What Does Bright Futures Cover? Tuition, Fees, Housing (2026)

What Bright Futures actually covers

Florida's Bright Futures Scholarship pays for tuition and a specific list of fees at any eligible Florida public college or university. Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) get 100 percent, Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) get 75 percent, and Gold Seal CAPE Scholars get a flat amount per credit hour for technical programs. It does not cover housing, food, textbooks, or out-of-state schools. This guide breaks down exactly what is in the award, what is not, and how much you should still expect to pay for a year at a Florida public university.

If you are still working toward the score cutoffs, take a free SAT or ACT quiz to see where you stand, or use our SAT and ACT score calculator to map your current performance to the Bright Futures thresholds.

Bright Futures coverage at a glance

Here is what each award level covers at a Florida public institution for the 2025-2026 academic year:

The exact per-credit-hour amount is set by the state legislature each year and varies slightly between schools because the tuition differential fee at each university is different. For example, the University of Florida lists FAS at $212.71 per credit hour and FMS at $159.53, while the University of Central Florida pays FAS at $212.28 and FMS at $159.21. The structure is identical across schools, the dollars are within a few cents.

What Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) covers

FAS is the top tier and the most generous. The award pays 100 percent of tuition and 100 percent of applicable fees at any eligible Florida public college or university. If you enroll in 15 credit hours and your school's tuition plus applicable fees comes to $3,200 for the semester, FAS pays the full $3,200. You walk in with a zero balance on the tuition line of your bill.

FAS used to come with an additional $300 per semester stipend for books and other educational expenses. That stipend was eliminated in 2021 and, as of the 2025-2026 academic year, has not been restored. The University of South Florida states explicitly that "the State of Florida did not appropriate funds for the additional $300/term in fall and spring for educational expenses." Treat the stipend as gone until the state announces otherwise.

What Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) covers

FMS pays 75 percent of tuition and 75 percent of applicable fees. The 25 percent gap is on you. At a typical public Florida university, that gap is roughly $50 to $55 per credit hour, which works out to about $750 to $825 per semester at a 15-credit course load.

One important exception: at Florida College System institutions (the public two-year and four-year state colleges), FMS pays 100 percent of tuition and fees for associate degree programs. If you are starting at a state college like Valencia, Miami Dade, or St. Petersburg College, the FMS award functions like full coverage for the associate level.

What Gold Seal CAPE Scholars (GSC) covers

Gold Seal CAPE is the technical and vocational tier. It pays a flat per-credit-hour rate (roughly $39 to $49 depending on program and institution type) toward applied technology diplomas, technical degrees, and career certificates. It does not scale to 100 percent of tuition, and it is only valid for CTE-eligible programs at Florida College System institutions, career centers, or technical colleges. If your goal is a traditional bachelor's degree, GSC does not apply to you.

The full list of fees Bright Futures pays

Florida statute defines "applicable fees" as a specific set of charges that are part of tuition at every Florida public institution. Bright Futures covers all of them at the FAS or FMS percentage:

• Tuition
• Tuition differential fee
• Activity and service fee
• Health fee
• Athletic fee
• Financial aid fee
• Capital improvement fee
• Campus access and transportation fee
• Technology fee

That covers almost every line item on a standard tuition bill at a Florida public university. The pieces that fall outside this list are where students get surprised.

What Bright Futures does NOT cover

The award is a tuition scholarship, not a cost-of-attendance scholarship. The following expenses are entirely on you (and your parents, or other aid sources):

• Housing and room and board. Dorms, off-campus rent, and meal plans are never covered.
• Textbooks and course materials. The old $300 FAS book stipend is not funded for 2025-2026.
• Online course special fees. Schools often add a per-credit-hour distance-learning fee. Bright Futures does not pay this.
• Lab fees and material fees. Course-specific charges like nursing lab kits, art studio fees, and engineering equipment fees are not included.
• Insurance, parking, and recreation fees. Optional fees and student health insurance plans are not covered.
• Out-of-state schools. Bright Futures only works at eligible Florida institutions. If you go to college in another state, the award disappears.
• Graduate programs. The scholarship is for undergraduate study only.
• Non-degree-seeking enrollment. You must be in a degree or eligible certificate program.

For a complete annual cost picture, students at Florida public universities still need to plan for roughly $18,000 to $20,000 per year in housing, food, books, transportation, and personal expenses on top of the tuition portion that Bright Futures handles.

Does Bright Futures cover housing?

No. This is the most common question, and the answer is firm. Bright Futures is a tuition-and-fees scholarship. It pays the part of your bill labeled tuition and the official applicable fees. It does not pay the housing charge, the meal plan charge, or off-campus rent. If you live in a Florida public university dorm, expect to pay $7,000 to $11,000 per year out of pocket for room and board, regardless of your Bright Futures award.

Many Florida families pair Bright Futures with the Florida Prepaid College Plan, which can be set up to pay for housing through a dormitory plan. Federal aid (Pell Grant, subsidized loans) and university-specific scholarships are the other common pieces students use to cover what Bright Futures does not.

Does Bright Futures cover summer terms?

Yes, summer is covered, but with a credit-hour cap. State rules limit how many total credit hours Bright Futures will fund per academic year, and summer enrollment counts toward that cap. Most schools encourage students to spread their funded hours across fall, spring, and summer to maximize the award. Your university financial aid office can confirm exactly how many summer credits will be paid at your institution.

Does it cover online courses?

Bright Futures covers the standard tuition portion of an online course at the same per-credit-hour rate as an in-person course. The catch is the distance-learning fee. Many Florida schools tack on a small per-credit-hour charge for online sections, and that piece is not covered. Check your tuition statement for a line labeled "distance learning fee" or "online course fee" to see if it applies to your schedule.

How much will you actually pay with Bright Futures?

Here is the official 2025-2026 cost of attendance published by Florida State University for an in-state undergraduate living on campus, with Bright Futures coverage applied:

So even a full FAS award still leaves an FSU student paying roughly $20,100 per year for the non-tuition piece of college. The University of Florida posts a similar picture, with a total in-state COA of about $24,180 and only $6,380 of that going toward tuition and applicable fees. Bright Futures is a major scholarship, but it is not a free ride.

How to plan for the gap

The smart approach is to stack Bright Futures with other sources of aid for the non-tuition costs. The four most common combinations:

• Florida Prepaid College Plan — covers tuition and (optionally) housing, often started when the student is in elementary school.
• FAFSA-driven federal aid — Pell Grant for need-eligible families, subsidized and unsubsidized loans, and federal work-study. You must file the FAFSA each year to be considered, even if your family income is high.
• University-specific scholarships — Bright Futures stacks with merit awards from the school itself. UF Benacquisto, FSU Presidential, UCF Pegasus, and similar awards often cover housing and books for top students.
• Outside scholarships — Local, civic, and corporate scholarships fill in. Bright Futures recipients are eligible to layer these on without penalty.

To maximize your Bright Futures award itself, focus on hitting the highest test-score cutoff you can. The difference between FMS and FAS is roughly $1,600 per year at most public Florida universities. Get familiar with the score thresholds in our Bright Futures SAT requirements guide and Bright Futures ACT requirements guide.

Next steps

If you are still in high school and aiming for Bright Futures, the test score is the single biggest variable you can control. Start a free practice quiz in the section you need to lift the most, or read the full Florida Bright Futures guide for the requirements, timeline, and application process. Already eligible? Walk through the application steps and deadlines so nothing trips you up before the August 31 cutoff.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bright Futures Coverage

Does Bright Futures cover 100 percent of tuition?

Only the Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) award covers 100 percent of tuition and applicable fees. Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) covers 75 percent. Gold Seal CAPE pays a flat per-credit-hour rate for technical programs and does not function as full-tuition coverage.

Does Bright Futures cover housing or room and board?

No. Bright Futures is a tuition and applicable fees scholarship. Housing, meal plans, and off-campus rent are not part of the award. Florida students typically use Florida Prepaid, FAFSA-driven aid, or university scholarships to cover housing costs.

Does Bright Futures cover textbooks?

Not currently. FAS recipients used to get a $300 per semester stipend that could be applied to books and supplies, but the stipend was eliminated in 2021 and the state has not restored funding through the 2025-2026 academic year. Plan to pay for books out of pocket.

How much does Bright Futures pay per credit hour?

For 2025-2026, FAS pays roughly $209 to $214 per credit hour and FMS pays roughly $157 to $160 per credit hour, with small variations by university based on each school's tuition differential fee. Gold Seal CAPE pays approximately $39 to $49 per credit hour at participating technical and state college programs.

Can I use Bright Futures at an out-of-state college?

No. The award is only valid at eligible Florida public and private postsecondary institutions. If you enroll at a school outside Florida, you forfeit the scholarship for that term. You can defer Bright Futures for up to two years after high school graduation, but only if you enroll at an eligible Florida institution within that window.

Does Bright Futures cover summer classes?

Yes, summer terms are covered, but they count toward the annual credit-hour cap Bright Futures will fund. Summer is often a strategic way to graduate early or take a lighter fall and spring load. Confirm your summer-term limits with your university financial aid office.

Does Bright Futures cover graduate school?

No. The award is restricted to undergraduate study and eligible career certificates. Once you finish your bachelor's degree, the scholarship ends. Graduate students need to look at assistantships, federal loans, and graduate-specific scholarships.