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Out-Of-State 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 includes a standard Florida high school diploma…unless
the student earns a high school diploma from a non-Florida school while living with a parent or guardian who is on
military or public service assignment away from Florida. (Section 1009.531 (1) (b), Florida Statutes.) In addition,
students must meet the general requirements for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program.
Public service assignment is defined as the occupational assignment
of a Florida resident employed by the United States Government or State of Florida, who as a condition of
employment, is located and working outside the state of Florida. (This does not include companies who
contract with the US or Florida governments.) A student whose parent or guardian is on public service
assignment may reside with either natural parent or another adult designated by either natural parent or guardian.
The documentation listed below is required for the initial eligibility evaluation of students who:
- graduate from a high school outside the state of Florida, and
- have one parent who is a Florida resident and is serving active duty in the military or public service
assignment during the student's last year of high school, 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 last year in high school (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.
- Full official high school transcript. Please provide official transcript(s) showing all high
school coursework attempted. A student's transcript (including courses in progress for the final semester) and other
documentation may be submitted to the FDOE after the first semester of the last year has been completed. FDOE may evaluate
the student's eligibility and provide official notification of award status prior to graduation. If the student's award
status can be improved by including additional information from the final term of the last year, the student's transcript
may be resubmitted following graduation.
- SAT, ACT, or CPT test scores. Test scores of tests taken through the end of June of the
student's last year in high school 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.
- Proof of active duty military
- Copy of Leave and Earnings Statement* (LES)
OR
- Proof of public service assignment
- Copy of Leave and Earnings Statement* (LES) to confirm public service assignment with the US Government, or
- Copy of State of Florida employee Earnings Statement* to confirm public service assignment with the state of Florida
*from any month of the student's last year in high school
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Declaration of Florida Residency (click here to download form). The student's postsecondary
institution will determine Florida residency for funding purposes. It is possible for a student to meet initial
eligibility criteria to earn a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship, but if the institution determines the student is
not a Florida resident, the student will not receive Bright Futures funding.
Include one of 4 documents below to indicate Florida residency (must be parental document):
- State of Legal Residence Certificate (Form DD-2058 for military
personnel, available from base personnel offices),
Or
- Enlistment/Reenlistment Document (Form DD4/1 for military personnel, available from base personnel offices),
Or
- Driver's license or voter's registration (current and at least one year old) along with a signed
Declaration of Florida Residency form,
Or
- Proof of property ownership with a homestead exemption, along with a signed Declaration of Florida Residency form.
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- Proof of Dependency. Show proof of dependency, provided through a copy of a
recent (less than 1 year old) parental tax return.
- Documentation of 75 hours of community service, 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.
Please mail the above documentation to:
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Florida Department of Education
Office of Student Financial Assistance
Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program
1940 North Monroe Street, Suite 70
Tallahassee, FL 32303-4759
Attn: Ms. Jacque Hunt
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Home Educated OOS Students
Out-of-state students whose parents are serving in the military or are on public service assignment outside the state
of Florida and who are home educated must provide documentation to show compliance with the home education requirements
of the state in which they were home schooled. Their test scores must meet the same minimum requirements of Florida
home education students qualifying for a Florida Academic or Medallion Scholars award. Home education transcripts
are not accepted.
GED OOS Students
Out-of-state students whose parents are serving in the military or are on public service assignment outside the
State of Florida and who earn an out-of-state GED must meet the scholarship curriculum and grade point average
requirements before taking the GED exam. The minimum SAT or ACT 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. Funding will begin the fall term of the next academic year.
The Web site at www.FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org/ssfad/bf/ provides detailed Florida Bright Futures
Scholarship Program information, including initial eligibility requirements. 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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