Your father’s income is on the high end of qualifying for a Pell Grant based on the new income formula: https://fsapartners.ed.gov/sites/default/files/2023-05/202425DRAFTSAIGuideSupplementEligibilityforMaxorMinPellGrantResource.pdf. You may qualify for a small Pell Grant.
You are considered low income. Focus on schools where your need will be met. There are a lot of good suggestions here.
You’ve gotten a lot of really good advice on here, much better than anything I can add. I do want to throw out there that some of the lower tier LACs have named full ride scholarships you could have a chance for. Example is Elizabethtown College in PA has Stamps and I believe Juniata has a couple full rides. I think you’d easily be admitted as a student and could possibly get recommended for the top scholarships they have. I don’t know if it’s worth it to you to go so far from home unless it’s a big name versus staying in FL. That’d be for you and your family to decide. Good luck and I hope you’ll keep us posted on your journey!
I am not sure that OOS schools would be better financially that in-state publics in FL bc/o Bright Futures. I don’t know enough about the program or exactly what GPA etc. students need to qualify, but have you checked that? With Bright Futures, from what I have been hearing, students are sometimes getting paid to go to school in FL. Maybe I missed where that was discussed in this chain.
I’m not saying not to apply to other places, but I’d just check the Bright Futures part out.
It looks like you would be eligible for Berea, where every admitted student receives full tuition.
| AVERAGE NET PRICE BY INCOME | 2019-2020 | 2020-2021 | 2021-2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 – $30,000 | $4,531 | $3,447 | $1,677 |
| $30,001 – $48,000 | $5,313 | $1,902 | $2,300 |
| $48,001 – $75,000 | $6,551 | $4,414 | $4,627 |
Bright Futures covers full tuition only for a specific set of requirements (from memory so might be wrong: 3.5wGPA, 1330 SAT, 100h volunteering - it used to be: to qualify for 75% tuition 1170, 1270 for full tuition; upon implementation 25y ago the 75% award required 970 so that it could be available to all with good GPAs regardless of HS quality). These requirements have been upped several times, so that at first about a third of HS graduates qualified for full BF and now only a small minority (about 10%). OP does qualify for a reduction in tuition fees through BF but anyway the big issue is room&board, which is generally higher than tuition.
You may be thinking of the Benacquisto program?
@Joey1218 : talk with that teacher. Make SURE that information is included in your GC’s recommendation. That recommendation should also clearly show how your profile is academically exceptional.
(Im sure it seems obvious to them but they’ll have to make it very clear. To give them perspective, 1500 is the average SAT at the most generous colleges, those that would cover transportation&Winter clothes for a family income under 65k. These colleges should be able to have all the info to evaluate your application because you’re clearly not in an environment where 1480 is “low-ish” - and BTW mostly bc kids have been prepping, often with tutors, since sophomore year. That you reached that score without prep or an environment where that’s even part of the “horizon of possibles” is exceptional).
LoRs have till about Nov10 to arrive so your teachers and GC have about a week to make their letters likely to help.
MIT has this excellent little guide for teachers&GCs writing for students applying to highly selective, very generous colleges
BTW all colleges have said they welcome comments wrt a person’ identity, ethnicity, culture, etc. As to how it applies to the student, their school, their family context… (Also can be mentioned in a student’s essay).
Strongly seconding Berea. Deadline is Nov 15.
Thank you for your advice again. Currently working on my app for Berea 
We’re OOS so my kid didn’t get access to BF but it sounds like his friends with just BF get money back to cover living expenses? I don’t think all these kids were also NMF/Benacquisto. I think most kids admitted to UF in-state have the stats to qualify for full BF at this point (median SAT is now 1400, I don’t fully understand the way they do GPA but it’s high), not sure about the community service piece but it sure seems like it’s pretty widespread with students in-state a UF.
Maybe you’re right and they do all have other grants. Here’s the info: Florida Bright Futures | UF Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships
I know Sasse also said something earlier this year about how the university has to cut students checks for BF money, but looking at the details it doesn’t make sense.
The full Bright Futures level would cover tuition and $300/semester for books or other costs. The school can determine how the BF funds are used and whether any can go back to the student. Most of the public schools do allow the money to be refunded to the student IF some other funds pay the tuition. My daughter’s (private) school did not allow the BF funds to be used for anything other than tuition and could not be refunded to the student.
Many of your son’s friends may have had Florida prepaid to pay their tuition and, some, housing for first year (there are different plans). If so, the schools usually apply the Prepaid first because the BF can be refunded. They could also have other scholarships paying for tuition (military, local, sports) that would allow the BF to be refunded to the student.
The full BF requires a 3.5 gpa. OP says he has a 3.4, but if they recalculate it, it may go up to a 3.5. It also requires certain courses like 4 years of the core classes, 2 years of foreign language, 100 hours of community service.
The guidance counselors should be tracking every student to qualify for BF.
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