The 2021 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship programs are incredible financial aid options for Florida state students.
You might find the application steps for Bright futures scholarship 2021 difficult but we have outlined the process and requirements for you to make it easier.
You will also learn some essential details about the scholarship Program.
Contents
Bright Futures Scholarship requirements
There are a few varied Bright futures scholarship awards, but these prerequisites pertain to all of them (unless contrarily indicated later on in the post). In order to be eligible for one of these awards, you must:
- Be a Florida state resident and US citizen or eligible noncitizen (noncitizen eligibility is defined by your college). You are however required to be a resident of Florida.
- To apply for Bright futures scholarship program, you need to first finish the Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) by August 31 of the year of your high school graduation
- Obtain a standard Florida high school diploma or its counterpart from a Florida public high school or a registered Florida Department of Education private school
- Before you can apply for Bright futures scholarship 2021, you must not have been found guilty of (or pleaded no contest to) a felony charge
- Be approved by and register in a degree or certificate program at an eligible Florida public or independent postsecondary institution after high school graduation
- Having a minimum of six (non-remedial) credit hours per term is another requirement for Bright futures scholarship application.
If you meet all of the aforementioned prerequisites, you’re on the right track to getting your own Florida Bright Futures awards.
DISTINCT SCHOLARSHIP REQUIREMENTS
The various Bright Futures scholarship grants possess slightly different academic eligibility requirements. Use this details to conclude which Bright futures scholarship award might be the best match for you.
Florida academic scholars (FAS) and Florida medallion scholars (FMS)
There are particular minimum prerequisites for high school coursework, GPA, ACT/SAT scores, and service hours that must be met to be eligible for either of these programs.
You’ll have to meet the prerequisites in all of these domains in order to be qualified for bright futures Scholarship grant. If you have earned another educational award, you may have a simpler time qualifying for an FAS or FMS award.
Coursework
This chart summarizes the coursework prerequisites for both the FAS and FMS scholarships:
High School Course – Credits – Required – Comments
English – 4 -Three – must include substantial writing
Mathematics – 4 – Must be at or above Algebra I level
Natural Science – 3 – Two- must have substantial lab work
Social Science 3 —
World Language* 2 Must be sequential, and in the same language
* about the World Language Requirements : if you have not taken the essential courses, you can meet this prerequisite by indicating expertness on credit-by-exam equivalencies or other “university-approved” means. What this implies is if you can test out of your language in college, you are likely to also meet the Bright futures scholarship language prerequisites even if you didn’t take two sequential language courses in high school.
GPA, ACT/SAT, and Service Hours
In case you are going for the Bright Futures Scholarship program, you are required to indicate an extent of academic and community service merit in order to be eligible for either the FAS or FMS programs.
You will note, though, that the Bright Futures Scholarship FMS program is a bit less competitive in its minimum requirements.
Prerequisites for Graduates
SCHOLARSHIP – WEIGHTED GPA MINIMUM – ACT MINIMUM – SAT MINIMUM – SERVICE HOURS
FAS 3.50 29 1290 100 hours
FMS 3.00 26 1170 75 hours
Superscores
Thankfully, the Bright Futures scholarship uses a superscore. Superscores uses the highest section scores from each test you submit in order to generate the highest possible cumulative score for one specific exam type.
A superscore is the distinction between qualifying for an FMS scholarship and an FAS scholarship—which can save you thousands of dollars in college tuition!
Some vital notes:
- You are to submit scores from one standardized test—you don’t have to meet score prerequisites for both the SAT and the ACT
- The Bright futures scholarship SAT/ACT minimums do not comprise the writing section.
- All SATs/ACTs must be finalized by June 30 of the year of your high school graduation (or by January 31 if you graduate mid-year)
- All service hours for Bright futures scholarship must be finalized by your high school graduation in order to count toward the grant.
Alternative for FAS OR FMS program
If you have obtained academic recognition through some other program, you may be qualified for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship programs even if you don’t meet some requirements.
This chart summarizes the eligibility prerequisites for scholars who have been acknowledged by any of the programs listed below. If a box is blank, that means that you would be exempt from that specific requirements.
Program Florida Scholarship ACT/SAT Score Minimums (2019-2020) ACT/SAT Score Minimums (2020-2021) Service Hours Minimums
National Merit/National Achievement Finalists and Scholars FAS — — 100 hours
NM/NA Finalists & Scholars FMS — — 75 hours
National Hispanic Scholars FAS — — 100 hours
National Hispanic Scholars FMS — — 75 hours
AICE Diploma FAS — — 100 hours
AICE Diploma FMS — — 75 hours
IB Diploma FAS — — 75 hours
AICE Curriculum FAS 29 or 1290 29 or 1330 100 hours
AICE Curriculum FMS 26 or 1170 25 or 1210 75 hours
IB Curriculum FAS 29 or 1290 29 or 1330 100 hours
IB Curriculum FMS 26 or 1170 25 or 1210 75 hours
If you’re planning on applying for Bright futures scholarship 2021 for IB Diploma or an AICE Diploma, you have to have achieved it before high school graduation for it to count.
Gold Seal Vocational scholars (GSV) Requirements
The GSV program is quite less competitive in terms of its academic eligibility prerequisites than the FAS or FMS programs.
To be eligible for the GSV program, you must meet all of the following requirements :
- Must possess a minimum weighted 3.0 GPA in non-elective high school courses
- Must finish 30 service hours by high school graduation
- Must write at least three full credits in a single career and technical education program
- Must attain a minimum 3.5 unweighted GPA in your career education classes
- Must attain the minimum score on the ACT, SAT, or P.E.R.T. test
This chart summarizes GSV test score minimums:
EXAM TYPE SUBTEST REQUIRED SCORE
ACT Reading 19
English 17
Mathematics 19
SAT Reading Test 24
Writing and Language Test 25
Math Test 24
P.E.R.T. Reading 106
Writing 103
Mathematics 114
Gold Seal CAPE Scholars (GSC)
The Florida Gold Seal CAPE Scholars program, or GSC, is granted to students who are registered in career education or career certificate programs that attain associates degrees and want to go on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree. To qualify for the GSC, you must:
- Attain a minimum of five postsecondary credit hours through CAPE industry certifications (that count toward college credit)
- Finish 30 service hours
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