***2018 National Merit Finalist Thread****

Not sure where my last post went but I am reposting the link to the State University System’s Board of Governors institutional Coast of Attendance for the Fla. public schools, which is what the Benacquisto award is based on (not all the schools listed are Benacquisto eligible):

http://www.flbog.edu/board/office/budget/tuition.php

To give you some idea of the potential impact of making OOS students eligible for the Benacquisto scholarship…

Back in the early 2000’s, UF used to offer four year scholarships worth $22,000 for instate students and $38,000 for OOS students. At the time, about enough to cover in-state tuition, at $3100 a year, and a little more than 1/2 of OOS tuition, which was about $17,250 a year.

UF significantly reduced the scholarships in 2006, and then latter phased it out.

In 2005, UF enrolled 230 National Merit scholars, only trailing Harvard, Yale and the University of Texas at Austin.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/LK/20060713/News/604187751/GS/

@Gator88NE as for this suggestion “I am fer it !”

So UF merit award would be about $84,600 Full Cost of Attendance or $173,600 OOS COA depending on how you want to look at it. $23000 toward UM with OOS waived would be sweet also. The # of NMF OOS would rise way more than those #s.

Full cost is Full Cost. No mas!

“2. An eligible student who meets the requirements under paragraph (4)(b), who is a National Merit Scholar, and who attends a Florida public postsecondary educational institution shall receive a scholarship award equal to the institutional cost of attendance for a resident of this state minus the student’s National Merit Scholarship. Such student is exempt from the payment of out-of-state fees.” This was put on the Calendar for Friday for a second reading!

@FSUdad93 for UM I believe it would be about $23,600 but not any waiver of OOS tuition, as there is no OOS tuition with a private school. But UM told me it would stack on top of awarded UM merit so still potentially sweet.

Is it true the $2,500 NM scholarship letters are mailed out today?

I don’t think they go out till April

@MissouriSen18r Here are the dates provided by NMSC that came with the application instructions:

March 7 NMSC begins mailing corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship offers to winners at their
home addresses

March 22 NMSC mails offers of National Merit $2500 Scholarships

May 1 NMSC begins mailing offers of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards

May 31 Deadline for NMSC to receive reports of college choice for identifying the final group of
candidates for college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards

We are getting closer in Florida. Today’s 2nd reading:

4(b) A student who initially enrolls in a baccalaureate degree program in the 2018-2019 academic year or later and who is not a resident of this state, as determined in s. 1009.40 and rules of the State Board of Education, must: 1. Physically reside in this state on or near the campus of the postsecondary educational institution in which the student is enrolled;
2. Earn a high school diploma from a school outside Florida which is comparable to a standard Florida high school diploma or its equivalent pursuant to s. 1002.3105, s. 1003.4281, s. 1003.4282, or s. 1003.435 or must complete a home education program in another state; and
3. Be accepted by and enrolled full-time in a baccalaureate degree program at an eligible regionally accredited Florida public or independent postsecondary educational institution during the fall academic term following high school graduation.

  1. An eligible student who meets the requirements of paragraph (4)(b), who is a National Merit Scholar, and who attends a Florida public postsecondary educational institution shall receive a scholarship award equal to the institutional cost of attendance for a resident of this state minus the student's National Merit Scholarship. Such student is exempt from the payment of out-of-state fees.

Read 2nd time
• Placed on 3rd reading…(it takes three readings and a Governor signature)

@FSUdad93 : Thanks for the update. Do we have any idea when the 3rd reading will take place? I recall that you said all had to be finished by March 9 or it is dead for this year. Does this mean we would know one way or another about the status of the Benaquisto for OOSs?

3/5/2018 House • Read 3rd time :D/

As far as I can tell, they leave March 9th. I believe they are in a race to have it done before Friday. Then its up to the Governor.???

The Bill is being discussed as we speak.

I am watching live here! http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/VideoPlayer.aspx?eventID=2443575804_2018031083

Luckily, that link would not load on my computer, otherwise the rest of my afternoon would have been spent eagerly watching, LOL! Thanks for the great updates, @FSUdad93 ! With a NMF whose two top choices are FSU and Miami, I am watching this bill closely.

I am not particularly knowledgeable about politics at all, but if the legislators didn’t agree on finishing it up, they wouldn’t bring it up right now. I have high hopes that it would pass. Also, the governor should sign it, given that this is the second time. Whatever he opposed last year has probably been taken care of in this version.

@FSUdad93 : Thanks for the link. @vistajay: It doesn’t work, but the first part http://www.myfloridahouse.gov was useful. Once you get there, you can click on live stream.

No dog in this race, but as a multiple generational Texan who has never been to Florida…I can dream…of green, green grass! @FSUdad93

Effective Date: Upon becoming a law

Last Event: CS passed as amended; YEAS 84, NAYS 28 on Monday, March 05, 2018 2:57 PM