Bright Futures continue to dim.
Gov. Rick Scott recently signed a bill requiring all students eligible for Florida Bright Futures Scholarship funds to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA, before any aid is dispersed. The measure will come into effect July 1.
Rachel Fernandez, 20, an anthropology student at UF, said she is one of the many students who have watched the Bright Futures program wane over the years.
"Now you have to work harder than ever for Bright Futures, but you're getting less," she said.
The additional paperwork is being required because the state wants data on the Bright Futures population, said Paul Bryant, a Florida Senate analyst for education appropriations.
"People ask us questions constantly," he said, "and we don't have any information for them."
The forms will provide detailed demographic and financial data on dependent and independent students receiving Bright Futures.
Bryant said there are a thousand ways the program can change, and it would be impossible to predict its future. The form will serve as a census to provide information for future funding.
Based off the numbers from the 2009-2010 school year, about 95 percent of incoming freshmen and 79 percent of all students at UF receive Bright Futures, said Rick Wilder, interim director for UF's Student Financial Affairs.
Many of those students already complete FAFSA forms, but he said he's concerned for the returning students who are unaware of the changes to the program, he said.
UF plans to alert students of the changes to Bright Futures by email, but the school is waiting for the other amendments to the program, including the reduction of funds, to be finalized before the email is sent, he said. He expects the email to go out later in the week.
The FAFSA form can be filled out online and takes about 10 days to process.
