Bright Futures Reinstatement / Restoration
Restoration Requirements
A one-time restoration opportunity is available under limited circumstances.
- Students who did not meet the minimum renewal GPA requirement in their first year of funding, but did meet the earned credit hours renewal requirement may be permitted a one-time restoration opportunity. Summer term may be used by students to assist in meeting the GPA requirement for this one-time restoration opportunity.
- Students who were initially eligible for the Florida Academic Scholar award, but then dropped to the Florida Medallion Scholar award due to not meeting the 3.0 renewal GPA requirement have a one-time opportunity to restore to the Florida Academic Scholar award.
Students eligible for restoration can use one of the following options to restore the award:
- Take summer classes to raise the overall GPA to the minimum required to meet renewal. At the end of the summer term, earned credit hours and GPA will automatically be reported to the Florida Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA).
- For summer transient courses, the Scholarship Action Request Form must be completed and submitted to our office to request the grades and earned hours to be reported to OSFA; or
- Raise overall cumulative GPA above the renewal requirement before the fall term for which the student is seeking funding. If the student is not able to restore eligibility with summer courses, then the student must wait until the end of the following renewal period (end of spring or summer) to apply for restoration. The student will have to submit a Reinstatement/Restoration Application.
| Renewal Requirement Not Met | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| GPA | Eligible to Apply for one-time restoration only if failure to renew occurred at the end of the student’s first year of funding |
| Hours | Not eligible for one-time restoration. Summer term can not be used to meet the minimum earned hours requirement. |
A Florida Academic Scholar (FAS) with a 2.75-2.99 GPA at the end of the renewal period will renew as a Florida Medallion Scholar (FMS).
If the GPA is improved above a 3.0 in a subsequent renewal period, the student will restore as an FAS, using the one-time restoration opportunity. Restoration of the award will be automatic and will not require the application.
If a student does not meet the renewal GPA and/or required credit hours due to an extenuating circumstance beyond the student's control, an Enrollment Services Appeal may be completed with supporting documentation. The extenuating circumstance(s) that affected the term(s) in question must be documented.
Applying for Reinstatement
An eligible student who did not receive funding during the previous academic year and would like to utilize their scholarship funding can apply for reinstatement. A student is eligible to apply for reinstatement for up to five years from high school graduation.
A student can complete a Reinstatement/Restoration Application after logging into their online OSFA account. Please note that the academic year for which a student is applying is at the top of the application. New applications are available in February each year.
For students who did not receive funding during the previous academic year, the deadline for submission of the Reinstatement/Restoration Application for both fall and spring (or equivalent) of the year in which the student is seeking funding is May 30. However, OSFA recommends that applications be submitted online by July 1 for a timely fall disbursement or by December 15 for a timely spring disbursement. If determined eligible for reinstatement, the student will receive the Bright Futures award (Florida Academic Scholars, Florida Medallion Scholars) for which he/she was last eligible prior to reinstatement.