The Florida Senate

240.40202  Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program; student eligibility requirements for initial awards.--

(1)  To be eligible for an initial award from any of the three types of scholarships under the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program, a student must:

(a)  Be a Florida resident as defined in s. 240.404 and rules of the State Board of Education.

(b)  Earn a standard Florida high school diploma or its equivalent as described in s. 232.246 or s. 229.814 unless:

1.  The student is enrolled full time in the early admission program of an eligible postsecondary education institution or completes a home education program according to s. 232.02(4); or

2.  The student earns a high school diploma from a non-Florida school while living with a parent or guardian who is on military or public service assignment away from Florida.

(c)  Be accepted by and enroll in an eligible Florida public or independent postsecondary education institution.

(d)  Be enrolled for at least 6 semester credit hours or the equivalent in quarter hours or clock hours.

(e)  Not have been found guilty of, or plead nolo contendere to, a felony charge, unless the student has been granted clemency by the Governor and Cabinet sitting as the Executive Office of Clemency.

(f)  Apply for a scholarship from the program by April 1 of the last semester before high school graduation.

(2)  A student is eligible to accept an initial award for 3 years following high school graduation and to accept a renewal award for 7 years following high school graduation. A student who applies for an award by April 1 and who meets all other eligibility requirements, but who does not accept his or her award, may reapply during subsequent application periods up to 3 years after high school graduation.

(3)  The department may determine a student's eligibility status during the senior year before graduation and may inform the student of the award at that time.

(4)  A student who wishes to qualify for a particular award within the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program, but who does not meet all of the requirements for that level of award, may, nevertheless, receive the award if the principal of the student's school or the district superintendent verifies that the deficiency is caused by the fact that school district personnel provided inaccurate or incomplete information to the student. The school district must provide a means for the student to correct the deficiencies and the student must correct them, either by completing comparable work at the postsecondary institution or by completing a directed individualized study program developed and administered by the school district. If the student does not complete the requirements by December 31 immediately following high school graduation, the student is ineligible to participate in the program.

History.--s. 3, ch. 97-77.