Benacquisto Scholarship Program
ListedScholarship
- Award
- Public institution: in-state cost of attendance minus Bright Futures and National Merit aid. Private institution: highest public-university in-state cost of attendance minus those awards, subject to appropriations.
- Deadline
- No separate Benacquisto application. National Merit Scholar selection and eligible fall enrollment are required; confirm any college-sponsored Merit first-choice deadline. The 2027-28 implementation fact sheet is not published.
- How to apply
- Become a National Merit Scholar through a qualifying National Merit award and enroll at an eligible Florida institution. A college-sponsored National Merit award requires that sponsor to be the NMSC first choice and generally continued enrollment there; a national or corporate Merit Scholar award does not require the institution to be a college sponsor.
- What you'll need
- No separate application: you are considered when you apply for admission
- Who can apply
- For new recipients, Florida residency, U.S. citizenship or eligible noncitizen status, a qualifying standard Florida diploma or equivalent, and National Merit Scholar status are required. Specified home-education and military/public-service diploma exceptions apply. Enroll in a regionally accredited eligible Florida public or private bachelor’s program in the fall after graduation; an approved deferral of up to one year is possible. New nonresident entrants are not covered by the prior 2018-2022 exception.
- Good to know
- National Merit Finalist status alone, a Special Corporate award, or a Presidential award does not qualify. Full-time enrollment is normally at least 12 credits; current statute allows one funded final degree-completion term below 12. Renewal requires a 3.0 cumulative GPA and all enrolled credits earned. Maximum 100% of required program credits, up to five years/ten semesters; approved extended-hours and emergency exceptions apply. The nine 2026-27 college sponsors are not the entire eligible-institution list. Summer funding depends on appropriations; the 2026-27 sheet says it is unavailable.