Bright Futures and College Scholarships
Florida Bright Futures offers two different scholarship options for Cambridge Programme students:
AICE Diploma Option:
Students who earn an AICE diploma based on AICE exams taken prior to and during the high school graduation exam administration series ending mid-June, complete 100 hours of community service, and submit their Florida Financial Aid Applications by their high school graduation date, will earn the Florida Academic Scholars award. (These students are therefore exempt from meeting the GPA and SAT/ACT requirements)
AICE Curriculum Option: (For students who did not earn an AICE Diploma)
To qualify for a Bright Futures award utilizing the AICE curriculum option, students must satisfy the following requirements:
- Complete the AICE curriculum requirements as determined by the Florida Department of Education
- Meet the appropriate SAT or ACT test score
- Earn the community service hours: FAS – 100, FMS – 75
The AICE curriculum is defined as follows:
Complete a minimum of 14 AICE credits* identified by the University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) in the following areas:
- Two credits in Global Perspectives
- Two credits from Group 1 – Mathematics and Sciences
- Two credits from Group 2 – Languages
- Two credits from Group 3 – Arts and Humanities
- Optional Credits from Group 4 – Interdisciplinary and skills-based subjects
- Six additional credits in any combination from the above four Groups or from the Research Project (worth one credit) which requires a student to write two essays of between 3,000 and 3,500 words each from two different subjects for which AICE examinations are taken.
*Students earn one credit by completing one AICE full credit course and another credit for taking the corresponding AICE examination.
Completion of the AICE curriculum would require students to complete seven AICE courses and take the examinations for each with at least one course and examination being from each of the three required subject areas: Mathematics & Sciences, Languages, and Arts and Humanities and the required Global Perspectives course. A student’s Bright Futures Evaluation Report will indicate a student has completed the AICE curriculum if the student’s transcript has seven completed (or up to one credit in each academic area in progress) AICE course credits (with at least one credit being from each of the three subject groups and the required Global Perspectives).
Additional Scholarships and College Funding:
Although Bright Futures is the most commonly known form of college funding in Florida, there are many additional opportunities for grants, scholarships and additional funding.
Federal Aid Grants
All college bound seniors need to fill out the Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Depending on family income, some students will qualify for federal grants that may be used to pay for college. This application might also qualify you for federal loans or other scholarships. The application opens on January 1st. The sooner you submit the application, the better chance you have of receiving funding. Here is the link for the application FAFSA
In addition to FAFSA:
Your 1st source of scholarship money should come from Bright Futures.
All college bound seniors should complete out the Bright Futures Application. **You must apply for the scholarship or you will not receive it!
Bright Futures is a state funded scholarship that is awarded to students who meet the required qualifications.
Please understand that Bright Futures pays a specific amount “per college credit”. For example, USF currently costs $211 per credit hour for in-state tuition (Approximately $6500 per year for full time classes). The max Bright Futures award only pays $103 per credit hour. This means that even if you receive the best Bright Futures Scholarship, it would only cover about half of your tuition costs not including books. USF is just one example, every college charges a different amount for tuition so please check with each individual university you are applying to.
For more information about Bright Futures, please visit their website by clicking HERE
Your 2nd source of scholarship money should come from Merit Scholarships.
Merit Scholarships are awarded based on GPA and test scores. Eligibility is determined by each university individually. You can find an example of the merit scholarships that USF offers HERE
Your 3rd source of scholarship money might come from Athletic Scholarships.
If you think you might be eligible for an athletic scholarship, please speak with your coach or Pasco High’s athletic director.
Your 4th source of scholarship money will come from all other miscellaneous scholarships that you have applied for individually. Please refer to the list of scholarships posted on the PHS website HERE. In addition, you can find thousands of scholarships at websites such as Fastweb.com and Scholarships.com
