Florida · verified 2026-10-30
Bright Futures requirements
Florida Bright Futures has two award levels and they are separated by five ACT points. A 29 earns Florida Academic Scholars and 100% of tuition. A 24 earns Florida Medallion Scholars and 75%.
The full one
Florida Academic Scholars (FAS)
29ACT
or 1340 SAT · 93th percentile
- Covers
- 100% of tuition and applicable fees
- Weighted GPA
- 3.5 in required coursework
- Hours
- 100 volunteer service hours or 100 paid work hours
The 75% one
Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS)
24ACT
or 1210 SAT · 80th percentile
- Covers
- 75% of tuition and applicable fees
- Weighted GPA
- 3.0 in required coursework
- Hours
- 75 volunteer service hours or 100 paid work hours
24 to 29
Five points is a quarter of your tuition.
Every year of it. A Medallion award pays 75% and an Academic award pays 100%, so the five points between a 24 and a 29 are the difference for all four years — and the 24 is the 80th percentile while the 29 is the 93th.
Raise my ACT score to a 29+ →Free to start, no card.
Bright Futures is not the only money
It covers tuition and fees. Housing, meals and books are not covered — and Florida colleges publish their own merit awards on top. At a 29 with a 3.5:
Bright Futures requirements, side by side
| Requirement | Academic (FAS) | Medallion (FMS) |
|---|---|---|
| ACT composite | 29 | 24 |
| SAT total | 1340 | 1210 |
| Weighted GPA | 3.5 | 3.0 |
| Covers | 100% of tuition and applicable fees | 75% of tuition and applicable fees |
| Hours | 100 volunteer service hours or 100 paid work hours | 75 volunteer service hours or 100 paid work hours |
| National percentile | 93th | 80th |
What the five points change at Florida colleges
Bright Futures covers a share of tuition. Florida colleges pay their own money on top, and the same five points move that too — so the gap between a 24 and a 29 is wider than the tuition share alone. At a 3.5 GPA:
| College | At a 24 | At a 29 |
|---|---|---|
| Rollinsprivate | $26,000/yr | $33,000/yr |
| Jacksonvilleprivate | $26,000/yr | $26,000/yr |
| Webberprivate | $17,000/yr | $20,000/yr |
| FGCUpublic | $2,000/yr | $10,000/yr |
| Florida Polypublic | $5,000/yr | $10,000/yr |
| UNFpublic | $6,000/yr | $6,000/yr |
| PBAprivate | — | $2,500/yr |
Nine Florida colleges, read from their own published charts. The national picture is in what a 24 is worth and what a 29 is worth.
What Bright Futures does not cover
- Housing, meals, books and transport. It is a share of tuition and applicable fees, which at a Florida public is well under half of what a year actually costs.
- Private colleges. The award applies at Florida public institutions and eligible private ones on a different schedule — the college's own merit money is what moves at a Rollins or a Jacksonville.
- Out-of-state study. It is a Florida residency programme; leaving the state forfeits it.
- Itself, automatically. It is renewed on college GPA and credit hours each year, so the award is kept rather than won once.
Email me every college that pays at a 29 and a 3.50
Bright Futures is Florida. We have read the published award charts at 504 colleges nationally, and the email sends the ten that pay you most — five public, five private. No account.
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Bright Futures questions
What ACT score do you need for Bright Futures?
A 29 ACT composite for Florida Academic Scholars, which covers 100% of tuition and applicable fees, or a 24 for Florida Medallion Scholars, which covers 75%. Both also require a minimum weighted GPA in the required coursework — 3.5 for FAS and 3.0 for FMS — plus service or paid work hours.
What is the difference between Florida Academic Scholars and Medallion?
Five ACT points and a quarter of your tuition. FAS needs a 29 and covers 100% of tuition and fees; FMS needs a 24 and covers 75%. The gap between them is the single most valuable five-point span in Florida.
Does Bright Futures accept superscores?
Florida takes your best composite from a single test administration for the ACT, and best section scores across administrations for the SAT. Confirm the current rule with the Florida Department of Education before relying on it — this is the detail families most often get wrong.
Does Bright Futures cover everything?
No. It is a percentage of tuition and applicable fees at a Florida public institution. Housing, meals, books and transport are not covered, which is why institutional merit from the college itself still matters on top of it.
Thresholds as published for 2026-27 graduates; Florida reviews them annually, so confirm against the Florida Department of Education before relying on them. College figures come from each college’s own published award chart. A published threshold is not an offer — the financial aid office makes the award.