  bright futures is the name of a scholarship program in the state of florida. it is funded by the florida lottery and was first started in 1997. ==program== the bright futures program allows florida high school seniors with significant academic merit to earn a scholarship to any public college/university in the state. it also offers the same funds to students attending a private college in florida. this scholarship does not apply if the student chooses to attend college outside the state of florida and the scholarship may only be earned while in high school. there are also retention requirements in both g.p.a. and credit-hour academic load. the program is divided into 3 types of grant and is designed to meet needs of three distinct groups in florida higher education. as of the 2011-2012 academic year, each pays a fixed amount award to a specific recipient group. the florida academic scholars (fas) program (formerly known for paying 100% of tuition and mandatory fees) pays the highest amount of any award. it was conceived at helping the high school "a-student" afford a 4-year degree and pays $101 per semester credit-hour. the florida medallion scholars (fms) program (formerly known for paying 75% of university or 100% of community college tuition and fees) was designed to motivate high school "b-students" to strive for college as well and pays $76 per credit-hour. the final program, the florida gold seal vocational (gsv) scholars program was designed to facilitate a post-high school vocational degree and also pays $76 per semester credit hour. all payments mentioned are for work done at 4-year universities. other rates apply at different institutions, like community colleges. there is also a new program awarding extra funds to the top scholar in each school district. a sat score of 1270 (counting only the critical reading and mathematics sections) or act composite score of 28, minimum weighted high school academic gpa of 3.5 and 100 hours
1997_establishments_in_Florida Awards_established_in_1997 Florida_Lottery Public_education_in_Florida Scholarships_in_the_United_States Student_financial_aid