Important Changes to Bright Futures

Posted Jun 30, 2009 by Donna Koehn

Updated Jun 30, 2009 at 10:18 AM

If your college student receives a Bright Futures scholarship, you’ll want to make sure he or she is aware of changes to the program beginning in the 2009-2010 term.

The state Legislature has decided that students will have to reimburse Bright Futures for any courses that are dropped or withdrawn. The only exception will be students who can verify an illness or emergency beyond their control. If they don’t repay, they don’t get funding for the next semester.

This could prove tricky for students who want to try difficult courses. Because Bright Futures requires high grades to continue receiving the money, students will have to hang on and try to keep those grades up. Before, if they couldn’t hack it, they could always drop. I can imagine that some kids who might try to tackle college algebra, for instance, will instead switch to math for liberal arts majors to play it safe.

Another important change: Recipients are now required to meet minimum credit hour requirements to renew their award each year. Full-time students must complete 24 semester hours per year. This is prorated for part-time students.

Additionally, the Florida Academic Scholars expense allowance is no longer available.

For questions about these and other changes, check the Bright Futures Web site July 1 or see a college counselor. They’re learning about the new rules, too, but should soon be up to speed.