Florida Bright Futures Scholars

Florida Medallion and Florida Academic Scholarship Recipients

Students should be aware the initial award amount displayed in their account is based on an estimated enrollment of 13 credits. Award amounts will be adjusted after the drop/add deadline to reflect the student’s actual enrollment. For recipients of both the Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) and Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) programs, applicable fees include the activity and service fee, health fee, athletic fee, financial aid fee, capital improvement fee, campus access/transportation fee, technology fee, and tuition differential fee. It is important to note that additional fees beyond these are not covered by Bright Futures. Students should review their statements each semester. If you have not accepted additional financial aid to cover any remaining balance, it is your responsibility to pay the outstanding amount by the semester’s payment deadline to avoid a late payment fee of $100.00.

Students are no longer required to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before offering or disbursing the Bright Futures Scholarship. Offer amounts are listed below:

• Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) – Scholarship will pay 100% of tuition and applicable fees during Fall, Spring and Summer semesters if enrolled in at least 6 credit hours.
• Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) – Scholarship will pay 75% of tuition and applicable fees during Fall, Spring and Summer semesters if enrolled in at least 6 credit hours..

Graduate Study

Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) and Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) earning a baccalaureate degree in the 2010-11 academic year and thereafter in 7 semesters or fewer (or the equivalent in credit hours) may receive funding for 1 term of graduate study, not to exceed 15 semester hours, paid at the undergraduate rate.

Bright Futures Scholars Renewal Requirements

For more scholarship criteria information-please visit Bright Futures Student Handbook.

Renewal Criteria

Renewal criteria must be met each academic year. Failure to meet the renewal criteria will result in the loss of your Florida Bright Futures Scholarship. If a student fails to meet renewal criteria when grades and hours are reported to the State at the end of the Spring term, a student may be able to attend summer semester in order to attempt a restoration of their scholarship for the next academic year.

	Florida Academic Scholars Offer	Florida Medallion Scholars Offer
Minimum cumulative GPA (unrounded/unweighted)	3.0*	2.75*
Minimum Hours Required per Term: Full-Time (12+ hours)	12 credit hours (earned hours)	12 credit hours (earned hours)
Minimum Hours Required per Term: Three-Quarter-Time (9-11 hours)	9 credit hours (earned hours)	9 credit hours (earned hours)
Minimum Hours Required per Term: Half-Time (6-8 hours)	6 credit hours (earned hours)	6 credit hours (earned hours)

*Florida Academic Scholars with a 2.75 to 2.99 GPA will renew as a Florida Medallion Scholars.

Students are encouraged to use the Bright Futures Credit Hour Interactive Tool

Dropped/Withdrawn Courses

A student must reimburse the post-secondary institution for the cost of course(s) dropped or withdrawn after the initial drop/add period. The student will be ineligible to renew his/her Bright Futures offer for any subsequent academic year until repayment or a satisfactory arrangement to reimburse the institution is made. Non-refunded hours will affect the student’s renewal eligibility.  Any payment made after June 1st, will not be automatically reported to OSFA.  Students must self-report late repayments using Bright Futures Status Check Form.

Appeals Process

If annual renewal requirements were not met due to extreme situations beyond a student’s control, such as a verifiable illness, emergency or circumstances, a student may request a State Funds Appeal.  This must be verifiable documentation that substantiates the illness or emergency.  An institutional academic progress appeal is to be filed within 30 days of the date of the ineligibility notice sent to the student or by September 1st, whichever is later. Ineligibility notices are posted to the student's Financial Aid Recipient History web screen during the summer following spring evaluation.  Appeals submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

When filing an appeal, you must explain the illness or emergency that you believe warrants review for continued receipt of Bright Futures. Your appeal must include a complete description and documentation of the circumstances. You must submit statements from physicians, emergency services, police records, college officials, etc., to support your appeal. 

How Do Bright Futures and Florida Prepaid Work Together?

Bright Futures (and any other accepted financial aid) will be applied to your FAU balance around 2-3 weeks into the semester.

Florida Prepaid will be applied around 3-4 weeks into the semester to the remaining balance.

• If there is an overage of payment (with the combination of Bright Futures/Financial Aid and Prepaid) you will receive any excess funding in the form of a refund.
  
  
• If there is still an FAU balance after both Bright Futures and all pending financial aid has paid out, you are responsible for covering the remaining balance by the published deadline.

Important Note:

Keep in mind that the Bright Futures amount listed on your student account summary is an ESTIMATED figure. The Florida PrePaid Contribution Schedule will give you the EXACT amounts that Florida Prepaid will disburse based on the number of credits the student is enrolled for the semester (after the drop/add deadline).