Bright Futures Scholarship Program

Once disbursed program funds, the Bright Futures Scholarship will renew automatically each year (up to the scholarship limit) if the student maintains renewal requirements. An annual FFAA is not required to be submitted to renew the Bright Futures Scholarship.

General Requirements

• Be a Florida resident and a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, as determined by the student’s postsecondary institution.
• Complete the FFAA no later than the August deadline.
• Earn a standard Florida high school diploma, or its equivalent, from a Florida public high school or a registered Florida Department of Education (FDOE) private high school; or complete a home education program.
• Not have been found guilty of, or pled nolo contendere to, a felony charge, unless the student has been granted clemency by the Governor and Cabinet sitting as the Executive Office of Clemency.
• Be accepted by, and enrolled in a degree or certificate program at, an eligible Florida public or independent postsecondary institution.
• Be enrolled for at least six non-remedial semester credit hours (or the equivalent in quarter or clock hours) per term.
• If not funded in the academic year immediately following high school graduation, apply within five years of high school graduation to have the award reinstated.

Florida high school students who wish to qualify for the Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) award or the Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) award must meet the following initial eligibility requirements:

• Graduate high school from a Florida public high school with a standard Florida high school diploma (high school graduation requirements), graduate from a registered Florida Department of Education private high school, earn a GED, complete a home education program, or graduate from a non-Florida high school if specific conditions are met (see the Out-of-State (OOS) guide referenced here for additional details OOS);
• Complete the required high school coursework;
• Achieve the required minimum high school grade point average (GPA);
• Achieve the required minimum score on either the ACT, CLT, or SAT college entrance exam. Tests accepted through the August due date of high school graduation year;
• Complete the required number of volunteer service, paid work hours, or the combination of 100 total hours; and
• Submit an FFAA no later than the due dateafter high school graduation.