Changes made to Bright Futures [ArticleImageHyperLink] Friday, May 04, 2012 By Brandon Robbins Advertising      Because the requirements were within reach of many students and the financial help generous, Florida’s Bright Futures Scholarships is one of the most sought after scholarships.    However, because the state is having difficulty funding Bright Futures,  there have been some changes made to the qualifying process making  the Bright Futures Scholarships tougher to earn than it has been in the past.      As most students know there are three levels of scholarships associated with Bright Futures.     The most generous and most difficult to earn is the Florida Academic Scholar Award (FAS).      Next are the Florida Medallion Scholars Award (FMS) and Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars Award (GSV).   Perhaps the most important change for students to be aware of is the requirement for students to submit an “error free” Free Application for Federal Student Aid form before graduation.      The application is eight pages long and asks more than 100 questions, mostly about family finances, so it is best not to put off completing this requirement.      Another fairly significant  change has to do with the community service hour requirement.     It is now 100 hours for the FAS and 75 hours for the FMS and 35 hours for the GSV.       The bottom line or the amount of money that will be awarded for the Bright Future scholarships is now computed in a different way.   In the past, students who earned a FAS could expect  an award equal to 100% of tuition and some other college fees.     Now the state will pay per semester hour, $101 for a four-year college.    Students who qualify as FMS in the past received 75% of tuition and some college fees.     The state now will pay $76 for a semester hour.     Some experts who have analyzed the changes to the Bright Futures awards have estimated that the FAS now will cover only 60% of  the college costs that it did in  previous years.   For the FMS, the changes instituted to computing scholarships means that  instead of 75%, the student will be awarded about 40%.    Students are advised to plan ahead and consult their guidance counselors.     “The legislature changes Bright Futures almost on a yearly basis, so keep a look out for changed requirements to be eligible for the Scholarship,” said Guidance Counselor Mrs. Heather Ashby.

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