The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program establishes a lottery-funded scholarship to reward any Florida high school graduate who merits recognition of high academic achievement and who enrolls in an eligible Florida public or private postsecondary educational institution within three years of high school graduation. The Bright Futures Scholarship Program is the umbrella program for all state funded scholarships based on academic achievement in high school. The three scholarships are the Florida Academic Scholars Award, the Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars Award and the Florida Medallion Scholars Award. Your counselor has detailed information concerning each scholarship and any changes that may occur in the eligibility criteria. Students and parents should contact their guidance counselor or access the Bright Futures website at http://www.MyFloridaEducation.com/brfuture to be informed of any changes.

Applying for a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship

Students must complete the Florida Financial Aid Application at http://www.FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org during the last year of high school and after December 1st. Students must qualify for the Bright Futures Program by the time they graduate from high school. Early admission students (if qualified for Bright Futures) may receive a scholarship in the fall of the early admission year or after completion of the early admission year. Students will be evaluated for eligibility after the 7th/14th semester (Early Evaluation). The 8th/16th semester (June evaluation) will occur for those students who were not qualified during the Early Evaluation, but are now qualified and for those students who are now qualified for a higher award. In February and approximately two weeks after graduation, student transcripts will be electronically transmitted to the Florida Dept. of Education for evaluation. In all instances, the Department of Education will calculate grade point averages. The Department of Education mails eligible/ineligible letters to students submitted for evaluation.

Each of the three scholarship awards has specific criteria that must be met. However, to be eligible for the initial award, a student must:

• Compete the online application entitled the Florida Financial Aid Application by spring graduation
• Be a Florida resident and a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Earn a Florida  standard high school diploma or its equivalent from a public high school
• Attend an eligible Florida public or Independent postsecondary  educational institution
• Register for at least six semester credit hours or the equivalent
• Not have been found guilty of or pleaded nolo contendere to a felony charge
• Begin using the award within three years of graduation

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