Florida Bright Futures - Florida Gold Seal CAPE Scholars (GSC)

Per-credit-hour award for Florida high school grads with CAPE industry certifications, for career and technical programs.

How much

$39 per semester credit hour (career certificate or applied technology diploma), $48 per semester credit hour (AS/AAS/CCC technical degree), 2026-27; $48 per semester credit hour toward a BS/BAS after an AS/AAS

Who qualifies

• Earn at least 5 postsecondary credit hours through CAPE industry certifications that articulate for college credit (see the Bright Futures Course Table) + 30 volunteer hours, 100 paid work hours, or a 100-hour combination (75 volunteer hours for students who entered 9th grade in 2024-25 or later). Standard high school diploma or equivalent. Florida resident; standard Florida HS diploma (public or registered private school), GED, or registered home education (some out-of-state graduates qualify); no felony conviction unless clemency granted; enroll at an eligible Florida public or independent institution in at least 6 non-remedial semester hours per term.
• For high school seniors, students starting college, trade school students
• U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen

When to apply

Open now · due August 31, 2027 FFAA opens Oct 1 of senior year and must be submitted by Aug 31 after high school graduation - missing it means no award. Tests must be taken by Aug 31 of graduation year (Jan 31 for mid-year graduates; their FFAA deadline is Dec 31).

How to apply

1. Submit the Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) online at FloridaStudentFinancialAidsg.org during senior year (Oct 1, 2026 - Aug 31, 2027 for the class of 2027)
2. OSFA evaluates eligibility from your high school transcript and test scores
3. No FAFSA is required for Bright Futures itself
4. Renews automatically (no annual FFAA) if you meet renewal rules

What you'll need

state application + transcript

Last checked

October 5, 2026, against the official page (floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org), page 2, page 3, page 4 and page 5