Florida Bright Futures Scholarship
Florida Bright Futures Scholarship is a state scholarship awarded to Florida high school graduates who demonstrate high academic achievement. Award notifications are sent directly to eligible students from the State of Florida.
Scholarship Information
Scholarship Eligibility
Valencia College receives electronic information about eligible Bright Futures scholars from the Florida Department of Education. You must designate Valencia College as the school you plan to attend by visiting floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org or call 1-888-827-2004.
To use your scholarship:
- Enroll for at least six credits of college-level course work each term and
- Be classified as a Florida resident (waivers do not qualify) and
- Be a degree-seeking student and
- Be a U.S Citizen or eligible non-citizen.
Applications and Eligibility Criteria
Applications and eligibility criteria are available from your high school guidance office or from the Florida Department of Education Web site: floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org.
Award Levels
The program has four levels. Each award level has different academic criteria for eligibility. Your financial aid award will reflect an estimate of the maximum amount. Actual payment will be based on your Bright Futures Scholarship award level and enrolled credit hours.
Initial award amounts are estimated based on full-time enrollment (12 or more hours) for purposes of Valencia’s financial aid award planning.
The program has four levels.
Florida Academic Scholars Award (FAS)
The Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) award pays 100% of tuition and state-approved fees. The award is available for Fall, Spring, and Summer terms.
Florida Medallion Scholarship (FMS)
Beginning in the 2021-22 aid year, Florida Medallion Scholarship (FMS) covers 100% of tuition and state-approved fees for students in associate degree programs. Students enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs or technical certificate programs will qualify for 75% of tuition and state-approved fees. The scholarship is available for Fall, Spring, and Summer terms.
Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars Award* (GSV)
Pays up to $48 per credit hour for students in a vocational program (AS degree or Technical Certificate).
*Students who graduate high school in 2012-2013 and later, who are eligible for Gold Seal Vocational cannot receive funding when they are enrolled in an Associate in Arts or Baccalaureate degree program.
Florida Gold Seal CAPE Scholarship (GSC)
Pays up to $48 per credit hour of a career education or certificate program (AS degree or Technical Certificate) tuition for lower division courses. Award is similar to Florida Gold Seal Vocational but requires the student to have completed CAPE industry certifications and service hours to qualify and is available to students who earn their AS and later enroll in a Bachelor of Science program.
Frequently Asked Questions
For additional questions regarding Bright Futures Program, visit our Bright Futures Frequent Asked Questions Page.
Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Renewal Requirements
Renewal criteria must be met each academic year. Failure to meet the renewal criteria will result in the loss of your Florida Bright Futures Scholarship. For first year students, summer grades and hours earned after spring evaluation may be used if necessary to meet the scholarship renewal requirements of GPA. A student must ask the Financial Aid Office to submit a grade and hours update to the Florida Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) indicating the adjusted cumulative GPA and/or hours.
If you withdraw from any course(s) that were paid for by a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship, you are responsible for repaying the amount paid by the scholarship for those course(s). If you do not repay for Bright Futures funded classes dropped or withdrawn by the end of the current academic year, you will not be eligible for renewal or funding for the subsequent academic year.
Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement
The renewal cumulative GPA requirements are outlined in the table below.
| Academic Scholars (FAS) | Medallion Scholars (FMS) | Gold Seal Vocational Scholars (GSV) | Gold Seal CAPE Scholarship (GSC) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Cumulative GPA (unrounded and unweighted) |
3.0 | 2.75 | 2.75 | 2.75 |
Renewal Criteria
Renewal criteria must be met each academic year.
Failure to meet the renewal criteria will result in the loss of your Florida Bright Futures Scholarship. For first year students, summer grades and hours earned after spring evaluation may be used if necessary to meet the scholarship renewal requirements of GPA. A student must ask the Financial Aid Office to submit a grade and hours update to the Florida Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) indicating the adjusted cumulative GPA and/or hours.
Annual Credit Hour Renewal Requirement by Term Course Load
|
Term 1 Hours Funded |
Term 2 Hours Funded (After Withdrawals) |
Annual Earned Hours Requirement |
|---|---|---|
|
Full-Time (12 or more hours) |
Full-Time | 12 + 12 = 24 |
| Three-Quarter Time | 12 + 9 = 21 | |
| Half-Time | 12 + 6 = 18 | |
|
Three-Quarter Time (9-11 hours) |
Full-Time | 9 + 12 = 21 |
| Three-Quarter Time | 9 + 9 = 18 | |
| Half-Time | 9 + 6 = 15 | |
|
Half-Time (6-8 hours) |
Full-Time | 6 + 12 = 18 |
| Three-Quarter Time | 6 + 9 = 15 | |
| Half-Time | 6 + 6 = 12 |
Example
For example: After all dropped / withdrawn courses have been reported, a student who is funded full-time in Term 1 and funded three-quarter time in Term 2 is required to earn a minimum of 21 credit hours by the end of the spring term.
Withdrawal Information
If you withdraw from any course(s) that were paid for by a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship, you are responsible for repaying the amount paid by the scholarship for those course(s). If you do not repay for Bright Futures funded classes dropped or withdrawn by the end of the current academic year, you will not be eligible for renewal or funding for the subsequent academic year.
Scholarship Appeal Process
If a student does not meet annual renewal requirements, they do have the option of appealing in cases of a verifiable illness or circumstances beyond the student’s control. The student must provide an explanation along with documentation related to the mitigating circumstances for the term(s) in question.
An appeal must be filed within 30 days of the date of the ineligibility notice sent to the student or by the institution’s deadline which is April 30th of the year following the loss of eligibility. Please contact the Financial Aid office at finaidoffice@valenciacollege.edu to request an appeal form.