Bright Futures Renewal Eligibility

Renewal eligibility is an automatic process that occurs at the end of the spring term for those students who received funding during the previous year. The institution(s) where the student received funding reports the overall cumulative GPA or UCF GPA, whichever is higher, and hours completed for the year to the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) of the Florida Department of Education in Tallahassee. Renewal students must earn the GPA and the required hours indicated below on all college coursework attempted, including high school dual enrollment and out-of-state coursework. The student may request the exclusion of dual enrollment courses completed while attending high school from the GPA, if needed to meet requirements.

Credit Hours Earned Criteria for All Bright Futures Programs As of the 2009-10 academic year, Bright Futures recipients are required to meet new minimum credit hour requirements to renew their award each year.  The Florida Legislature now requires full-time students to earn at least 24 credit hours, to renew their award (prorated for part-time students) at the end of the spring term.  The chart below outlines the new credit hour requirement for students funded in 2009-10 and thereafter. Funded Hours (per term) Required Earned Hours (per term)  12+ Hours 12 (Full-Time) 9-11 Hours 9 (Three-Quarter Time) 6-8 Hours 6 (Half-Time) In order for the credit hours to be counted as “Earned Hours”, the Bright Futures Scholarship requires the student to earn successful grades for all credit hours funded by the program.  Successful grades are:  A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C- and D+, D, D-. **Please note that grades of NC and F do not result in earned credit hours. Credit hours in which these grades are received will not count toward meeting the required number of hours for renewal of Bright Futures. Use our Bright Futures Hours Calculator if you need help calculating the required hours needed to meet the Bright Futures renewal requirement.

Dropped or Withdrawn Courses Students will be required to repay the cost of any course dropped or withdrawn unless an exception is recommended by the financial aid office at their home postsecondary institution. An exception will be based on a verifiable illness or emergency beyond the student’s control. However, if tuition is canceled in a case such as medical or military withdrawals, repayment will be made from the tuition credit regardless of exception. Repayment for the cost of dropped or withdrawn courses is required to renew a Bright Futures award for a subsequent academic year. GPA Requirements Florida Academic Scholars Award »» 3.0 Florida Medallion Scholars Award »» 2.75 Florida Gold Seal Scholars Award »» 2.75

How is a Bright Futures award calculated? Florida Bright Future awards are not considered definite until the state has notified UCF of students’ official eligibility. The initial amount is based on enrollment in 14 credit hours and will be adjusted to reflect your actual hours of enrollment each semester once Add/Drop has ended. 2012-2013 Award Amounts (4 Year University Rates)* Academic Top Scholars Award = $43.00 per credit hour Florida Academic Scholars Award = $100.00 per credit hour Florida Medallion Scholars Award = $75.00 per credit hour Florida Gold Seal Scholars Award = $75.00 per credit hour *Effective beginning 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)

Scholarship Appeals Procedures If you do not meet the renewal GPA and/or required hours due to a verifiable illness or other emergency, you may file a SCHOLARSHIP APPEAL FORM with our office. 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 our office. NOTE: A student may file the scholarship appeal any time after they have received notification from our office indicating they did not meet the renewal requirements. Official ineligibility notices are e-mailed to students during the summer following spring evaluation of their renewal eligibility by OSFA. If a student has not already filed a scholarship appeal with our office by that time, they must file this scholarship appeal within 30 days of the date of the ineligibility notice sent to them by OSFA. The scholarship committee meets the second week of each month to review appeals. Appeals must be received by the end of the month to be reviewed at the next month’s meeting (ex. Appeals received by June 30 will be reviewed at the July meeting). You will be notified (by e-mail) of the decision of the committee.

Other Special Grades and Hours Situations High School Dual Enrollment Exclusion A student may request that his/her high school dual enrollment course(s) be excluded from the calculation of the overall cumulative GPA. Please indicate this information on the Bright Future Renewal Re-Evaluation Form. Grade Change or Transient/Dual Enrollment Grades Received after Evaluation Students who have a grade change, from the most recent fall and/or spring term, may complete the Renewal Re-Evaluation Form, available at the end of May. Students who have recently submitted transfer hours, which are now documented in the Registrar's Office, may complete the Renewal Re-Evaluation Form. Summer Grades and Hours Summer grades and hour will be reported for students that the state deems eligible for Restoration. Please visit Florida Bright Reinstatement/ Restoration for details about Restoration.