Bright Futures

Students must apply for the scholarship by submitting the Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) online to the Florida Office of Student Financial Assistance no later than August 31 after high school graduation. If a student does not apply for the scholarship by the deadline, a student cannot receive the scholarship. All eligibility requirements must be met by high school graduation, but ACT/SAT test scores taken through June 30 are accepted for evaluation purposes.

Applicants for a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship must complete the Florida Financial Aid Application prior to their high school graduation. Eligibility and application criteria are available from a high school guidance counselor, or the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program web site. When completing the application, the student will need to add FGCU’s school code in order for the FGCU Financial Aid Office to receive student information. The school code for FGCU is 361.

The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program consists of two awards for undergraduate students. Each award has its own academic eligibility requirements, award amounts and funding length. A student may receive funding for only one award. The highest award earned by the student will be selected.

* For the Academic Year 2022-2023 Bright Futures will pay rates per credit hour as follows:

Florida Academic Scholars Award 

• $205.69 per credit hour.
• 2022 Summer funding available.

Florida Medallion Scholars Award 

• $154.26 per credit hour (75% per credit hour).
• 2022 Summer funding available.

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FGCU will post Bright Futures awards for First Time in College (FTIC) students after we are notified by the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) that the student has met the eligibility criteria. For the majority of students this occurs in mid-July.

To prevent a delay in awarding, please ensure that you have listed FGCU as the school you will be attending. Until you have chosen FGCU as your primary school, we will be unable to receive your scholarship funds.

To check on the status of your application and to verify that FGCU is listed as your school of choice, log back into your OSFA account or contact the Florida Department of Education at 1-888-827-2004.

In order to renew a Bright Futures scholarship for the following academic year, it is necessary that all renewal requirements are met at the end of the spring semester. The following chart summarizes the academic renewal criteria for each Florida Bright Futures Scholarship:

Florida Academic Scholars Award	Florida Medallion Scholars Award	Requirements
3.0*	2.75	Minimum Cumulative GPA (unrounded & unweighted)
12 semester (earned hours)	12 semester (earned hours)	Minimum Hours Required Per Term if funded Full Time (12+ hours)
9 semester (earned hours)	9 semester (earned hours)	Minimum Hours Required Per Term if funded Three-quarter Time (9-11 hours)
6 semester (earned hours)	6 semester (earned hours)	Minimum Hours Required Per Term, if funded Half Time  (6-8 hours)
*Florida Academic Scholars will renew as Florida Medallion Scholars with a 2.75-2.99 GPA.

Students must be enrolled at least half-time in order for the scholarship to disburse.

Bright Futures Credit Hour Renewal Requirement Interactive Tool

If a student drops a class after the advertised add/drop date, (see Academic Calendar) the student is required, by state of Florida, to repay FGCU for any credits for which Bright Futures paid. Fees and holds will be immediately placed on the account the moment the class is dropped.

If a student does not repay for Bright Futures funded classes dropped or withdrawn by the end of the current academic year, they will not be eligible for renewal or funding for the subsequent academic year.

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If after a student’s first year of funding, the student’s cumulative GPA is below 2.75, the student may use that summer to increase his/her GPA. If, at the end of the summer term his/her GPA is still below the minimum 2.75, the student has until the end of the second year to bring the GPA up to at least a 2.75. The student may then apply for a One Time Reinstatement at the Bright Futures website through the state of Florida. The summer term may be used for GPA renewal ONLY after first year of funding.

The student is not eligible for Reinstatement/Restoration if their GPA falls below 2.75 after the first year.

For more information about restoration, visit the  “Renewing Your Award” section on the Bright Futures website.

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An eligible student who did not receive funding during the previous academic year and would now like to apply for scholarship funding is a reinstating student.

Summer grades and hours earned after spring evaluation may be used if necessary to meet the scholarship renewal requirements. However, this option is only applicable to first year in college students receiving Bright Futures. The student must request that a financial aid advisor submit a grade and hours update to the Bright Futures office indicating the adjusted cumulative GPA and/or hours.

If a student attended another college or university and has transfer credits, they may request that the transfer credits be used in the cumulative GPA calculation. Please email Barbara Font at bfont@fgcu.edu.

For more information about reinstatement, visit the  “Renewing Your Award” section on the Bright Futures website

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A scholarship appeal should only be submitted when a student did not meet the renewal criteria based on extenuating circumstances beyond their control. Please refer to the Bright Futures and State Programs Academic Appeal available on the Online Forms page of our website.

Bright Futures Academic Scholars students are eligible to receive funding during summer 2023 term. Academic Scholars students enrolled at least half time will receive an award that covers 100% of tuition and applicable fees at FGCU for the summer term.  (A maximum of 45 semester hours may be funded in one academic year).

Bright Futures Medallion Scholars students are eligible to receive funding during summer 2023 term. Medallion Scholars students enrolled at least half time will receive an award that covers 75% of tuition and applicable fees at FGCU for the summer term. (A maximum of 45 semester hours may be funded in one academic year).

Additional answers to your Bright Futures questions may be found at FAQs for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship.