Bright Futures Initial Eligibility

2017-2018
High School Graduates
 Florida Financial Aid – General Eligibility

Florida resident and U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen

Pursue an undergraduate degree at an eligible Florida postsecondary
institution
Begin using the scholarship funds within 2 years of high school graduation
(unless enlisted in military)
Graduate from a Florida public high school or FLDOE-registered private high
school (for GED, Out-of-State & Home Education exceptions see
www.FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org/ssfad/bf
Not be guilty of, or pled no contest to, a felony charge
Be enrolled for at least 6 non-remedial semester credit hours
Complete the Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) no later than August
31st after graduation
 Florida Academic
FLORIDA Scholars Award
FINANCIAL AID &
THE BRIGHT Florida Medallion
Scholars Award
FUTURES
SCHOLARSHIP
Florida Gold Seal
Vocational Award
  GPA
 3.5 weighted GPA in required college preparatory
credits (not rounded)
 Required Credits-- 16 college preparatory credits

Florida  4 English (3 with substantial writing)

 4 Math (Algebra I level and above)
Academic  3 Natural Science (2 with substantial lab)
 3 Social Science
Scholars  2 Foreign Language (sequential, in the same

Award language)
 Community Service
 100 hours – approved by YOUR high school
counselor
 Test Scores
 1290 SAT Reasoning Test or 29 ACT National Test
 Florida
Academic  One FAS award recipient per county
Scholars  Ranked on BF GPA and SAT/ACT score
Award  Award established annually by the Florida
Legislature in the General Appropriations Act
prorated by term and hours
Florida  Determined end of fall term following HS
Top graduation and after term one
disbursements
Scholars  Students and high school notified in
Award November following high school graduation
  GPA
 3.0 weighted GPA in required college preparatory
credits
 Required Credits--16 college preparatory credits
Florida  4 English (3 with substantial writing)
4 Math (Algebra I level and above)
Medallion


 3 Natural Science (2 with substantial lab)

Scholars  3 Social Science

 2 Foreign Language (sequential, in the same
Award language)
May use up to 2 additional credits from courses in these academic areas and/or AP, IB, or
AICE fine arts courses to raise GPA.

 Community Service
 75 hours approved by YOUR high school counselor
 Test Scores
 1170 SAT Reasoning Test or 26 ACT National Test
Scholarship Awards – How Does It Work?

 Public and Private Institutions

 Students will receive the specified award amounts established
annually by the Florida Legislature in the General
Appropriations Act.
 Funding begins the Fall following high school graduation.
 Summer funding is not available
 Forcurrent year award amounts visit:
www.FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org/SSFAD/bf/awardamt.htm
 Eligibility Evaluations

Completed twice a year based on transcripts electronically sent to

the Florida Department of Education by the graduating high school:
 Begins in March, after 7th semester (fall term) – January 31st
 Begins June/July, after 8th semester (graduation) – June 30th

Note: Students MUST check eligibility ONLINE at

www.floridashines.org
 New  Award Amounts Florida Academic Scholars
2017-2018 (FAS) will receive an award to cover 100%
of tuition and applicable fees and $300 for

Florida both fall and spring semesters for

additional educational expenses.

Academic  Students attending a public institution will

have tuition and applicable fees covered.
Scholar  These fees include activity and service fee,
Award health fee, athletic fee, financial aid fee,
capital improvement fee, campus

Amount access/transportation fee, technology fee

and tuition differential fee.
 www.FloridaShines.org

 FloridaShines.org is Florida's official online one-stop-shop in transitioning students from

middle school through college.
 It is an advising system that can assist high school students, college students, parents,
and even counselors to help plan and track educational progress in Florida.
 Go www.floridashines.org
 Click on “Go to College”
 Click on “Pay for College”
 Select “Check Your Eligibility…”
Login – Social Security Number or Florida ID # provided to the school
 For More Information….

 www.FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org
 E-mail: OSFA@fldoe.org
 1-888-827-2004 (Grants/Scholarships)
 1-800-366-3475 (Student Loans)
 WWW.FASTWEB.COM

 FastWeb offers a free scholarship database that includes over 1.3

million scholarships worth over $3 billion
 Database sources include local, national, and college-specific
scholarships
 Search and compare detailed college profiles on FastWeb’s database
 FastWeb’s database allows you to also search for internships or part-
time job openings near your home or school
 FastWeb is recommended by more than 16,000 schools and 3,600
colleges
 Access FastWeb by visiting www.fastweb.com - requires ID/Password
 OTHER RESOURCES

 Use www.finaid.org to search for available monies through scholarships and

grants nationwide
 www.bigfuture.collegeboard.org
 High School Counseling Office
 Be aware of recent scholarship scams
 Scams can be received via phone, letter in the mail, or E-mail
 Visit the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website at www.ftc.gov for
additional information on scams, or contact the FTC by calling 1-877-FTC-
HELP (1-877-382-4357) or TTY 1-866-653-4261
Keep all copies of
your financial aid
documentation.
 THANK YOU!!

SCHOOL COUNSELORS
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts
armstronga@duvalschools.org
ferrells1@duvalschools.org
mortensenk@duvalschools.org
(904) 346-5620