What's New

• Florida Legislative Session 2009 Updates and Legislative History

Student Quick Links

• Important Notice Regarding Changes to Your Florida Bright Futures Scholarship
• First-Time Applicants
• Initially Awarded Student Information Page
• Renewal Students
• Required Hours for Renewal
• Eligible Colleges and Schools
• Award Amounts
• Summer Funding
• Frequently Asked Questions

Administrator Quick Links

• High School Guidance Counselors
• Resources for Postsecondary Institutions
• Comprehensive Course Table

Reinstatement Requirements for Bright Futures Scholarships

An eligible student who did not receive funding during the previous academic year and would now like to apply for scholarship funding is a reinstating student.

• If a student did not receive award funding in the academic year following his/her graduation from high school, the student must apply to reinstate the award within three years of high school graduation and receive funding the immediate subsequent academic year.
• Once a student has received funding (for a minimum of one term), he/she is eligible to apply for reinstatement up to seven years from high school graduation.

To Apply for Reinstatement:

• A student must complete a Reinstatement/Restoration Application available on the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) Web site at www.FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org by selecting State Grants, Scholarships & Applications, Apply Here, and then Reinstatement/Restoration Application for Students (or use the direct link above).  Please note that the academic year for which a student is applying is at the top of the application.  New applications are available in February each year.
• If a student does not receive award funding in the academic year following his/her graduation from high school, he/she must apply to reinstate his/her award within three years of high school graduation and receive funding the immediate subsequent academic year.
• Once a student has received funding (for a minimum of one term), he/she is eligible to apply for reinstatement up to seven years from high school graduation.
• The Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) recommends that applications be submitted by July 1 for a timely fall disbursement or by December 15 for a belated fall or timely spring disbursement.  The deadline for submission of 2009-10 academic year reinstatement applications is May 30, 2010.
• If determined eligible for reinstatement, the student will receive the Bright Futures award (Florida Academic Scholars, Florida Medallion Scholars, or Gold Seal Vocational Scholars) for which he/she was last determined eligible.

Students Who Enlist in the Military

• An initially eligible student who enlists in the United States Armed Forces immediately after high school graduation must (within three years after separation from active duty):
  • request reinstatement by completing and submitting a Reinstatement/Restoration Application for Students online and
  • submit an official DD Form 214 via U.S. mail to verify time served in the military.
• A student who is receiving a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship and discontinues his/her education to enlist in the United States Armed Forces must commence the remainder of his/her seven-year renewal period upon the date of separation from active duty.  To reinstate the scholarship, he/she must:
  • complete and submit a Reinstatement/Restoration Application for Students online and
  • submit an official DD Form 214 via U.S. mail to verify time served in the military.

The DD Form 214 should be mailed to:  Florida Department of Education, Office of Student Financial Assistance, Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program, Suite 70, 1940 North Monroe Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32303-4759.