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- What is the Florida Opportunity Scholarship (FOS)?
- What is First-Generation?
- Who is eligible?
- How do students apply??
- Is the FOS program available to transfer students?
- How long is the scholarship good for?
- How can I support the FOS Program?
Questions current FOS students ask
- What requirements must I meet in order to renew my scholarship each year?
- How many credit hours do I need to take each semester?
- Will FOS pay for Summer classes?
- If drop a class, how will my FOS scholarship be affected?
- I heard that if I drop a class I am responsible for paying back the tuition, is that right?
- I want to study abroad, will FOS help me pay for it?
- Will I remain eligible in the future if my total family income is greater than $40,000?
- If I have a question about Financial Aid or the FAFSA, who should I contact?
- If I have an academic advising question, who should I contact?
- Do I have to live on campus?
- What do I need to do if I decide to move off-campus?
- Can I have a part-time job and still receive the FOS scholarship?
The Florida Opportunity Scholars Program is an initiative to ensure first-generation students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds have the resources they need to be academically successful at the University of Florida. The goal of the program is to retain these students and have them graduate at rates equal to or greater than the undergraduate population at large.
The term first-generation refers to students who are the first in their families to attend college. More specifically, it means that no one in the student’s immediate family has earned a bachelor’s degree.
Students must first be admitted into the University of Florida. Upon completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), students are eligible if they are a Florida resident, first-generation, and come from a family whose annual income is equal to or less than $40,000.
Students don’t apply but rather they are eligible. After deemed eligible, students must complete a certification form mailed from the Office of Student Financial Affairs.
No, only first-time in college freshman students are eligible.
8 semesters or until the student earns a Bachelor’s Degree; whichever comes first.
The University of Florida thanks you for your interest in supporting this program. All donations can be made through the University of Florida Foundation. Click Here to support FOS.
As a first-year student in the FOS program, you must complete and pass SLS1102: First-Year Florida by the conclusion of Spring term. Additionally, you must actively participate in the peer mentoring program as well as attend 2 Financial Literacy Workshops (one in the Fall and another in the Spring). You must also reapply for Financial Aid every year by the March 15 deadline. As a second-year student in the FOS program, you must complete 2 Career Workshops (one in the Fall and another in the Spring). All FOS students must keep a 2.0 GPA and earn 24 credits each year to remain eligible.
FOS requires you to complete 24 credit hours at the conclusion of each Spring term. Therefore, the number of credits you take may vary by semester but 24 must be earned each year. Students who do not earn 24 are placed on probation and must make up the credits in the summer to remain eligible for the following Fall term.
No, however students are eligible for other types of aid in the summer. Students may also choose to take classes at a Community College or a college close to their home in order to save money. Be sure to check with your academic advisor before registering for non-UF classes to ensure that the credits will transfer back to UF.
Since FOS students are required to earn 24 credits each year, dropping a class may put you behind in earning these credits. A student may need to take a large load of credits in the Spring term to make up for deficits or he/she may consider taking classes in the summer while on probation. All UF students receiving Bright Futures scholarship are now required to repay the cost for classes they drop, unless it is a documented medical reason.
Yes, that’s right. For complete information, please click here
FOS is unable to fund study abroad however you will be eligible for financial aid to go abroad. If you started in the FOS program in either 2006 or 2007, you are eligible for one study abroad program to be funded by FOS.
- 7. Will I remain eligible in the future if my total family income is greater than $40,000? about retaliation?
Each Spring when you update your FAFSA, family income status is evaluated. If your family income increases significantly then you may be removed from the program. The reason for this is to stick to the mission of the program which is to fund students who come from historically low-income backgrounds.
Student Financial Affairs which is located in Criser Hall.
You will want to contact an academic advisor in your college. If you are an exploratory major, you may access advising in the Academic Advising Center (Farrior Hall).
No, but it is recommended that you live on campus in your first-year so that you may become familiar with campus, participate in activities coordinated by the Department of Housing and Residence Education. Students may stay on campus their entire college career assuming they turn in paperwork by the established deadlines.
You will need to sign a lease with your apartment complex and realize that it will be your responsibility to pay your rent and utilities each month. Your financial aid package will be adjusted so that you have finances to do so. When FOS students live on campus, rent is deferred and the housing bill is paid all at once. One piece of advice: find a roommate if you live off campus to keep costs lower and more manageable.
Yes, however it is advisable to limit the number of hours you work per week to ensure that your studies come first. The program is designed so that students do not need to work in order to fund their schooling but we realize that many students want to work.