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 where scores are available during the same week as our deadline. If this applies to you, submit existing scores by the deadline and any updated reports within 5 days of our Part Two deadline.

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

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 EFC and the grants and scholarships you will be receiving from the government, your school, and any other sources. Click for a detailed explanation of our method.

If you are having trouble printing your SAR, call our office or stop by, and we will help you see what the problem is. We need to have your printed SAR by our Part Two document drop off deadline, so don't leave this to the last minute. We encourage all students and families to register early with FAFSA, get their PIN numbers and work out in advance any issues that may cause problems in obtaining their SAR by our deadlines.

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. Click here for an outline of our methodology.

Yes, though many of our recipients choose to attend Florida schools, we have recipients attending colleges and universities across the country.

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.. Please be on time and be sure to bring all the requested materials with you.

You must bring one or both of your parents (or guardians) unless you are have been classified as an independent student on your SAR. Please contact us if you have any doubts about your status or problems. Your parent helps us understand your family' financial status (e.g. value of investments, home equity, alimony and child support income or payments, consumer debt, medical expenses.) You should bring all paperwork needed to complete your file if you have not already submitted it. This will include items such as you Final School Form, college acceptance and financial aid letters. Please consult the Part Three requirements to make sure you know what you have to bring.

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.