Benacquisto/ Lombardi at UF

Hi all,
I am a Florida high school junior planning on going to UF. I have a 3.99 GPA and over 60 transferring credit so far. I have studied at FGCU as an ACE Student for this past year. I am very involved at work and have volunteered.

I am concerned with what scholarships I will be able to receive as I do not qualify for financial aid and I did not qualify for National Merit. I do much better on the ACT, it seems. I have a 34 and plan to try again this spring for a perfect score. Is it possible to get Benacquisto without National Merit? From what I am seeing a college sponsored merit scholarship can also qualify you for it. What college sponsored merit scholarships does UF offer?

Has anyone had experience with the Lombardi/stamps scholarship at UF?

Any other scholarships at UF that are based entirely on merit?

The UF Presidential ($5,000/year)Presidential Gold ($8,000/year), and Presidential Platinum ($10,000/year) are the other UF merit scholarships for in state students.

Future Gator, how common are these scholarships? I have heard that they are near impossible to come by as a white middle class student. Do these count as a 'College sponsored merit scholarship" for the Benacquisto? Thanks!

I am a white middle class student, and I received the UF Presidential Gold merit scholarship. I actually wrote a post about why I believe I got it. I can give you the link if it’ll be of any help!

And hmm… I’m not sure…but it is given out by UF and it is a merit scholarship, so maybe it would!

That would be great, thank you

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/university-florida/2079899-i-received-a-32-000-uf-presidential-gold-scholarship-this-is-my-story.html#latest

@Florida2020 - you must be a National Merit Finalist to qualify for the Benacquisto.

@Florida2020 - the Lombardi & Stamps scholarships are only awarded to 11 Florida high school seniors each year, so it’s highly competitive. Only one nomination per Florida high school is allowed - so ask your counselor early. In order to qualify, you must be accepted into the honors program (the honors application is included in the Coalition App for UF admission). This year alone, 9000 students applied to the honors program, vying for 700 spots - again, highly competitive. The honors program is seen as a “challenge” and not a “reward” - so no additional scholarship. The Lombardi & Stamps stipend is currently $2,700 per semester. Others have mentioned the presidential scholarships, which are based on merit. You have great stats and are thinking ahead, so keep doing your research. Your GPA and ACT score are there, so make sure you get 100 service hours documented and submitted through your guidance office, to qualify for the Florida Bright Futures scholarship (not need based & 100% tuition covered plus an additional $300 for books/supplies). If you haven’t seen it already, UF provides this link for scholarships and opportunities, which you may find helpful: https://admissions.ufl.edu/afford/scholarships

You might also look at private schools in Florida like U of Miami. If you could get a merit scholarship and use your BF and EASE grant, you might come close to full tuition and even something toward R&B.

@Florida2020 - with your GPA and ACT scores, you should qualify for Bright Futures. There is a volunteer hour requirement as well so you should make sure you get those volunteer hours done. Good luck!

Does anybody know when the Lombardi email will come out that invites the students to arrange for the Lombardi telephone interview? Have these emails already gone out? My daughter hasn’t gotten an email yet. Bummer.

@LakeAlto the email inviting students to a phone interview came out feb 28.

@partyoffivemom - yes. This actually got answered on a different thread. But thank you!