What's New

• Florida Legislative Session 2008 Updates
• Florida Legislative Session 2007C Updates
• Florida Medallion Scholars May Receive 100% Funding at Community Colleges
• Bright Futures Updates

Student Quick Links

• First-Time Applicants
• Initially Awarded Student Information Page
• Renewal Students
• 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

Renewal Requirements for Bright Futures Scholarships

What are the renewal requirements?

• A student who receives funding during the current academic year (fall through spring) is automatically evaluated for renewal at the end of the spring term.  Renewal cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) and completed hours requirements are outlined in the table below.
• The postsecondary institution where a student is enrolled as degree- or certificate-seeking is the home postsecondary institution.  That postsecondary institution determines the courses to be included in each student's renewal postsecondary institutional cumulative GPA.
• A student may request that a financial aid officer at the home postsecondary institution use his/her high school dual enrollment courses to his/her advantage when calculating the renewal postsecondary institutional cumulative GPA.

• Summer grades and hours earned after spring evaluation may be used if necessary to meet the scholarship renewal requirements.  A student must ask a financial aid officer at the home postsecondary institution (that reported his/her spring renewal grade and hours) to submit a grade and hours update to the Bright Futures office indicating the adjusted cumulative GPA and/or hours.
• A student who does not meet the minimum hours requirement during the academic year (fall through spring) or the summer after spring evaluation will no longer be eligible for his/her Bright Futures award.
• A student who earns the Florida Medallion Scholars award or Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award in high school may not renew to the Florida Academic Scholars award because initial eligibility for the award was based on high school academic accomplishments.
• A Gold Seal Vocational Scholar who has received initial award funding for one or more terms is renewed and funded as a Florida Medallion Scholar.
• Academic Top Scholars renewal eligibility is based on the Florida Academic Scholars annual renewal requirement.  Renewal of the Florida Academic Scholars award will also earn renewal of the Academic Top Scholars award.

Must a student use the scholarship for a full academic year?
No.  A student may choose to attend and receive Bright Futures funding for only one term during the academic year.  Renewal criteria for this student will include completion of a minimum of six semester hours per term funded (or the equivalent in quarter or clock hours) and the minimum cumulative GPA requirement.

Are there restrictions to a student's Bright Futures funds?

• A maximum of 45 semester hours (or the equivalent in quarter or clock hours) may be funded in one academic year (fall through spring).
• All hours are paid at the undergraduate rate.  Graduate hours may be funded at the undergraduate rate only if they are used to satisfy undergraduate degree requirements.  Graduate or undergraduate classification is determined by the postsecondary institution.
• No remedial course work is funded.
• See section on Scholarship Length.

What happens if a student wants to drop a class or withdraw from school after a term's drop/add period?
A student should contact his/her postsecondary institution's financial aid office regarding its policy on withdrawal and how that policy may affect the scholarship.  The postsecondary institution is required to provide funding for the number of hours for which the student is enrolled at the end of the last day of the drop/add period.  If the student drops or adds hours afterward, the postsecondary institution is not required to revise the award amount; however, hours dropped may affect the student's renewal eligibility.

May a student receive funding for courses taken at two different postsecondary institutions during the same term?
Yes, a student must notify the financial aid office at his/her postsecondary institution.  A student's home postsecondary institution is where the student is enrolled as degree- or certificate-seeking and will be the postsecondary institution from which Bright Futures funds are disbursed.

What if a student does not meet the Bright Futures renewal criteria of a minimum grade point average (GPA) and/or hours earned, due to a verifiable illness or other circumstance beyond his/her control?

Postsecondary Institutional Appeal

• The student may request that the financial aid office at the home postsecondary institution he/she attended conduct a review of the courses included in the cumulative GPA.
• In the case of illness or emergency beyond the student's control, the student may provide pertinent documentation regarding the illness or emergency to the appropriate home postsecondary institution.
• The postsecondary institution will review the student’s request and send recommendation of approval/denial.  Appeal request guidelines may be obtained through the financial aid office of a student’s postsecondary institution.
• An institutional academic progress appeal is to be filed within 30 days of the denial letter or by the date established by the institution's financial aid office, whichever is later.  Ineligibility notices are mailed during the summer following spring evaluation.