Bright futures scholarship program requirements

Perhaps fortunately for you, there are just as many exceptions to these rules as there are actual rules. If you were homeschooled, have a GED, or live out of state, you still might qualify for the award even given the stringent criteria described above. If you were homeschooled and don't have a Florida state standard diploma, you still may qualify for a Bright Futures award if you're registered with the district for the current and prior academic year and meet all the general requirements for Bright Futures.

You can also qualify as a GED Diploma recipient see below. The process of applying or qualifying for an award won't be much different than that of a student with a standard high school diploma.

Just keep in mind that your eligibility for a scholarship will be determined in the academic year in which your GED is earned. Be sure to check out the Florida Department of Education's website on the GED for more information about how this equivalency test works. If you're a Florida resident but your parents live out of state, then you still qualify for the Bright Futures scholarship.

This is true for renewal, too: if you're a Florida resident and your parents move out of state while you're in college in Florida, you still qualify for the scholarship. Usually, only Florida residents can qualify for the Florida Bright Futures scholarships not a huge surprise there.

If you earned a high school diploma from a non-Florida school while living with a parent or guardian who was on military or public service assignment outside of Florida , you may still be eligible. Keep in mind, though, that this parent must be a Florida resident. These eligibility qualifications above are tedious, to say the least. One option that the Bright Futures scholarship program offers is an early eligibility evaluation. The scholarship program will begin posting these determinations in July.

Now that you know all about the Florida Bright Futures eligibility rules, you can start working on maximizing your chances of winning a scholarship. Here, I'll go through all the award criteria, giving tips and strategies to meet minimum coursework, GPA, test score, and service hour minimums.

Like I mentioned earlier, most high schools require students to take the courses necessary to qualify for the Bright Futures awards. Test scores might be a sticking point for many students. Here's what you can do to increase your chances of meeting those minimum scores:. It would not be fun to try to fit in service hours in the few months before high school graduation remember that your service hours all have to be completed before you get your diploma.

So how do you stay on track? Need more information on Bright Futures scholarships? Our guide to Bright Futures Scholarship programs answers all the questions you're wondering about. Ready to get started on your Bright Futures application? Follow our step-by-step guide on Bright Futures applications for all the information you need to create a top-notch application. Interested in more community service ideas? Check out our guide to great community service projects. You may also be interested in other community service-based scholarships.

We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:. Francesca graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and scored in the 99th percentile on the SATs. She's worked with many students on SAT prep and college counseling, and loves helping students capitalize on their strengths. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.

See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Ask questions; get answers. How to Get a Perfect , by a Perfect Scorer. Score on SAT Math. Score on SAT Reading. Score on SAT Writing. What ACT target score should you be aiming for? If you meet all the requirements listed above, congratulations! You may be in the running for a Bright Futures scholarship.

Our next step will be to provide an overview of each Bright Futures program. This includes all applicable tuition and fees. Students who choose a private institution will receive a comparable award but it may not cover the entire cost. This is the most competitive Bright Futures program and has the highest requirements.

This program is less competitive than the Florida Academic Scholars program. Its GPA and test score requirements are less strict. Here is an outline of the award amount you can expect from the scholarship, based on your field of study. This program is designed for students who are pursuing a certificate or vocational degree. The award amount structure for the program is outlined in the above table. Florida Academic Scholars must hold a minimum 3. They must also complete at least service hours.

However, exceptions have been made in this policy to account for coronavirus. You can learn more about coronavirus adjustments below. Students must also have completed a set of high school coursework requirements.

These requirements align with the state university system admission requirements. As a result, any student considered for admission at a Florida school would meet these requirements. You can read the requirements in detail in the table below.

Related: Top full ride scholarships for high school students. Florida Medallion Scholars must hold a minimum 3. The Scholarship is available for college and vocational school students who wish to study in Florida. Check out other scholarships you can apply for in to study in Europe , Africa , Asia , America , etc. The scholarship is open to residents of Florida, but 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.

Get the E-book for free by dropping your thought on the article in the comment box. To apply for a Bright Futures Scholarship , the first step is to verify that you are actually eligible for this scholarship.

The following are the general requirements that apply to all Bright Futures Scholarships:. The GSV program differs slightly in terms of participation conditions. 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 :. To get more detailed information on meeting all of these requirements, check out our Bright Futures guide and handbook below.

Much of this process is automated. If all of your eligibility requirements check out, you can start the application as early as December 1. 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. There are a bunch of things you can and should manage once you get your Bright Futures account information:. If you can plan for the Early Evaluation timeline, you could potentially learn about Bright Futures eligibility as early as March.

All students whose final transcripts are submitted following the last high school term will get an eligibility notification posted to their online account. 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. However, the bad news is, the eligibility requirements are strict.