The promise made when you purchased a Florida Prepaid College Plan that you locked in today’s tuition plan prices for tomorrow’s college education was kept by Governor Charlie Crist and the 2007 Legislature.
Governor Crist on June 27 signed into law a tuition differential fee approved by the Legislature, but the law exempts families that currently have either a Prepaid University Tuition Plan or a University plus Community College Tuition Plan contract from paying the fee now or in the future.
Crist said he was taking this action with the understanding that universities would wait until fall 2008 before implementing the new fee.
Newly enrolled students at University of Florida, Florida State University and University of South Florida will be charged the tuition differential fee authorized in Senate Bill 1710. During legislative deliberations, many families with Prepaid Plans contacted their legislators to express concerns about the state of Florida standing behind its Prepaid Plan guarantee. Lawmakers responded by amending SB 1710 to exempt current Prepaid Plan customers from paying the tuition differential fee.
The tuition differential fee may be as much as 40 percent of regular tuition at the University of Florida and Florida State University and up to 30 percent at University of South Florida, though overall tuition at these universities can increase no more than 15 percent a year. The additional revenue generated by the new fee will be used to hire faculty and academic advisors.
Governor Crist earlier vetoed a separate 5 percent tuition increase slated to take effect in the 2007-08 academic year.
Current Prepaid Plan families should feel secure. Governor Crist and the Legislature have kept the Prepaid Plan promise.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tuition Differential Fee