Benacquisto Scholarship Program

Offered by Florida Department of Education

Benacquisto Scholarship Program is a scholarship from Florida Department of Education worth the in-state institutional cost of attendance, minus the Bright Futures and National Merit awards.

• Considers merit
• Residency required
• Renewable

Who can apply

GPA to keep it

3.0

Enrolment

Full time

Where you can attend

an eligible, regionally accredited, public or independent Florida postsecondary institution

Citizenship

U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen

Every requirement, 2026-27

• Earn a standard Florida high school diploma or its equivalency (unless the student completes a home education program or earns a high school diploma from a non-Florida high school while living with a parent who is on military or public service assignment away from Florida).
• Be a 2026 National Merit® Scholar.
• Enroll at an eligible Florida postsecondary institution during the 2026-27 fall academic term following high school graduation.
• A student may defer the initial scholarship for up to 1 year.
• A 2026 National Merit® Finalist becomes a Scholar by receiving: (a) a National Merit® $2500 Scholarship, (b) a Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship®, or (c) a College-sponsored Merit Scholarship®.
• “Special” Corporate Scholarships and “Presidential” awards do not qualify a student for the Benacquisto Scholarship.
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen (as determined by the institution) and enroll at an eligible, regionally accredited, public or independent Florida postsecondary institution.
• Enroll full-time (minimum 12 credit hours per term or quarter equivalency) in a baccalaureate degree program.
• College-Sponsors for the 2026-27 academic year: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida International University, Florida State University, New College of Florida, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of Miami, and University of South Florida.
• To be considered for college sponsorship, the student must choose one of the above institutions as a first choice when responding to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Once the National Merit Scholarship Corporation has mailed out an offer, the student will not be able to change the institution designation.
• To renew: earned credit for all hours enrolled by the end of the regular drop/add period each term, and earned a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
• A student may receive an award for up to 5 years following high school graduation and may not receive the award for more than 10 semesters.

What the sponsor says

The Benacquisto Scholarship Program is a merit scholarship for high school graduates who receive recognition as a National Merit® Scholar. Eligible scholars will receive an award equal to the institutional cost of attendance for an in -state student minus the sum of Bright Futures and the National Merit ® award. An initial application is not required.

Program Requirements

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

• Earn a standard Florida high school diploma or its equivalency (unless the student completes a home education program or earns a high school diploma from a non-Florida high school while living with a parent who is on military or public service assignment away from Florida).
• Be a 2026 National Merit® Scholar.
• Enroll at an eligible Florida postsecondary institution during the 2026-27 fall academic term following high school graduation.
• A student may defer the initial scholarship for up to 1 year.

A 2026 National Merit® Finalist becomes 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.

All students must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen (as determined by the institution) and enroll at an eligible , regionally accredited, public or independent Florida postsecondary institution .
• Enroll full -time (minimum 12 credit hours per term or quarter equivalency) in a baccalaureate degree program.

Florida Department of Education (FDOE), Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA)

Benacquisto Scholarship Program 2026-27 Fact Sheet

National Merit® College-Sponsors

While there are many institutions in Florida that meet the eligibility criteria, only nine institutions participate with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as a College -

Sponsor for the 2026-27 academic year:

• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University,
• Florida Atlantic University,
• Florida International University,
• Florida State University,
• New College of Florida,
• University of Central Florida,
• University of Florida,
• University of Miami, and
• University of South Florida.

To be considered for college sponsorship, the student must choose one of the above institutions as a first choice when responding to the National Merit Scholarship

Corporation. Once the National Merit Scholarship Corporation has mailed out an offer, the student will not be able to change the institution designation.

Student Award Renewal

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.

For automatic renewal, an award recipient will have:

• Earned credit for all hours enrolled by the end of the regular drop/add period each term.
• Earned a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Failure to Meet the Minimum Renewal GPA

A student who does not maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA by the end of the spring semester or third quarter of the academic year shall be ineligible to continue in the program.

Failure to Meet the Minimum Renewal Credit Hours

A student who does not meet the required credit hours shall be ineligible to continue in the program.

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Benacquisto Scholarship Program 2026-27 Fact Sheet

Award Procedures

• Eligible students will receive an award equal to the per-term institutional in-state cost of attendance (COA), minus the sum of the Bright Futures (BF) award and an award associated with the National Merit® (NM) process.

Benacquisto Scholarship Award = COA – (BF + NM)

• The COA is the total estimated amount of cost to attend college full -time each term, and may include but is not limited to: tuition & fees , on-campus room & board, books, supplies, travel, and miscellaneous expenses.
• The highest in-state institutional COA, as reported by the Board of Governors of the State University System, will be used in the calculation of awards for students who attend an eligible four -year independent postsecondary institution.
• The award may not be used to pay for remedial coursework or developmental education.

Award Disbursement

The postsecondary institution will disburse awards to eligible students each term .

Awards are not currently available for the summer.

Terms of Eligibility

• This program will provide funds for 100 percent of the num ber of credit hours required to complete a baccalaureate degree program , or until completion of a baccalaureate degree program, whichever comes first.
• Extended hours of funding are available to students enrolled in a single program of study requiring more than 120 hours by submitting the Extended Hours Application.
• A student may receive an award for up to 5 years following high school graduation and may not receive the award for more than 10 semesters.

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Apply for the Benacquisto Scholarship Program →

Last checked . Deadlines change without notice, so confirm with the sponsor before you rely on one.

Other awards from this sponsor

• Florida Student Assistance Grant , $200
• Florida Academic Scholars (FAS) , 100% of tuition and applicable fees at a public postsecondary institution
• Florida Medallion Scholars (FMS) , 75% of tuition and applicable fees at a public postsecondary institution
• Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars (GSV) , $39 per semester credit hour for a career certificate or applied technology diploma, $48 for a technical degree (AS, AAS)