Summer break is about over and the thought of adding more debt to the student loans is a little stressful.

Maybe there’s a little relief. Thanks to new funding allocated by the General Assembly, thousands of additional students will receive scholarship assistance through the state’s Bright Flight program. For the first time in its history, the state will award scholarship money to students scoring in the fourth and fifth percentile.

Bright Flight has historically awarded scholarships to students scoring in the top 3 percent of ACT test takers. Statutory provisions require those students must be fully funded at $3,000 per year, before any payments are made to the students scoring in the fourth and fifth percentiles. However, this year the House and Senate approved an additional $3.5 million in funding for the program for the current fiscal year. With this, class of 2022 seniors scoring a 30 on the ACT will be eligible for an award of up to $1,000 this year.

Any Class of 2018 to Class of 2021 seniors who also scored a 30 on their ACT, may be eligible as well.

Bright Flight is a renewable scholarship for students who maintain eligibility for up to 10 semesters or until a student completes their bachelor’s degree, whichever occurs first. Students in the fourth and fifth percentiles who have maintained eligibility and are still enrolled at a Missouri college or university will be eligible for an award, also up to $1,000, this year.

The Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD) needs to know where these eligible students are currently enrolled in order to issue the scholarships to their student accounts. The best way to help the department understand this information is for all Class of 2018 to 2022 seniors who scored a 30 on their ACT to log on to the Missouri State Student Financial Aid Portal and to update their number one school choice to their current college or university.

The MDHEWD will also be reaching out to potentially eligible students as well as institutions to ask for their help in communicating with their students that fit these eligibility requirements.

I wish you the best in your education.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact my office.

(State Rep. Bruce Sassmann, a Republican from Bland, may be reached at 573-751-1344, or via email to bruce.sassmann@house.mo.gov).