How to be Restored - One-Time Opportunity

Restoration Requirements for Bright Futures Scholarships

For 2009-10 high school graduates and thereafter

• did not meet the GPA renewal requirement during the first year of funding (but did meet the hours requirement) and in a subsequent renewal period (end of spring term) met the GPA requirement.  If a student's cumulative GPA (unrounded and unweighted), as reported by the home postsecondary institution, was less than a 2.75 at the end of the first year of funding, the student may apply for restoration in an academic year after the 2.75 cumulative GPA requirement is met.  The 2.75 GPA must be met before the fall term for which the student is applying.
• was initially eligible for an FAS award, dropped to FMS award eligibility but met the FAS requirement in a subsequent summer or renewal evaluation period (end of spring term).  No application is required as the one-time restoration is automatically evaluated through the renewal process.

For 2009-10 high school graduates and thereafter, a student who fails to meet the minimum earned hours requirement in ANY academic year renewal period (end of spring term), will NOT be permitted a restoration opportunity.

For 2008-09 high school graduates and earlier

A student is a restoration student if he/she:

• did not meet the GPA renewal requirement during a prior renewal evaluation period, but met the GPA requirement in a subsequent renewal evaluation period to restore the award.  If a student's cumulative GPA (unrounded and unweighted), as reported by the home postsecondary institution, was less than a 2.75 and he/she was ineligible for funding, the student may apply for restoration in an academic year after the 2.75 cumulative GPA requirement is met. The 2.75 GPA must be met before the fall term for which the student is applying.
  or
• did not meet the minimum credit hours requirement during a prior renewal evaluation period, but earned the required hours in a subsequent renewal evaluation period to restore the award.  A student may apply for restoration the following academic year after the earned hours requirement is met and the required GPA for restoration has been met.  Restoration for not meeting the hours requirement is only available to 2008-09 and earlier high school graduates who did not meet the hours requirement in the 2009-10 academic year and thereafter.
  or
• was initially eligible for an FAS award, dropped to FMS award eligibility but met the FAS requirement in a subsequent summer or renewal evaluation period (end of spring term).  No application is required as the one-time restoration is automatically evaluated through the renewal process.

To Apply for Restoration:

• To request restoration, a student must complete a Reinstatement/Restoration application available on the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) website or use the direct link above.  New applications are available in February each year.
• In addition to the application, the financial aid office at the Florida postsecondary institution where the student last attended as degree- or certificate-seeking must certify online the postsecondary institutional cumulative GPA that will determine his/her eligibility to restore.
• A student who last attended an out-of-state postsecondary institution must request that his/her official transcript be submitted to:  Florida Department of Education, Office of Student Financial Assistance, Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program, 325 West Gaines Street, Suite 1314, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400.
• OSFA recommends that applications be submitted online by July 1 for a timely fall disbursement or by December 15 for a timely spring disbursement.  The deadline for submission of 2012-13 academic year restoration applications for both fall and spring (or equivalent) is May 30, 2013.

Note: Funding is not available to a student prior to restoring the scholarship nor is it retroactive for prior years

Bright Futures Restoration Requirements

Note:  For 2008-09 and earlier high school graduates only, a student who loses the award due to not meeting the minimum credit hour requirement must:

• earn at least 24 semester credit hours (or the equivalent) if enrolled full time for the entire academic year to restore the scholarship.
• earn at least 12 semester hours (or the equivalent) if enrolled full time for only one term to restore the scholarship.

If a student is enrolled part time for any part of the academic year, the student must earn a prorated number of credit hours for each term enrolled to restore the scholarship.

• A student enrolled three-quarter time (9-11 semester hours or the equivalent) for a term must earn at least 9 semester hours for that term to restore the scholarship.
• A student enrolled half-time (6-8 semester hours or the equivalent) for a term must earn at least 6 semester hours for that term to restore the scholarship.