About 2,000 UF students risk losing their Bright Futures scholarships if they do not fill out a federal financial aid form.
According to a statewide rule implemented this summer, students must fill out a complete, error-free Free Application for Federal Student Aid form to receive their Bright Futures scholarships. UF officials sent emails and postcards to students over the summer to warn them about the change.
After the first tuition deadlines passed, officials determined that about 2,000 students still have not submitted an error-free form, said Rick Wilder, the interim director for the UF Office of Student Financial Affairs.
"Some students may not give the forms and forgo their scholarship," Wilder said.
Wilder said Bright Futures scholarships were awarded to 26,292 students last year, which is roughly 74 percent of undergraduate, in-state students. The program paid out $77,498,667 through the scholarships, which are awarded to students based on their high school academic records.
Recipients of the Florida Academic Scholars award, which is the highest scholarship offered, have their scholarships automatically renewed each year if they enroll in at least 12 academic credit hours per semester and maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
Biochemistry junior Scott Heffley said he didn't understand the new requirement.
"It makes no sense to fill out a form for federal need-based aid in order to receive a merit-based scholarship that has nothing to do with federal aid whatsoever," Heffley said.
Florida legislators voted to have students fill out the form to gather background information about those receiving the scholarships, according to Alligator archives.
Financial records do not affect the amount of money students receive.
A spokesperson from the Florida Department of Education was not available at press time.
There is no deadline to complete the form, Wilder said. Those students who have not completed it will receive their scholarship as long as the form is received within the academic year.
If students submit their forms in January, they will be paid retroactively and receive their full scholarships.
Bright Futures scholarships, which are about $3,030 per year for the Florida Academic Scholars award, are usually divided between the fall and spring semesters.
"If students are still interested in getting their Bright Futures, the best thing to do is get their form in," Wilder said.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid form can be found online at fasfa.ed.gov.
