Bright Futures Repayment

Repayment for Dropped or Withdrawn Classes

By law Florida State University must recalculate Bright Futures awards when a student withdraws from the term or drops one or more classes for which the student had been paid. Use our Repayment Calculator to determine how much you may be required to repay should you choose to drop a class or withdraw from the term. 

General Rules

• Students must pay the cost of their Bright Futures return in order to renew their scholarship award for a subsequent year. 
• Failure to pay the cost of the Bright Futures return may result in a hold on registration for future terms, a hold on diplomas, and the assessment of a $100 late payment fee.
• Almost all instances in which a student drops a course or withdraws from a term will require repayment. In very rare circumstances, students with verifiable emergencies or illnesses beyond the control of the student may be eligible for an appeal and should reach out to Financial Aid for more information. 

Impact to Student Account

The reversal and reapplication of Bright Futures can appear confusing when a course is dropped or term withdrawn. Here is what to expect on your Student Account in MyFSU which you will find on the My Bill tile. 

1. Student Account - Bright Futures Disbursement

When Bright Futures is applied to your student bill you will see an entry similar to the one below:

Payments appear as positive values in the Payment column of your Student Account Activity through MyFSU. 

2. Student Account - Bright Futures Reversal

When Bright Futures is reversed due to a drop or withdraw you will see a negative (reversing) entry which decreases the value of the original payment:

3. Student Account - Payment owed

Once Bright Futures has been reversed students will see that they owe a balance. This balance will not appear as a "Bright Futures" return, but will instead reflect what Bright Futures had paid that is now unpaid. For example, if Bright Futures paid tuition and has now been reversed, tuition will appear as owed. If Bright Futures was originally refunded and has now been reversed, a refund will appear as owed, etc.