WE ARE HERE TO HELP! We realize that properly completing all the financial aid forms and applications can be daunting, especially if you are the first in your family to go to college. It is very important that you and your parent(s) ask for help before you become discouraged or overwhelmed. We also know that you can't always get in to see a guidance counselor on short notice during the busiest time of the year. Feel free to call us or to stop by the Scholarship Foundation office, and we will work with you to help resolve whatever issues you are having. We want you to succeed!

No, unfortunately your transcripts and score reports must show GPAs and test scores meeting our critiera. Exception: We will consider scores for testing dates already taken and where scores are available soon after our deadline. If this applies to you, submit existing scores by the deadline and updated reports when you receive them.

Bright Futures updates their requirements periodically. Go to the Bright Futures website to see the current hurdles. Your guidance counselor can help you understand what award you are qualified for.

You will submit your application through our online application portal. See the requirements and process for applying on our How to Apply page on our website.

We use a method similar to that used by many colleges and universities. We subtract your Available Financial Resources from your school's Cost of Attendance (COA). The resources available to you, which we subtract from your COA, include: your Student Aid Index (SAI) calcuated by the FAFSA and the grants and scholarships you will be receiving from the government, your school, and any other sources.

If you are having trouble getting your printing your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS), call our office, and we will help you see what the problem is. You need to save your FSS as a pdf and upload it into our Application Portal by the deadline for your Full Application. Don't wait til the last minute to sort out any issues. We encourage all students and families to get their FSA IDs ahead of the opening of the FAFSA system and gather your required financial information so you'll be ready to apply when the system opens.

An invitation to the Scholarship Foundation Awards Ceremony in May indicates that we plan to offer you an award. All applicants who are invited must attend the ceremony in order to be eligible to receive their award. If you will not be able to attend the ceremony, for any reason, you will not be eligible to receive an award. We will not make any exceptions.

Our awards are designed to meet a percentage of a student' UNMET NEED. The percentage will depend upon our total funding and our assessment of the strength of the student's application compared to the rest of our applicant pool.

Yes. Although many of our recipients choose to attend Florida schools because of their lower tuitions, we have recipients attending colleges and universities across the country. Students are encouraged to explore a range of schools that will meet their interests at a cost they can afford.

Yes, all scholarships awarded through Scholarship Foundation, including Richardson Scholar awards, are based upon financial need as well as an evaluation of your readiness to succeed in college based on the information you submit and our interviews.

Approximately 20 minutes, which includes an interview with you about your high school experience and your college goals and a discussion about how you plan to pay for your chosen college. Interviews are held via Zoom, and you will need to have one or both parents sit in with you. They can call in from a separate location, if needed.

We make award decisions by the beginning of May, and we notify prospective recipients via an invitation to our Awards ceremony. You will receive this invitation by email and mail at least a week before the ceremony. Remember, you must attend the ceremony to be eligible for an award.

Checks for the first semester of classes (one-half of the annual award amount) will be available in early August. The exact date will be provided in your award letter. Students may pick up their checks at that time if they have provided all the required paperwork, including their fall schedule of classes as proof of enrollment. Checks are payable directly to the student, not to the school and may be used for tuition, housing, books, etc.