FLORIDA BRIGHT FUTURES

The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship program is a lottery-funded scholarship program that rewards Florida high school graduates for high academic achievement.

Students may apply by submitting the Florida Financial Aid Application. Before accessing this application, students should review the Bright Futures Student Handbook. The materials available within the handbook provide detailed information about state-funded programs and help with the application submission process.

Eligibility

Students must meet the initial eligibility criteria set by the State of Florida in order to receive a Bright Futures scholarship. The eligibility criteria can be found in the Bright Futures Student Handbook.

Renewal Eligibility

Renewal eligibility is an automatic process that occurs at the end of the Spring Semester for those students who received funding during the previous year.

The institution(s) where the student received funding reports the overall cumulative GPA and hours completed for the year to the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA). Renewal students must earn the GPA and the required hours in all college coursework attempted. (GPA includes high school dual enrollment and out-of-state coursework.)

The student may request exclusion from the GPA of dual enrollment courses completed while attending high school, if needed to meet requirements, by completing the Bright Futures Re-evaluation Form (found on our Financial Aid Forms page) and sending or faxing (772-462-4606) it to the Indian River State College Financial Aid Office. Students who have withdrawn/dropped classes and who owe the college will not have their Bright Futures Scholarship renewed until payment is received.

Renewal Hours Requirements

Renewal hours required for all Bright Futures scholarships:

Note: Students are not required to complete withdrawal hours that have been repaid.

GPA Requirements

• The GPA requirement for the Florida Academic Scholars Award (FAS) is 3.0 unless otherwise noted on the Bright Futures website.
• The GPA requirement for the Florida Medallion Scholars Award (FMS) and Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars Award (FGS) is 2.75 unless otherwise noted on the Bright Futures website.

Summer grades and hours earned after the spring semester evaluation may be used, if necessary, to meet the GPA renewal requirements. Contact the Bright Futures coordinator in the  Indian River State College Financial Aid Office to have the updated information reported (if the required criteria are met). Students should also contact the Bright Futures coordinator to have updated grades reported due to grade changes and/or classes transferred.

Appeals

If you do not meet the renewal GPA and/or required hours due to a verifiable illness or other emergency, you may complete a Reinstatement of Financial Aid/Scholarship Petition and upload it in Workday in the Financial Aid tab under “SAP Appeal.” Make sure you indicate an appeal for Bright Futures on the form. The medical or emergency circumstances that affected the semester(s) in question must be documented. You should provide as much documentation as possible regarding the illness or emergency to the  Indian River State College Financial Aid Office when you submit the form.

Students may file the scholarship appeal within 30 days of receiving notification from the state indicating they did not meet the renewal requirements. The appeals must be submitted at least two weeks in advance of the meeting date. Contact Enrollment and Student Services for scheduled meeting dates. The scholarship committee meets twice a month to review appeals. You will be notified by email of the committee‘s decision. The Office of Student Financial Assistance has the right to reject an approval decision by the Indian River State College appeals committee.

Reinstatement

Reinstatement application refers to an eligible student (someone who has not previously failed to meet renewal requirements for the award) who did not receive funding during the previous academic year. An academic transcript is not required to be submitted with a reinstatement application.

Restoration

Restoration application refers to a student who did not meet the GPA renewal requirement during a prior renewal evaluation period but met the GPA requirement in a subsequent renewal evaluation period. Restoration is a one-time opportunity. Students should go to the Bright Futures Student Handbook to check reinstatement/restoration requirements and deadlines and to complete the required application.

Awards

Estimated Bright Future awards for incoming freshmen are projected based on high school information. The award will become official after Indian River State College receives confirmation from the state of Florida. You will be notified by the State regarding your eligibility. The estimated Bright Future award amounts are based on an average enrollment of 14 hours per term and will be calculated after confirmation from the state and enrollment.

The Bright Futures program consists of the three awards. Each scholarship has its own academic eligibility requirements and duration. Award amounts are per credit and are dependent upon your degree program.

• Florida Academic Scholars
• Florida Medallion Scholars
• Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars

Every year in July or August, the Indian River State College Financial Aid Office hosts a Bright Futures orientation workshop to assist students in understanding how their Bright Futures scholarship works. Students will receive notification when the workshop is scheduled.