Florida Bright Futures Scholarships: Requirements and How to Apply

The Bright Futures Scholarship program is a great opportunity for Florida high school students who plan to attend an eligible Florida public or private (independent) college, university or career program. It cannot be used at an out-of-state school. The process can seem complicated, but this article should make it simpler. Requirements change with each legislative session, so always check the Bright Futures Student Handbook for your graduation year.

Students that want to obtain a Bright Futures scholarship must submit the Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA), which opens October 1 of senior year, no later than August 31 after high school graduation (for the class of 2027, between October 1, 2026, and August 31, 2027). It should optimally be done before graduation. To qualify, most students must earn a standard Florida high school diploma (a registered Florida private school, home education program or GED can also qualify). There are four awards: the Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) and Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) academic awards, and the Gold Seal Vocational and Gold Seal CAPE awards for career and technical students, which have their own requirements. FAS is the top tier and to qualify students must graduate with a weighted Bright Futures GPA of 3.50 and complete 100 hours of volunteer service, paid work, or a combination of both. To qualify for FMS students must graduate with a weighted Bright Futures GPA of 3.00 and complete 75 hours of volunteer service, or 100 hours of paid work or combined volunteer and paid work. There are also course credit requirements that are the same for both: students must take 4 English course credits (three must include substantial writing), 4 in math (at or above the Algebra 1 level), 3 in natural science (two must have substantial laboratory work), 3 in social science, and 2 in world language (sequential, same language). This varies slightly if a student is in an advanced program like IB or AICE.

There is also a standardized testing requirement for FAS and FMS: a minimum ACT composite, Classic Learning Test (CLT) overall, or SAT combined score, from tests taken on or before August 31 of the graduation year. For the class of 2027, FAS requires a 29 ACT, 95 CLT, or 1330 SAT, and FMS requires a 24 ACT, 82 CLT, or 1190 SAT. For the class of 2028, FAS requires 29/96/1350 and FMS requires 25/83/1200 (ACT/CLT/SAT). Only one of the exams (ACT, CLT, or SAT) has to meet the requirement, and students may test as many times as they like; Bright Futures combines each student’s best section scores across test dates. (The ACT sub-scores of 19 reading, 17 English, and 19 math, or SAT section scores of 490 reading and writing and 480 math, apply to the Gold Seal Vocational award, not to FAS or FMS.) If students receive an AICE Diploma or IB Diploma then no standardized test scores are required, though the service or work hours still are. This could be very beneficial for students having a difficult time reaching those standardized test requirements.

FAS pays 100% of tuition and applicable fees, and FMS pays 75% (100% for FMS students in an associate degree program at a Florida College System institution). Awards are paid as a per-credit-hour amount that the state can change each year and that varies by school, so check with your college’s financial aid office for the exact amount.

Helpful Links:

• Bright Futures Student Handbook, Chapter 1 (Initial Eligibility Requirements): https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/PDF/BFHandbookChapter1.pdf
• Application website: https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/SAPHome/SAPHome?url=home

Sources:

“Bright Futures Scholarship.” Florida Student Scholarship And Grant Programs, www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/. Bright Futures Student Handbook, Chapter 1: Initial Eligibility Requirements, 2026-27, Florida Department of Education, Office of Student Financial Assistance, August 2026.