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Academic Requirements for Initial Eligibility
General Requirements to Receive Bright Futures Awards
Award amounts
GED recipients
Home-Educated Applicants (May 15-2013)
Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program Note: These requirements are subject to change with each legislative session.
The Florida Legislature is authorized each year to change eligibility and funding requirements. Eligibility criteria for a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship specify that a student must have earned "a standard Florida high school diploma unless the student completes a home education program according to s. 1002.41." [Section 1009.531 (1) (b), Florida Statutes ] In lieu of the diploma, all home-educated students must be registered with the district where they reside for grades 11 and 12. Home-educated students must meet the General Requirements for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program. In addition, the documentation listed below is required for home-educated students who wish to be evaluated for a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship.
Required Documentation (no substitutions):
1. Initial Student Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA)
Submit a completed FFAA online during the student’s last year in a home education curriculum (after December 1st of the last year and prior to graduation). The application gives the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) permission to evaluate the student's test scores and, if needed, high school transcript(s) for eligibility for a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship.
NEW - An eligible student who graduates mid-year may receive an initial award in the spring term following the student’s graduation. The FFAA must be submitted by August 31 of the student’s graduation year (prior to the spring term enrolled). A student wishing to enroll and receive Bright Futures funding in spring 2013 must complete the 2012-13 Initial Student Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) by August 31, 2012.
After you submit the FFAA, you will receive a User ID and PIN. You are responsible for tracking your application, certifications, and award status online and for keeping OSFA informed of any demographic or institutional changes.
Know it, Use it, Be Responsible for your state financial aid!
The submission of a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now an annual requirement for Bright Futures eligibility. Note: The student’s FAFSA does not have to indicate need; however, must be complete and processed error-free prior to a student’s first disbursement of an award. (The Florida State Programs May 15 deadline does not apply to Bright Futures.)
2. SAT or ACT.
Tests taken through the end of June (no later than January 31 for mid-year graduates) of the student's last year in a home education curriculum will be admissible for a Bright Futures evaluation. Submit scores to FDOE in one of the following ways (preferably the first):
Request the test scores be sent to one of Florida’s 11 state universities, Florida colleges (public community colleges), or public high schools when the student registers for the SAT or ACT. These scores will be sent to the FDOE repository.
MAIL the official copy (no photocopies) of the test scores in the original sealed envelope to the address at the bottom of this page.
When applying as a home-educated student, the test score requirement for each scholarship is outlined below. NOTE: Bright Futures uses the best score on any section of either test regardless of when the test was taken. SAT and ACT scores are not mixed.
NEW - Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) award
A best combined score of 1280 SAT (excluding the writing section) or 28 ACT (excluding the writing section)
(No official transcripts required.)
Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) award
A best combined score of 1070 SAT (excluding the writing section) or 23 ACT (excluding the writing section),
(No official transcripts required.)
or
A best combined score of 1020 SAT (excluding the writing section) or 22 ACT (excluding the writing section) with a weighted 3.0 GPA in the required 16 college preparatory credits - documented through Florida public, FDOE-registered private, Florida Virtual School (FLVS) or Florida dual enrollment transcripts. Note that Bright Futures does not accept parental transcripts. You may wish to consult the Comprehensive Course Table (CCT) link to determine if a specific course meets the required college preparatory credits. NOTE: A parent-generated transcript will not be accepted for Bright Futures evaluation.
3. TRANSCRIPTS
A parent-generated transcript will not be accepted for Bright Futures evaluation. Bright Futures accepts only sealed, official transcripts from the following sources:
Florida public high school,
Florida Virtual School,
Dual-enrollment coursework from a Florida state (community) college, or
FDOE-registered private high school.
In order to submit transcripts, a Florida private school must be registered with the FDOE School Choice Office. Registration confirmation will be required for a minimum of the last academic year indicated on the transcript. To confirm that a school met the registration requirement, you may contact the School Choice Office by e-mail at SchoolChoice@fldoe.org or call toll-free 1-800-447-1636.
4. DISTRICT CONFIRMATION OF REGISTRATION
For home-educated students for 11th and 12th grades - In order to be eligible as a home-educated student, a student must provide verification of 11th and 12th grade county registration. Certification of county registration will occur online by the home education district contact. The submission of a 2013-14 FFAA as a home-educated student will prompt the district to certify the registration online.
If the student was not registered as being home-educated with the district for grades 11 AND 12, but has the minimum transcript information from a Florida public high school, Florida Virtual School, dual-enrollment coursework from a Florida state (community) college, or FDOE-registered private high school, test scores, and the required community service hours, he/she may be able to earn an award as a Florida GED Diploma recipient.
5. COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS DOCUMENTATION
A home-educated student must complete community service hours during high school and by high school graduation.
Community service hours may not be hours that benefitted the student financially or materially, or be service to family members, defined as: parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and spouses, including all step relations.
The agency where the community service hours were earned must provide documentation on agency letterhead of the number of hours and dates of service completed.
The hours must be submitted through the student’s district where he or she is registered as a home-educated student and approved by the FDOE for the Bright Futures community service requirement.
Each award requires the following completed and approved community service hours:
FAS – 100 hours
FMS – 75 hours
If necessary, mail or fax any of the above to:
Florida Department of Education
Office of Student Financial Assistance
Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program
325 West Gaines Street, Suite 1314
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
Attn: Home Education
Fax: 850-487-1809
http://www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org/ssfad/bf/homepac.htm
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