The program is provided through the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OFSA) and local educational institutions. OSFA is located within the Florida Department of Education and administers both state and federal student financial assistance programs. OSFA is the designated guaranty agency for the state of Florida.

However, since the enactment of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872), OSFA no longer has the authority to insure new loans under the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). Although OSFA no longer guarantees federal student loans, OSFA continues to provide life-of-the-loan support for loans remaining in their portfolio.

Lastly, institutional financial aid administrators also play an important role in the financial aid process of awarding and disbursing monetary resources by helping students file applications, verifying their eligibility for aid, and fostering financial literacy.

Students receive state funded financial assistance through scholarship or grant programs that do not require repayment or low-interest loan programs that do require repayment. The programs include merit-based, tuition assistance, and financial assistance programs.More detailed information about available financial assistance can be found on the department's website. 

• Merit-based programs reward academic merit or achievement. State merit-based programs include:
  • Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program. Created in 1997 and funded by the Florida Lottery, the program provides scholarships to students who take the necessary high school courses, earn sufficiently high GPA, complete the required number of service hours, and achieve sufficiently high scores on college entrance exams.
  • Benacquisto Scholarship Program. The program was created in 2014 and was formerly known as the Florida National Merit Scholar Incentive Program. It provides scholarships to any eligible student who receives recognition as a National Merit Scholar or National Achievement Scholar and who initially enrolls in a baccalaureate degree program at an eligible, regionally accredited, Florida public or independent postsecondary educational institution.
    
• Tuition Assistance Programs
  • William L. Boyd, IV, Effective Access to Student Education Grant Program (EASE). Created in 1979, the program provides tuition assistance to undergraduate students enrolled in degree programs at eligible independent, nonprofit colleges or universities in Florida.
    
• Financial Assistance Programs
  • First Generation Matching Grant Program. Created in 2006, the program provides need-based grants to degree-seeking undergraduate Florida residents whose parents have not earned baccalaureate degrees. Available state funds are contingent upon matching contributions from private sources on a dollar-for-dollar basis at Florida's 12 state universities and 28 Florida College System institutions.
  • Florida Farmworker Student Scholarship Program. Created in 2018, the program provides up to 50 scholarships to be awarded annually to farmworkers and the children of farmworkers who meet the scholarship eligibility criteria.
  • Florida Law Enforcement Academy Scholarship Program. The program assists in the recruitment of law enforcement officers within Florida by providing financial assistance to eligible trainees who enroll in an eligible law enforcement officer basic recruit training program at an eligible postsecondary institution. 
  • Florida Prepaid College Foundation. Created in 1989, the foundation awards scholarships to economically disadvantaged students at risk of dropping out of school and to other deserving students in need of assistance.
  • Florida Student Assistance Grant (FSAG). The program provides grants to undergraduate degree or certificate-seeking Florida residents who attend a public or private institution in Florida. The program consists of the Florida Public Student Assistance Grant, the Florida Private Student Assistance Grant, the Florida Postsecondary Student Assistance Grant, and the Florida Public Postsecondary Career Education Student Assistance Grant (FSAG-CE)
  • Florida Work Experience Program (FWEP). The need-based provides work experiences to eligible Florida students to complement and reinforce their educational and career goals.    
  • Honorably Discharged Graduate Assistance Program. The program was created in 2015 as a supplemental, need-based veteran educational benefit. Funds are used to assist in the payment of living expenses during holiday and semester breaks for active duty and honorably discharged members of the Armed Forces who served on or after September 11, 2001.   
  • José Martí Scholarship Challenge Grant Program. Created in 1986, the program assists Florida's Hispanic-American high school graduates with financial need and rewards them for their academic achievement.
  • Mary McLeod Bethune Scholarship Program. Created in 1989, the program provides financial assistance to undergraduate students with financial need who attend one of four historically black colleges and universities and meet specific scholastic requirements. Available funds are contingent upon matching contributions from private sources on behalf of eligible institutions.
  • Minority Teacher Education Scholarship Program. The program was created in 1996 and awards the scholarship to minority college students (juniors and seniors) pursuing teaching careers in Florida's public school system. Upon graduation, recipients are required to teach one year in a Florida public school for each year they received the scholarship.
  • Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program. The Florida Legislature established the program in 1989 to encourage qualified personnel to seek employment in areas of the state where critical nursing shortages exist. The program provides funds to assist in the repayment of nursing education loans.  
  • Postsecondary Education Services and Support (PESS). PESS is a state program for eligible former foster youth to receive the skills, education, and support necessary to become self-sufficient and have lifelong connections to supportive adults. Depending on certain statutory conditions, eligible youth may receive a monthly financial payment that may include applicable Education and Training Voucher (ETV) funding. The financial award is to secure housing, utilities, and assist with cost of living while attending a Florida Bright Futures-eligible postsecondary educational institution.  
  • Randolph Bracy Ocoee Scholarship Program. This program provides student financial assistance to a maximum of 50 eligible students who are either a direct descendant of a victim of the Ocoee Election Day Riots of November 1920, or are current African-American residents of Ocoee, Florida.
  • Rosewood Family Scholarship Program. Created in 1994, the program provides need-based financial assistance to direct descendants of Rosewood families affected by the incidents of January 1923. 
  • Scholarships for Children and Spouses of Deceased or Disabled Veterans. In effect since 1941, the program provides scholarships for dependent children and un-remarried spouses of Florida veterans who died as a result of service-connected injuries, diseases, or disabilities sustained while on active duty.  
  • The Theodore R. and Vivian M. Johnson Scholarship Program. The competitive need-based scholarship program is for undergraduate, degree-seeking students with disabilities attending public universities in Florida. The program is supported by contributions from the Johnson Scholarship Foundation.

The number of students receiving awards from several major programs is shown below. A summary of award recipients for all programs administered by the state can be found in OSFA's annual report.

Postsecondary Educational Grant. The 2023 Legislature enacted Ch. 2023-93, Laws of Florida, creating a postsecondary educational grant under the William L. Boyd, IV, Effective Access to Student Education (EASE) Grant Program. The law requires the Florida Department of Education to issue a grant to any full-time degree-seeking undergraduate student registered at an independent nonprofit university who was formerly eligible for the Access to Better Learning and Education (ABLE) Grant Program, which was repealed in 2021, and meets other specified eligibility criteria.

Other Reports
Department of Education - Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) System - Information Technology Operational Audit, Auditor General Report 2018-196, March 2018
Administration of the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program by Florida's Public Universities and Colleges - Operational Audit, Auditor General Report 2018-212, June 2018
2019-20 Annual Report to the Commissioner, Office of Financial Student Assistance, 2020
Florida Legislative Updates and History for State Scholarship and Grant Programs, Office of Financial Student Assistance

Websites of Interest
Florida Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
Federal Student Aid

Performance Information

Lou Anne Standley, Executive Staff Director, Office of Student Financial Assistance, 1-800-366-3475 or 850-410-5200, email: OSFAStudentLoans@fldoe.org
Website