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Home Education 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 unless the student completes a home education program
according to s. 1002.41." [Section 1009.531 (1) (b), Florida Statutes ] In lieu of the diploma, all home
educated students must be registered with the district where they reside for grades 11 and 12. 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 are home
educated and wish to be evaluated for a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship.
Required Documentation (no substitutions)
- Initial Student Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA). Submit a completed FFAA online
at www.FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org during the
student’s last year in a home education curriculum (after December 1st of the last year and prior to
graduation) 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.
- After you submit your FFAA, you will be responsible for
tracking your application and award status
online and keeping OSFA informed of any demographic or institutional changes via a User ID and PIN:
Know it, Use it, Be Responsible for your state financial aid!
- NEW - The submission of a Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA) is now an annual requirement for Bright Futures eligibility. Note: The student’s FAFSA
does not have to indicate need; however, must be complete and processed error free prior to a student’s first
disbursement of an award. (The Florida State Programs May 15 deadline does not apply to Bright Futures.)
Visit the website at www.fafsa.ed.gov for online processing.
- SAT or ACT. Test scores of tests taken through the end of June of the student's last year in a home
education curriculum will be admissible for a Bright Futures evaluation. 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.
- Include the official copy (no photocopies) of the test scores in the original sealed envelope.
When applying as a home-educated student, the test score requirement for each scholarship is as follows:
Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) award
- A best combined score of 1270 SAT (excluding the writing section) or 28 ACT (excluding the writing section)
(No official transcripts required.)
Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) award
- A best combined score of 1070 SAT (excluding the writing section)
or 23 ACT (excluding the writing section),
(No official transcripts required.)
or
- NEW - A best combined score of 980 SAT (excluding the writing section) or 21 ACT (excluding the writing section)
with a weighted 3.0 GPA in the required 16 college preparatory credits
- documented through Florida public, FDOE-registered
private, Florida Virtual School (FLVS) or Florida dual enrollment transcripts
- District confirmation of registration of a home educated student for 11th and 12th grades -
In order to be eligible as a home educated student, a student must provide verification of 11th and 12th grade county registration.
Certification of county registration will occur online by the home education district contact. The submission of
a 2012-13 FFAA as a home educated student will prompt the district to certify the registration online.
If the student was not registered as being home educated with the district for grades 11 AND 12, but has
the minimum transcript information from a Florida public and/or FDOE-registered private school, and test
scores, he/she may be able to apply as a Florida GED Diploma recipient.
(Visit www.FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org/ssfad/bf/gedpac.htm
to view the requirements for a GED applicant.)
- NEW - Documentation of community service hours.
A home-educated student must complete community service hours during high school and by high school
graduation.
- Community service hours may not be hours that benefitted the student financially or
materially, or be service to family members, defined as: parents, grandparents,
siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and spouses, including all
step relations.
- The agencies where the community service hours were earned must provide documentation
of the number of hours and dates of service completed on agency letterhead.
- The hours must be submitted through the student’s district where he or she is
registered as a home-educated student and approved by the FDOE for the Bright
Futures community service requirement.
- Each award requires the following completed and approved community service hours:
- FAS – 100 hours
- FMS – 75 hours
If the student did not apply online, mail the hardcopy FFAA and/or other documentation to:
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Florida Department of Education
Office of Student Financial Assistance
Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program
325 West Gaines Street, Suite 1314
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
Attn: Ms. Beverly Lahtinen
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The website 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 toll-free 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 website at
www.FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org
E-mail: OSFA@fldoe.org
Fax: 850-487-1809
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