Get a Free College Education in Florida

The state of Florida is looking to reward their hardest working students by offering them a free college education. As part of the Florida Bright Futures program, students meeting certain grade point average and test score minimums can scholarship money that can be used in any Florida university or college.

What does a student have to do in order to receive the college funding? In order for a student to receive the Florida Academic Scholars Award (FAS), which gives the student an amount that is equal to 100% of tuition and fees at a public Florida university plus $300 a semester for college expenses, a student must earn a weighted grade point average of 3.5 while attending high school, earn at least a 1270 on the SAT or a 28 on the ACT, and complete 75 community service hour.

Students who fall a bit short of those requirements are still eligible for some college funding. The Florida Medallion Scholars Award (FMS) offers recipients an amount equal to 75% of tuition and fees at a public institution. In order to receive this award, a student must have a weighted grade point average of 3.0. There is no requirement for community service hours. Students must earn a score of 970 on the SAT or 20 on the ACT as well.

While this award is a great way to convince some students to stay in state for their college education, there are a few catches. The most important to be noted is that if a student chooses to attend a private university or college in the state of Florida, they will NOT receive 100% or 75% of tuition. Instead, they will receive a fixed amount based on either 100% or 75% of the average tuition and fees covered at a comparable Florida public institution.

The other important catch to note is that once in college, you must maintain the GPA required for the award, as well as earn the minimum number of community service hours (for those receiving the Florida Academic Scholars Award). If you do not maintain these requirements, you will either drop to the lower award value (if you originally received the Florida Academic Scholars Award), or you will lose your college funding all together.

The Florida Bright Futures program is a great way to encourage students to do well in high school, so that they will not need to worry as much about financial issues while attending school in the state of Florida.