A program that provides partial and full scholarships for Florida students to attend college in-state could be expanded under a bill moving quickly through the legislature.
Traditionally, in order to qualify for a Bright Futures scholarship, students had to earn a high school diploma from a public or private school in Florida, or complete homeschooling in the state.
But under a bill that passed its second committee in the Florida Senate on Tuesday, some students who graduate outside the state could also participate in Bright Futures: namely students who graduate abroad because a parent is currently deployed with or recently retired from the military.
The vote has widespread bipartisan support. Democratic State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith voted to approve the bill. He said he’s a proud alum of the Bright Futures program which allowed him to attend the University of Central Florida.
“I would not have been able to put myself through school without that really, really important Bright Futures scholarship program. So anything we can do to extend that opportunity to other students, I’m all for,” said Guillermo Smith.
Republican State Senator Danny Burgess introduced the bill. He said the legislation gives military families more time to return home to use the scholarship. Students could still qualify for Bright Futures as long as their parent retired from the military 12 months before their graduation.
“We just want to give like a military family a little more runway to be able to get home at a reasonable time and still qualify for something that they otherwise would qualify for,” said Burgess.
The bill would also allow students to use a collection of Advanced Placement classes known as the AP Capstone course to qualify for the Florida Academic Scholarship, a tier of the Bright Futures scholarship program.
The bill has one last committee stop to go before a vote of the full Florida Senate. A companion bill in the Florida House is still in its first committee.
Over 950,000 students have received a Bright Futures scholarship to attend college in Florida. The program began in 1997 and is funded by the Florida Lottery.
There are four scholarships that make up the Bright Futures program: the Florida Academic Scholarship, the Florida Medallion Scholarship, the Gold Seal Cape Scholarship, and the Gold Seal Vocational Scholarship.
All four scholarships require students to have met a certain number of volunteer service hours, paid work hours, or a combination of both.
The Florida Academic Scholarship, the Florida Medallion Scholarship, and the Gold Seal Vocational Scholarship also require a minimum GPA and minimum score on the ACT, SAT, or CLT exams.
The Florida Academic Scholarship covers 100% of tuition and fees, while the Florida Medallion Scholarship covers 75% of tuition and fees.
Governor Ron DeSantis in his state budget this year, has proposed $632 million for the state’s Bright Futures program.
To learn more or apply, click here.
Read the full bill here:
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