When Will the Bright Futures Be Evaluated Again

The Florida Brilliant Futures scholarships are great funding options for Florida residents who want to stay in the state for college or vocational schoolhouse. All four awards are easily renewable, which ways you could significantly cut your college expenses for several years.

You lot might think there'south some complicated paperwork involved in submitting the Florida Brilliant Futures scholarship awarding. Equally it turns out, much of the process is streamlined and automatic —y'all actually don't have to jump through too many hoops to employ. The eligibility requirements are a bit of a dissimilar story, simply once y'all meet those, the awarding process should be pretty piece of cake.

In this post, we'll briefly explicate most eligibility requirements before moving on to the awarding timeline. Nosotros end with tips and strategies you can use to submit the best possible Brilliant Futures application.

Changes to the 2021 Brilliant Futures Scholarship Due to COVID-19

Because COVID-19 disrupted many Florida students' senior years, the Department of Education has made a few adjustments to some of the awards requirements and application submission deadlines. Specifically, there take been changes to the submission of volunteer hours and ACT/Sabbatum test scores for 2021.

Volunteer Hours

The coronavirus afflicted many students' volunteer opportunities, which ways they may not take been able to meet the Bright Futures' volunteer hour requirements. To adjust for this, the Florida Department of Education is accepting documentation from guidance counselors (or other lath-approved administrators) that shows students intended to complete their volunteer 60 minutes requirements before graduation.

There's no articulate data about what that documentation looks like, how administrators are supposed to submit that information, or when the submission borderline is for these hours. So be sure to contact your guidance advisor as presently as possible and so that they can send the documentation.

Exam Score Submissions

Because many of the Sabbatum, ACT, and PERT testing dates cancelled or inverse due to the pandemic, the Department of Education is extending the deadline for students to take their exam and submit their test scores. The new standardized exam submission deadline is December 1st, 2021.

Correct at present, in that location's no indication that the testing deadline will exist extended further, or that at that place will be exceptions made for students who aren't able to have and submit the Sabbatum, ACT, or PERT by December 1st, 2021.

Besides, these changes simply affect students who graduated high school in 2021. No announcements accept been fabricated for the Class of 2022 yet.

For the almost upward-to-date information about the Bright Futures scholarship and how it's been affected past the coronavirus, check out the scholarship's website. You can besides read the emergency social club that lays out many of the changes hither.

Bright Futures Requirements for Eligibility

The get-go step in submitting a successful Bright Futures scholarship application is to make sure you're actually eligible for the scholarship. This isn't something yous tin can practise at the last infinitesimal—meeting eligibility requirements for these awards requires more long-term thinking.

General Scholarship Requirements

Hither are the general requirements that apply to all Brilliant Futures Scholarships:

• You must be a Florida resident and The states citizen or eligible not-citizen (this is determined by your college).

• Consummate the Florida Financial Aid Application by August 31st of the year of your high school graduation. (Note: Other COVID-19 date changes have non inverse this deadline)

• Y'all must earn a standard Florida high school diploma or its equivalent from a Florida public high school or a registered Florida Department of Educational activity individual school.

• You tin can't have been convicted of (or pleaded no competition to) a felony accuse.

• You must exist accepted by and enroll in a caste or certificate programme at an eligible Florida public or independent postsecondary institution (postsecondary = college, vocational, or professional person program).

• You must be enrolled for at least half dozen (not-remedial) credit hours per term, including the term immediately afterward you graduate from loftier school.

Specific Scholarship Requirements

There are different minimum GPA, ACT/SAT, and service hour requirements for the four Brilliant Futures scholarships. The nigh competitive scholarship is the Florida Academic Scholars Plan (FAS), followed past the Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS), the Gilded Seal Vocational Scholars (GSV), and the Gold Seal Cape Scholars (GSC). Note that these requirements are only valid for students graduating high school through 2022.

This nautical chart outlines some of the most of import requirements for the FAS and FMS programs ( you don't need to accept both the ACT and SAT—one will do!).

Also, keep in mind that students who graduate in 2019-2020 will have slightly different score requirements than students who graduate in 2020-2021 and beyond. We're including both score breakdowns for y'all below!

2020-2021 and 2021-2022 Graduate Requirements

SCHOLARSHIP	WEIGHTED GPA MINIMUM	Act MINIMUM	Saturday MINIMUM	SERVICE HOURS
FAS	3.50	29	1330	100 hours
FMS	3.00	26	1210	75 hours

The GSV programme is a bit unlike when it comes to eligibility requirements. The minimum GPA required to qualify for the GSV program is 3.0, weighted, in not-elective courses. The service hours minimum requirement is 30.

GSV exam score requirements are a flake more detailed (annotation that you only have to take one of the following exams, just you can't mix and match subsections from unlike tests):

Exam	Subsection	Score minimum
Act	English	19
	Reading	17
	Math	19
Sat	Reading	24
	Writing and Language	25
	Math	24
P.E.R.T.	Reading	106
	Writing	103
	Math	114

Gilt Seal Cape Scholars (GSC)

The Florida Gold Seal Cape Scholars programme, or GSC, is awarded to students who are enrolled in career pedagogy or career document programs that earn associate'south degrees and desire to continue on to earn a Available of Scientific discipline caste. To qualify for the GSC, you lot must:

• Earn a minimum of v postsecondary credit hours through CAPE industry certifications (that count toward college credit)
• Consummate 30 service hours

Students who meet these requirements tin earn funding for a maximum of sixty credit hours put toward earning a Bachelors of Science degree or a Bachelors of Applied Science degree.

In that location's some more fine print when information technology comes to eligibility requirements for the Florida Bright Futures scholarships. To get more detailed information on meeting all of these requirements, cheque out our Bright Futures guide.

4 Steps to Applying for a Florida Vivid Futures Scholarship

Much of this process is automated—you lot won't have to do much extra piece of work exterior of submitting the Florida Financial Aid Awarding and keeping an middle on your app to make certain everything is processed correctly.

If all of your eligibility requirements check out, you lot can first the application every bit early on every bit December 1.

Step 1: Submit the Florida Financial Assistance Application (FFAA)

The FFAA opens December i each year. Your Florida Bright Futures account login information will be sent to yous subsequently you submit the FFAA. Just retrieve that you must submit your FFAA past August 31 of the year that y'all graduate from loftier schoolhouse, or you lot won't be eligible for a scholarship award.

Step two: Take the Human activity or SAT and Submit Your Scores

The good news is that yous'll have to take either the Human action or SAT for college applications anyhow. Transport your scores to any Florida public higher or academy to ensure that the Florida Department of Education—the establishment that reviews Bright Futures applications—receives them.

Step three: Submit Your Official Loftier Schoolhouse Transcripts

More than skilful news: many schools volition submit your transcripts automatically for consideration. Still, information technology'south a skilful thought to check in with your guidance counselor about whether you need to take any additional steps.

Step 4: Go along the Information in Your Business relationship Updated

There are a agglomeration of things you lot can (and should) manage once you get your Brilliant Futures business relationship information:

• Monitor your reported service hours.

• Update your postsecondary institution: one time y'all've been accepted to/enrolled at a FL higher or vocational school, you would brand a note of this in your account.

• Update any demographic information.

• View your eligibility conclusion: check your account once everything'due south been submitted to run across if you're eligible for the scholarship.

Awarding Timelines

There are two Bright Futures timelines to exist enlightened of if yous're set up to start the awarding procedure: Early Evaluation and Final Evaluation.

If you lot can plan for the Early Evaluation timeline, you could potentially larn about Bright Futures eligibility as early equally March.

Early Evaluation

If your transcripts are submitted for early evaluation (based on bookish progress in the middle of the terminal year of loftier school and test scores for tests taken by Jan 31), yous'll get an eligibility notification posted to your online account. These postings may brainstorm in March, according to the Florida Section of Education.

Concluding Evaluation

All students whose final transcripts are submitted during or after the last high school term volition get their eligibility notifications posted to their online accounts beginning in July, again according to the Florida Department of Instruction.

How to Make Your Application Stand up Out

Now that you know a lilliputian bit more most eligibility requirements and the awarding procedure, yous tin focus on making your Brilliant Futures application the best information technology can be.

The skillful news: bated from making sure you meet all eligibility requirements, there isn't much you have to do to brand your application "stand out." If y'all meet the requirements for the FAS, FMS, or GSV scholarship, you lot'll receive the scholarship—it's as simple as that.

The bad news: the eligibility requirements are strict. There'southward no gray area—yous either qualify because y'all meet all requirements, or you don't (no matter how close you lot are) and don't become a scholarship. There are some eligibility loopholes and exceptions for out-of-state, homeschooled, and GED students—learn more nigh them in our requirements guide.

The best Bright Futures success strategy will focus on coming together eligibility requirements as early in your high school career as possible. The following tips will help yous do that, starting right now.

Coursework

All Brilliant Futures scholarships require students to consummate a sure set of loftier schoolhouse courses. Y'all're likely to meet all coursework requirements if you went to high school in Florida. If you suspect there may be a problem, schedule a meeting with your guidance counselor.

GPA

Information technology's difficult to significantly enhance your GPA in a short flow of time. Focus on your grades by picking a realistic GPA minimum starting your freshman year. If y'all're struggling to meet your goal, hither are some ways to bring upward that GPA:

• Take classes that are advisable for your skill level. If you're unsure about which classes are nigh appropriate, meet with your guidance counselor to discuss.

• Run across teachers for extra assistance in weak subject areas.

• Ask almost extra credit assignments if possible.

• Bank check out our guide on raising your GPA.

Community Service

The before you get-go reporting your community service hours, the fewer hours per week yous'll need to volunteer. If you start chipping away at this requirement as a senior, you'll take to ready aside 2-three hours a week for community service; if you get-go as a freshman; however, you'll only need to volunteer 1-1.5 hours every two weeks.

You tin't earn any money for your customs service hours, just y'all can kill two birds with one stone and look for positions where you can get interesting professional feel. Start by request friends and family for suggestions—just make sure y'all're working with a legitimate bureau who will reliably runway your hours.

Finally, set a schedule. Become at the same fourth dimension every week or every two weeks so yous don't fall backside on completing your hours. If you need some assistance brainstorming, check out our guide to the all-time places to practise community service.

What's Side by side?

The Florida Vivid Futures scholarships aren't your only options for paying for college. Read more about top scholarship programs for loftier school juniors and high school seniors.

Although it'southward less heady than applying for scholarship programs, you can maximize the amount of money you'll get for college by knowing your manner around financial aid. Learn about the financial aid application procedure and specific aid programs, like the Pell Grant.

Want to ameliorate your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the tiptop 5 strategies y'all must exist using to have a shot at improving your score. Download information technology for free at present:

Have friends who also need assist with test prep? Share this article!

Near the Author

Francesca graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and scored in the 99th percentile on the SATs. She'southward worked with many students on SAT prep and college counseling, and loves helping students capitalize on their strengths.

bakerandef1963.blogspot.com

Source: https://blog.prepscholar.com/bright-futures-application

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