The Florida First Responder Scholarship helps trainees in approved police, EMT, paramedic and firefighter programs pay for school, and the three college pages we read send you to the college where you train to apply. It’s aimed at people entering these jobs, and the pages say funds are limited.
We read the pages for St. Petersburg College, Eastern Florida State College and South Florida State College, and they don’t describe the award the same way. Where they disagree, we say so below. The financial aid office at your own college has the final answer.
How To Get The Florida First Responder Scholarship First Responder Discount
- Pick a training program at a Florida college that offers the scholarship. St. Petersburg College’s page lists seven that qualify, including its Law Enforcement Academy and Paramedic Certificate.
- Make sure no employer is already paying for your training. St. Petersburg College, Eastern Florida State College and South Florida State College all say sponsored trainees don’t qualify.
- Apply through the college. St. Petersburg College asks for its FFRS application and says to submit one per academic year. South Florida State College wants the FAFSA, a college application and a scholarship application.
- Ask the financial aid office which eligible expenses it will add to your award.
Apply early. Two of the three pages describe the money as first-come, first-served.
Who Qualifies, In The Colleges’ Words
St. Petersburg College says the scholarship assists law enforcement officer, EMT, paramedic and firefighter trainees. Eastern Florida State College lists Law Enforcement, EMT, Paramedic or Firefighter programs for eligible Florida residents. South Florida State College names Law Enforcement, Fire Science and EMT/Paramedic students and asks for Florida residency.
These are training programs, so the benefit is for people becoming officers, EMTs, paramedics and firefighters. A working responder who’s already sponsored by an agency isn’t the person these pages describe. Only St. Petersburg College lists a Corrections Academy. None of the three pages mention dispatchers, spouses or children, so ask the college if that’s your situation.
What The Award Pays And Where The Pages Disagree
St. Petersburg College says the award covers tuition and fees less any state or federal financial aid (excluding direct loans), plus eligible expenses, at in-state tuition rates. Eastern Florida State College says the amount equals tuition and fees, less any state financial aid received. The first page subtracts state or federal aid and the second says only state aid, so ask your college which one it uses.
South Florida State College prints a different kind of number: it says the scholarship supports students with up to $1,000 for tuition, lab fees, textbooks, uniforms and testing. The page doesn’t say whether that $1,000 is the whole award, so ask South Florida State College before you plan around it.
Funding Is Limited
St. Petersburg College says these funds are very limited and therefore not guaranteed. Applications are reviewed once the term begins, and funds are posted for approved applications once the college receives funds from the state. Eastern Florida State College and St. Petersburg College both describe awards as first-come, first-served.
Q&A
Q: Do I apply to the state?
A: The pages we read send you to the college. St. Petersburg College uses its own application, and South Florida State College has its own scholarship application.
Q: Is it for people who are already working?
A: The pages describe trainees. All three say you can’t be sponsored by an employer or agency that already covers the cost.
Q: How much will I get?
A: It depends on the college. South Florida State College says up to $1,000, and the other two describe tuition and fees less other aid.
Q: Do I need the FAFSA?
A: South Florida State College lists it. The other two pages don’t, so ask.
Q: Does it cover corrections academies?
A: St. Petersburg College lists a Corrections Academy. The other pages don’t mention corrections.
Q: Is there an online school that offers first responder savings?
A: Our Liberty University page covers one.
More Information:
Each college can change its terms, so read its page before you apply. For more ways to save, browse our money discounts. You can also see it alongside other options in How First Responders Can Save Thousands on College Tuition: The Best Schools Offering Tuition Discounts.
