You Can Save Money on Florida Tuition: Florida Financial Aid

Updated: Oct 20

Here Is Essential Information to Save You Money on Florida Tuition

Get In-State Tuition

One of the more affordable ways to get a bachelor’s degree typically is to attend an in-State public school. Here is the statute that determines how you qualify for Florida in-State tuition: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=1000-1099/1009/Sections/1009.21.html.

Here is a website with links to schools in Florida’s State university system: https://www.flbog.edu/. While in-State tuition for a public institution is technically not financial aid, it is heavily subsidized. The cost of attending an in-State public institution should be compared against the cost of other institutions after financial aid awards are offered. Sometimes schools with a high sticker price offer generous financial aid packages. Two of the 20 schools that Edward Fiske considers best bargains are Florida public schools (2020 Fiske Guide to Colleges, p. xviii).

Here is a link to the website for Florida’s office for student financial assistance: http://www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org/. On that website, you will find a listing of postsecondary institutions that are eligible to award Florida state aid: https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/ReportPage.aspx?RData=RName=PSI%20Eligible%20List%26RFolderName=SSFAD/Administration. Three of the larger Florida aid programs are described below.

Get a Public Grant to Go to a Private School

The Effective Access to Student Education (EASE) Grant Program helps Florida residents attend private schools. Information about the EASE Grant Program is available at: EASE.pdf (floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org).

The EASE grant program provides tuition assistance to Florida resident undergraduate students enrolled in degree programs at eligible private Florida colleges or universities. Students must be enrolled in at least 12 credits per term (or the equivalent) to be eligible, and they must earn at least a 2.0 out of 4.0 to maintain eligibility. The awards are available for a maximum of nine semesters or 14 quarters. The maximum size of the grant is subject to change. The grants are not need-based. Since in-State tuition for Florida public schools is heavily subsidized by the State, these grants help to “level the playing field” by providing a subsidy for Florida residents to attend private schools in Florida.

Get a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship

You can read my popular blog post about the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship here: https://www.educ8fit.com/post/florida-bright-futures-scholarship.

The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program provides merit-based scholarships for Florida residents to go to colleges and universities in Florida. Four different scholarships make up this program:

· Florida Academic Scholars

· Florida Medallion Scholars

· Gold Seal Vocational Scholars

· Gold Seal Cape Scholars

Information about that collection of scholarships can be found at: https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/SAPBFMAIN/SAPBFMAIN. Students complete the Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) to receive the scholarships. That application can be found at: https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/SAPPRFILE/

SAPPRFILE. The programs have been funded through the State lottery. The level of competitiveness and the amount of funding varies among the four merit scholarships. In the past, Florida Academic Scholars have had all of their tuition and fees covered by the scholarship. For details on the eligibility requirements, please see: Bright Futures Student Handbook (floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org).

Florida Financial Aid: Get a Florida Student Assistance Grant

The Florida Student Assistance Grant Program provides need-based grants. Information about the program can be found at: https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/PDF/

factsheets/FSAG.pdf. Students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA ® to apply for a grant under this program. (The FAFSA ® is the same form students complete to obtain Pell Grants and other types of Federal student aid, so you might have already filled it out!) To be eligible, students attending a public college or university must be enrolled in at least 6 credits per term (or the equivalent). Students attending a private college or university must be enrolled in at least 12 credits per term (or the equivalent) to be eligible. All students must earn at least a 2.0 out of 4.0 to maintain eligibility. The award amount ranges from $200 to $2,610 (Florida Student Assistance Grant Program (FSAG) | Florida Department of Education | CollegeXpress).

Other Florida Grants and Scholarships

Other State of Florida programs are more narrowly targeted to specific groups of students, and they are listed on this website: Home—Florida Student Scholarship & Grant Programs (floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org).

For more information about financial aid in general, please visit our website at Paying for College | Educ8Fit Consulting . For additional information about what schools might be a good fit for you or your child, please see our website at https://www.educ8fit.com. Please contact us at Educ8Fit Consulting at either Jim@Educ8Fit.com or College Admission Counseling | Educ8fit Consulting | United States, contact for a free 30-minute consultation.