Bright Futures
Awards
How long does an eligible student have to use the Bright Futures award?
- Eligible students must use the award within 3 years from initial eligibility determination, unless the student enlists in the military.
- Eligible students are limited in how long they can receive Bright Futures by whichever of the following occurs first.
- Students may receive up to 132 credit hours of funding
- Students are no longer eligible once he/she completes a first Bachelor’s degree
- Students may use the award up to seven years after high school graduation
- If the student’s degree requires more than 120 hours for completion, the student may apply for an extension through OSFA to the 132 credit hour rule.
How many credit hours must an eligible student take to receive Bright Futures funding?
- Eligible students must enroll in at least 6 non-remedial undergraduate credit hours each term to receive Bright Futures funding.
- Exceptions are granted for:
- Eligible students who have less than 6 credit hours of remaining eligibility (this is done automatically at UCF)
- Eligible students who need less than 6 credit hours to graduate. These students must submit a letter (on official letterhead) from their academic advisors which states:
- Student's name, PID and SSN
- Name of course(s) needed for graduation
- Name of the undergraduate degree to be received
- Graduate level hours may be approved by the student’s academic advisor if the graduate level hours will count toward the undergraduate degree completion requirements. These students must submit a letter (on official letterhead) from their academic advisors which states:
- Student's name, PID and SSN
- Name of the graduate course(s)
- Name of the undergraduate degree these courses will count toward
How is a Bright Futures award calculated?
2009-2010 Award Amounts (4 Year University Rates)*
Academic Top Scholars Award = $54.00 per credit hour
Florida Academic Scholars Award = $126.00 per credit hour
Florida Medallion Scholars Award = $95.00 per credit hour
Florida Gold Seal Scholars Award = $95.00 per credit hour
*Effective for 2009-2010 year, Bright Futures awards are based on a per credit hours amount established by the General Appropriations Act each year. Award calculations no longer include material and supply fees or college related expense allowance (formerly included in Florida Academic Scholars).
Dual Enrollment/Transient Student Hours
UCF will include approved dual enrollment hours in Bright Futures awards according to the per credit hour award amount for the type of institution attended. Students must complete the dual enrollment process to include dual hours. For more information, visit http://finaid.ucf.edu/applying/dual.html.
Rates for dual enrollment at community colleges for 2009-2010
Florida Academic Scholars Award = $78.00 per credit hour
Florida Medallion Scholars Award = $59.00 per credit hour
Florida Gold Seal Scholars Award = $59.00 per credit hour
Withdrawals
Effective for 2009-2010, institutions are required to recalculate Bright Futures awards when a student withdraws or drops one more classes after the add/drop period ends.
