What is the Accelerated Master’s Program (ACL)?
The Accelerated Master’s Program is designed to allow well-qualified students to start a master’s degree while still completing their bachelor's, thus finishing both degrees in a five-year timeframe. This program also allows for the crossing of disciplines, which permits a student to earn their bachelor’s degree in one field and master’s degree in another, which gives graduates a versatility and breadth of knowledge sought by employers in today’s job market. Students earn the bachelor’s degree once all requirements for that degree are met, while still working to complete their master’s degree.
What are the benefits of being an ACL student?
Participation in the ACL program offers a unique academic journey that bridges the gap between undergraduate and master's level coursework. As you embark on this accelerated path, we want to highlight the benefits of becoming an ACL student.
Here are a few benefits of participating in the ACL program:
- Customized Financial Aid: Our goal is to meet with you as often as necessary to customize your financial aid based on your specific situation. We want to ensure that your financial aid package aligns with your academic path.
- Maintain Undergraduate Institutional Award Eligibility: One of the benefits of your academic achievement is that we can continue to keep your undergraduate institutional awards in place, even when you are enrolled in master's level courses. Typically, these awards are for undergraduate coursework only.
- Combining Credits: You are eligible to maintain your full-time undergraduate institutional aid if you maintain a total of 12 credit hours, combining undergraduate and master's course credits, per semester.
- FAFSA Status: When you are enrolled solely in master's level courses, your FAFSA can be updated to reflect your master's status. Your financial aid will also be processed at the master's level, with the exception of any institutional awards.
How are awards adjusted for ACL students?
Participation in this program means that your enrollment and financial aid situation will be unique each term. As you progress on this accelerated path, we want to provide you with some essential information regarding your enrollment and how your aid may be impacted.
Here are the eligibility requirements for different types of awards:
- Institutional Aid: Prorated based on the number of credit hours enrolled for both undergraduate and master's coursework.
- Undergraduate: Must have a minimum of 12 total credit hours.
- Masters: Must have a minimum of 6 credit hours; awards will be prorated based on 12 credit hours.
- Donor Scholarships: Eligibility requirements are determined by the donor and may need to be adjusted if requirements are not being met.
- Federal Pell Grant: Pell can only be awarded for undergraduate course credit.
- Federal Direct Loans:
- Requires half-time status (6 credit hours as an undergraduate student or 3 credit hours as a graduate student) to receive loans.
- When you are enrolled solely in master's level courses, your FAFSA information will need to be updated to reflect your master's status to be eligible for graduate-level loans only.
- Federal SEOG: Available only for undergraduate courses, and it requires a minimum of 6 credit hours, with proration if less than 12 credit hours are taken.
- FL EASE/FSAG: Requires a minimum of 12 credit hours and is only eligible for undergraduate courses.
- Bright Futures Scholarship:
- This will be adjusted based on your undergraduate enrollment.
- If you are enrolled in the ACL program and have not completed your undergraduate program, you may receive Bright Futures for both your undergraduate and graduate enrollment, as long as you’re enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours.
- If you have completed your undergraduate program and are only taking graduate level courses, you may receive one term disbursement of Bright Futures for your graduate enrollment, as long as the state determines you have remaining eligibility.
- If you are eligible for one term disbursement as a graduate student, you must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours and you will not receive Bright Future funding moving forward.
- MAC Waivers: Master’s students with a Master's Assistance Contract (MAC) may not be eligible for institutional aid if the MAC covers all tuition and fees. In cases where the MAC does not cover the full enrollment, institutional aid may be prorated.