Benacquisto Scholarship: All You Need to Know 

The Benacquisto Scholarship Program is a merit scholarship for high school graduates who receive recognition as a National Merit Scholar.

The exact amount awarded is typically determined by the state of Florida, with recipients usually receiving $20,000 per year.

The Benacquisto Scholarship was originally known as the Florida National Merit Scholar Incentive Program.

The grant program was renamed in 2016 after one of its strongest advocates, Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto.

The program’s original goal was to:

1. serve hundreds or even thousands of students,
2. help keep talent in the state of Florida
3. and to prepare high-achieving students for meaningful careers and contributions to their Florida communities.

In 2018, the program received additional funding. The goal of this was to help lighten the financial loads of college students in Florida. It ensured that their debt, if any, upon graduation would be manageable.

Universities in other states (such as Alabama and Oklahoma) are known for their generosity as regards merit scholars. As compared to them, Florida has widened the Benacquisto Scholarship.

This will now help Florida universities to be more competitive for top talent.

Eligibility Criteria For Benacquisto Scholarship

A student who is a Florida resident seeking initial funding must:

1. Earn a standard Florida high school diploma:

An equivalent is also acceptable (unless the student completes a home education program).

Another criterion is to earn a high school diploma from a non-Florida high school.

To do this, the individual has to be living with a parent who is on military or public service assignment away from Florida).

•  This individual should also be a 2021 National Merit Scholar.
• Following graduation from high school, this individual has to enroll at an eligible Florida postsecondary institution during the 2021-22 fall academic term.

2. A student Who Is a Non-Florida Resident Seeking Initial Funding Must:

Earn a high school diploma comparable to a standard Florida.

• This person should be a 2021 National Merit Scholar.
• In addition, following high school graduation, this person should enroll at an eligible Florida postsecondary institution.
• The individual should also reside in Florida on or near the institution’s campus.

It is, however, important to note that non-Florida residents will not be accepted into the Benacquisto Scholarship. This is effective for the program for the 2022–23 academic year and beyond.

How does a 2021 National Merit Finalist become a Scholar?

By receiving:

(a) a National Merit $2500 Scholarship

(b) a Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship or

(c) a College-sponsored Merit Scholarship

NOTE: “Special” Corporate Scholarships and “Presidential” awards do not qualify a student for the Benacquisto Scholarship.

Only nine institutions participate with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as a College Sponsor for the 2021-22 academic year:

1. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
2. Florida Atlantic University
3. Florida International University
4. Florida State University
5. New College of Florida
6. University of Central Florida
7. University of Florida
8. University of Miami
9. University of South Florida

If you want to be considered for college sponsorship, then choose one of the above institutions as a first choice. This is done when responding to national merit scholarships.

Immediately after the offer has been mailed out by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, you will not be able to change the institution designation.

An application is not required to renew the award. Eligibility for renewal is determined at the end of the second semester, third quarter, or the equivalent of each academic year

A Brief Summary Of Requirements

1. Minimum 3.00 GPA
2. Resident of Florida
3. High school senior
4. You should be looking towards a bachelor’s degree full-time
5. You must enroll in one of the institutions mentioned earlier.
6. You should be a U.S. citizen. You could also be a permanent resident.
7. You should have received one of the following; National Merit, a Corporate Sponsored Merit, or College-sponsored Merit Scholarship.
8. You should not have previously received a recognized baccalaureate degree.

Exceptions to Requirements

Students with less than 12 credit hours required for graduation may receive the Benacquisto Scholarship by submitting a memo on letterhead from a student success coach indicating:

1. Student’s name and UCFID
2. Semester graduation is expected
3. Less than 12 hours are required for graduation
4. Submit your memo using the Document and File Uploader tool and select the routing option: Bright Futures / Benacquisto Scholarships.

Renewal Requirements

The eligibility for renewal is determined at the end of the second semester of the academic year.

For automatic renewal, an award recipient will have:

1. Earned credit for all hours enrolled by the regular drop/add period each term.
2. Earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

For the credit hours to be counted as “earned hours,” the student must earn successful grades such as:

A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C- and D+, D, D-.

Grades NC and F will not result in earned credit hours. Withdrawn courses will not result in earned credit hours.

Ineligibility for renewal is either of the following:

1. A student who does not maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA by the end of the spring semester.
2. A student who does not maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA by the third quarter of the academic year.

Scholarship Appeal Process

If, for instance, a student did not meet the Benacquisto Scholarship Program renewal requirement, maybe due to a verifiable illness or other emergency, something can be done, which includes the following:

1. The student may file a State Programs and Scholarships Appeal with our office.
2. The medical or emergency circumstances that affected the semester(s) in question must be documented.
3. You should provide as much documentation as possible regarding the illness or emergency to our office.

FAQs

Can Out-of-State Students Receive The Benacquisto Scholarship?

Unfortunately no. The Benacquisto Scholarship is reserved for Florida residents only.

Don’t be discouraged by this, as there are plenty of other scholarships out there for out-of-state students.

How Long Is The Benacquisto Scholarship Awarded For?

The scholarship is awarded for up to eight semesters. It can also be approximated in years and will be for about 4 years of undergraduate study.

However, this is as long as you remain eligible to continue the program.

What If You Transfer School, Can You Still Receive The Benacquisto Scholarship?

Yes, you can switch the scholarship to another Florida institution that is eligible.

But remember, you must notify the new institution and ensure all eligibility requirements are met to continue to receive the Benacquisto Scholarship.

What Are The Terms of the Benacquisto Scholarship?

1. 100 % of the number of credit hours required to complete the degree program will be provided by The Benacquisto Scholarship.
2. A student is eligible to receive an award for a maximum of 10 semesters or 15 quarters.
3. A student must maintain enrollment at the institution where the student was initially funded to maintain scholarship eligibility.

How Do You Win A Benacquisto Scholarship?

The good news? there’s no application process for the Benacquisto Scholarship.  You need to score well on your PSAT so you can become a National Merit Scholar.

How Good Do My Scores Have to Be?

Once you’ve qualified, scoring is somewhat complicated and based on indexing performed by the state after the nation’s scores are compiled.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) starts with approximately 50,000 of the highest scores and divides these into Commended Students or Semifinalists.

Award Amounts

Eligible students will receive an annual award equal to the institutional cost of attendance (COA) provided by the Florida Board of Governors; this excludes the sum of the Bright Futures (BF) award and National Merit Achievement Award (NM).

Benacquisto Scholarship Program = COA – (BF + NM)

The institution may adjust an award based on a student’s other qualifying awards to satisfy federal or institutional regulations.

Please note that the highest COA for a public university in the state of Florida is used to calculate the Benacquisto Award amount.

The Cost of Attendance (COA) is the total cost to attend college full-time per term and may include, but is not limited to:

1. Tuition and fees
2. On-campus room and board
3. Books
4. Supplies
5. Travel/Commute
6. Miscellaneous expenses