FAFSA now required for Bright Futures Scholarships

TAMPA - A new law will go into effect July 1, requiring parents of all students receiving a Bright Futures scholarship to fill out a FAFSA -- or a Free Application for Federal Student Aid.  This applies to incoming freshman as well as students renewing their Bright Futures scholarships.

Students who do NOT submit a FAFSA application will not receive their Bright Futures Scholarship money this fall.

The FAFSA is also required for students getting Florida Resident Access Grants and Access to Better Learning and Education Grants.

Universities are scrambling to make sure all students are aware of this change. Financial aid officials say students should not wait until school starts to get the FAFSA completed, or their Bright Futures money could be delayed. A new FAFSA is required every year. 

A FAFSA is a detailed financial form used by the government in awarding need-based scholarship money. A FAFSA has been required for students receiving federal aid, but until now was never required for Bright Futures, a merit-based scholarship.

The requirement is part of Senate Bill 2150. Florida Senator Evelyn Lynn (R), one of the bill's sponsors, says when Bright Futures was first created, they originally wanted to make the FAFSA a necessary part of the plan, but could never get it included in legislation. 

Lynn says there has been criticism that many of students receiving the Bright Futures money came from wealthy families, but the state had no way of tracking this information one way or another. Sen. Lynn emphatically says this new requirement is strictly for data collection and not to be used as a basis to make future changes to the popular scholarship program. She says there is no intention to change the program from merit-based to need-based.

Parents and students with questions about the FAFSA requirement should contact their college or university financial aid counselor

To fill out a FAFSA click here .

Starting this fall, the Bright Futures scholarship will also yield 20 percent less money for qualifying students, said Billie Jo Hamilton, director of financial aid for the University of South Florida. 

To get more information on Bright Futures click here