I’m currently a junior and have my eye on a few colleges (my top two choices are out of state.
If I attend in-state I could easily qualify for a Bright Futures scholarship that will pay my entire tuition. But I really, really, really would like to attend an HBCU out-of-state and I recently found out that, Bright Futures scholarships do not cover out of state tuition.
So I wanted to know if anyone could point me in the direction of scholarships that help students with out-of-state tuition? Any websites? Internships? Advice maybe?
Its countdown for me, so I could really use some guidance.
The best money will come from the schools. There are some large scholarships like Coke or Gates, but they are extremely competitive. Check with the HBCUs you are interested in.
You are NOT going to find anything as good as BF. There are dozens of schools in Florida you can attend, so look at those first. If you find a private school, you’ll also get an EASE resident grant. You may also qualify for local scholarships from your area, the area of the school, or civic groups. My daughters’ guidance office had a few pages of them, but they ALL had to be used in Florida.
Okay so currently my weighted GPA is a 3.6, My PSAT score is 1100 ( I will be taking the final SAT early April so I have time to practice and I improve my score). I am taking 3 AP classes, 2 dual enrollment, and 2 online classes (I’ve also taken 2 online classes in the past). I feel like I have a lot more work to do.
Definitely plan to apply to 3 colleges in state but as I expected, out-of-state is going to be difficult. I will check with the schools for any scholarships. Also my high school post scholarships for every month so I’ll be checking that too. Thank you!
If you are specifically looking for HBCUs, Florida has one (FAMU). Others that may offer scholarships depending on your GPA and test scores include Tuskegee, Prairie View A&M, and Alabama A&M.
Keep in mind that there are levels of BF, and they don’t cover entire tuition.
And they do NOT cover a large portion tuition of any FL private colleges
Florida Academic Scholars: Requires a minimum weighted GPA of 3.5, an ACT composite score of 29 or SAT combined reading/math score of 1290, and 100 volunteer service hours. $103/credit hour
Florida Medallion Scholars: Requires a minimum weighted GPA of 3.0, an ACT composite score of 26 or SAT combined reading/math score of 1170, and 75 service hours. $77/credit hour
But if you qualify for the top BF category, outlined above, you get 100% tuition, other fees and books covered at state universities like FSU, USF, UF, etc. This is the current law. It was 75% or 50% tuition a few yrs ago so the state is putting more money towards making college affordable. It’s certainly something to shoot for.
S got the top award. Daughter is borderline so we are on her to pick it up a notch. Worth a lot of money.
@mom2collegekids , those are the old numbers for BF. Academic Scholars now covers tuition and $600 for books. Medallion now is about $3500 and some books. At private schools it is quite a bit more (like $212/cr) plus the student would receive ~$3500 for EASE (the resident scholarship).
BF really is a great program and it is hard to pass up just because someone wants to go OOS. There are a lot of schools in Florida so the students can still pick the size, majors, ECs, and location. Some of the private schools are affordable with BF and other merit (Flagler, Florida Southern).
I would recommend that when you do apply to the hbcus, apply early. This is when you will see the most offers for merit aide. Also consider the black common app to research schools and to apply - reducing your application fees. There is definitely money out there, but you have to be sure that the school is a right fit and has the program that you are interested in.