Higher Education Academic Scholarship Program ("Bright Flight")

This merit-based program encourages top-ranked high school seniors to attend approved Missouri postsecondary schools. To be eligible, you must:

• Have a composite score on the American College Testing Program (ACT) or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) in the top 3 percent of all Missouri students taking those tests,
• Be a graduating high school senior who enrolls as a first-time, full-time student at an approved Missouri postsecondary school,
• Be a Missouri resident and a United States citizen or eligible non-citizen, and
• Not be pursuing a degree or certificate in theology or divinity.

For information about the qualifying ACT or SAT score, contact your high school counselor or call the MOSTARS Information Center at (800) 473-6757 (option 1) or (573) 751-3940. Only test scores achieved on national test dates or approved special test dates are acceptable. Scores from other tests, such as residual tests administered by colleges, cannot be used. If high school seniors have taken the ACT or SAT as juniors or sophomores, those scores are acceptable as long as they are qualifying scores when the students are seniors.

Home-schooled students, or those who have obtained a certificate of high school equivalence by passing the General Educational Development (GED) examination, are eligible for consideration. Eligible students must receive the scholarship during the academic year immediately following their senior year in high school or the completion of high school equivalence to maintain eligibility. The scholarship may be renewed annually for up to 10 semesters or until the student has completed a baccalaureate degree, whichever occurs first. To renew, a student must:

• Continually attend school full-time (excluding summer terms) and continually receive the scholarship award at an approved Missouri postsecondary school and
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by the school.

Scholarship awards are not available during summer terms.

How much can I receive?

The annual scholarship award of $2,000 is distributed to eligible students in two payments of $1,000 per semester.

How can I apply?

MOSTARS will receive student's approved Missouri College or university choices from their ACT or SAT assessment records along with student's ACT and SAT composite score(s). Eligible students will receive approval letters from MOSTARS. To be eligible for the up-coming academic year, a student must achieve a qualifying composite score by the June ACT and SAT dates. The approved institution in which the student plans to attend full-time must renew a renewal student’s eligibility annually.

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