Bright Futures Scholarship Program
Encyclopedia
Bright Futures is the name of a scholarship
program in the state of Florida
. It is funded by the Florida Lottery
and was first started in 1997.
The program is divided into 3 types of grant and is designed to meet needs of three distinct groups in Florida higher education. As of the 2011-2012 academic year, each pays a fixed amount award to a specific recipient group.
The Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) program (formerly known for paying 100% of tuition and mandatory fees) pays the highest amount of any award. It was conceived at helping the high school "A-Student" afford a 4-year degree and pays $101 per semester credit-hour. The Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) program (formerly known for paying 75% of university or 100% of community college tuition and fees) was designed to motivate high school "B-students" to strive for College as well and pays $76 per credit-hour. The final program, the Florida Gold Seal Vocational (GSV) scholars program was designed to facilitate a post-high school vocational degree and also pays $76 per semester credit hour. All payments mentioned are for work done at 4-year universities. Other rates apply at different institutions, like community colleges. There is also a new program awarding extra funds to the top scholar in each school district.
A SAT
score of 1270 (counting only the critical reading and mathematics sections) or ACT
composite score of 28, minimum weighted high school academic GPAof 3.5 and 100 hours of community service is required to earn a FAS Award. The testing requirements will increase to a 1290 or a 29 on the SAT or ACT respectively for the high school class of 2014. The Requirements for FMS are 980 on the SAT or 21 on the ACT and 75 hours of community service. By 2014, the testing requirements on the SAT and ACT will adjust to 1170 and 26, respectively.
The scholarship only applies to undergraduate coursework (unless some graduate level classes are required for a bachelor's degree). Those who complete their undergraduate coursework in seven or fewer semesters may apply up to 15 award hours toward their graduate tuition. Summer semesters are currently not eligible for bright futures funding, even though most Florida Public Universities require at least six credits to be earned through summer study. This requirement can generally be satisfied by Advanced Placement
or CLEP
examination.
From 1997 through 2007, the scholarships paid fixed percentages of tuition and mandatory fees. FAS (100%) also included a book stipend up to $300 per semester. Beginning with the budget cuts caused by the economic downturn from a slump in Florida's real estate market, the Florida Legislature decoupled tuition from the scholarship by changing the system to pay fixed-dollar amounts. Ideas had been circulated to raise the standards to qualify for the grants, but concerns of impact to minority and disadvantaged students paused such legislation until subsequent budget cuts forced changes. In addition, differential tuition was added as a way to boost funding to Universities. Bright Futures funds were not allowed to cover such costs.
. Originally the Program dispersed just above 42,000 scholarships for about $70 million dollars. Over the last decade the cost for the scholarship has ballooned substantially. The Scholarship currently costs the state's coffers more than $436.1 million, with about 170,000 students receiving benefits. The requirements for attaining the scholarship were meant to increase each year but have not, resulting in the current state of the award.
While many types of controversy have existed over the course of the program's existence, one large critique is that Bright Futures is solely merit-based in its award determination. This allows students whose parents could afford the tuition and fees to receive the funding over needier students. However, there are myriad programs designed to assist the poor and first-generation-in-college student on federal, state, and institutional levels. The cost of college is now largely in living while in school as food, rent, and books cost far more than tuition and mandatory fees. As a result, the scholarship may not be as impactful as it would be in a higher-tuition state. Another aborted attempt to change the program was to award additional funds to certain majors in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields. It was abandoned as students across the state vigorously campaigned with social media and physical lobbying to drop the bill.
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
program in the state of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. It is funded by the Florida Lottery
Florida Lottery
The Florida Lottery is a government-run organization in Florida, USA. With numerous on-line and scratch-off games available, players have a wide variety of prize levels to choose from. Since it began, the Florida Lottery has continued to add variety to its portfolio of games...
and was first started in 1997.
Program
The Bright Futures program allows Florida high school seniors with significant academic merit to earn a scholarship to any public college/University in the state. It also offers the same funds to students attending a private college in Florida. This scholarship does not apply if the student chooses to attend college outside the state of Florida and the scholarship may only be earned while in high school. There are also retention requirements in both G.P.A. and credit-hour academic load.The program is divided into 3 types of grant and is designed to meet needs of three distinct groups in Florida higher education. As of the 2011-2012 academic year, each pays a fixed amount award to a specific recipient group.
The Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) program (formerly known for paying 100% of tuition and mandatory fees) pays the highest amount of any award. It was conceived at helping the high school "A-Student" afford a 4-year degree and pays $101 per semester credit-hour. The Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) program (formerly known for paying 75% of university or 100% of community college tuition and fees) was designed to motivate high school "B-students" to strive for College as well and pays $76 per credit-hour. The final program, the Florida Gold Seal Vocational (GSV) scholars program was designed to facilitate a post-high school vocational degree and also pays $76 per semester credit hour. All payments mentioned are for work done at 4-year universities. Other rates apply at different institutions, like community colleges. There is also a new program awarding extra funds to the top scholar in each school district.
A SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
score of 1270 (counting only the critical reading and mathematics sections) or ACT
ACT (examination)
The ACT is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. It was first administered in November 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test...
composite score of 28, minimum weighted high school academic GPAof 3.5 and 100 hours of community service is required to earn a FAS Award. The testing requirements will increase to a 1290 or a 29 on the SAT or ACT respectively for the high school class of 2014. The Requirements for FMS are 980 on the SAT or 21 on the ACT and 75 hours of community service. By 2014, the testing requirements on the SAT and ACT will adjust to 1170 and 26, respectively.
The scholarship only applies to undergraduate coursework (unless some graduate level classes are required for a bachelor's degree). Those who complete their undergraduate coursework in seven or fewer semesters may apply up to 15 award hours toward their graduate tuition. Summer semesters are currently not eligible for bright futures funding, even though most Florida Public Universities require at least six credits to be earned through summer study. This requirement can generally be satisfied by Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
or CLEP
College Level Examination Program
The College Level Examination Program is a group of standardized tests that assess college-level knowledge in several subject areas. Many colleges grant credit to students who meet their minimum qualifying score. Qualifying scores vary by school but are typically 50...
examination.
From 1997 through 2007, the scholarships paid fixed percentages of tuition and mandatory fees. FAS (100%) also included a book stipend up to $300 per semester. Beginning with the budget cuts caused by the economic downturn from a slump in Florida's real estate market, the Florida Legislature decoupled tuition from the scholarship by changing the system to pay fixed-dollar amounts. Ideas had been circulated to raise the standards to qualify for the grants, but concerns of impact to minority and disadvantaged students paused such legislation until subsequent budget cuts forced changes. In addition, differential tuition was added as a way to boost funding to Universities. Bright Futures funds were not allowed to cover such costs.
Controversy and Reform Proposals
The Bright Futures Scholarship was first created in 1997, and was meant to emulate neighboring state Georgia's HOPE ScholarshipHOPE Scholarship
The HOPE Scholarship Program created in 1993 under the supervision of Georgia Governor Zell Miller, is a merit-based higher education scholarship that is funded entirely by revenue from the Georgia Lottery and is administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission...
. Originally the Program dispersed just above 42,000 scholarships for about $70 million dollars. Over the last decade the cost for the scholarship has ballooned substantially. The Scholarship currently costs the state's coffers more than $436.1 million, with about 170,000 students receiving benefits. The requirements for attaining the scholarship were meant to increase each year but have not, resulting in the current state of the award.
While many types of controversy have existed over the course of the program's existence, one large critique is that Bright Futures is solely merit-based in its award determination. This allows students whose parents could afford the tuition and fees to receive the funding over needier students. However, there are myriad programs designed to assist the poor and first-generation-in-college student on federal, state, and institutional levels. The cost of college is now largely in living while in school as food, rent, and books cost far more than tuition and mandatory fees. As a result, the scholarship may not be as impactful as it would be in a higher-tuition state. Another aborted attempt to change the program was to award additional funds to certain majors in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields. It was abandoned as students across the state vigorously campaigned with social media and physical lobbying to drop the bill.