A Florida resident for tuition purposes refers to whether you qualify as an in-state Florida resident or an out-of-state resident. This classification determines your rate of tuition. Florida residents pay less in fees per credit hour than do non-Florida residents. Florida Statute Section 1009.21 defines the requirements for in-state status.
Your initial residency classification is determined by the Office of Admissions when you apply to the university. Failure to provide all relevant information and required documentation in the residency section of the admission application could result in a non-Florida or out-of-state resident classification for tuition purposes.
Florida statute requires the claimant (the student or dependent student's parent or guardian who is claiming residency) to be a U.S. citizen, a foreign national in a nonimmigrant visa classification that grants the legal ability to establish a bona fide domicile in the United States, a permanent resident alien, parolee, asylee, Cuban-Haitian entrant, or legal alien granted indefinite stay by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The claimant must have established and maintained a legal Florida residence at least 12 months before the first day of the semester for which in-state status is sought. Other persons are eligible only if they qualify by one of the exceptions, as provided in s.1009.21 Florida Statutes.
In-state status is only for those residents who reside in the state permanently with an established legal domicile in Florida. Permanent Florida residency is demonstrated by the absence of ties to any other state and the establishment of a bona fide domicile in Florida.
Living in or attending school in Florida will not, in itself, establish legal residence. The 12-month qualifying period must be for the purpose of maintaining a bona fide domicile rather than for the purpose of maintaining a mere temporary residence or abode incident to enrollment.
Students who depend upon out-of-state parents for support are presumed to be legal residents of the same state as their parents. Students are either dependent or independent. In rare cases, a student may qualify for temporary in-state status by qualifying under an exception category.
The claimant must provide two or more of the following documents in support of their claim as a Florida resident for tuition purposes, unless the document provided is proof of homestead exemption in Florida, which is deemed a single, conclusive piece of evidence proving residency.
Students may appeal the residency classification decision made by the Office of Admissions. Requests for appeal will be submitted for review by the University Residency Appeals Committee in the Office of the University Registrar. A residency appeal must be submitted along with any additional supporting documentation no later than 30 days from the date on the residency decision letter.
You have until the last day of classes in your first term to request the Office of Admissions to re-evaluate your residency status by providing additional documentation not submitted previously.
Once you have completed your first term at UF, you can request a reclassification of your residency status by completing a residency reclassification form with the Office of the University Registrar.
A student, whether or not living with his or her parent, who is eligible to be claimed by his or her parent under the federal income tax code shall be classified as a dependent student. In most cases a copy of the most recent federal income tax return indicating that the student was claimed as a dependent will be required. With very few exceptions, a dependent student is considered to be a legal resident of the same state as the student's parents. A 'parent' is defined as either or both parents of a student, any guardian of a student, or any person in a parental relationship to the student.
If the student is a dependent, the parent is the claimant and will need to complete the Florida Residency Declaration and may be asked to provide documents in support of their claim as a Florida resident.
A student who meets any one of the following is considered as an independent student when determining residency for tuition purposes:
Some students who do not meet the requisite twelve month residency requirements may qualify as an exception, provided they submit documentation in support of one of the following exceptions and qualifications categories:
If the student is a dependent, the parent is the claimant and will need to complete the Florida Residency Declaration and may be
In accordance with Florida Statute 1009.26(12)(a) and Florida Board of Governors Rule 7.008(3)(m), all undergraduate students may request an out-of-state fee waiver provided they have attended a secondary school in this state for three consecutive years immediately before graduating from a high school in this state and have applied for enrollment at a Florida institution of higher education within 24 months after high school graduation.
The required documentation to verify eligibility for this waiver:
Students who should use this waiver are classified as non-Florida residents for tuition purposes. The student's residency status should be determined before the out-of-state waiver is applied. A student who is receiving Florida Bright Futures would not use this waiver, as state-based financial aid requires in-state residency.
A student who is approved for this waiver does not need to reapply to receive it for every new semester. The waiver will be applied to a student's account for each subsequent semester of continuous enrollment in their undergraduate degree or certificate program. The Office of the University Bursar typically applies fee waivers to students' accounts after the end of the drop/add period of each semester.
Eligibility for the waiver requires attendance at a secondary school in this state for three consecutive years immediately before graduating from a high school in this state, so Florida Virtual School students may meet this requirement. Home education students and G.E.D. recipients are not eligible to receive this waiver.
Yes. If the student meets all the eligibility requirements, they are eligible for this waiver.
A student who enrolls for at least one course in one term in an academic year are continuously enrolled and would remain eligible for this waiver until the 110 percent limit is reached. A student who does not enroll at the university for three consecutive terms must apply for readmission. If a student applies for readmission, they will also need to submit a new Out-of-state Fee Waiver Request form.
Students who have attended the University of Florida for more than one term should use a separate fee waiver form that is administered by the Office of the University Registrar. REGISTRAR WAIVER FORM