If you’re a Florida high school student wondering how to pay for college, the Bright Futures Scholarship opens up a ton of opportunities. But is 25 a good ACT score for this scholarship, or do you need to score higher? In this post, we’ll go over the Bright Futures Scholarship requirements and how you can get your ACT score for college to pay off—big!
What is the Bright Futures Scholarship?
First of all, let’s clarify: the Bright Futures Scholarship is actually two different scholarships: the Florida Academic Scholarship and the Florida Medallion Scholarship. In both cases, students receive significant tuition coverage for the in-state public universities of their choice (Florida state universities). Both scholarships are based on academic achievement, as measured by GPA and ACT or SAT scores (you’ll submit score reports to the scholarship competition separately from your ACT score for college, FYI). They also take into account service hours, as well as other eligibility requirements.
However, according to their requirements list (PDF), they don’t take letters of recommendation or extracurricular activities into account.
If you qualify for a scholarship, the payout is potentially huge. Florida Academic Scholars get 100% of their tuition and fees covered, as well as $300 a semester for expenses. Florida Medallion Scholars get 75% of tuition and fees covered in fall and spring only, with no expense stipend.
So what does it take to get one of these awards? Take a look!
What is the minimum ACT requirement for a Bright Futures Scholarship?
The ACT score you’ll need for college isn’t necessarily the same ACT score you’ll need for one of these competitive scholarships. For example, is 25 a good ACT score for a Bright Futures Scholarship? It depends on which scholarship you’re hoping to get. 25 is the minimum score for a Florida Medallion Scholarship. But keep in mind that this only covers 75% of tuition and fees.
If you’re hoping for the full ride, you’ll likely be looking at the Florida Academic Scholarship. For the FAS, you’ll need a minimum ACT score of 29.
Tips for Getting a 25+ ACT Score to Qualify for the Bright Futures Scholarship
So what can you do to get in the qualifying range of ACT scores for college scholarships? Here are Magoosh’s top tips.
1. Know Your Starting Point
An ACT composite score (overall score) of 25 can sound challenging—after all, this score puts you in the 78th percentile, meaning that it’s a higher score than 78% of students get on the ACT exam. And the average ACT score is 21, in the overall score range from 1-36. But unless you know where you’re starting from, how can you know how close you are to achieving this goal?
The answer? Take a diagnostic ACT test! Not only will this help you understand the work you’ll need to do to qualify for one of these scholarships, but it will also help you understand both your strengths and your weaknesses as you create your study plan.
2. Focus on Your Strengths
The scholarship committee considers test takers’ overall, composite ACT score—the average of all four ACT sections. So if you can boost your score in one section really high, it’ll make up for weaknesses in other areas.
Does this mean that you shouldn’t study for all sections of the ACT? No! It’s crucial to have an understanding of each section before the exam. But should you ignore your best areas in favor of your weakest areas? Also no!
If you are worried about lower ACT test scores in a particular section, though, a new tool may help you out. One change that will be coming soon to the ACT is sectional retesting: retaking just a single section. Though this isn’t yet available, it will eventually be a great way to get the sectional scores you want (and an overall higher score on the test as a whole!) with less stress. A lot of schools will also consider these sectional retests when they come out, so it can also boost your ACT score for college!
Finally, keep in mind that you don’t need to take the optional ACT essay for the Bright Futures Scholarship. While they will look at your score on the mandatory, multiple-choice English test (writing section), you only need to take the essay if the schools you’re applying to require it.
3. Learn New Content
Is 25 a good ACT score for college? For all but the most competitive schools, yes! Getting a score of 25 on the ACT is a big achievement. But it’s also the minimum requirement for the Bright Futures Scholarship.
One thing that students who score a 25 on the ACT have in common? They have a strong grasp of all the content areas the test examines. As you study, brush up on your knowledge of the content areas tested on each part of the test by checking out Magoosh’s posts on the English, Math, Reading, and Science tests.
4. Mix It Up!
At some point or another, most test takers will hit a plateau in their ACT prep. This doesn’t mean that it isn’t working or that you can’t score any higher than you currently are on practice tests! It just means you may need to try some new strategies.
If you’re struggling to raise your score, check out our Top 10 Ways to Prepare for the ACT and the best ways to improve your ACT score by 10 points for new strategies you can use to get your scores where you want them to be!
Takeaways: ACT Score for College Scholarships in Florida
So is 25 a good ACT score for the Bright Futures Scholarship? It’s the minimum for the Florida Medallion Scholarship, while the Florida Academic Scholarship requires at least a 29. But by starting early, ensuring you’ve covered the crucial content, focusing on your strengths and following the other tips above, you’ll give yourself the best shot at this great opportunity—and an even stronger ACT score for college apps. Don’t forget to check out more ACT requirements for other scholarships while you’re at it. Good luck!
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