Florida Student Assistance Grant Program

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Florida Student Assistance Grant Program
Fact Sheet
Florida Statutes 1009.50 - 1009.52 State Board of Education Rule 6A-20.031 - 20.033


Program Description
The Florida Student Assistance Grant (FSAG) Program is a need-based grant program available to degree-seeking, resident, undergraduate students who demonstrate substantial financial need and are enrolled in participating postsecondary institutions.
The Florida Public Student Assistance Grant is available to students who attend state universities and public community colleges.
The Florida Private Student Assistance Grant is available to students who attend eligible private, non-profit, four-year colleges and universities.
The Florida Postsecondary Student Assistance Grant is available to students who attend eligible degree-granting private colleges and universities not eligible under the Florida Private Student Assistance Grant.
The Florida Public Postsecondary Career Education Student Assistance Grant (FSAG-CE) is available to students who attend participating community colleges or career centers operated by district school boards. See the separate fact sheet for additional information regarding the FSAG-CE program.

The following information does not pertain to FSAG-CE.

FSAG is a decentralized state of Florida program, which means that each participating institution determines application procedures, deadlines, student eligibility, and award amounts.

The Talented Twenty Program rewards high school students graduating in the top 20 percent of each senior class by guaranteeing them admission to one of the eleven state universities in Florida and by providing priority funding for the FSAG program, if eligible. The FSAG program is a need-based grant; therefore, Talented Twenty students must meet FSAG eligibility requirements in order to receive priority funding. Additional information regarding the Talented Twenty Program is available on the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) Web site.

What Are the Initial Eligibility Requirements to Receive Funding?
The student will:
Be a Florida resident and a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen. A student’s residency and citizenship status are determined by the postsecondary institution. Questions regarding such status should be directed to the financial aid office or admissions office of the institution the student plans to attend.
Not owe a repayment or be in default under any state or federal grant, loan, or scholarship program unless satisfactory arrangements to repay have been made.
Not have previously received a baccalaureate degree.
Enroll for a minimum of 12 credit hours per term, or the equivalent, in an associate or baccalaureate degree program at an eligible institution to participate in the FSAG Postsecondary, FSAG Private, or FSAG Public programs.
Enroll for a minimum of six credit hours per term, or the equivalent in an associate or baccalaureate degree program at a state university or community college in order to participate in the FSAG Public Part-time program.
Meet Florida’s general eligibility requirements for receipt of state aid.

How Does a Student Apply?
The student will demonstrate financial need by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in time to be processed error free by the deadline specified by the institution.

How Does a Student Renew?
A renewal applicant must have earned a minimum institutional cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale and earn the following for each term an award was received during the academic year for the programs listed below:
Florida Public Student Assistance Grant,
12 credit hours for each term for full-time enrollment;
9 credit hours for three-quarter time enrollment; or
6 credit hours for half-time enrollment.
Florida Private and Postsecondary Student Assistance Grants, 12 credit hours for each term award was received.
Eligibility is determined at the end of the second semester or third quarter of each academic year. Credit hours earned during the previous summer can be counted toward the total number of credit hours required.
A student should consult his/her postsecondary institution for renewal requirements established by the institution.
Demonstrate financial need by completing an error free FAFSA each academic year by the deadline specified by the institution.

What if a Student Does Not Meet the Minimum GPA Required for Renewal?
If a student does not meet the minimum institutional cumulative GPA, he/she may be granted a probationary award for two semesters or three quarters.
To be eligible for renewal the following year after probation, the student must have earned the required credits and an institutional cumulative GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.

What if a Student Does Not Meet the Minimum Credit Hours Required for Renewal?
A student who does not meet the annual minimum number of credit hours required for renewal may not receive funding the following academic year.
To be eligible for funding in a subsequent year, the student must apply for restoration and meet the general eligibility requirements for restoration and have earned an institutional cumulative GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.

How Does a Student Restore?
A student may be eligible for restoration if he/she has earned an institutional cumulative GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale at the end of the second semester or third quarter of the academic year for which he/she was ineligible.
A student may apply for restoration with the postsecondary institution after two semesters or three quarters at the end of the spring term.

How Does a Student Reinstate?
A student who met the requirements for a renewal award, but did not receive an award during a full year of eligibility and wishes to reestablish use of the grant, may apply for reinstatement with the postsecondary institution in a subsequent year provided the student has earned an institutional cumulative GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale as of the end of the second semester or third quarter of the academic year preceding the year the award is sought.

What is the Award Process?
The postsecondary institution will determine applicant eligibility and award amount.
The annual minimum and maximum award amount may vary each academic year. For the 2008-09 academic year the minimum annual award amount is $200 and the maximum is $1,916.

How are Awards Disbursed?
OSFA allocates funds to eligible postsecondary institutions. Each postsecondary institution distributes awards to eligible students.

How Long May a Student Receive Funding?
A student receiving the FSAG Public is eligible to receive an award for a maximum for 110% of the number of credit hours required to complete a program.
A student receiving FSAG Private or Postsecondary is eligible to receive scholarship funding for 9 semesters or 14 quarters of full-time enrollment.
Undergraduate students participating in college-preparatory instruction, students requiring additional time to complete the college-level communication and computation skills testing programs (CLAST), or students enrolled in a 5-year undergraduate degree program are eligible to receive financial aid for a maximum of 10 semesters or 15 quarters.
Unused hours may not be used for further course funding after a student earns a baccalaureate degree.

How May a Student Appeal?
An applicant who believes financial aid has been wrongly denied has certain rights to appeal.

If aid is denied for failure to meet satisfactory academic progress requirements, an applicant may appeal the denial to the institution by providing proof of illness or other emergency beyond the applicant's control. An institutional academic progress appeal is to be filed in writing within 30 days of the denial letter or by the date established by the institution's financial aid office, whichever is later.

How Does a Student Make Changes in Information?
An applicant must notify OSFA of any change in name, address, or institution attended. A student may update information the following ways:
By accessing and updating the student record on the OSFA Web site at www.FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org, using the assigned User ID and PIN:
Select State Grants, Scholarships & Applications,
select Application Status & Award History, and then
under Initial Student Update, select the appropriate option.
By calling OSFA toll-free at 1-888-827-2004.

Transferring from one institution to another could affect an applicant’s award.

Use of an Applicant’s Social Security Number/Non-discrimination Statement
The Privacy Act of 1974 requires state agencies to inform applicants of the reasons for requesting their Social Security numbers (SSN). The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) requests an SSN on all applications for student financial assistance in order to correctly identify applicants, match each applicant's financial aid record with the student record at the postsecondary institution the applicant attends, and help coordinate state student aid programs with federal student aid programs.

An applicant will not be denied financial assistance for failure to disclose the SSN. Without an SSN, correct identification of an applicant's record cannot be assured and may result in an error in the award amount or a delay in the disbursement of an award.

Pursuant to Section 1000.05, Florida Statutes, state student financial assistance is provided to eligible applicants without discriminating on the basis of race, sex, national origin, marital status, or handicap. Minority status will be considered when required by law as a condition of eligibility or selection.

For further information contact the financial aid office at eligible participating postsecondary institutions or OSFA, State Scholarship and Grant Programs, 1940 North Monroe Street, Suite 70, Tallahassee, Florida 32303-4759. Contact OSFA toll-free at 1-888-827-2004.