The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Application Is Now Available Online for the Class of 2024

The opportunity to receive this free educational benefit, which can cover the entirety of tuition and applicable fees at a Florida public college or university (or partial tuition at an eligible independent postsecondary institution in Florida), is one of the most envied in the country. Bright Futures is a scholarship program that rewards the academic achievement and community involvement of Florida high school graduates, independent of their financial circumstances.

All Florida seniors who meet the requirements (scroll down to page 3) should complete the application. Even if you are NOT planning to attend a Florida college, you should apply. If you later transfer to a Florida college – for any reason – this money will be available to you. You must register by August 1, 2024, to be considered for any of the awards.

Do it now! It takes less than five minutes. There are NO downsides to applying.

Before you begin filling out the application, you’ll need your Social Security Number as well as the exact date of your high school graduation.

Filling out the Application:

1. Go to the Office of Student Financial Assistance Scholarships & Grants website.
2. Under the section “First-Time Applicants,” click on the “Create a Student Account” link.
3. On this page, you will be asked to fill out demographic information such as your social security number, date of birth, graduation date, and contact information.
4. Click Submit once you are done. After you fill out the initial information to create an account, you will then be automatically directed to the Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA).
5. All applicants need to fill out the Demographic Information and Academic Background sections on the FFAA:

Demographic Information: Complete the “Other Information” section. For students who were born (or who have at least one biological parent who was born) in a country/territory within the Caribbean, Central or South America, you will need to provide additional information in the José Martí section (labeled “JM” in the top menu) by April 1 of the year of high school graduation. This additional information includes the country you or your parent was born in, and whether you grant the Florida Department of Education permission to give your information to the José Martí Foundation. There are other additional requirements to be considered for the José Martí Scholarship Challenge Grant Fund.

Academic Background: This section requires you to fill out information about your high school and the name of the college you plan on attending (this can be either in-state or out-of-state). You can also enter the names of up to four in-state institutions you are considering attending. Our recommendation is that students list at least one Florida school on their application. This can easily be changed if a student chooses to attend another school. Be sure to keep your username and password in case you need to make any changes in the future.

Double check all the information to make sure it is accurate, and then submit the application between now and the final deadline of August 31, 2024.

• Don’t forget to look for an official email confirmation. This provides information regarding your credentials to access, update, and check the status of your application/award.

Information about the scholarships

A Florida Academic Scholar (FAS) or Florida Medallion Scholar (FMS) may receive funding for up to five years after high school graduation. However, scholars must apply to reinstate the award if they do not use their funding immediately after high school graduation. The Bright Futures Scholarship is available for almost all undergraduate colleges in the state of Florida.

Details of the Bright Futures Scholarships

Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) is the top-tier award. Students who earn FAS can receive an award that covers up to 100% of tuition and applicable fees when attending a public Florida college or university.

Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS), the second-tier, will receive an award to cover up to 75% of tuition and applicable fees at a Florida public school.

Students attending a private college will receive a comparable amount as noted in the Private Award Chart. Essentially, a student who attends a private Florida college will be awarded the same amount of money as they would be awarded at a public Florida college, so the amount is the same, but it won’t cover as much at the private college.

More information can be found here in Bright Futures Student Handbook Chapter 1.

NOTES on College Entrance Exams for the Bright Futures Scholarship

Student must meet the score requirements for either the ACT, SAT or CLT to receive a Bright Futures Scholarship. While most families are familiar with the SAT and ACT, the CLT (Classic Learning Test) is an alternative standardized test that evaluates aptitude and achievement in reading, grammar, and mathematics. A list of colleges and universities that accept these scores can be found here.

NOTES for AICE and IB Students

Students who earn their AICE or IB Diplomas may also be eligible for Bright Futures, and these students do not have to earn a minimum score on the SAT or ACT to qualify. Both AICE and IB Diplomas must be earned prior to high school graduation. Complete information on the required AICE and IB curriculum necessary for Bright Futures can be found here in the Bright Futures Student Handbook Chapter 1.

No matter where your family is in the college admissions process, International College Counselors can help you with every aspect, including courses, community services and test guidance for Bright Futures, as well as all and any other college admissions or college application help. Call us at 954-414-9986 to discuss how we can support you and your family!

Also, make sure to register for our upcoming free webinar on College Admissions: What to Look For and How to Get In November 2 @ 7PM: https://tinyurl.com/36j33j9u