Florida Southern sits on 113 acres on the shore of Lake Hollingsworth in Lakeland, roughly halfway between Tampa and Orlando. It is the oldest private college in Florida, founded in 1883, and it is home to the largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture anywhere in the world. That last part is not a brochure flourish. Preserving the Wright campus is written into the College’s official mission statement.
Here is the thing families need to understand about FSC’s money: almost all of it is automatic. Ninety-nine percent of first-year students receive a merit scholarship or grant, and the College distributes more than $66 million in its own scholarships and grants each year. There is no separate merit application, no essay requirement on the standard application, and no application fee. Your student applies, and the offer comes back with a number on it.
The catch, and it is a real one, is that FSC’s automatic merit works like a ladder, not a stack. Your student gets one named award, the highest tier they qualify for, and it replaces the tiers below it rather than adding to them. The awards that genuinely layer on top are the smaller ones most people never think to ask about.
🏆 Full-tuition and full-ride awards available (FSC awards up to 15 full-tuition awards each year)
Average Net Price
$30,462/year
Average paid.
Automatic Merit
$10,000–$26,000/yr
No separate application.
Scholarships Tracked
34 opportunities
14 automatic · 5 competitive · 15 hidden gem
Typical Qualifiers
No published cutoffs; holistic academic review
Benchmarks for top-tier awards.
Testing Policy
Test-optional
Superscores ACT/SAT.
Key Deadlines
Priority: Nov 1 • FAFSA: Mar 1
Full-Tuition / Full-Ride
Hollingsworth, McClurg & George W. Jenkins
Financial Aid Forms
FAFSA Only
🚨 Easy-to-Miss “Gotchas” at Florida Southern (Read This First)
Merit is a ladder, not a stack. Your student receives one named merit award between $10,000 and $26,000 per year. Qualifying for a higher tier replaces the lower one. It does not add to it.
Test-optional for admission, but not for the big awards. FSC’s Premier and Prestige scholarships require a 29 ACT or 1330 SAT, full stop. If your student is skipping the tests entirely, they are skipping the full-ride pool too.
Living on campus unlocks the full award. FSC’s own transfer scholarship grid carries an asterisk: you must live on campus to receive the total published amount. Commuters get a reduced version of the same tier.
The Southern Experience Scholarship dies against full tuition. Apply and visit campus and you earn $1,000 per year in-state or $2,000 out-of-state. But you forfeit it if you win a full-tuition award or an athletic scholarship, or if your institutional aid already exceeds tuition.
Florida residents keep their state aid here. Bright Futures and the EASE Grant both travel to private Florida colleges. They sit on top of your FSC merit award, and a lot of families never realize this is allowed.
Several awards require you to speak up. Valedictorian status, a sibling already enrolled, Phi Theta Kappa membership, a parent who works at Publix. Nobody at FSC will discover these for you. You have to put them on the record.
FAQ
Is this college test-optional? Yes — Florida Southern College is test-optional.
What is the middle 50% ACT/SAT? ACT: 24-30; SAT: 1170-1320.
Average net price? About $30,462/year after aid.
Does this school use waivers/reciprocity?
No — private school; same rate for all.
💰 Cost of Attendance at Florida Southern College 2026-2027
📅 2027–2028 Planning Note: The costs below reflect the most recently published figures (2026–2027). Universities typically finalize the next year’s rates in the spring, and we’ll update this page once official 2027–2028 numbers are released.
Planning tip: At large public universities, tuition, fees, and housing usually increase modestly each year (often in the 2–5% range). For early budgeting, families may want to plan for roughly $1,000–$1,500 more in-state or $2,000–$3,000 more out-of-state in total direct costs once new rates are published.
Category (2026–2027)
In-State
Out-of-State
Tuition & Mandatory Fees (2 semesters)
$46,168
$46,168
Housing & Meals (typical)
$14,830
$14,830
Total (Direct Costs)
$60,998
$60,998
Average Federal Net Price: $30,462 — this is what families actually paid after grants and scholarships (no loans), based on the most recent federal data. Your specific cost could be significantly lower or higher depending on your financial aid eligibility and merit scholarships. New to Net Price & SAI? Read our guide.
📌 Regional Tuition & Waiver Options
Florida Southern College is a private United Methodist-affiliated institution and charges the same published tuition and fees for all undergraduates regardless of residency.
💵 Florida Residents: Your State Aid Comes With You
This is the single most under-used lever on this page. Florida’s Bright Futures awards and the
EASE Grant (Effective Access to Student Education) can both be used at private colleges in Florida,
including Florida Southern. They stack on top of your FSC merit scholarship. A Florida student sitting on a solid
merit tier plus Bright Futures plus EASE can land in a very different place than the sticker price suggests.
File the FAFSA by March 1 using FSC’s school code 001488, and check with your
high school guidance office on Bright Futures eligibility.
🛡️ Two Guarantees That Are Really Cost Protection
Florida Southern attaches a Four-Year Graduation Guarantee to its degree programs. Follow the
published guidelines and if your student cannot finish in four years, FSC covers the remaining tuition until
they do. There is also a Career Guarantee: a job or graduate school placement within six months
of graduation, or the College steps in with additional support.
Parent translation: a fifth year at a private college is roughly $62,800 of exposure. A guarantee that caps
that risk is worth real money, even though it never shows up as a line item on an aid letter. Read the
guidelines carefully, because both guarantees require the student to hit specific checkpoints.
FAQ — Cost of Attendance at Florida Southern College
Why is there no out-of-state price?
Because Florida Southern is private. State subsidies are what create the in-state discount at public universities, and private colleges do not receive them. Everyone pays the same published rate. For an out-of-state family, that is genuinely good news: you are not fighting for a waiver or a reciprocity slot, and the number a Florida family sees is the same number you see.
The sticker is $62,800 but the average net price is about $30,462. Which one should I plan around?
Neither, exactly. The $30,462 is the federal average of what families actually paid after grants and scholarships, and it is a useful reality check against the sticker. But it is an average across the whole class, and it is heavily shaped by FSC’s merit ladder. A student landing on the Pfeiffer tier at $26,000 per year is in a very different position than one landing on Roux at $10,000. Run the Net Price Calculator with your student’s actual numbers.
Are housing and meal costs the same for everyone?
No. The $15,130 figure is built on double occupancy in a first-year residence hall plus the 20-meal plan that all first-year residential students are required to take. Single rooms and apartment-style housing cost more. Later on, when your student moves into one of the lakeside apartments, the math changes again.
Why aren’t books included in the total?
Because FSC does not bill them. The direct-cost table covers what actually appears on the student account: tuition, mandatory fees, room, and board. Books, lab fees, travel home, parking permits, and personal spending all vary by student and by semester, so they sit outside the billed total. Budget for them separately.
Does Junior Journey cost extra?
Junior Journey is FSC’s guaranteed study-abroad program, and eligible full-time students can use it once at a reduced cost. To qualify for the reduced-cost trip your student needs four completed semesters (three for transfers) before departure and must be in good academic, financial, and social standing. It is one of the better value propositions on this campus, but ask Admissions for the current cost structure rather than assuming it is fully covered.
Will tuition go up each year?
Almost certainly. Private colleges typically move rates modestly every year. What matters for your budget is that FSC’s merit scholarships are fixed dollar amounts, not percentages. A $22,000 award stays $22,000 while the cost creeps upward, which means the gap your family covers gets slightly wider each year. Plan for it now instead of being surprised as a sophomore.
Is there an application fee?
No. Florida Southern charges nothing to apply, accepts the Common Application as well as its own, and does not require a long application essay. Applying costs your student an afternoon and puts them automatically in front of a merit committee.
November 1: The big one. Early Action and Early Decision deadline, Premier and Prestige scholarship priority deadline, and Honors College priority deadline all land on the same date.
January 3: Final deadline for the Premier and Prestige scholarship application, and a second Honors College deadline.
January 31: George W. Jenkins Scholarship deadline and Hollis Fellows priority deadline.
March 1: FAFSA priority deadline, regular admission priority deadline, and the final Honors College deadline.
Parent rule of thumb: treat November 1 as your real deadline. Everything that requires a separate application and pays the most money is gated behind it, and Florida Southern reviews applications as they arrive, so early genuinely helps.
Automatic Merit Scholarships — Florida Southern College
Every admitted student is reviewed for these automatically. There is no separate form, no extra essay, and no button to click. Florida Southern reads the transcript, weighs course rigor, considers test scores if submitted, and places your student on one named tier ranging from $10,000 to $26,000 per year. About 99% of first-year students receive a merit award or grant.
Find your student's tier
Enter the numbers you have. We'll highlight the automatic award your student would actually get and tuck the rest out of the way. Leave it blank to browse everything.
Residency
Based on published cutoffs for entering freshmen. Always verify with the college before finalizing plans.
One award, not a pile. Colleges apply your student's single best automatic award. Automatic scholarships almost never stack with each other, though some stack with housing, departmental, or outside money. The stacking notes on each card tell you which.
Automatic⚠ Transfer Only
Transfer Academic Merit — Tier 1 (3.75+ GPA)
📅 Deadline: Rolling ✓ Renews (2.2 GPA, 4 yrs)
$21,000/yr
✔ Stackable
🏫 3.8+ GPA🎓 TransferAt least 24 transferable college credits typically required to be considered a transfer applicant.
✚
Stacking & Combining
Transfer merit stacks with the PTK Award for qualifying Phi Theta Kappa members (an additional $2,000/year), but it does not stack with FSC athletic scholarships. On-campus residency is the lever that unlocks the full published amount — commuter students see a smaller version of the same tier.
💡
Strategic Detail
FSC's transfer merit grid awards up to $21,000 per year at this GPA threshold for on-campus residents. Renewal requires at least a 2.2 cumulative GPA and full-time enrollment (minimum 12 credits).
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Top-performing transfers with strong college GPAs (3.75 and up) — students who genuinely built momentum at their first institution and are ready to level up at FSC.
Automatic⚠ Transfer Only
Transfer Academic Merit — Tier 2 (3.50+ GPA)
📅 Deadline: Rolling ✓ Renews (2.2 GPA, 4 yrs)
$20,000/yr
✔ Stackable
🏫 3.5+ GPA🎓 TransferAt least 24 transferable college credits typically required to be considered a transfer applicant.
✚
Stacking & Combining
Transfer merit stacks with the PTK Award for qualifying Phi Theta Kappa members (an additional $2,000/year), but it does not stack with FSC athletic scholarships. On-campus residency is the lever that unlocks the full published amount — commuter students see a smaller version of the same tier.
💡
Strategic Detail
FSC's transfer merit grid awards up to $20,000 per year at this GPA threshold for on-campus residents. Renewal requires at least a 2.2 cumulative GPA and full-time enrollment (minimum 12 credits).
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Strong academic transfers with 3.50+ cumulative college GPAs — a very common landing spot for students who took their first two years seriously.
Automatic⚠ Transfer Only
Transfer Academic Merit — Tier 3 (3.25+ GPA)
📅 Deadline: Rolling ✓ Renews (2.2 GPA, 4 yrs)
$19,000/yr
✔ Stackable
🏫 3.3+ GPA🎓 TransferAt least 24 transferable college credits typically required to be considered a transfer applicant.
✚
Stacking & Combining
Transfer merit stacks with the PTK Award for qualifying Phi Theta Kappa members (an additional $2,000/year), but it does not stack with FSC athletic scholarships. On-campus residency is the lever that unlocks the full published amount — commuter students see a smaller version of the same tier.
💡
Strategic Detail
FSC's transfer merit grid awards up to $19,000 per year at this GPA threshold for on-campus residents. Renewal requires at least a 2.2 cumulative GPA and full-time enrollment (minimum 12 credits).
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Solid academic transfers with 3.25-3.49 cumulative GPAs — B+ students who show consistent work at their previous college.
Automatic⚠ Transfer Only
Transfer Academic Merit — Tier 4 (3.00+ GPA)
📅 Deadline: Rolling ✓ Renews (2.2 GPA, 4 yrs)
$17,000/yr
✔ Stackable
🏫 3.0+ GPA🎓 TransferAt least 24 transferable college credits typically required to be considered a transfer applicant.
✚
Stacking & Combining
Transfer merit stacks with the PTK Award for qualifying Phi Theta Kappa members (an additional $2,000/year), but it does not stack with FSC athletic scholarships. On-campus residency is the lever that unlocks the full published amount — commuter students see a smaller version of the same tier.
💡
Strategic Detail
FSC's transfer merit grid awards up to $17,000 per year at this GPA threshold for on-campus residents. Renewal requires at least a 2.2 cumulative GPA and full-time enrollment (minimum 12 credits).
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Transfers with 3.00-3.24 cumulative college GPAs — students who are steady contributors and hitting the traditional B-average threshold.
Automatic⚠ Transfer Only
Transfer Academic Merit — Tier 5 (2.75+ GPA)
📅 Deadline: Rolling ✓ Renews (2.2 GPA, 4 yrs)
$16,000/yr
✔ Stackable
🏫 2.8+ GPA🎓 TransferAt least 24 transferable college credits typically required to be considered a transfer applicant.
✚
Stacking & Combining
Transfer merit stacks with the PTK Award for qualifying Phi Theta Kappa members (an additional $2,000/year), but it does not stack with FSC athletic scholarships. On-campus residency is the lever that unlocks the full published amount — commuter students see a smaller version of the same tier.
💡
Strategic Detail
FSC's transfer merit grid awards up to $16,000 per year at this GPA threshold for on-campus residents. Renewal requires at least a 2.2 cumulative GPA and full-time enrollment (minimum 12 credits).
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Transfers with 2.75-2.99 cumulative GPAs — students whose college record shows real potential even if it isn't perfect.
Automatic⚠ Transfer Only
Transfer Academic Merit — Tier 6 (2.50+ GPA)
📅 Deadline: Rolling ✓ Renews (2.2 GPA, 4 yrs)
$13,500/yr
✔ Stackable
🏫 2.5+ GPA🎓 TransferAt least 24 transferable college credits typically required to be considered a transfer applicant.
✚
Stacking & Combining
Transfer merit stacks with the PTK Award for qualifying Phi Theta Kappa members (an additional $2,000/year), but it does not stack with FSC athletic scholarships. On-campus residency is the lever that unlocks the full published amount — commuter students see a smaller version of the same tier.
💡
Strategic Detail
FSC's transfer merit grid awards up to $13,500 per year at this GPA threshold for on-campus residents. Renewal requires at least a 2.2 cumulative GPA and full-time enrollment (minimum 12 credits).
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Transfers with 2.50-2.74 cumulative GPAs — students who may have had a rocky start but are ready to reset and grow at FSC.
Automatic
Thad G. Buckner Scholarship
📅 Deadline: November 1 ✓ Renews (2.5 GPA, 4 yrs)
$14,000–$18,500/yr
✘ Not stackable
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Buckner is a solid middle-of-the-ladder automatic award. Heads-up: renewal on this one requires a 2.5 cumulative GPA — slightly higher than the 2.2 required on the Roux and Lockett tiers. Small difference, but worth mentioning to your student. If they later qualify for Ordway, Watson, or above, the higher tier replaces Buckner in the aid letter.
💡
Strategic Detail
Awarded automatically at admission at $14,000–$18,500 per year. Renewal requires at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA and full-time enrollment. March 1 is the best-consideration deadline.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Solidly strong freshman admits — think GPAs in the mid- to upper-3s with course rigor. Students who show up prepared but aren't necessarily chasing the very top merit brackets.
Automatic
Emile E. Watson Scholarship
📅 Deadline: November 1 ✓ Renews (4 yrs)
$16,000–$22,000/yr
✘ Not stackable
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Watson is a heavyweight automatic award — you're well into the upper brackets here. Students who earn Watson typically don't stack it with lower automatic tiers because Watson replaces them. The one thing that can shift the picture: if your student wins a competitive Prestige-level scholarship (Hollingsworth, McClurg, or Christoverson), that becomes the primary institutional award and Watson steps aside.
💡
Strategic Detail
Awarded automatically at admission at $16,000–$22,000 per year. Renewable annually with full-time enrollment. Best consideration by March 1.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Top-quintile freshman admits with genuinely strong academic records — high GPAs, demanding course loads, and often standout test scores. If your student is on the honors-college conversation list, Watson is often in their aid letter.
Automatic
Edna Mae Pearce Lockett Scholarship
📅 Deadline: November 1 ✓ Renews (2.2 GPA, 4 yrs)
$12,500–$17,000/yr
✘ Not stackable
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Lockett is the second rung on FSC's automatic merit ladder — a step up from Roux. If your student's academic profile bumps them into Buckner, Ordway, or higher, that award replaces Lockett automatically. FSC will always offer the highest single automatic tier your student qualifies for.
💡
Strategic Detail
Awarded automatically at admission at $12,500–$17,000 per year. Renewal requires maintaining at least a 2.2 cumulative GPA and full-time enrollment. March 1 is the best-consideration deadline; earlier is stronger.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Freshman admits who are a notch above baseline — strong students with a good academic story who don't quite crack the top-tier automatic merit brackets. Comfortable A/B students with course rigor tend to land here.
Automatic
E.T. Roux Scholarship
📅 Deadline: November 1 ✓ Renews (2.2 GPA, 4 yrs)
$10,000–$14,000/yr
✘ Not stackable
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Think of this as your foundation award — it's the baseline tier of FSC's automatic merit ladder. If your student's profile qualifies for a higher-tier scholarship (Lockett, Buckner, and up), the higher award simply replaces this one rather than adding to it. That's not a loss; it's the system upgrading you automatically.
💡
Strategic Detail
Awarded automatically at admission at $10,000–$14,000 per year. Renewal requires maintaining at least a 2.2 cumulative GPA and full-time enrollment (minimum 12 credits). Deadline for best consideration is March 1.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Freshman admits who meet FSC's baseline academic bar — solid students who are absolutely FSC-worthy but land at the entry of the merit range. If your student's GPA and rigor are steady rather than sky-high, this is likely where they'll first show up on the aid letter.
Automatic
Lucius P. Ordway Scholarship
📅 Deadline: November 1 ✓ Renews (2.2 GPA, 4 yrs)
$15,500–$20,500/yr
✘ Not stackable
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Ordway sits in the upper-middle of FSC's automatic merit ladder — a real step forward from Buckner. If your student's profile qualifies for Watson or higher, that award replaces Ordway automatically. There's no downside to the shuffle; the aid letter simply reflects the highest tier they earned.
💡
Strategic Detail
Awarded automatically at admission at $15,500–$20,500 per year. Renewal requires at least a 2.2 cumulative GPA and full-time enrollment. Best consideration by March 1.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Strong academic freshman admits — students with high GPAs, meaningful course rigor, and often optional test scores that reinforce the record. This tier tends to reward consistent excellence across all four years of high school.
Automatic
William H. Danforth Scholarship
📅 Deadline: November 1 ✓ Renews (4 yrs)
$18,000–$24,000/yr
✘ Not stackable
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Danforth is one of the top two automatic merit tiers — reserved for high-achieving students. If your student is invited to the Prestige application (Hollingsworth, McClurg, Christoverson), and wins one of those, the Prestige award becomes the primary institutional scholarship and Danforth steps aside. The aid office always structures this so your family sees the best possible offer.
💡
Strategic Detail
Awarded automatically at admission at $18,000–$24,000 per year. Renewable annually with full-time enrollment. Best consideration by March 1.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
High-achieving freshman admits — students with very strong GPAs, rigorous course loads (AP/IB/dual enrollment), and typically standout test scores when submitted. This tier signals FSC really wants your student on campus.
Automatic
Henry and Annie Merner Pfeiffer Scholarship
📅 Deadline: November 1 ✓ Renews (4 yrs)
$20,000–$26,000/yr
✘ Not stackable
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Pfeiffer is the ceiling of FSC's automatic merit ladder — the biggest award your student can receive without applying for a competitive Prestige scholarship. If your student is a Prestige finalist and wins Hollingsworth or another Prestige award, that competitive package replaces Pfeiffer as the primary institutional scholarship (and often provides more). Either way, your family wins.
💡
Strategic Detail
Awarded automatically at admission at $20,000–$26,000 per year. Renewable annually with full-time enrollment. Best consideration by March 1.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Elite freshman admits — the very strongest academic profiles in FSC's incoming class. Standout GPAs, the most rigorous coursework their high school offers, and often impressive test scores. If your student is Prestige-invited, Pfeiffer is often their fallback if they don't win one of the competitive scholarships.
Automatic⚠ Transfer Onlytransferpipeline
Phi Theta Kappa Award for Transfer Students
📅 Deadline: With admission ✓ Renews (2.2 GPA, 4 yrs)
$2,000/yr
✔ Stackable
⚠ Phi Theta Kappa members with an associate degree and 3.2+ GPA receive $2,000/year on top of transfer merit.
🏫 3.2+ GPA🎓 TransferStudents receiving first-year (freshman) FSC scholarships are not eligible for this transfer PTK award.
✚
Stacking & Combining
Here's the good news: this award stacks on top of FSC's transfer academic merit tiers, meaning a PTK member with a strong GPA can have both awards in the same aid letter. It does NOT stack with FSC athletic scholarships, and students who received first-year (freshman) scholarships at FSC are not eligible.
💡
Strategic Detail
Adds $2,000 per year on top of transfer academic merit for qualifying PTK members with an associate degree and 3.2+ cumulative GPA. Renewable while maintaining at least a 2.2 cumulative GPA and full-time enrollment.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Community college transfers who joined Phi Theta Kappa, earned their associate degree, and maintained at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA. If your student did PTK at their community college, this is essentially free money layered on top of their standard transfer award.
Data last verified Jul 5, 2026.* GPA/test bands are estimates based on official selectivity and prior cohort profiles. "Who Actually Wins" insights are pulled from external peer-sourced data where students and parents have reported real-world award results. Because colleges can change funding thresholds and deadlines at any time, always verify these details with the institution before finalizing your application strategy.
🪜 The Ladder Rule (This Trips Up Almost Everyone)
The seven named awards above are not seven separate scholarships your student can collect. They are seven rungs on one ladder. Your student gets placed on exactly one rung, and if their profile is strong enough to reach a higher rung, the higher award replaces the lower one rather than adding to it.
So when you see Pfeiffer at $20,000 to $26,000 and Danforth at $18,000 to $24,000, do not add them together. Read them the way you would read a pay band. Your student lands in one.
What does add on top: the Southern Experience Scholarship, the Sibling Award, the Valedictorian and Salutatorian award, departmental awards like Hansen Science and Weinstein, and Florida state aid. Those are covered in Hidden Gems below, and they are where the real stacking happens at this school.
🏠 The On-Campus Asterisk (Transfer Families, Read This)
Florida Southern’s published transfer scholarship grid carries a footnote in FSC’s own words: to receive the total amount, you must live on campus. A transfer student with a 3.75 GPA sees “up to $21,000” and reasonably assumes that is their number. If they plan to commute from home in Polk County to save on housing, the award shrinks.
Run both scenarios before you decide. Sometimes the housing cost is more than offset by the larger award, and the commuting plan that looked cheaper on paper actually costs more.
Automatic Merit — FAQs (Florida Southern College)
What GPA or test score does my student need for each tier?
Florida Southern does not publish cutoffs for the seven named freshman awards, and that is deliberate. Placement comes out of a holistic academic review: GPA, the rigor of the courses your student chose, and test scores if they submit them. The published transfer grid is the exception, and it is straightforwardly GPA-based. For freshmen, the honest answer is that you find out when the offer arrives.
Do we have to submit test scores?
Not for admission, and not for the seven automatic merit tiers. FSC is test-optional and superscores both the ACT and SAT for students who do submit. But the Premier and Prestige awards, which are where the full tuition and full rides live, require a 29 ACT or 1330 SAT. If your student is anywhere near those numbers, submitting is the right call.
Are these renewable?
Yes, for up to four years, with full-time enrollment of at least 12 credits. Renewal GPA requirements are modest and vary by tier. Roux, Lockett, and the transfer awards renew at a 2.2 cumulative GPA; Buckner requires a 2.5. Confirm your student’s specific renewal terms in the award letter, because the letter governs.
Can transfer students get these?
Transfers have their own grid, running from $13,500 up to $21,000 per year based on cumulative college GPA, and it requires at least 24 transferable credits. Transfers cannot receive the freshman named awards, and a student who already received first-year FSC scholarships is not eligible for the Phi Theta Kappa add-on.
Is the Phi Theta Kappa award worth chasing?
If your student is already headed to community college, yes. It is $2,000 per year, it genuinely stacks on top of the transfer merit tier, and it requires an associate degree plus a 3.2 cumulative GPA. One important detail: you must indicate PTK membership on the admission application. FSC determines eligibility at the time of admission, and membership reported after the aid decision cannot be added to an existing award.
When does the offer actually arrive?
Florida Southern reviews applications as they come in rather than in batches, so a November application typically produces an answer well before a March application does. Early Decision applicants who apply by November 1 receive a decision by December 15.
Florida Southern awards up to 15 full-tuition scholarships each year, which is a striking number for a college of roughly 2,600 undergraduates. The College groups its top awards under two labels: Premier (the Hollingsworth Scholarship) and Prestige (McClurg and Christoverson). The George W. Jenkins Scholarship sits alongside them on a separate track.
One application covers three scholarships.
This is the part families get wrong. There is not a separate Hollingsworth form, a separate McClurg form, and a separate Christoverson form. Submitting the single Premier and Prestige Scholarship Application puts your student in the running for all three at once. One short essay of 300 to 500 words, chosen from three prompts. Finalists interview virtually with a faculty committee.
✅ Can You Stack Scholarships at Florida Southern?
Aid Type
Stacks with Merit?
FSC Parent Translation
The seven named merit tiers
No, they replace each other
One rung on the ladder. The highest one your student qualifies for.
Premier & Prestige (Hollingsworth, McClurg, Christoverson)
Replaces automatic merit
Becomes the primary institutional award. Much larger, so this is an upgrade, not a loss.
George W. Jenkins
Stands alone
Covers full cost of attendance, so it absorbs the rest. Federal Pell may still apply.
Hollis Fellows in Education
Yes, genuinely
$8,000 per year on top of the merit tier. One of the best stacking plays on this campus.
Departmental & special interest awards
Usually yes
Hansen Science, Weinstein, Sibling, Valedictorian. These are the gap fillers. See Hidden Gems.
Bright Futures & EASE Grant
Yes
Florida state aid works at private colleges. Layer it on top of everything above.
Athletic scholarships
Limited
Athletic aid blocks both the Phi Theta Kappa award and the Southern Experience Scholarship. Ask before you assume.
The general shape of the money at Florida Southern: the automatic ladder gets almost everyone into a reasonable range, and the competitive awards move a very small number of students from “affordable” to “essentially free.” If your student has a 3.5 GPA and a 29 ACT, applying by November 1 is close to a free lottery ticket. If they are below those thresholds, the automatic ladder is still doing most of the work, and the hidden gems below are where you find the additional dollars.
Full RideApp Required
Hollingsworth Scholarship
📅 Deadline: November 1 ✓ Renews (3.3 GPA, 4 yrs)
Full Ride
full cost of attendance including travel-study stipend
✘ Not stackable
🏫 3.5+ GPA✎ ~29 ACT✎ ~1330 SAT👥 ~Approximately four students per year. winners/yr
✚
Stacking & Combining
Hollingsworth is the ballgame — valued at more than $230,000 over four years and covering the full cost of attendance including a travel-study stipend. It replaces FSC's automatic merit tiers and becomes the primary institutional package. Some smaller supplemental awards may still layer on top up to the total cost of attendance, but by and large this scholarship stands alone.
📄
How to Apply
This is FSC's flagship scholarship — the big one. Here's the path: your student applies and gets admitted as a first-year, then submits the Premier and Prestige Scholarship Application (with the required essay). If they make finalist, they'll be invited to interview virtually with a faculty committee. Selection is highly competitive and lands with the very top of the applicant pool.
Selection criteria: Faculty committee evaluates academic promise, leadership potential, character, future goals, and overall fit with Florida Southern.
✎ Essays🎤 Interview🌟 Finalist Event
💡
Strategic Detail
Florida Southern's premier scholarship program, valued at more than $230,000 over four years. Covers tuition, fees, room, board, textbooks, and a travel-study stipend. Requires 3.5 GPA, 29 ACT or 1330 SAT, essay, and finalist interview. Priority admission by November 1 is strongly recommended; final Prestige application deadline is January 3.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
A tiny handful of first-year applicants each year — students with superior academics, real leadership footprint, strong character indicators, and a compelling interview. If your student is Prestige-invited and interviewed as a Hollingsworth finalist, they're already in exceptional company.
Full TuitionApp Required
C.V. McClurg Scholarship
📅 Deadline: November 1 ✓ Renews (3 GPA, 4 yrs)
Full Tuition
full tuition and required fees
✘ Not stackable
⚠ Invitation-only Prestige scholarship for top first-year applicants; pays full tuition and fees for four years — room and board not covered.
🏫 3.5+ GPA✎ ~29 ACT✎ ~1330 SAT
✚
Stacking & Combining
McClurg covers full tuition and fees — a huge award, but heads-up: it does not cover room and board like Hollingsworth does. Families should plan for housing and meal costs separately. This scholarship replaces the automatic merit tier as the primary institutional package; smaller supplemental awards may still layer on up to the cost of attendance.
📄
How to Apply
McClurg is part of FSC's Prestige triad, so one application does the work. Your student applies and gets admitted, then submits the single Premier and Prestige Scholarship Application (with essay) — that puts them in the running for Hollingsworth, McClurg, and Christoverson all at once. Finalists interview virtually with faculty.
Selection criteria: Holistic review of academic excellence, leadership, character, and fit among Prestige finalists.
✎ Essays🎤 Interview🌟 Finalist Event
💡
Strategic Detail
Full-tuition Prestige award (does not cover room and board). Requires 3.5 GPA, 29 ACT or 1330 SAT, Prestige application essay, and finalist interview. Priority admission by November 1 is strongly recommended; final Prestige application deadline is January 3.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Top Prestige finalists — students who make the finalist round after the interview and demonstrate the kind of academic excellence, leadership, and character that FSC wants to invest in for four years. The applicant pool at this level is genuinely elite.
App Required
Marcene Christoverson Scholarship
📅 Deadline: November 1 ✓ Renews (3 GPA, 4 yrs)
Varies
✘ Not stackable
🏫 3.5+ GPA✎ ~29 ACT✎ ~1330 SAT
✚
Stacking & Combining
Christoverson works a little differently from the other two Prestige awards — it's designed as a gap-closer. It layers with FSC's institutional merit and other aid to bring the total package close to full cost. That flexibility is a feature: the committee tailors the Christoverson amount to what the student actually needs to make FSC affordable.
📄
How to Apply
Christoverson is part of the Prestige triad — same single application as Hollingsworth and McClurg. Your student applies and gets admitted, then submits the Premier and Prestige Scholarship Application (with essay); Prestige finalists are considered for Christoverson based on their profile and financial circumstances.
Prestige-tier grant used to close remaining costs for top Prestige finalists. Requires 3.5 GPA, 29 ACT or 1330 SAT, Prestige essay, and finalist interview. Priority admission by November 1 is strongly recommended; final Prestige application deadline is January 3.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Prestige finalists whose academic profile and family financial circumstances make additional aid necessary to close the affordability gap. This scholarship rewards excellence AND recognizes financial reality.
Full RideApp Requiredgeographicneed based
George W. Jenkins Scholarship
📅 Deadline: Confirm current cycle on the official Jenkins application page ✓ Renews (3 GPA, 4 yrs)
Full Ride
full cost of attendance
✘ Not stackable
⚠ Restricted to U.S. citizens residing in FL, GA, KY, NC, SC, AL, TN, or VA with documented financial need and adversity story; five awards per year.
🏫 3.5+ GPA👥 ~Five students per year. winners/yr
✚
Stacking & Combining
Jenkins covers full cost of attendance — the truest full-ride at FSC. Because it covers everything, it normally stands alone and replaces other FSC institutional merit or need-based grants. Federal Pell, if awarded, may still apply. Five students per year receive this one.
📄
How to Apply
Jenkins is a stand-alone application — separate from the Prestige triad. Your student applies and gets admitted as a first-year, submits a completed FAFSA to document financial need, then completes the dedicated George W. Jenkins Scholarship application and its required essay. This is a story-driven scholarship — the adversity-and-resilience narrative genuinely matters.
Selection criteria: Selection emphasizes academic strength, exceptional financial need, sustained work or service, and demonstrated history of overcoming significant adversity.
✎ Essays💌 Letters of Rec
💡
Strategic Detail
Full-cost-of-attendance scholarship providing five academically talented students each year the chance to attend FSC free of economic encumbrances. Requires U.S. citizenship, legal residency in FL, GA, KY, NC, SC, AL, TN, or VA, a 3.5 GPA, FAFSA-demonstrated need, and an adversity-focused essay.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Five first-year students each year with a specific profile: at least a 3.5 GPA, demonstrated financial need on the FAFSA, residency in an eligible Southeast state (FL, GA, KY, NC, SC, AL, TN, or VA), and a documented story of overcoming significant adversity — often paired with meaningful work or service history.
App Requiredmajor
Hollis Fellows in Education Scholarship
📅 Deadline: January 31 ✓ Renews (3 GPA, 4 yrs)
$8,000/yr
✔ Stackable
⚠ Education majors only, with a post-graduation commitment to teach three years in Florida public schools.
🏫 3.0+ GPA✎ ~24 ACT✎ ~1180 SAT👥 ~Two students per year. winners/yrRecipients must commit to teaching three years in the Florida public school system after graduating from the FSC undergraduate program. Program contemplates completing both a bachelor's and master's degree at FSC.
✚
Stacking & Combining
Hollis is a $8,000-per-year add-on that layers on top of your student's regular FSC merit scholarship — it does not replace automatic merit. That's a meaningful stack: Hollis + Pfeiffer or Danforth can be a very affordable path for a future teacher. The only catch: after graduation, recipients commit to teaching three years in the Florida public school system.
📄
How to Apply
Two paths must line up here: your student applies and gets admitted to FSC as an Education major, then submits the dedicated Hollis Fellows Scholarship Application. Finalists are invited to a virtual interview with education faculty and staff. This one is intentional — the Hollis family wants students who genuinely see themselves teaching in Florida.
Established by Mark and Lynn Hollis to support Education majors planning teaching careers. Two first-year students selected annually at $8,000 per year, renewable with a 3.0 GPA and continued Education major. Requires 24 ACT or 1180 SAT and 3.0 cumulative high school GPA. Priority application deadline is January 31. Post-graduation service commitment: teach three years in the Florida public school system.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Two first-year students per year who are Education majors, hold at least a 3.0 GPA and 24 ACT / 1180 SAT, and can articulate a real commitment to teaching. The service commitment is a genuine filter — this scholarship is designed for students who see teaching as a calling, not a fallback.
Data last verified Jul 5, 2026.* GPA/test bands are estimates based on official selectivity and prior cohort profiles. "Who Actually Wins" insights are pulled from external peer-sourced data where students and parents have reported real-world award results. Because colleges can change funding thresholds and deadlines at any time, always verify these details with the institution before finalizing your application strategy.
❓ Premier & Prestige Scholarship FAQs
What are the actual requirements to apply?
Be a first-time, first-year student admitted to Florida Southern by the deadline, hold a high school GPA of 3.5 or above, and earn at least a 29 ACT or 1330 SAT. The test requirement is firm even though FSC is test-optional for admission.
When are the deadlines?
The priority deadline is November 1 and the final deadline is January 3. FSC states that applying by the priority deadline puts your student in the first round of interviews and decisions, which matters when the awards are this limited.
What is the difference between Hollingsworth, McClurg, and Christoverson?
Hollingsworth is the full ride, valued at more than $230,000 over four years and covering tuition, fees, room, board, textbooks, and a travel-study stipend. Recipients also get mentorship with the College president. McClurg covers full tuition and required fees but not room and board, so budget roughly $15,000 a year for housing and meals. Christoverson works as a gap-closer: the committee sizes it to what the student actually needs after other aid.
How competitive is it really?
FSC describes the Prestige program as recognizing the top 10% of first-year applicants. Students are invited to apply. Being invited is itself a signal, and FSC notes plainly that every applicant is reviewed for the standard merit scholarships regardless, so nobody walks away with nothing.
What makes a strong essay?
FSC’s own guidance is refreshingly direct: pick the prompt that feels personal, be authentic, and they are looking for the student’s voice rather than polished buzzwords. It is 300 to 500 words, so this is not a research project. Our Essay Toolkit and Brag Sheet Builder can help your student organize what they actually have to say.
Who should apply for the George W. Jenkins Scholarship?
This one is separate from the Premier and Prestige application and it has a specific profile. Five students per year. Requirements: U.S. citizen, legal resident of Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, or Virginia, a 3.5 GPA in college preparatory subjects, demonstrated financial need on the FAFSA, two letters of reference, and an essay of 800 words or less. The essay weighs most heavily on one thing: a documented history of facing and overcoming significant adversity. Deadline is January 31. It covers full cost of attendance.
Is Florida Southern a National Merit or Stamps partner?
No to both. FSC does not run a National Merit Finalist package and is not a Stamps Scholarship partner. The money here is concentrated in the automatic ladder and the Premier and Prestige awards.
🧠 Parent Strategy: At FSC, You Have to Say It Out Loud
Most of Florida Southern’s smaller awards are automatic in the sense that there is no application form. But automatic does not mean invisible. Several of them depend entirely on facts about your family that FSC has no way to know unless you tell them.
Is your student valedictorian or salutatorian? Notify Admissions and send documentation. That is $1,000 a year.
Do you already have a child enrolled full-time at FSC? Tell Financial Aid. Another $1,000 a year.
Does a parent work at Publix, or has your student worked there? Get that on the record. The Moe Lasky Scholarship exists specifically for you.
Is your student in Phi Theta Kappa? Check the box on the admission application itself. FSC determines eligibility at admission and will not retroactively add it.
Did you visit campus? Make sure the visit was scheduled through Admissions, because a self-guided walk around Lake Hollingsworth does not count.
Parent translation: at a college this size you can actually get a human on the phone. Call your admissions counselor and walk through this list out loud. It takes ten minutes and it is worth a few thousand dollars a year to a lot of families.
💎 Hidden Gem Scholarships
These are the awards that genuinely stack. Unlike the seven named merit tiers, which replace one another, most of the awards below sit on top of your student’s primary scholarship. Individually they are small. Together, and layered under Florida state aid, they can move the number meaningfully.
Automaticemployerneed based
Moe Lasky Scholarship
📅 Deadline: Automatic at admission; file the FAFSA to document need ✓ Renews (4 yrs)
Varies
✔ Stackable
⚠ For Publix associates and their children. A parent must have two years of continuous full-time service, or the student must have one year of Publix work history within the past two years.
Either a parent is a full-time Publix employee with at least two years of continuous service at the time of application, or the student has worked full time at Publix for at least one year, or part time for a total of one year within the past two years. Student must be admitted as a first-year student and enrolled full time, must show strong academic ability and good character, and must demonstrate financial need as assessed by the College.
✚
Stacking & Combining
Sits on top of your FSC merit award rather than replacing it, subject to the College overall aid limits.
💡
Strategic Detail
Named for Moe L. Lasky, a longtime Publix associate in Leesburg who started with the company at 67 and worked until he was 93. Awarded in varying amounts to Publix employees and their children. Confirm renewal terms with Financial Aid.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Students from Publix families in Florida who also show financial need. Publix is the largest private employer in the state, so this reaches far more families than most people realize.
Automaticmajor
Hansen Science Scholarship
📅 Deadline: With admission ✓ Renews (4 yrs)
Varies
✔ Stackable
⚠ Natural sciences majors only.
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Layered on top of the automatic merit tier rather than replacing it, subject to overall aid limits.
💡
Strategic Detail
Supports students pursuing degrees in the natural sciences. FSC lists this among its talent-based and departmental awards, all of which are renewable for four years provided eligibility is maintained. Amounts vary.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Admitted science majors with strong academic records who declared the major on the application.
Automaticmajor
Weinstein Scholarship (Computer Science)
📅 Deadline: With admission ✓ Renews (4 yrs)
Varies
✔ Stackable
⚠ Computer science students only.
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Stacks on top of the automatic merit tier, subject to overall aid limits.
💡
Strategic Detail
Awarded to computer science students who show academic achievement, curiosity, and problem-solving skill. Recipients work in the Weinstein Computer Science Building, which houses a cybersecurity lab, an automation lab, a makerspace, and an esports studio. Renewable for four years provided eligibility is maintained.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Admitted computer science majors with a demonstrated track record, which can mean coursework, competitions, personal projects, or certifications.
Automaticmajorneed basedgeographic
Alderman Accounting Scholarship
📅 Deadline: With admission; file the FAFSA ✓ Renews (4 yrs)
Varies
✔ Stackable
⚠ Accounting majors, with preference for Florida students who demonstrate financial need.
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Layered on top of the automatic merit award, subject to overall aid limits.
💡
Strategic Detail
Established by Gettys P. Alderman and his wife Alice to support promising Florida students pursuing accounting careers. Based on academic achievement and financial need. No separate application required. Renewable for four years provided eligibility is maintained.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Florida accounting majors with solid grades and documented financial need.
Automaticmajorneed based
Nursing Scholarships
📅 Deadline: With admission to the BSN program; file the FAFSA ✓ Renews (4 yrs)
Varies
✔ Stackable
⚠ Students admitted and enrolled in the undergraduate BSN program who show academic excellence and financial need.
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Stacks on top of the automatic merit tier, subject to overall aid limits.
💡
Strategic Detail
Awards vary in amount and are renewable each year of study. Students must be admitted and enrolled in the undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, achieve academic excellence, and demonstrate financial need. No separate application is required; eligible candidates are notified during the Admissions process.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Admitted BSN students with strong academics and documented financial need.
Automaticmajorneed based
Beulah Kahler Scholarship
📅 Deadline: Automatic at admission ✓ Renews (4 yrs)
Varies
✔ Stackable
⚠ Liberal arts disciplines, with financial need considered.
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Treated as an add-on to the automatic merit award, subject to overall aid limits.
💡
Strategic Detail
Supports financially deserving students of exceptional promise pursuing liberal arts disciplines. Awards are granted upon admission and recognize academic ability, creativity, and leadership. Eligible students are considered automatically during enrollment. Confirm renewal terms with Financial Aid.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Humanities and liberal arts majors with creative or leadership strength and demonstrated need. This one rewards the English, history, and philosophy kids that merit grids sometimes underserve.
Automaticgeographicmajorneed based
Hazel Haley Scholarship
📅 Deadline: With admission ✓ Renews (4 yrs)
$3,000/yr
✔ Stackable
⚠ Graduates of Lakeland High School or the Harrison School for the Arts only, with financial need. Preference to English and Education majors.
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Layered on top of the automatic merit award, subject to overall aid limits.
💡
Strategic Detail
Worth $3,000 per year. Awarded to graduates of Lakeland High School and the Harrison School for the Arts who demonstrate financial need, with preference given to English or Education majors. Confirm renewal terms with Financial Aid.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Lakeland High and Harrison School for the Arts graduates with need, especially future English teachers.
App Required⚠ All Undergrad Onlycareer intent
Christian Service Award
📅 Deadline: Contact the Chaplain office; timing tracks the admission cycle ✓ Renews (4 yrs)
$2,000/yr
✔ Stackable
⚠ For students preparing for careers in Christian education, ministry of music, or youth ministry.
🎓 All Undergrad
✚
Stacking & Combining
Stacks on top of merit aid, subject to overall aid limits.
📄
How to Apply
This one is handled through the Chaplain office rather than Admissions, which is exactly why families miss it. Call 863.680.4297 and ask how to be considered before you finalize your aid package.
💡
Strategic Detail
Worth $2,000 per year. Open to both first-year and transfer students preparing for careers in Christian education, ministry of music, or youth ministry. Florida Southern is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Students with a genuine church background who plan to work in ministry, church music, or youth work. Available to transfers as well as freshmen, which is unusual.
⚠ Ensemble awards are available only to non-music-majors. Audition required.
🎓 All Undergrad
✚
Stacking & Combining
Stacks on top of academic merit, subject to overall aid limits.
📄
How to Apply
Contact the Office of Admissions at 863.680.4131 to arrange an audition. This is aimed at the student who played in high school band or sang in choir and wants to keep doing it in college without majoring in music.
💡
Strategic Detail
Florida Southern awards $500 per year to members of an ensemble: band, chorale, or orchestra (strings). Ensemble scholarships are available only to non-majors, and an audition is required. Separate from the larger music scholarships awarded to majors on skill level and area of concentration.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Non-music-majors who keep playing or singing. Small dollars, but it is one of the few awards on this campus specifically built for a student whose talent is not their major.
App Required
RaiseMe Micro-Scholarships
📅 Deadline: Log achievements on RaiseMe before applying ✓ Renews (4 yrs)
Varies
✘ Not stackable
⚠ Awarded instead of FSC merit, not in addition to it. Students receive whichever is higher.
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Does not stack with FSC merit. FSC applies whichever is larger, the RaiseMe total or the standard merit and grant package.
📄
How to Apply
Your student creates a RaiseMe profile, follows Florida Southern, and logs grades, activities, and service throughout high school. Best started freshman or sophomore year of high school. For a strong student who will land high on the FSC merit ladder anyway, this is usually redundant, so run the numbers before investing time.
💡
Strategic Detail
Rewards students who log high school achievements on the RaiseMe platform across academics, leadership, and service. Important: FSC states that students receive either their FSC merit scholarship and grants OR the RaiseMe award, whichever is higher. It is not additive.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Mostly useful for students whose activity and service record is stronger than their GPA, since RaiseMe credits things the merit grid does not.
📅 Deadline: Typically March 1 for visit + application timing; confirm exact dates each year. ✓ Renews (4 yrs)
$1,000/yr
✔ Stackable
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Stacks with most institutional awards but only toward tuition; not available if the student receives a full-tuition or athletic scholarship or if total institutional aid exceeds tuition.
💡
Strategic Detail
Provides an additional $1,000 per year for a total of $4,000 for in-state students, applied toward tuition only and contingent on full-time enrollment and good academic standing.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Florida residents who complete a qualifying campus visit and apply and enroll by the stated deadlines.
Automatic
Southern Experience Scholarship (Out-of-State)
📅 Deadline: Typically March 1 for visit + application timing; confirm exact dates each year. ✓ Renews (4 yrs)
$2,000/yr
✔ Stackable
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Stacks on top of most FSC scholarships but can only be applied to tuition and is not available if the student receives full-tuition or athletic scholarships or if total institutional aid exceeds tuition.
💡
Strategic Detail
Provides an additional $1,000 per year for a total of $8,000 for out-of-state students, applied toward tuition only and contingent on full-time enrollment and good academic standing.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Out-of-state students who complete a qualifying campus visit and apply and enroll by the stated deadlines.
Full TuitionApp Requiredlegacy
Tuition Exchange Scholarship
📅 Deadline: Varies by Tuition Exchange and institutional timelines; families should check with their home institution and FSC Financial Aid. ✓ Renews
Full Tuition
tuition
✘ Not stackable
⚠ Children of qualifying employees at Tuition Exchange member schools may receive a scholarship that covers full FSC tuition only (not fees, housing, or meals).
👥 ~Limited number of awards per year based on FSC’s Tuition Exchange allocation. winners/yr
✚
Stacking & Combining
Typically treated as a primary tuition benefit; stacking with other institutional aid depends on Tuition Exchange and FSC policies and may be limited.
📄
How to Apply
Have a parent employed at a participating Tuition Exchange institution and complete the Tuition Exchange certification process through the home institution and Florida Southern’s financial aid office.
💡
Strategic Detail
Special Interest Scholarships page notes that Tuition Exchange scholarships are available to dependents of employees at participating institutions; external Tuition Exchange site confirms FSC participation and outlines program rules, with awards often covering up to full tuition.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Dependents of faculty or staff at participating Tuition Exchange institutions who meet Florida Southern’s admission and Tuition Exchange selection criteria.
Automatic
Valedictorian / Salutatorian Scholarship
📅 Deadline: With admission; submit documentation of class rank status during the application process. ✓ Renews
$1,000/yr
✔ Stackable
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Recognition scholarship that is typically layered on top of other institutional awards, subject to overall tuition limits.
💡
Strategic Detail
Special Interest Scholarships page describes the Valedictorian/Salutatorian Scholarship as $1,000 per year for top graduates from high schools with more than 50 students; recipients are expected to notify Admissions of their status.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Students recognized as valedictorian or salutatorian from high schools with more than 50 students in the graduating class.
Automatic⚠ All Undergrad Only
Sibling Award
📅 Deadline: With enrollment; coordinate with Financial Aid when both siblings are registered. ✓ Renews
$1,000/yr
✔ Stackable
🎓 All Undergrad
✚
Stacking & Combining
Designed as a small stackable discount that can be combined with most institutional aid, subject to FSC’s overall aid capping rules.
💡
Strategic Detail
Special Interest Scholarships page lists the Sibling Award as a $1,000 per year renewable scholarship for students with an undergraduate sibling enrolled full-time at FSC.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Undergraduate students who have a sibling enrolled full-time at Florida Southern.
Data last verified Sep 2, 2026.* GPA/test bands are estimates based on official selectivity and prior cohort profiles. "Who Actually Wins" insights are pulled from external peer-sourced data where students and parents have reported real-world award results. Because colleges can change funding thresholds and deadlines at any time, always verify these details with the institution before finalizing your application strategy.
The Publix Angle
Worth pulling out separately, because it reaches more Florida families than anything else on this page. Publix is the largest private employer in the state and is headquartered in Lakeland, about twenty minutes from campus. The Moe Lasky Scholarship is built for Publix associates and their children, requires no separate application, and is assessed on need alongside academics.
If a parent has two years of continuous full-time service, or if your student has worked there for a year, this is a phone call worth making before you finalize anything.
⚠️ One Award That Can Vanish
The Southern Experience Scholarship rewards families for applying and visiting campus, and it is easy money for most students. But read the terms: your student loses it if they receive a full-tuition benefit from any other scholarship, if they receive an athletic scholarship, or if their combined institutional aid already exceeds the cost of tuition. It also applies only to tuition and cannot be used toward study abroad or Junior Journey costs.
❓ Hidden Gems FAQ
Do these actually stack with the merit award, or does FSC just swap them out?
They genuinely stack, with one exception. The departmental and special interest awards layer on top of the merit tier up to Florida Southern’s overall aid limits. The exception is RaiseMe: FSC states that students receive either their FSC merit scholarship and grants or the RaiseMe award, whichever is higher. Not both.
My student is a science, computer science, accounting, or nursing major. Is there a form?
No. The Hansen Science, Weinstein, Alderman Accounting, and Nursing awards all require no separate application. What they do require is that the intended major is entered correctly on the admission application, because that field is what triggers departmental consideration. It is a small detail with real money attached.
What if my student is a strong performer but not a music, theatre, or art major?
FSC awards $500 per year to members of band, chorale, or orchestra, and those ensemble awards are specifically for non-majors. An audition is required. Call Admissions at 863.680.4131 to set one up. It is one of the few awards anywhere built for the kid who played four years of high school band and wants to keep playing without majoring in it.
Is there anything for students headed into ministry?
Yes, and it is easy to miss because it runs through a different office. The Christian Service Award is $2,000 per year for students preparing for careers in Christian education, ministry of music, or youth ministry, and it is open to transfers as well as first-year students. Florida Southern is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Contact the Chaplain office at 863.680.4297 rather than Admissions.
My spouse works at a college. Does that help?
Possibly. Florida Southern participates in the Tuition Exchange program, which can cover full FSC tuition for dependents of employees at member institutions. Awards are limited by FSC’s annual allocation and the certification process runs through your home institution first. It covers tuition only, not fees, housing, or meals.
What if I miss one of these?
Most of these are tied to the admission and enrollment cycle rather than a hard calendar deadline, which means there is often room to fix an oversight if you catch it early. Once the aid package is finalized and the year has started, it gets much harder. The Phi Theta Kappa award is the strictest: FSC determines eligibility at the time of admission and will not add it to an existing award afterward.
🆕 This is brand new. In August 2026, Florida Southern converted its longstanding Honors Program into a full Honors College, a four-year structure led by Dr. Silviana Falcon as Associate Provost. If you are reading older guides or forum posts that describe an “Honors Program,” this is the same lineage, expanded.
The Florida Southern Honors College is reserved for roughly the top 10% of students, and admission is a separate application from admission to the College. It is not automatic, and a strong GPA alone does not get your student in.
💡 Be Clear-Eyed: Honors Does Not Come With Money Here
Florida Southern states this plainly in its own FAQ. Participation in the Honors College does not carry any specific scholarship program, and it does not add any charges either. So if your family is evaluating Honors as a financial lever, it is not one at this school.
What it is instead: an access lever. FSC notes that strong Honors applicants tend to be strong Premier and Prestige applicants, and both cycles share the same November 1 priority date. The overlap is the real strategy, not a separate pot of money.
How to Get In
Minimum: a 3.5 weighted GPA
Application: share why you want in and what you hope to gain
Plus three “markers of excellence” drawn from a published list
The Markers List Is Unusually Fair
Most honors programs quietly reward students whose families could afford enrichment. Florida Southern’s list explicitly counts things that a lot of hardworking kids actually have. Alongside the expected items (a 1330 SAT or 29 ACT superscore, top 10% class rank, 16 anticipated AP or IB or dual enrollment credits, academic competition awards), the list also credits:
Reliable performance in a paid job
A history of acting as a caretaker at home or in the community
Participation in AVID, Upward Bound, GEAR UP, or similar college prep programs
EMT, CNA, or other industry certifications
Participation in JROTC
Excellence in a challenging skill or trade, including auto repair
Eagle Scout rank or the Girl Scout Gold Award
Submitted creative work: stories, poetry, photography, film
Parent translation: your student needs three from the overall list, not one from each category. A kid who worked twenty hours a week at a restaurant, helped raise a younger sibling, and earned a CNA certification qualifies just as cleanly as a debate champion.
Application Deadlines
November 1 (priority)
January 3 (priority)
March 1 (regular)
Decisions come roughly six weeks after each deadline. Florida Southern says all applications are evaluated equally and there is no disadvantage to a later deadline. That said, November 1 is also the Premier and Prestige priority date, so there is a practical reason to consolidate.
What Honors Students Actually Get
A two-year capstone research project with a faculty mentor, presented at Fiat Lux
Up to 20 credit hours per semester at no extra cost, which can fund a second major or an early graduation
Early registration
A private Honors lounge and an Honors Living and Learning Community
Exclusive lectures, symposia, and networking events
That overload allowance is quietly the most valuable item on the list. Twenty credits a semester at no additional charge is how a student adds a second major without adding a fifth year, and at $47,670 a year in tuition, a year saved is a year saved.
Honors College — FAQs (Florida Southern)
Does the Honors College add credit hours to my student’s degree?
No. Florida Southern states the Honors curriculum is integrated into the existing degree plan and does not require credits beyond the major. The sequence runs four years: writing and speaking seminars plus a first-year seminar, a liberal arts course and second-year seminar, directed study and a thesis proposal in year three, and thesis writing and presentation in year four.
What if my student did not apply as a freshman?
They can still apply, but the window closes at the end of their first semester at FSC. They will need a 3.5 GPA and a letter of recommendation from a faculty member.
Can transfer students join?
Case by case, and it helps considerably if they were honors students at their previous institution. Be realistic about the timeline, though. FSC notes the Honors curriculum takes six semesters, so a student arriving with a full AA and planning to finish in under three years is better served focusing on research and departmental opportunities instead.
Are Honors classes harder?
Florida Southern’s framing is that the material is not more advanced, but the approach is interdisciplinary. Honors courses ask students to connect what they are learning to current events and other fields rather than staying inside a single topic.
What is required to stay in and graduate from it?
A C or higher in every honors course and a cumulative 3.5 GPA at graduation.
Are there honors options inside specific majors?
Yes. Accounting, Biology, Chemistry, English, History, Music, Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion all offer honors tracks. Ask your admissions counselor how those interact with the Honors College itself.
Florida Southern is the oldest private college in the state, founded in 1883, and it has built its identity around a single idea: that students learn by doing rather than by sitting. That is not marketing language. FSC won the William M. Burke Presidential Award for Excellence in Experiential Education from the National Society of Experiential Education, and U.S. News has ranked it among the top ten in the South for undergraduate teaching. With about 2,600 undergraduates and a 14 to 1 student-to-faculty ratio, your student is not going to be a seat number in a lecture hall of 400.
Three Things FSC Actually Guarantees:
An internship. Every student. FSC students have interned with Disney, Lockheed Martin, and OPEC, and the College maintains a relationship with the Washington Center for placements in D.C.
A study abroad experience. Junior Journey guarantees the opportunity once a student completes four full-time semesters in good standing, at a reduced cost. Recent destinations include Italy, Ireland, Spain, Costa Rica, Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong.
Graduation in four years. Follow the guidelines and if FSC cannot get your student across the line in four, they cover the tuition until it happens.
Add the Career Guarantee (a job or grad school placement within six months, or extra support from Career Services) and you have four commitments that most colleges would not put in writing.
Where the Programs Are Strongest
Business: The Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise is the largest draw on campus, with business administration and management producing the most degrees of any program. Sport Business Management is a distinctive offering that pulls students from well outside Florida.
Nursing: The BSN program is competitive and popular, and it has its own scholarship pool. One practical note for families: nursing seats fill, and students have reported losing spots by waiting on a deposit. If nursing is the plan, move early.
Health Sciences and Pre-Med Pathways: FSC holds early acceptance partnerships with the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine, with guaranteed interview opportunities. There is also a P3 advising program for students targeting medical, dental, pharmacy, or podiatry school. The Doctor of Physical Therapy is a graduate degree, so undergraduates arrive through exercise science and biology.
Sciences: Marine biology and environmental studies benefit from being in central Florida with coasts on both sides. The Faculty-Student Collaborative Research Initiative puts undergraduates on co-authored journal articles and at national conferences, which is unusual at a school this size.
Computer Science: The Weinstein Computer Science Building houses a cybersecurity lab, an automation lab, a makerspace, and an esports studio, and there is a named scholarship attached to the major.
Education: A genuine strength, backed by the Hollis Fellows program, which funds education majors who commit to teaching in Florida public schools. If your student wants to teach in this state, FSC has built a real pipeline for it.
Arts and Performance: Theatre, dance, musical theatre, music, and visual arts and design all run audition-based or portfolio-based scholarship tracks that stack with academic merit. Art History and Museum Studies is a small program with an unusual advantage, given what sits on the campus itself.
🏛️ The Frank Lloyd Wright Campus
Florida Southern holds the largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world. Wright designed the campus starting in 1938, and students walk to class through the Esplanades and past the Water Dome every day. This is not a side attraction. Preserving the Wright campus and running its visitor program is written directly into Florida Southern’s institutional mission statement.
For most students it simply means a beautiful place to spend four years, and FSC’s campus has been ranked near the top nationally for exactly that reason. For architecture, art history, and design students, it means living inside your subject.
🔗 Official Florida Southern College Links
Every link below was checked against Florida Southern’s live site. Use these to confirm deadlines, award terms, and cost figures before you make any decision. Scholarship application pages at FSC go dark between cycles, so if one says the application is closed, that means the current cycle has ended rather than the award being discontinued.
Consumer Information & Institutional Disclosures:
https://www.flsouthern.edu/about-fsc/heoa-disclosures
Florida Southern does not publish a public Common Data Set. This page is the institutional equivalent, covering costs, aid, outcomes, and accreditation.
✅ Wrapping It Up
Here is the honest read on Florida Southern. The sticker price is $62,800, which will stop a lot of families cold. But 99% of first-year students get a merit award or grant, the College hands out more than $66 million of its own money every year, and the average family ends up paying around $30,462. That is not a small discount. That is a private college pricing itself to compete with the state schools an hour up the road.
What makes FSC different from most private colleges at this price point is how little you have to chase. The money is automatic. There is no application fee, no long essay, and no separate merit form. Your student applies, and a number between $10,000 and $26,000 a year comes back. The work on your end is narrower than you might expect: apply by November 1, visit campus so the Southern Experience Scholarship attaches, file the FAFSA by March 1, and tell them the handful of things about your family they cannot know on their own. Valedictorian. A sibling on campus. A parent at Publix. Phi Theta Kappa. Each of those is real money that only appears if somebody mentions it.
For a Florida family, the math gets better still, because Bright Futures and the EASE Grant both follow your student to a private college here. Layer state aid on top of a solid merit tier and Florida Southern can land close to, or under, what you would pay for a public university with housing.
The stretch play is the Premier and Prestige application. A 3.5 GPA and a 29 ACT or 1330 SAT gets your student into a pool competing for up to 15 full-tuition awards a year, and one short essay covers all three scholarships at once. If your student is anywhere near those numbers, that is one of the better returns on an afternoon of work in this entire process. And if they miss, the automatic ladder is still there. Nobody walks away with nothing.
What you are actually buying, past the scholarship math: a guaranteed internship, a guaranteed study abroad trip at reduced cost, a written promise to graduate in four years or cover the difference, and four years on a campus Frank Lloyd Wright designed. For the right student, especially one who would disappear in a lecture hall of four hundred, that adds up to something a spreadsheet does not fully capture.
Your kid did everything right. That does not mean the money follows.
Most families build a college list first and think about scholarships second, which is backwards. This free four-part series shows you where the money actually comes from, and how to build a list around it.
After the series, about once a month, sometimes twice during application season. No drip funnels, no affiliate pitches, and we never sell your information. Unsubscribe anytime.
Leo Dimilo
I started CollegeReadyParent after going through the college money maze with my own kids and realizing how much of it is deliberately hard to read. I dig through the actual university pages, the fine print, and the federal data so you do not have to, and I write it the way I would explain it to a friend at my kitchen table.
More about Leo →
Was this helpful? Share it with another parent who’s comparing college costs!
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
__utma
ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
__utmt
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
__utmv
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
