Are You Aware Of The Changes To Bright Futures Scholarships?

Background

The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program was created in 1997 in an effort to keep the best and brightest Florida high school graduates in the state by offering scholarships for postsecondary education in Florida.

The Florida Legislature created the program to reward students for their academic achievements during high school.

The merit-based program offers three levels of scholarship awards with different eligibility requirements.

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

More than 1.5 million Bright Futures awards have been disbursed since the start of the program, totaling more than $3.2 billion.

New Eligibility Requirements

Students are now required to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.

State Senators say the new FAFSA requirement is meant to collect financial data on the student recipients and their families. They say it is not an effort to move the program to a need-based scholarship.

Students must now also complete the following community service hours:

FAS – 100 hours
FMS – 75 hours
GSV – 30 hours

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April 1, 2013

More Than Half of Black and Hispanic Students Will No Longer Qualify For Bright Futures Scholarships

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More than half of Florida’s Hispanic and black students at state universities currently eligible for the state’s Bright Futures college scholarship would no longer qualify when new standards take effect on July 1, according to a University of South Florida analysis obtained by the Florida College Access Network. By comparison, about 40 percent of white [...]

March 12, 2013

Bright Futures Scholarships May Soon Require Less Paperwork

With no discussion or fanfare, the Senate Education Committee has approved a bill that would remove a small piece of red tape for students who want to receive Bright Futures scholarships. Under the bill, SB 680, students would not be required to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA requirement went [...]

January 18, 2013

Government Watchdog Recommends Tougher Bright Futures Requirements

Bright Futures money is being targeted again, this time by a government watchdog group that says the state should raise requirements for the merit-based scholarship program. The lottery revenues which fund the scholarships aren’t stretching as far as they used to. Lawmakers made changes to the Bright Futures program in recent years, as more college [...]

December 18, 2012

Lawmaker Changes His Mind About Bright Futures Bill

A Florida lawmaker who filed a bill that would make Bright Futures recipients stay in Florida after graduation seems to have changed his mind. A spokesman for Rep. Jimmie Smith, R-Lecanto, told the Orlando Sentinel that Smith will withdraw the bill that was filed this month. It would have required college graduates to stay and [...]

December 13, 2012

Bright Futures Recipients May Have To Stay In Florida After Graduation

A Florida lawmaker has filed a bill that would force most Bright Futures recipients to stay in Florida after graduation or pay back the scholarship money. Rep. Jimmie Smith, R-Inverness, wants the bill to serve as an incentive to keep Florida’s top graduates in the state. House Bill 35 says a graduate must stay and [...]

December 12, 2012

Why The Cost Of Florida Prepaid College Jumped 350 Percent In Six Years

The cost of a prepaid, 4-year university plan for a newborn in Florida has climbed more than 350 percent in the last six years. That’s what Gov. Rick Scott heard during a presentation Tuesday by the Florida Prepaid College Board. In 2006-07, the prepaid cost for 4-year university tuition and fees was $14,616. Now, it’s [...]

August 22, 2012

Florida Bright Futures Scholarships By The Numbers

We’ve spent the week looking at how Bright Futures scholarships have changed over the last fifteen years. Bottom line: More students are getting the money, but the awards aren’t going as far as they used to in covering the cost of college or university tuition. The program establishes three lottery-funded scholarships for high academic achievers. [...]

August 21, 2012

Everything You Need To Know About Applying For Bright Futures Scholarships And What They Cover

The value of Bright Futures scholarships has gone down in Florida as tuition has jumped, but they’re still a good deal. Requirements have changed, so let’s take a look at what students need to do to receive a Bright Futures award and keep it each year they’re in college. The program provides three levels of [...]

August 20, 2012

Bright Futures Scholarships Cover Less Tuition For Florida College Students

Across Florida, college freshmen are signing up for classes. Many are bringing Bright Futures scholarships to help pay their way. But Forrest Estep experienced sticker shock when he saw what the scholarships don’t cover. Estep is a student at Florida State University. In the past, his Bright Futures Scholarship would have covered a lot more. [...]

August 17, 2012

Freshmen Combine Bright Futures Scholarships With Florida Prepaid College Plan

The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program and the Florida Prepaid College Plan are not mutually exclusive. But some people think they should be. Woody Estep wishes he’d bought into the prepaid program. His son attends Florida State University, where his Bright Futures scholarship last year covered just a portion of the tuition and none of [...]