Bright Futures Scholarship Program

Scholarship Sponsored by Florida Department of Education

Once the Bright Futures Scholarship has been granted, it will automatically renew each year (subject to the scholarship limit) as long as the student continues to meet the renewal criteria. There is no need for an annual FFAA submission to maintain the scholarship.

Basic Eligibility Criteria

• Must be a resident of Florida and a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen, as verified by the student’s tertiary institution.
• The FFAA must be completed no later than August 31 following graduation from high school.
• Must have obtained a standard Florida high school diploma, or its equivalent, from a Florida public high school or a registered Florida Department of Education (FDOE) private high school; or have completed a home education program.
• Must not have been convicted of, or entered a no contest plea to, a felony charge, unless the student has received clemency from the Governor and Cabinet acting as the Executive Office of Clemency.
• Must be accepted and enrolled in a degree or certificate program at an eligible Florida public or private tertiary institution.
• Must be enrolled for a minimum of six non-remedial semester credit hours (or the equivalent in quarter or clock hours) per term.
• If the scholarship was not granted in the academic year immediately following high school graduation, the student must apply within five years of graduating high school to have the award reinstated.

(For more information on the reinstatement process, please refer to the ‘Reinstatement Requirements’ section in Chapter 3.)

(For information on deferring the scholarship for students who join the military or undertake a full-time religious or service obligation after graduation, please refer to the ‘Deferment of the Scholarship’ section at the end of this chapter.)

Florida high school students aiming to qualify for the Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) award or the Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) award must meet the following initial eligibility criteria:

• Graduate from a Florida public high school with a standard Florida high school diploma (high school graduation requirements), graduate from a registered Florida Department of Education private high school, earn a GED, complete a home education program, or graduate from a non-Florida high school if certain conditions are met (refer to the Out-of-State (OOS) guide for more details);
• Complete the necessary high school coursework;
• Achieve the required minimum high school grade point average (GPA);
• Achieve the required minimum score on either the ACT, CLT or SAT college entrance exam. Tests are accepted through August 31 of the high school graduation year;
• Complete the required number of volunteer service, paid work hours, or a combination totaling 100 hours; and
• Submit an FFAA no later than August 31 following high school graduation.