The Missouri Higher Education Academic Scholarship which bodies the Bright Flight Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship programme. It was established to provide academic support to top-performing high school graduates to enroll in recognized Missouri postsecondary institutions. Eligibility for a chance to win the Bright Flight Scholarship is based on scores.
The highest scores from each section of the “ACT” examination are aggregated for Superscore for students who take the exam more than once. Starting with the seniors who graduate in 2023, the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development will start recognizing Superscores for Bright Flight eligibility.
The senior class of 2023’s Bright Flight qualification scores is also rising. A 32 or a 31 will qualify students for approximately $3,000 in financial aid.
Host Schools
All Universities or Colleges in Missouri
Values/Inclusions
Between $1,000 to $3,000
Requirements
You must fulfill the following requirements to be eligible:
First-Year Students
- Applicant must be both a citizen of the United States or a lawful US permanent resident and resident in Missouri.
- Possess a composite ACT or SAT score in either:
- The 3 percent of Missouri students who scored highest overall on those examinations, or
- The top 4th/5th percentile rank of all students in Missouri who took those examinations.
- The passing score must be obtained by the exam date in June, immediately after your high school graduation. Please, be aware that your score on the July exam date directly after high school graduation disqualifies you from the Bright Flight grant program. (Only composite test results obtained on standard or unique test dates permitted by the testing agencies are accepted. It is unacceptable to accept test results from residual tests.)
- Enroll as a first-time student and earn the scholarship in the semester following high school graduation, the issuance of your General Education Development certificate, or, if you were homeschooled, the conclusion of your secondary education.
- Enroll full-time at a Missouri institution that participates. Full-time enrollment is considered to be at least:
- Twelve semester hours, or 6 semester hours, for students whose disabilities fall under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and prevent them from enrolling in 12 hours.
- If additional eligibility information is required, submit it by the MDHEWD’s deadline.
- Not be seeking a theology or divinity degree or certificate.
Continuing Students
- Applicant must continue to satisfy the prerequisites for first-time students.
- Start receiving the scholarship in the academic year that follows your senior year of high school, the semester you receive your GED, or the semester you finish your secondary curriculum if you were homeschooled.
- Maintain an overall GPA of at least 2.5 and continue to make good academic progress as determined by your school. This criterion does not apply if this is your first academic year receiving a Bright Flight payment.
How to Apply
No Bright Flight form needs to be filled out.
Your ACT or SAT evaluation records will be sent to the MDHEWD with your authorized Missouri college or institution choices and your ACT or SAT aggregate score(s).
After every national test day, it takes about eight weeks for the MDHEWD to get evaluation data.
Acceptance Rate
Besides that the scholarship amount payable is low, the scholarship program is open only to students who wish to attend Universities in Missouri. Hence, it has a low acceptance rate.
Deadline
It varies.
Contact
Call (800) 473-6757, option 4, or email info@dhewd.mo.gov.at with any inquiries regarding the A+ Scholarship Program.
The address is 301 W. High Street, Suite 840, 860, 870, and 580, in Jefferson City, MO 65101
Other Information
Each fall, a new evaluation is conducted, and the acceptable SAT and ACT scores for candidates who will finish in the following academic year are released. These qualifying scores have been established based on the results of students who were seniors in high school the previous academic year.
For instance, the qualifying scores for 2021–2022 are determined by the test scores of all Missouri graduating high school seniors in 2021. The percentage of test takers determines the minimal score; therefore, it can fluctuate yearly.
Your score will be considered if you took the SAT and ACT while you were a third- or first-year high school student as long as it satisfies the qualifying score(s) revealed during your final year of high school.