Renewal eligibility is an automatic process that occurs at the end of the spring term for those students who received funding during the previous year.
The institution(s) where the student received funding reports the overall cumulative GPA or UCF GPA, whichever is higher, and hours completed for the year to the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) of the Florida Department of Education in Tallahassee.
Renewal Requirements
Renewal students must earn the GPA and the required hours indicated below on all college coursework attempted, including transient enrollment hours. The student may request the exclusion of dual enrollment courses completed while attending high school from the GPA if needed to meet requirements.
Full-time students are required to earn at least 24 credit hours (prorated for half-time or three-quarter students), in order to renew their award at the end of the spring term. The chart below outlines the credit hour requirement.
| Renewal Requirements | Florida Academic Scholars Award | Florida Medallion Scholars Award |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Cumulative GPA (unrounded & unweighted) | 3.0* | 2.75 |
| Minimum Hours Required Per Term, if funded Full Time (12+ hours) | 12 semester earned hours | 12 semester earned hours |
| Minimum Hours Required Per Term, if funded Three-quarter Time (9-11 hours) | 9 semester earned hours | 9 semester earned hours |
| Minimum Hours Required Per Term, if funded Half Time (6-8 hours) | 6 semester earned hours | 6 semester earned hours |
Credit Hours Earned Criteria for All Bright Futures Programs
In order for the credit hours to be counted as “Earned Hours”, the Bright Futures Scholarship requires the student to earn successful grades for all credit hours funded by the program. Successful grades are: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C- and D+, D, D-.
*NOTE: Grades of I, NC, U and F do not result in earned credit hours. Credit hours in which these grades are received will not count toward meeting the required number of hours for renewal of Bright Futures.
NC (No Credit) Grades
UCF will require the repayment of NC grades. Repaying for course(s) with an NC grade will reduce your “earned hours” renewal requirement. An award adjustment for the NC grade will occur after grades are posted. This will result in you owing an outstanding balance to the university.
| Dates | Fall 2023 | Spring 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Grades Posted | 12/15/2023 | 05/05/2024 |
| Date of Award Adjusted | 12/15/2023 | 05/06/2024 |
| Deadline to complete Request to Reinstate Award Form | 1/12/2024 | 05/17/2024 |
Download our Excel Bright Futures Hours Calculator if you need help calculating the required hours needed to meet the Bright Futures renewal requirement.
If you determine the NC grade will not negatively impact your ability to renew your Bright Futures award for the following academic year or if you are graduating this academic year you may complete the Request to Reinstate Bright Futures Award for NC Grade Form.
Other Special Grades and Hours Situations
If you are not meeting the Bright Futures renewal requirements at the end of the spring term, and your record with OSFA needs to be updated to reflect the correct grades and hours, please complete the Bright Futures/ Benacquisto – Renewal Re-Evaluation Form found on our Forms page.
Below are the reasons that will require a new evaluation:
- Grade Change: Students who have a grade change, from the most recent fall and/or spring term, and their grades and hours were impacted by the change.
- Transient/Dual Enrollment: Students who were enrolled in transient hours, submitted their transcripts to the Registrar’s Office and OSFA is not reflecting these hours.
- Withdrawn from a Transient Course: Students who withdrew from a transient course must notify UCF in order for the award to be reduced.
- Study Abroad: Students who were in the study abroad program and the grades were not reported to OSFA. Grades must be posted before submitting the form.
- Exclusion of High School Dual Enrollment course(s): Students who will like to exclude their high school dual enrollment course(s) from the calculation of the overall cumulative GPA.
- Summer Hours: Students who were enrolled in summer courses at another institution and were eligible for Restoration. If summer courses were taken at UCF they will be reported automatically to OSFA. If Bright Futures renewal requirements were not met during the first year of funding, Summer GPA may be earned during the summer after spring evaluation to meet the scholarship requirements. This will be the one-time restoration opportunity.
- Repayment of the Bright Futures award: Students who repaid their Bright Futures award and OSFA has not been updated yet.