The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship is a great financing option for Florida residents who wish to stay in the state to pursue college or professional studies and benefit from the scholarship. In addition, the scholarship program is based on high school academic achievement.
Read on to see the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship 2020 Requirements and apply.
There are three award levels in the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship: the Florida Academic Scholars Award, Florida Medallion Scholars Award, and Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars Award.
The three scholarships are easily renewable, which means you can significantly reduce your university costs for the Florida Bright Bright Future Scholarship for several years.
However, you may find it difficult to submit the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship application form. It turns out that much of the process is streamlined and automated – you will not have to go through too many obstacles to Apply. Eligibility requirements are slightly different, but if you meet these requirements, the application process should be fairly simple.
- More On Florida Bright Futures scholarships 2020
- Level/Field of Study
- Host Nationality
- Eligible Nationality
- Scholarship Worth
- Bright future scholarship Eligibility
- 4 Steps to Applying for a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship
- How to Make Your Application Stand Out
- Coursework
- GPA
- Community Service
- Application Deadline
- Scholarship Link
- EDITOR’S RECOMMENDATION
More On Florida Bright Futures scholarships 2020
In this post, I will briefly explain the eligibility requirements before moving to the application calendar. I’ll end with tips and strategies to help you get the best possible application for Bright Futures scholarships.
Level/Field of Study
The Scholarship is available for college and vocational school students who wish to study in Florida.
Host Nationality
The Bright Futures Scholarship 2020 is hosted in the USA. Check out other scholarships you can apply for in 2020 to study in Europe, Africa, Asia, America, etc.
Eligible Nationality
The scholarship is open to resident of Florida. If you are an international student looking for a scholarship to Study Abroad, you can check out our Study Abroad scholarships available for international students.
NOTE: Our Scholarship Award Winning Ebook (worth $50) is up for grab, if you’re reading this article, you stand a chance to win one of our Scholarship Ebook. get the E-book for free by dropping your thought on the article in the comment box.
Scholarship Worth
The scholarship award is available to help you fund your studies, and it is renewable.
How much does Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Pay?
- Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) will receive 100% tuition and applicable fees, as well as $300 for summer and spring sessions, to cover additional training costs. Students attending a public institution will be entitled to tuition and fees. Students attending a non-public institution will receive an amount comparable to that shown in the private awards chart. FAS students can receive an award during summer sessions to cover tuition and applicable fees, beginning in the summer semester.
- The Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) will receive a scholarship that covers 75% of the tuition fees and applicable fees. Students attending a public institution will be entitled to tuition and fees. Students attending a non-public institution will receive an amount comparable to that shown in the private awards charts. FMS students can receive an award during summer sessions to cover tuition and applicable fees, beginning in the summer semester of 2020.
- The applicable fees for both FAS and FMS include activity and service fee, health fee, athletic fee, financial aid fee, capital improvement fee, campus access/transportation fee, technology fee, and tuition differential fee
In summary, Bright Futures award amounts for the 2020 academic year:
- The Florida Academic Scholars Award is $212.71 per credit hour.
- The Florida Medallion Scholars Award is $159.53 per credit hour.
- The Academic Top Scholars Award is $44 per credit hour.
Bright future scholarship Eligibility
To apply for a Bright Futures Scholarship, the first step is to verify that you are actually eligible for this scholarship. It’s not something you can do at the last minute. To qualify for these awards, you need to spend more time thinking about bright futures in Florida.
General Florida Future Requirements
The following are the general requirements that apply to all Bright Futures Scholarships:
- You must be a resident of Florida and a US citizen or an eligible non-citizen (as determined by your college).
- You must complete the application for financial assistance in Florida before August 31st of your high school year.
- Also, you must obtain a Florida high school diploma or its equivalent from a Florida public high school or a registered Florida Department of Education private school.
- You can not have been convicted of a crime
- You must be accepted by and enroll in a degree or certificate program at an eligible Florida public or independent postsecondary institution (postsecondary = college, vocational, or professional program).
- In addition, you must be enrolled for at least 6 (non-remedial) credit hours per term.
Specific Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Requirements
There are several conditions for Bright Future Scholarships, minimum requirements for GPA, ACT / SAT, and hours of service for the three Bright Future Scholarships. The most competitive scholarship is the Florida Academic Scholars Program (FAS), followed by the Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS), and then the Gold Seal Vocational Scholars (GSV).
This diagram lists some of the key requirements for FAS and FMS programs:
| SCHOLARSHIP | WEIGHTED GPA MINIMUM | ACT MINIMUM | SAT MINIMUM* | SERVICE HOURS |
| FAS | 3.50 | 29 | 1290 | 100 hours |
| FMS | 3.00 | 26 | 1170 | 75 hours |
| FMS – Homeschooled students without official transcripts | 3.00 | 27 | 1220 | 75 hours |
* The minimum SAT values apply only to the “Critical Reading” and “Math” sections (on the SAT before March 2019) or for your whole new SAT score (if you took the SAT March 2019 or later), both have a maximum score of 1600. Also, you don’t have to take both the SAT and ACT – one will do!
The GSV program differs slightly in terms of participation conditions. The minimum GPA required to qualify for the GSV program is 3.0 (weighted) in non-elective courses. The minimum service time is 30 hours.
The requirements for the GSV test score are a little more detailed (note that you only need to pass one of the following exams, but you can not combine sub-sections of different tests):
| Exam | Subsection | Score minimum |
| ACT | English | 17 |
| Reading | 19 | |
| Math | 19 | |
| SAT | Reading | 440 |
| Math | 440 | |
| P.E.R.T. | Reading | 106 |
| Writing | 103 | |
| Math | 114 |
There’s some more fine print when it comes to eligibility requirements for the Florida Bright Futures scholarships. To get more detailed information on meeting all of these requirements, check out our Bright Futures guide and handbook below.
Bright-Future-Student-Handbook
Florida-Bright-Future-Eligibility-Handbook-Chapter1 Bright-Future-Student-Handbook
4 Steps to Applying for a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship
The steps to completing this application will probably be easier to conquer than the ones on this staircase.
Time needed: 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Much of this process is automated – you won’t have to do much extra work outside of submitting the Florida Financial Aid Application and keeping an eye on your app to make sure everything is processed correctly.
If all of your eligibility requirements check out, you can start the application as early as December 1.
- Step 1: Submit the Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA)
The FFAA opens December 1 each year. Your Florida Bright Futures account login information will be sent to you after you submit the FFAA. Just remember that you must submit your FFAA by August 31 of the year that you graduate from high school, or you won’t be eligible for a scholarship award.
- Step 2: Take the ACT or SAT and Submit Your Scores
The good news is that you’ll have to take either the ACT or SAT for college applications anyway. Send your scores to any Florida public college or university to ensure that the Florida Department of Education – the institution that reviews Bright Futures applications – receives them.
- Step 3: Submit Your Official High School Transcripts
More good news: many schools will submit your transcripts automatically for consideration. Still, it’s a good idea to check in with your guidance counselor about whether you need to take any additional steps.
- Step 4: Keep the Information in Your Account Updated
There are a bunch of things you can (and should) manage once you get your Bright Futures account information:
+ Monitor your reported service hours.
+ Update your postsecondary institution: once you’ve been accepted to/enrolled at an FL college or vocational school, you would make a note of this in your account.
+ Update any demographic information.
+ View your eligibility determination: check your account once everything’s been submitted to see if you’re eligible for the scholarship.
Application Timelines
There are two Bright Futures timelines to be aware of if you’re ready to start the application process: Early Evaluation and Final Evaluation.
If you can plan for the Early Evaluation timeline, you could potentially learn about Bright Futures eligibility as early as March.
Early Evaluation
If your transcripts are submitted for early evaluation (based on academic progress in the middle of the last year of high school and test scores for tests taken by January 31), you’ll get an eligibility notification posted to your online account. These postings may begin in March, according to the Florida Department of Education.
Final Evaluation
All students whose final transcripts are submitted following the last high school term will get an eligibility notification posted to their online account. These postings may begin in July, again according to the Florida Department of Education.
How to Make Your Application Stand Out
Now that you know a little bit more about eligibility requirements and the application process, you can focus on making your Bright Futures application the best it can be.
The good news: aside from making sure you meet all eligibility requirements, there isn’t much you have to do to make your application “stand out.” If you meet the requirements for the FAS, FMS, or GSV scholarship, you’ll receive the scholarship – it’s as simple as that.
The bad news: the eligibility requirements are strict. There’s no gray area – you either qualify because you meet all requirements, or you don’t (no matter how close you are) and don’t get a scholarship. There are some eligibility loopholes and exceptions for out-of-state, homeschooled, and GED students – learn more about them in our requirements guide.
The best Bright Futures success strategy will focus on meeting eligibility requirements as early in your high school career as possible. The following tips will help you do that, starting right now.
Coursework
All Bright Futures scholarships require students to complete a certain set of high school courses. You’re likely to meet all coursework requirements if you went to high school in Florida. If you suspect there may be a problem, schedule a meeting with your guidance counselor.
GPA
It’s difficult to significantly raise your GPA in a short period of time. Focus on your grades by picking a realistic GPA minimum starting your freshman year. If you’re struggling to meet your goal, here are some ways to bring up that GPA:
- Take classes that are appropriate for your skill level. If you’re unsure about which classes are most appropriate, meet with your guidance counselor to discuss.
- See teachers for extra help in weak subject areas.
- Ask about extra credit assignments if possible.
- Check out our guide on raising your GPA.
Community Service
The earlier you start reporting your community service hours, the fewer hours per week you’ll need to volunteer. If you start chipping away at this requirement as a senior, you’ll have to set aside 2-3 hours a week for community service; if you start as a freshman; however, you’ll only need to volunteer 1-1.5 hours every two weeks.
You can’t earn any money for your community service hours, but you can kill two birds with one stone and look for positions where you can get interesting professional experience. Start by asking friends and family for suggestions – make sure you’re working with a legitimate agency who will reliably track your hours.
Finally, set a schedule. Go at the same time every week or every two weeks so you don’t fall behind on completing your hours. If you need some help brainstorming, check out our guide to the best places to do community service.
Application Deadline
The deadline for the submission of application is on August 31st.
Scholarship Link
For more information on the Florida Bright Future Scholarships, click on the link below:
https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/SAPBFMAIN/SAPBFMAIN
EDITOR’S RECOMMENDATION
Does this article meet your immediate needs? If yes, leave us with a 5-star rating in the Review Box below. However, if no, leave a comment on the comment box to express your concern or ask the question and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Madelayne says
very helpful I would like to know if the student graduation year is 2020 then, he will need to submit the application by August 2019?
Kelly Demeza says
I think this is such a wonderful scholarship for those that work hard in high school.
Sudais kateregga says
I request my comment by saying i want to join and my reason is i need scholarship to proced with my studies thanks
Rashadujjman says
I need this scholarship.so sir can you help me？please sir
my whatsapp no.+8615679110937
Mary Belser says
I think this scholarship is amazing and helpful.
D'Andre Peterson says
I would like to know the status of my scholarship application.
brkti leake says
Hello my name is brkti I’m graduated by hotel management from axum University iam from Ethiopia and I want apply for free scholarship For masters please can you inform me how can I get this free scholarship in Canada