F.R.A.G. Information

Eligibility Criteria

1. The Florida Resident Access Grant application must be submitted each year to the participating postsecondary institution.
   
   
2. An applicant must be a Florida resident for twelve (12) consecutive months prior to the first day of classes of the academic term for which assistance is requested. The primary intent of establishing residence in Florida must not be for the purpose of obtaining an education. An individual who comes to Florida as an out-of-state resident to enroll in a Florida postsecondary educational institution will not meet the Florida residency requirement for state financial aid purposes regardless of the length of time enrolled.
   
   Dependent students may take the residency of either parent who meets the Florida residency requirement even if claimed as a dependent by a non-resident parent. A parent is either a natural or adoptive parent or a legal guardian. A dependent applicant will be considered to have met the requirements of Florida residency if the applicant has lived with a relative for the past five years who has had day-to-day supervision of the individual, and the relative meets all the requirements for Florida residency.
   
   For the purpose of residency, an independent applicant must not be eligible to be claimed as a tax exemption by any person other than a spouse, must be self-supporting for twelve (12) consecutive months prior to the first day of classes of the academic term for which assistance is requested, and have the intent, for purposes other than education, that Florida be their legal state of residence.
   
   Residents of Florida stationed out-of-state on active military duty, their spouses and dependent children, will retain Florida residency status. Active duty members of the armed forces stationed in Florida, their spouses and dependent children, and full-time instructional and administrative personnel of state public schools, colleges and universities, and their spouses and dependent children are classified as Florida residents.
   
   An applicant receiving funds through this program, who subsequently loses Florida residency status, may be eligible to continue to receive funds for a period of twelve (12) months.
   
   Applicants who have questions regarding residency status should contact the financial aid office of the institution they plan to attend.
   
   
3. Applicants must be enrolled in their first bachelor’s degree program at an eligible independent Florida college or university.
   
   
4. Applicants must enroll each academic term for a minimum of twelve (12) credits.
   
   
5. Recipients must not owe a repayment under any state, federal grant, or scholarship program.
   
   
6. Recipients must not be in default on any federal Title IV or state student loan program unless satisfactory arrangements to repay have been made.
   
   
7. Applicants must have met the registration requirements of the Selective Service Act.
   
   
8. Applicants who are on the program for the first time are not required to have a minimum grade point average.
   
   
9. Renewal applicants shall have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale and have earned twelve (12) credits per term or the equivalent for the number of terms for which aid was received.
   
   
10. Applicants who fail to earn the minimum number of credits required for renewal shall lose their eligibility for renewal for a period equivalent to one academic year. However, they may apply for reinstatement during a subsequent application period and may be eligible for an award if they have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.
    
    
11. The cumulative grade point average and the number of credit hours earned for renewal or reinstatement of an award will be determined at the end of the second semester of third quarter. A course for which a student receives an incomplete at the end of the second semester or third quarter will not be used in evaluation the student’s eligibility for renewal or reinstatement reward.
    
    
12. A student who earns the minimum number of credits required for renewal but who failed to meet the minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average, may be granted a probationary award for up to the equivalent of one(1) academic year and shall be required to earn a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale by the end of the probationary period to be eligible for subsequent renewal.
    
    
13. A student who receives an award and subsequently failed to meet the academic progress requirements due to verifiable illness or other emergency beyond the student’s control, may be granted an exception from the academic requirements. Such a recipient shall make a written appeal to the institution. The appeal shall include a description and verification of the circumstances. Verification of the illness or other emergency may include, but not be limited to, a written statement of a physician, parent or college official. The institution shall recommend each exception to the Office of Student Financial Assistance, Florida Department of Education.
    
    
14. Applicants must not be enrolled in a program of study leading to a degree in theology or divinity.
    
    
15. Applicants must be making satisfactory academic progress as defined by the college or university in which they are enrolled.
    
    
16. Each award shall be awarded for one academic year. The award issued to a full-time student shall:
    
    
    1. Be no more 40% of the cost to the state per academic year for an undergraduate student in public post-secondary education, or the amount specified in the General Appropriations Act.
       
       
    2. Be paid on a prorated basis each quarter or semester.
       
       
    3. Be adjusted when the amount of other scholarships and grants designated for tuition and fees, combined with the award, exceeds the cost of tuition and fees.
       
       
17. An applicant may transfer from one eligible institution to another, provided that he continues to meet all eligibility requirements.
    
    
18. Applicants must submit applications to the financial aid office of the college they plan to attend by the date specified by the college. Intentional falsification of information shall result in the denial of any pending application and revocation of any award currently held to the extent that no further payments shall be made. Students who knowingly falsify information are guilty of a second-degree misdemeanor.