Can anyone offer any insight as to whether this BF increase includes current Academic scholars? No one I’ve talked to elsewhere can figure out if it will be applied to sophomores on up, not just rising freshmen. I’m just wondering if anyone has gotten any official word on this in the past week.
For in-state students, the law specifically states “National Merit Scholar or National Achievement Scholar and who initially enrolls in the 2014-2015 academic year or, later” so current students who started school in the Fall of 2014 should be covered. For OOS students, the cut-off date is the 2017-18 school year.
Question: The law specifically states National Merit Scholars are eligible for the funds. Does this mean that if one is a National Merit Finalist but does not receive a scholarship, they are not eligible?
If you receive a college sponsored scholarship, NMC considers you a Scholar. Here, it is a state program. But just from reading on this site it looks like UF and other schools considered Finalist as Scholars if they designated UF as the #1 choice.
Edit: vistajay answered.
In regard to non national merit scholars, just regular recipients of top tier bright futures…no one has definitely answered this question. We think…hope…it will grandfather any current students. My state senator has yet to email me back with an answer. If anyone knows for sure, please advise.
no one knows for sure yet, but I would think everyone in the top tier gets the benefit of the 100% funding regardless of whether they are a freshman or senior since the text of the bill just says the top tier gets the 100% funding without any reference to whether they are receiving Bright Futures for the first time in 2017 or not
@RCGator that is how I read the bill, but I would love to hear it from a legislator since I have 2 kids that it would impact.
Well, like everyone has speculated, that $180 million increase in the BF funding is enough to fund the extra 3,000 of tuition and $600 yearly stipend for books for 46,000 academic scholars. And that funding is only for the coming fiscal year.
I am certainly not qualified to interpret legislation but when I look at the text of the bill below is appears obvious that current students are grandfathered in. I think the key phrase is “subsection (2) of section 1009.534, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:” To me that means they replaced the old statue with this one. I f you are a FAS, this is the rule that applies
I agree. Some thought the phrase “beginning in the fall 2017 academic semester” was referencing when a student becomes eligible as opposed to when the program becomes activated. I’m in your camp…lol. We will all know soon enough.
The governor has signed several bills, but so far he hasn’t signed this SB 374…still watching.
@crazy4info Is that the OOS Benasquistos thing?
^^^ Yes, the Benacquisto scholarship for OOS students is part of that bill.
Will this bill not affect current benacquisto scholars since any extra bright future money just decreases the amount of the benacquisto scholarship. For example, before, it bright futures pays 3k/year, benacqusto will provide 18k. Now, if bright futures pay 6k/year, benacquisto will only provide 15k, so is it pretty much the same either way? If it is and I want to take more than 15 credits, am I technically “paying for the extra classes” since the more bright futures pays, the less benacquisto I get?
^For example, if I take 40 credits a year instead of 30, bright futures will pay $8000 instead of $6000, meaning Benacquisto will only pay $13k instead of 15K?
I don’t know how it will all play out…I am following it as the parent of an OOS student, and she definitely does not qualify for Bright Futures.
Wait, Bright Futures is going to be included for OOS students? What?
@sushipanda , no OOS NMF are going to be eligible for the Benacquisto scholarship
@anesthesia It doesn’t really matter. Benacquisto is paying full COA, but with the expectation that you’re taking 15 credits. You can take more credits, but the surplus (COA-Tuition/Fees) would be less.
And don’t plan on taking 20 credits a semester at UF. Anything more than 16 or 17 credits, mean you’re spending too much time in classes and not enough take advantage of all of the other opportunities UF has to offer. That’s one of the key reasons to attend UF in the first place.
@sushipanda NO. In-state students are paid out with Bright futures monies first, then with the Benacquisto paying out the rest. OOS students would only get Benacquisto. Both end up paying out to full COA.
So it’s fully confirmed that SB 374 got signed by Scott? I thought they were only eligible for in-state tuition, meaning they wouldn’t have everything paid for, they’d just get their OOS tuition costs reduced.