FAQs

A: The deadline is May 15th each year. All program requirements must be completed prior to the deadline. no restrictions concerning program selection.

A: You will not be eligible for Bright Futures funds until the following school year.

A: The high school ID used by Bright Futures is your SASID (state issued ID) not the ID you use daily. Your SASID is available from your high school counselor or our office.

A: You will need to contact the Bright Futures office at hello@brightfuturesco.com and be assigned a student ID and for further instructions. You will be required to provide high school transcripts, proof of residency and proof of graduation since this information will not be provided by a school or school district.

A: Students can start the application process on November 1st of their senior year of high school.  Counselors will let students know when the application process has opened.  This date will vary by school.

A: Yes.  You will only complete the online application once but must meet the community service, FAFSA requirement and maintain the required cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher each semester to maintain eligibility for funds.

A: As part of the application process, you will go to ‘My Colleges’ and add your school of enrollment.  If this requirement is not completed, you will not receive funds.

A: Funds are disbursed following your school’s drop / add or census date.  Many schools do not invoice us until a few weeks after this date.  Students can see when funds were mailed from our office by reviewing the enrollment history section of their Bright Futures account.  Payment date is the date funds were mailed, not that they have been received or posted by the school.

Due to the timing of funds disbursement, we highly recommend that all students set up a payment plan to avoid any late fees or dropped classes.

A: No. We are not able to accommodate any payment date requests.

A: Last dollar in means that any other grants or scholarships you have received will be posted to your account first.  Bright Futures will then be invoiced for any remaining tuition & mandatory fees for up to $1,000 per semester. These funds will then post before any loans or personal funds.

A: No. Funds are available for tuition and mandatory fees only and are never distributed directly to a grant recipient.

A: No. Bright Futures funds can only be applied to tuition and mandatory fees.  As a last dollar in program, our funds will only be applied if there is a balance that includes these expenses

A: Yes. If your bill is paid in full but you had Bright Futures eligible expenses, your school will issue you a refund according to their policy.

A: No. All grant funds are disbursed directly to your school.

A: You can download a community service log from the community service page of the Bright Futures website:  https://brightfuturesco.com/community-service/

A: Completed community service logs need to be uploaded in the PROGRAMS section of your Bright Futures account.  Be sure to select the appropriate school year to which the service hours need to be applied.

A: Community service hours may be completed at any non-profit organization in Weld County or remotely in support of a Weld County non-profit.  See the list of available subprograms within the PROGRAMS tab if you need help picking an organization.

A: Grant recipients are required to complete 16 hours of community service in Weld County each school year by the May 15^th deadline.

A: Yes. The full 16 hours of community service must be completed by the May 15^th deadline even if you are only going to attend school for one semester (either fall or spring).

A: Students may start accumulating community service hours each year on  May 16^th and have until May 15^th  of the following year to complete their 16 hours of community service for the school year that will start in the fall.  For example,  high school senior can use any community service hours completed starting May 16^th of  their Junior year of high school, and have until May 15^th of their senior year of high school to complete the hours needed to receive their grant for their freshman year of college.

A: Make sure your community service information has been correctly uploaded in the PROGRAMS section of your account and that you have selected the correct semester school year. Always select the semester and school year for which you anticipate receiving funds

A: Yes. FAFSA is required to be completed each year you wish to take advantage of Bright Futures funds. For more information, and to apply online, visit www.fafsa.ed.gov

A: Go to the ‘Programs’ section of your Bright Futures account. Add a program and select FAFSA from the drop-down menu. Choose the ‘2022/2023’ school year from the drop-down box. Fill in the EFC value and upload the FAFSA page that provides the EFC (Expected Family Contribution) information.

A: Grant recipients may attend any Title IV accredited institution located in Colorado or one of the seven bordering states (Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona or Utah.

A: No, Bright Futures grant funds can only be used toward tuition and mandatory fees.

A: The deadline for the entire school year is May 15th prior to the start of classes in the fall.  If you do not intend to start post-secondary classes until spring, you will still need to complete the program requirements by the May 15th deadline.

A: Yes, but you must start taking advantage of Bright Futures within two years of your high school graduation.

A: Bright Futures follows Federal Financial Aid guidelines meaning you will receive grant funds for one semester after you have dropped below the required GPA.  You will be on academic probation for that semester.  If at the end of the probationary semester you have brought your cumulative GPA back up to the 2.0 or higher, you will come off probation and continue to receive your grant as long as you have met all other program requirements.  If you have not brought your GPA up to the required level by the end of that first probationary semester, you will be placed on academic suspension and will no longer be eligible for Bright Futures funds.

A: Bright Futures provides tuition assistance for up to 130 credit hours for post-secondary education.  Students must begin within 2 and complete within 6 years of high school graduation or G.E.D. certification date.  There is an exception for honorably discharged veterans.  See how to apply as a veteran for more information.

A: Yes, if the school is located within the required geographic region and is Title IV accredited.

A: Yes, however, since schools outside of Weld County do not provide us with an electronic data file that confirms your enrollment, graduation and residency, you will be responsible for providing this information to determine your eligibility.  Contact our office at hello@brightfuturesco.com for more information.

A: Yes, if it is a program through a Title IV accredited institution within the required geographical region and tuition & mandatory fees are billed through that school.  We cannot send funds outside of the US.

A: Eligible does not mean funded.  Students can be eligible but not receive funds for a variety of reasons. Reasons include missing program requirements or not completing information in ‘My Colleges’. Do not ignore any red warning messages on your account.  Contact our office immediately if you do not understand why you are seeing the message.

A: Yes.  The application process is a little different for home school students.  Contact our office for detailed information.

You will need to provide the following to be added to our database:

• Full name
• Date of Birth
• Anticipated graduation date

Once you have been added, you will be able to create your account and start the application process.  Because we do not receive enrollment, residency, and graduation information, you will need to upload the following to your account:

• Proof of Residency in Weld County for the required two years
• High school transcript
• Copy of Diploma once received

Again, our office will provide detailed instructions and assist with the application process.