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GED (General Educational Development) Applicants
Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program
State Scholarships and Grants
Office of Student Financial Assistance
Florida Department of Education
Eligibility criteria for a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship specify that a student must have earned "…a standard
Florida high school diploma or its equivalent." [Section 1009.531(1) (b)] The GED will serve as an equivalent to the
standard diploma. In addition, students must meet the general requirements for
the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program.
The documentation listed below is required for the initial eligibility evaluation of students who earn a Florida
high school equivalency diploma (commonly known as the Florida GED diploma) and wish to be evaluated for a Florida
Bright Futures Scholarship. To be determined eligible for the scholarship, GED students must meet the scholarship
curriculum and grade point average requirements before taking the GED exam. The minimum test score must be achieved
by June 30th of the year in which the GED is earned. Eligibility for a scholarship will be determined in the
year in which the GED is earned.
Please visit
http://www.fldoe.org/workforce/ged/gedover.asp
for more information on taking the GED in Florida.
Required Documentation
- Initial Student Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA). Submit a completed
FFAA online at www.FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org during the
student’s last year in high school (after December 1st of the last year and prior to taking the Florida GED exam) or
call toll-free at 1-888-827-2004 to request a hardcopy application form. The application gives the Florida Department
of Education (FDOE) permission to evaluate the student's high school transcript(s) for eligibility for a Florida Bright
Futures Scholarship.
- Full official high school transcript submitted to the FDOE by the student’s Florida public
high school or registered private high school. The required coursework must be completed and the minimum grade
point average earned before the Florida GED exam is taken.
- SAT, ACT, or CPT test scores. Test scores of tests taken through the end of June of the year
in which the student takes the GED exam will be admissible for a Bright Futures evaluation. The SAT and ACT scores can
be used to qualify for all three awards: Florida Academic Scholars award, Florida Medallion Scholars award, and the
Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award. Submit scores to FDOE in one of the following ways (preferably the first):
- Request the test scores be sent to one of Florida’s 11 state universities when the student registers for
the SAT or ACT. These scores will be sent to the FDOE repository.
- Submit test scores on the high school transcript.
- Include the official copy (no photocopies) of the test scores in the original sealed envelope with this
documentation. Official CPT test scores, which are only used for the Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars
award evaluation and are only given at Florida community colleges, must be sent directly to FDOE in a sealed envelope.
- Documentation of 75 community service hours, if applicable. To qualify for the Florida
Academic Scholars award, a student must complete 75 hours of community service during high school, by high school
graduation. The agency or agencies where the community service hours were earned must provide documentation on
agency letterhead.
- Original document to verify Florida GED diploma.
The Initial Student Florida Financial Aid Application will be received by the Florida Department of Education
online. Mail the hardcopy FFAA and/or other documentation to:
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Florida Department of Education
Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program
1940 North Monroe Street, Suite 70
Tallahassee, FL 32303-4759
Attn: Ms. Beverly Lahtinen
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The Web site at www.FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org/ssfad/bf/ provides detailed Florida Bright Futures
Scholarship Program information. Please keep in mind that the student's initial scholarship eligibility
cannot be improved upon after high school graduation. Questions may be directed to our office
at OSFA@fldoe.org or via our toll-free number at 1-888-827-2004.
For Additional Scholarship Information Contact:
The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program
Toll-Free at 1-888-827-2004
Visit the Office of Student Financial Assistance Web site at
www.FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org
E-mail: OSFA@fldoe.org
Fax: 850-487-6244
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