Yo can also defer payment on books and supplies from the bookstore up to $500.
Well looks like Rick Scott DID NOT veto the Florida Incentive Scholarship so good news for class of 2016 finalists!
Will UF send out a form saying you are going to be offered the FIS before you are enrolled (like UCF did), or do you have to enroll to hear anything about the scholarship? I am planning to go to UF but I want to be 100% sure I’m getting the scholarship before I enroll.
Also, I just want to clarify another point @saismom : if I get into Honors and choose to live in Hume Hall, the FIS will cover the full cost to live in these dorms even though that means the scholarship would be more than the “estimated COA” on UF’s website?
@jordan626 No it only covers the ACTUAL COA posted on the UF web site and APPROVED by the Florida department of Education board. Right now the estimated COA is $21,260 for undergrad 2016-2017. I believe that COA assumes a estimated cost of $2720 per semester for housing which would be about right for the cheaper dorms. Hume is about $3574 per semester. Realize, though that you will be receiving lots of $$ for things you will never buy or for items you will not spend nearly so much on. Just think about it- you will be receiving about $17,660 from FIS, about $3100 from Bright Futures and another $500 from UF National Merit.Apply for a few private scholarships in your area ( yes they are worth it!) and you will be getting a nice disbursement each semester.
Oh ok that makes sense, thank you! That scholarship is awesome
That is crappy that it doesn’t cover the honors dorm! That should be a given when you are there for a NMF scholarship!
Who spends $2500 per year on cell phones, computers, books and supplies?? Yet that is how much they pay you to use as you wish and another $4470 for food and $1090 for transportation? Is anyone really going to spend all that money on those things? Heck no! Use it for the better dorm and don’t look back.
Is estimated tuition calculated based on people taking four classes a semester? Would I not be able to afford 5 (or would Bright Futures balance that out)?
@saismom you are so knowledgeable with this and I greatly appreciate it! I just found out tonight that my D was named NM scholar getting the one time $2500 award. If she attends UF, she will still get the FIS too? Just making sure I understand this all. I know I will have to put UF as her first choice. Is there anything else I need to do?
@greeny8 Your daughter will get the FIS still, she just won’t get the 2000k scholarship from UF. They only give that to NMF who don’t get corporate awards or the NM Scholar awards. Result is the same though… Dept of Ed will get your daugher’s name on the UF list so long as she puts UF as her first choice, then they will see she has the award from NMF and it will trigger FIS. They will add her Bright Futures award to her $2500 scholarship and subtract that total from the COA to come up with her FIS scholarship. Congrats!! 
@greeny8 I believe she will still need to put UF as her first choice to trigger the scholarship, so be sure she changes it!
@fbhsmom thanks for the info. I did change her from undecided to UF so we are done! Just not 100% sure she will attend (she’s waiting for some other schools to give decisions). But UF is the only one on the list so I wouldn’t change it again.
You are welcome @greeny8 Good luck to your daughter! Mine is probably attending too but waiting for April 1 too!
@fbhsmom thanks and good luck to yours too! so stressful for my D - if she does get into her top choice next thursday then the awful decision of her accepting and me paying full price, or her going to UF and it being free with money now for grad school (or if not grad school - then just lots of money for her to buy a house!)
Hi. I hate to barge in on your thread but this seems to be the only place anyone is talking about FIS. My son does not want to go to UF. He has really fallen in love with UNF due to its size and feel. He is a junior so we don’t yet know if he will get NM but his score is above the consensus prediction so I was hoping to get some information just in case. If he were to be NM and receive a corporate scholarship (my husband’s company gives a large number annually) is it correct that he could use FIS at UNF? My husband would like to push him towards UF for the prestige and admittedly, if it came down to money, I probably would nudge him that direction as well. But his heart is really in Jacksonville so I was wondering if was for certain regarding FIS at a non institutional school assuming a corporate award. And if so, would it be COA for UNF or highest COA because UNF definitely has a lower COA than FSU.
Thanks for any insight!
As UNF is a part of the state university system and is not independent, your son would receive their COA rather than FSU’s.
I’m not quite sure what you mean by UNF being a “non-institutional school”, but it is in the State System, so it should be dispersing it’s COA rather than FSU’s.
It’s also listed here as a school that is part of the program: https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/admin/SAWELIGPSI_ByProg.asp?ByProg=FIS
I would suggest contacting UNF’s financial aid directly for more specifics once your son is notified of National Merit Status,
I meant that they do not offer an institutional scholarship for Merit Finalists (like UF, FSU, USF, UCF, Miami and New College.) Sorry if that was poorly worded.
Thank you for your assistance.
We should be getting some info very soon, right? Letters/emails/predicted awards etc. ? I dug through an FIS thread from last year and it seems like last year’s finalists found out that they would be getting the UF award in early April. I’m so impatient/eager to go ahead and enroll and move things along 
Anglograce, read my response in # 39. If you notify NMSC that UF is your institution before May 1st. NMSC will send your name to UF in their 2nd ROSTER, then you will receive a Award letter and a Agreement form from UF sometime during May. Don’t worry too much. You will have your FIS scholarship? Focus to study for your IB or AP exams if you have any.