credit hours per semester.

• Avoid a felony conviction.

Requirements for Florida Academics Scholar

The Florida Academics Scholar is the crème de la crème of Bright Futures Scholarships. It covers 100% of all applicable tuition and fees in a Florida public university. Students who chose to attend a private university will receive a comparable award. Winners of this scholarship will also receive $300 per semester to aid in additional costs. Due to the covetable award amount, this scholarship is highly competitive and has the strictest requirements. As well as meeting the general requirements, students will also need the following to attain this award:

• Complete the 16 college-preparatory courses required for admission into a state university. This requirement may sound intimidating. However, it just means taking your standard classes in high school and graduating with the appropriate credits. The courses required are:
  • 4 English courses – 3 of the courses must include substantial writing.
  • 4 Mathematics courses – all the courses need to be at or above Algebra I level.
  • 3 Natural Sciences courses- 2 of these courses must have substantial laboratory participation.
  • 3 Social Sciences courses – these are essentially your history classes.
  • 2 World Language courses – these courses need to be sequential and be the same language. For example, you can take Spanish I and Spanish II to meet the criteria. However, if you take Spanish I and then French I, you will need to take either Spanish II or French II to meet the requirement.

• Earn a weighted 3.5 GPA in the 16 college-preparatory courses

• A 29 Composite score on the ACT or a 1340 total score on the SAT

• 100 hours of community service or 100 paid work hours. Students may earn either volunteer or paid works hours. However, these hours may not be combined.

Requirements for Florida Medallion Scholars

In comparison, the Florida Medallion covers 75% of all application tuition and fees in a Florida public university. Students who chose to attend a private university are also applicable to receive a comparable award. If you don’t quite meet the qualifications for the Florida Academics Scholar, this is a wonderful alternative. As well as meeting the general requirements, students will also need the following to attain this award:

• Complete the 16 college-preparatory courses required for admission into a state university. This requirement may sound intimidating. However, it just means taking your standard classes in high school and graduating with the appropriate credits. The courses required are:
  • 4 English courses – 3 of the courses must include substantial writing.
  • 4 Mathematics courses – all the courses need to be at or above Algebra I level.
  • 3 Natural Sciences courses- 2 of these courses must have substantial laboratory participation.
  • 3 Social Sciences courses – these are essentially your history classes.
  • 2 World Language courses – these courses need to be sequential and be the same language. For example, you can take Spanish I and Spanish II to meet the criteria. However, if you take Spanish I and then French I, you will need to take either Spanish II or French II to meet the requirement.

• Earn a weighted 3.0 GPA in the 16 college-preparatory courses

• A 25 Composite score on the ACT or a 1210 total score on the SAT

• 75 hours of community service or 100 paid work hours. Students may earn either volunteer or paid works hours. However, these hours may not be combined.

Requirements for Gold Seal Vocational Scholars

The Gold Seal Vocational Scholars may be given to students wishing to pursue a career education (vocational degree) or certificate program. Rather than covering a percentage of tuition costs, the program covers a fixed amount per credit hour that varies by program of student. As well as meeting the general requirements, students will also need the following to attain this award:

• Earn a weighted 3.0 GPA in non-elective high school courses.

• Take at least 3 credits in a single Career and Technical Education program.

• Earn an unweighted 3.5 GPA in the Career and Technical Education courses.

• Meet the minimum score on the ACT, SAT, or Florida Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (P.E.R.T.) Exams. See the table below for details.

EXAM	SUB-TEST	SCORE
ACT	Reading	19
	English	17
	Mathematics	19
SAT	Reading Test	24
	Writing and Language Test	25
	Math Test	24
P.E.R.T.	Reading	106
	Writing	103
	Mathematics	114

• 30 hours of community service or 100 paid work hours. Students may earn either volunteer or paid works hours. However, these hours may not be combined.

Requirements for Gold Seal CAPE Scholars

The Florida Gold Seal CAPE Scholars award may be given if a student is enrolled in a career or education program. Students need to pursue an applied technology degree, an associate in applied science, an associate in science, or a career certificate. For students who complete an associate in a science degree program, a Gold Seal Scholar recipient may receive 60 credits towards a Bachelor of Science degree. As well as meeting the general requirements, students will also need the following to attain this award:

• Earn a minimum of five postsecondary credit hours through CAPE industry certifications that earn college credit

• 30 hours of community service or 100 paid work hours. Students may earn either volunteer or paid works hours. However, these hours may not be combined.

The Bright Futures requirements can be intimidating and overwhelming. However, most students work towards meeting the requirements over the course of four years. Bright Futures is an amazing opportunity to earn a more affordable education in the state of Florida and there are many ways to help students achieve this award. Reaching out to your school’s guidance counselor can help students understand what educational paths may be best for them, guide them toward making the right academic choices, and help them better determine which Bright Futures Scholarship they should strive for.

 

Author: Brittany Sutter

 

More info on the Bright Future Scholarship requirements here: