bright futures

florida bright futures scholarship program

The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program has helped more than 725,000 Florida students attend a postsecondary institution. Bright Futures awards include:

Florida Academic Scholars Award (FAS)
Florida Medallion Scholars Award (FMS)
Florida Gold Seal CAPE Scholars Award (GSC)
Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars Award (GSV)

Apply this scholarship toward in-state tuition. You may have the opportunity to have your entire undergraduate tuition covered for all four years, contingent upon the specific award you receive and the type of college (public or private) you select. Your award may be used toward either Florida public or private college tuition.

Public FL colleges & universities - If FAS = 100% tuition, if FMS = 75% tuition
Private FL colleges & universities - Earn the same dollar amount as the public college/university based upon your level (FAS or FMS).
- - Example: If FAS, you will earn $212/college credit. This is the amount you will earn for the private college. However, private tuition will be more and will be responsible for paying the difference.

Bright Futures Scholarship application opens on October 1st and has a deadline of August 31 of the year the student graduates high school. (Example of deadline: If student graduates May 2024, they have until August 31, 2024 to complete/submit their application)

paths to earn the bright futures scholarship

There are FOUR paths to earn the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship:

earn your AICE Diploma
earn your IB Diploma
be a National Merit Finalist/Scholar or National Hispanic Scholar
earn the scholarship based on specific criteria (see below).

PATH #1 - EARN YOUR AICE DIPLOMA

AICE Curriculum

Complete a minimum of 7 AICE credits* identified by the Cambridge Assessment International Education (Cambridge International) in the Diploma Core and three academic areas as follows (within 25 months):
- - AICE Diploma Core – AICE Global Perspectives & Research AS level (required)
  - Group 1 – Mathematics and Sciences
  - Group 2 – Languages
  - Group 3 – Arts and Humanities
  - Group 4 – Interdisciplinary Skills (Optional – and has a limit of 2 credits maximum)
  - 2 additional credits required in any combination from the above four groups.
Complete 100 community service hours
Submit Bright Futures application

If students earn their AICE Diploma, they will be eligible for the Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) - Students will receive an award to cover 100% of tuition and applicable fees.

BENEFITS TO EARNING AICE DIPLOMA

Exempt from:

Physical Education requirement
Fine Arts requirement

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DO NOT PASS AN EXAM?

You MAY be able to retake the exam. Please check with your school's AICE coordinator for eligibility.

Fees for a re-take are $125 for AS level, $195 for A level, ADIP is $143 and Global is $210.

When can you retake a failed exam?

You may register to retake a failed exam in the Fall (November) or the Spring (June) series.
Benefits of the Fall retakes:
- - Information is fairly fresh in your memory.
  - Fall exam results come out the following January.
  - Eliminates a test date from May/June, which is a very busy testing time for other courses.

PATH #2 - EARN YOUR IB DIPLOMA

IB Curriculum

Complete a minimum of 10 credits identified by the International Baccalaureate Organization:
- - Two credits each in three of the following areas and one credit each in the remaining three areas:
    - - Language Arts
      - World Language
      - Social Studies
      - Science
      - Mathematics and Arts/Electives.
        Each of these credits must be an IB or AP course. Pre-IB courses do not meet IB curriculum requirements.
  - One credit in Theory of Knowledge
Complete the Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) requirement
Complete an extended essay.

If students earn their IB Diploma, they will be eligible for the Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) - Students will receive an award to cover 100% of tuition and applicable fees.

PATH #3 - BE A NATIONAL MERIT FINALIST/SCHOLAR OR A NATIONAL HISPANIC SCHOLAR

National Merit Finalists and Scholars

To identify National Merit Scholarship Corporation students, the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) will need the official letter of recognition from National Merit Scholarship Corporation sent to High Schools.

National Hispanic Recognition

- To identify National Hispanic Recognition Program students, the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) will need the official letter (email) of recognition from College Board Recognition Program as well as the certification showing the student has been recognized by the National Hispanic Recognition Program as a scholar recipient. The documents should be uploaded to OSFA’s secure file by either the high school or the student.

If a student is identified as either of the above two recognitions, they will be eligible for the Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) - Students will receive an award to cover 100% of tuition and applicable fees provided they meet the community service requirements and the required coursework requirements.

PATH #4 - TAKE REQUIRED COURSEWORK, EARN GPA, ACT/SAT SCORES, & SERVICE HOURS

Earn either the Florida Academic Scholars, Florida Medallion Scholars, or the Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award based upon the following criteria:

GPA
SAT/ACT test scores
Community Service
Completing specific classwork (see image)

What each award covers:

Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) - Students will receive an award to cover 100% of tuition and applicable fees for in-state, Florida public universities/colleges. This amount may be applied toward Florida private universities, but you will be responsible for the difference.
Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) - Students will receive an award to cover 75% of tuition and applicable fees for in-state, Florida public universities/colleges. This amount may be applied toward Florida private universities, but you will be responsible for the difference.

HOW TO FILL OUT THE APPLICATION (step-by-step instructions)

TO APPLY:

Go to the website
Click on CREATE A STUDENT ACCOUNT under First-Time Applicants.
Under PROFILE complete all Demographic and Contact information.
- Including your SSN is strongly suggested or input your FLE ID (50+student number)
- High School Graduation Date - Enter "May 20" of your senior year (NOTE: This date is not official, the actual date has not been released and will not until late December/early January)
- Provide the email address that is best for receiving official communication from Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA). You may provide an alternate email address as well. DO NOT USE YOUR SCHOOL EMAIL ADDRESS!
Click SUBMIT to proceed.
Once submitted, you will receive a personal USER ID & PASSWORD (take a picture or write down information).
Click on Complete FFAA promptly or log-in using USER ID & PASSWORD.
- When initially logging-in you will be prompted to create a new PASSWORD.

FFAA APPLICATION
Use the following information to help you complete the FFAA Application - which must be complete as part of the Bright Futures Application.

Demographic & Contact information (already populated from when you created your account - see above)
- Florida Legal Residence: Click YES
- U.S. Citizenship: Choose YES or NO
- Convicted of a Crime: BE CAREFUL! Click NO, unless you have been convicted of a felony or 1st degree misdemeanor
- Deceased or Disabled Veteran: Click NO, unless you have a parent who was a Military Veteran and is deceased or disabled
- Rosewood is a scholarship for minority black students who are descendants of the Rosewood incident of January 1923. Only answer YES if you are sure this applies to you.
- If you or one of your natural parents is Hispanic-American answer YES.
- Florida Farmworker: Only answer YES if you have a parent who is a Florida Farmworker
- Click NEXT
Academic Background High School Enrollment
- Will Graduate from a Florida High School: Choose YES
- FL High School Graduation Option: Choose Public
- Select District: From drop down menu choose Palm Beach - Florida School District
- Select High School: From drop down menu choose YOUR HIGH SCHOOL
- Are you an AICE or IB Student: Choose YES or NO
Academic Background - PostSecondary Plans
- Have you earned a baccalaureate Degree: Choose NO
- Classification: From drop down menu choose Freshman (1st time in College) if you have never taken any dual enrollment or Freshman (with previous college)
- Indicate whether you plan on going to a college/university Out-of-State or In-State.
- Institute where you are planning to attend: Use the drop down menu to indicate In-State colleges/universities (this should be your top choice school)
  - Choose up to four other schools you would like to have the information shared with. These choices may be changed at a later date.
- Click NEXT
After completing all required sections, click the “Submit” button at the bottom to process your application.

Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) has created a step by step Reference Guide (PDF) to help you through the application process.

NOTE: After you have made a decision on the college you will attend after high school, and have committed, make sure to update the Institute where you are planning to attend to reflect that school! Not doing so may delay in receiving the funds.

Still have questions? You may contact them directly at 888-827-2004.

REQUIREMENTS

Students must APPLY for the Bright Futures Scholarship by submitting the Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) no later than August 31 after high school graduation. The application opens on October 1.
Be a Florida resident and a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, as determined by the student's postsecondary institution.
Earn a standard Florida high school diploma or equivalent from a Florida public high school or a registered Florida Department of Education (FDOE) private high school or complete a home education program.
Not have been found guilty of, or pled nolo contendere, to a felony charge, unless the student has been granted clemency by the Governor and Cabinet sitting as the Executive Office of Clemency.
Be accepted by and enroll in a degree or certificate program at an eligible Florida public or independent postsecondary institution.
Be enrolled for at least 6 non-remedial semester credit hours (or the equivalent in quarter or clock hours) per term.
If not funded in the academic year immediately following high school graduation, apply within two years of high school graduation to have your award reinstated.

Please refer to the Bright Futures Student Handbook: Initial Eligibility Requirements for more information.

BRIGHT FUTURES TIMELINE (SENIOR year TO COLLEGE)

The following is the timeline for Bright Futures evaluation and when you should expect it to show up in your financial aid section of your college portal

Tip #1:

Fill this form out as soon as it is open (anytime after October 1st) in your senior year. It takes only 10 minutes.

Tip #2: Make sure to log back in to verify your status in April and May. If there is a discrepancy, see your Dean or Counselor immediately to figure out what the issue may be. If you have committed to a school, verify/update the school in the "Institute where you are planning to attend" field of your application.

Tip #3: Remember, your status MAY update in June/July after they receive the AICE status update in the same month.

NOTE: You should complete the FFAA whether or not you THINK you may be qualified.

NOTE: If you do not complete and submit the application, you WILL NOT receive the Bright Scholarship money.

DID YOU KNOW? GRADUATE SCHOOL

An FAS or FMS scholarship recipient, who graduates with a baccalaureate degree in seven or fewer semesters, or in 105 semester hours or fewer, may receive funding for one semester of graduate study, not to exceed 15 credit hours paid at the undergraduate rate. Graduate school funding must be used within the applicable scholarship length.
SOURCE: Bright Futures Student Handbook - Chapter 2: What You Need to Know Now That You Are Eligible

Please feel free to schedule a meeting or if you have a question, contact us.

Updated: 2/27/2025

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