High school studetns graduating in 2028 will have to achieve higher test scores to qualify for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship.
Funded by the Florida Lottery, the state scholarship has helped more than 1 million students attend college, according to the agency website, and has funneled more than $9.3 billion to Bright Futures.
The Florida Academic Scholarship, which covers 100% tuition at any Florida university, now requires a student earn a score of 1350 on the SAT, the entrance exam used by most colleges and universities. It's a 20-point increase compared to the threshold for this school year's graduating class.
The test scores for the Classic Learning Test, or CLT, went up just one point to 96 and there were no changes to the ACT score minimum.
"For some students that are sort of just barely hitting the qualifying threshold, this could have significant impact on their future planning," said Bethany Lacey, chief executive officer of Take Stock in Children, a statewide non-profit pairing middle and high school students with mentors to help prepare for college.
The organization works with students from low-income families to push through economic barriers getting in the way of applying to and paying for college.
The Florida Academic Scholarship also requires students have a minimum weighted grade point average of 3.5 and 100 volunteer service hours, 100 paid work hours or a combination of 100 total hours. Those requirements have not changed.
To qualify for the Florida Medallion Scholarship, which covers 75% of tuition, students must score at least 1200 on the SAT, up from the 1190 minimum for Class of 2027 graduates.
"A 10-point difference is significant," said Lacey. "That might mean that you need to build in more time for more practice tests or to be able to retake the test if you didn't get to that point."
The CLT and ACT each went up one point to 25 and 83, respectively.
The changes "could have significant impact" on a student's ability "to make their dream of going to college a reality," Lacey said.
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It's not an impossible feat for any student to achieve the scores, Lacey said, but it may require students spend more time studying and take more practice exams to measure their readiness.
To qualify for the award covering 75% of tuition, students must also have a 3.0 weighted grade point average and at least 75 volunteer service hours, 100 paid work hours or a combination of 100 total hours. Those requirements have not changed.
Dalis Maman, a junior at Miami Norland Senior High School, is a mentee student at Take Stock in Children.
With the help of her mentor, Maman takes mock exams for the SAT, ACT and CLT, she said. She's one of the students needing to meet the new qualifying threshold for the Bright Futures Scholarship.
" At first when I thought of it, I was like, 'maybe that's a little too much,'" she said, "but then when I really thought deep into it, it actually would just encourage students to push harder and aim for a higher score. So I think it's more encouraging."
Maman aspires to be a lawyer and is eyeing Florida State University and Florida A&M University for her undergraduate degree.
The Florida Department of Education, which sets the scholarship requirements, did not respond to WLRN's questions about why the minimum test score requirements were changed.
