The Bright Flight scholarship, which is awarded based on ACT or SAT scores, gives $3,000 a year to the top 3 percent of scorers in Missouri. Now, the top 4th and 5th percent of test-takers will be eligible for money for college.
Bright Flight is an award that encourages high-achieving high school students to stay in-state for their college education.
According to the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development, students from the class of 2022 who are both enrolled in a Missouri college or university and who scored a 30 on the ACT or its equivalent SAT score are eligible for $1,000 dollars a year for their undergraduate education.
Students who scored a 31 or higher are eligible for the full $3,000. The Missouri legislature increased the budget for the program by $3.5 million.
When the Bright Flight program was introduced in 1986, the award amount was $2,000 dollars, while the tuition and fees at the University of Missouri were just over $1,400. Today, Mizzou calculates that tuition and fees alone will cost over $12,000 for Missouri residents. With the cost of housing adding another $10,000, the $3,000 dollar award makes a much smaller dent than it used to.
