• 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 August 31 after high school graduation.
  
  
• 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 enroll 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 your award reinstated.
  
  
  • (Please refer to ‘Reinstatement Requirements’ section of Chapter 3 for more information regarding the reinstatement process.)
    
    
  • (Please refer to the ‘Deferment of the Scholarship’ section at the end of this chapter concerning students who enlist in the military or engage in a full-time religious or service obligation after graduation.)

Florida Academic Scholarship (FAS)/Florida Medallion Scholarship (FMS)

Gold Seal Vocational Scholarship (GSV)

Gold Seal CAPE Scholarship (GSC)

Evaluation for Bright Futures includes an unrounded, weighted high school GPA (calculated to two decimal places) in the 16 college-preparatory credits.

The following courses are weighted .25 per semester course or .50 per year course in the calculation of the GPA: Advanced Placement (AP), Pre-International Baccalaureate (Pre-IB), International Baccalaureate (IB), Honors, Pre-Advanced International Certificate of Education (Pre-AICE), Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE), or academic Dual Enrollment.

For example, whereas an ‘A’ equals 4 quality points for an un-weighted course, an ‘A’ would equal 4.5 quality points for a weighted course. If necessary, students may use two additional credits from courses in the above academic areas, or from AP, IB, or AICE fine arts courses to raise their GPA.

These eligibility requirements are subject to change with each legislative session.

Students must meet the scores set in statute for either the ACT® or SAT®.

• The ACT® composite score is the average of the best section scores across the four subject area sections from any test sitting: English, Math, Reading and Science. Composite scores ending in 0.50 will be rounded up to the next whole number
  
  
• The SAT® combined score is the sum of the best Reading (Critical Reading or EvidenceBased Reading and Writing) and Math section scores from any test sitting of the SAT®
  
  
• The ACT®/SAT® exams may be taken an unlimited number of times through June 30 of the student’s graduation year (or through January 31 for mid-year graduates)
  
  
• Students will be evaluated based on official test scores from the FDOE repository. To ensure OSFA obtains official test scores:
  
  
  • Ensure demographics on your test registration and high school transcript match
    
    
  • Official single sitting test scores must be sent to at least one of Florida’s state universities, excluding Florida Polytechnic University, when registering for the ACT®/SAT®

These eligibility requirements are subject to change with each legislative session.

1. Be evaluated by Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) as meeting the initial eligibility requirements
   
   
2. Graduate with a standard high school diploma or its equivalent
   
   
3. Be a Florida resident and U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen
   
   
4. Enroll as a degree- or certificate-seeking student at a Florida institution in at least 6 non-remedial semester credit hours
   
   

These eligibility requirements are subject to change with each legislative session.

Questions can be directed to Dr. Lindsay Rodgers, Bright Futures Designee, at RodgersLi@pcsb.org. 

SERVICE HOURS

1. Court mandated community service.
   
   
2. Service hours where a family member is verifying the completed hours. 
   
   
3. An activity where there is no leader or responsible adult on site to evaluate and confirm student performance.
   
   
4. Donations, such as Locks of Love or giving blood.
   
   
5. Participation on a sports team or a performance of any kind unless participation is considered an act of service.

WORK HOURS

Bright Futures forms can be found on the PCSB Student Services website. The two forms that are needed can be found under the "Steps to Follow" section.

Questions can be directed to Dr. Lindsay Rodgers, Bright Futures Designee, at RodgersLi@pcsb.org.

During the summer, questions can be directed to Brooke Pair, Pinellas County Schools Financial Aid Counselor, at PairB@pcsb.org. 

Once the student is an active ninth grader and hours have the approval of the Bright Futures Designee, there is no time limit for completing hours other than the hours must be completed prior to the student's graduation date.

Students must submit a completed Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) to The Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA). In order to apply for State Scholarship & Grant Programs, a student must first Create a Student Account.  After logging into your account, you may proceed to complete the FFAA.

Quick Note: At the completion of the initial application, students should write down and keep their Bright Futures user ID and pin. This is the same account used to track their award status.

Students must apply for the scholarship after October 1st of senior year, but no later than August 31st after high school graduation. OSFA strongly encourages students to complete the FFAA if eligibility requirements have not yet been satisfied or if a student chooses to attend an out-of-state postsecondary institution. If a student does not apply for the scholarship by the deadline, a student cannot receive the scholarship! All eligibility requirements must be met by high school graduation; however, scores of ACT®/SAT®/P.E.R.T. tests taken through June 30th are accepted for evaluation purposes.

After submitting the FFAA, the student is responsible for tracking their application and award status online, keeping OSFA informed of any demographic or institutional changes, and ensuring that funding for an academic year is accurate by contacting their institution’s financial aid office.

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.

NOTE: All public high schools in Florida automatically send student transcripts to FDOE for Bright Futures evaluations.

You do not need to submit a request to send a transcript for this purpose.

A mid-year graduate is a student who graduates between September 1 and January 31 of an academic year and seeks funding for the spring academic term following graduation. Students who graduate early but do not seek funding until the next academic year are not considered mid-year graduates for Bright Futures.

The student graduating early and seeking funding for the spring term must submit FFAA by December 31 of the student’s high school senior year. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this application deadline. The student must meet the scholarship requirements in effect for the academic year in which he/she graduates. (Example: A December 2021 graduate must meet the 2021-22 scholarship eligibility requirements as well as the general program requirements as outlined earlier in this document.)

Service hours completed by high school graduation and test scores for test dates through January 31 will be considered in a mid-year graduate’s Final Evaluation. A student’s Final transcript evaluation MUST include a graduation date.

If determined eligible as a mid-year graduate, a student may receive funding for the spring term, if enrolled. These students will be evaluated for renewal of their scholarships at the end of the next academic year of funding.

If a student does not graduate mid-year as planned and wishes to apply as an end-of-year graduate, the student must submit a new FFAA after the new application opens on October 1.

Early Evaluations (7th Semester) – Postings may begin in March

All students whose transcripts are submitted electronically to FDOE for an official early evaluation (based on academic progress in the middle of the last year of high school and test scores for tests taken by January 31) will receive an eligibility or ineligibility determination, with the award status notification posted to their online account.

Students cannot lose an award based on early evaluation unless they fail to earn a standard Florida high school diploma from a Florida public or FDOE-registered private high school.

Final Evaluations (8th Semester) – Postings may begin in July

All students whose final transcripts are submitted following the student’s last term in high school will receive an award status notification (eligibility or ineligibility determination) posted to their online account.

Students who have demonstrated academic merit through a recognition program may be eligible for Bright Futures without having to meet one or more of the requirements.

Note: Both AICE and IB Diplomas must be earned prior to high school graduation. Confirmations may come from AICE and IB as late as September. Please refer to the table below for how to qualify based on one of the merit recognition programs.

The National Merit^® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. Approximately 1.5 million high school students enter the program each year.

In addition to earning this recognition, students must also complete 75-100 hours of Community Service to qualify. 

For more information, please visit the National Merit Scholarship Program website.

College Board's four recognition programs—National African American Recognition Program, National Hispanic Recognition Program, National Indigenous Recognition Program and National Rural and Small Town Recognition Program—award academic honors to underrepresented students.

In addition to earning this recognition, students must also complete 75-100 hours of Community Service to qualify. 

For more information, please visit College Board's National Recognition Programs website.

The Cambridge AICE Diploma was first awarded in 1997 and has since become popular with a range of schools in different parts of the world. It encompasses the'‘gold standard' Cambridge International AS & A Level qualifications, and offers students the opportunity to tailor their studies to their individual interests, abilities and future plans within an international curriculum framework.

In addition to earning this diploma, students must also complete 75-100 hours of Community Service to qualify. 

Please visit the Cambridge AICE Diploma website for more information.

The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) is for students aged 16-19. It is respected by leading universities across the globe.

Research suggests that there are many benefits to choosing the Diploma Programme (DP). The programme aims to develop students who have excellent breadth and depth of knowledge – students who flourish physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically.

In addition to earning this diploma, students must also complete 75-100 hours of Community Service to qualify. 

Please visit the International Baccalaureate website for more information.

• Complete a minimum of 14 AICE credits* identified by the Cambridge Assessment International Education (Cambridge International) in the Diploma Core and three academic areas as follows:
• AICE Diploma Core – AICE Global Perspectives & Research AS level (Two Credits required)
  
  
  • Group 1 – Mathematics and Sciences (Two Credits required)
    
    
  • Group 2 – Languages (Two Credits required)
    
    
  • Group 3 – Arts and Humanities (Two Credits required)
    
    
  • Group 4 – Interdisciplinary Skills (Optional – Four Credits maximum)
    
    
  • Six additional credits required in any combination from the above four groups
    
    
• Complete 75-100 Service Hours
  
  
• Achieve the required scores on a College Entrance Exam

*Students earn one credit by completing and passing one AICE full credit course and another credit for taking the
corresponding AICE examination

• Complete a minimum of 10 credits identified by the International Baccalaureate Organization:
  
  
  • Two credits each in three of the following areas and one credit each in the remaining three areas: Language Arts, World Language, Social Studies, Science, Mathematics and Arts/Electives. Each of these credits must be an IB or AP course. Pre-IB courses do not meet IB curriculum requirements
    
    
  • One credit in Theory of Knowledge
    
    
• Complete the Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) requirement
  
  
• Complete an extended essay
  
  
• Complete 75-100 Service Hours
  
  
• Achieve the required scores on a College Entrance Exam