(1) Unless otherwise provided, this section applies only to fees charged for college credit instruction leading to an associate in arts degree, an associate in applied science degree, an associate in science degree, or a baccalaureate degree authorized pursuant to s. 1007.33, for noncollege credit developmental education defined in s. 1004.02, and for educator preparation institute programs defined in s. 1004.85.

(2)(a) All students shall be charged fees except students who are exempt from fees or students whose fees are waived.

(b) Tuition and out-of-state fees for upper-division courses must reflect the fact that the Florida College System institution has a less expensive cost structure than that of a state university. Therefore, the board of trustees shall establish tuition and out-of-state fees for upper-division courses in baccalaureate degree programs approved pursuant to s. 1007.33 consistent with law and proviso language in the General Appropriations Act. However, the board of trustees may vary tuition and out-of-state fees only as provided in subsection (6) and s. 1009.26(11).

(3)(a) Effective July 1, 2014, for advanced and professional, postsecondary vocational, developmental education, and educator preparation institute programs, the standard tuition shall be $71.98 per credit hour for residents and nonresidents, and the out-of-state fee shall be $215.94 per credit hour.

(b) Effective July 1, 2014, for baccalaureate degree programs, the following tuition and fee rates shall apply:

1. The tuition shall be $91.79 per credit hour for students who are residents for tuition purposes.

2. The sum of the tuition and he out-of-state fee per credit hour for students who are nonresidents for tuition purposes shall be no more than 85 percent of the sum of the tuition and the out-of-state fee at the state university nearest the Florida College System institution.

(4) Each Florida College System institution board of trustees shall establish tuition and out-of-state fees, which may vary no more than 10 percent below and 15 percent above the combined total of the standard tuition and fees established in subsection (3).

(5) Except as otherwise provided in law, the sum of nonresident student tuition and out-of-state fees must be sufficient to defray the full cost of each program.

(6)(a) A Florida College System institution board of trustees that has a service area that borders another state may implement a plan for a differential out-of-state fee.

(b) A Florida College System institution board of trustees may establish a differential out-of-state fee for a student who has been determined to be a nonresident for tuition purposes pursuant to s. 1009.21 and is enrolled in a distance learning course offered by the institution. A differential out-of-state fee established pursuant to this paragraph shall be applicable only to distance learning courses and must be established such that the sum of tuition and the differential out-of-state fee is sufficient to defray the full cost of instruction.

(7) Each Florida College System institution board of trustees may establish a separate activity and service fee not to exceed 10 percent of the tuition fee, according to rules of the State Board of Education. The student activity and service fee shall be collected as a component part of the tuition and fees. The student activity and service fees shall be paid into a student activity and service fund at the Florida College System institution and shall be expended for lawful purposes to benefit the student body in general. These purposes include, but are not limited to, student publications and grants to duly recognized student organizations, the membership of which is open to all students at the Florida College System institution without regard to race, sex, or religion. No Florida College System institution shall be required to lower any activity and service fee approved by the board of trustees of the Florida College System institution and in effect prior to October 26, 2007, in order to comply with the provisions of this subsection.

(8)(a) Each Florida College System institution board of trustees is authorized to establish a separate fee for financial aid purposes in an additional amount up to, but not to exceed, 5 percent of the total student tuition or out-of-state fees collected. Each Florida College System institution board of trustees may collect up to an additional 2 percent if the amount generated by the total financial aid fee is less than $500,000. If the amount generated is less than $500,000, a Florida College System institution that charges tuition and out-of-state fees at least equal to the average fees established by rule may transfer from the general current fund to the scholarship fund an amount equal to the difference between $500,000 and the amount generated by the total financial aid fee assessment. No other transfer from the general current fund to the loan, endowment, or scholarship fund, by whatever name known, is authorized.

(b) All funds collected under this program shall be placed in the loan and endowment fund or scholarship fund of the college, by whatever name known. Such funds shall be disbursed to students as quickly as possible. An amount not greater than 40 percent of the fees collected in a fiscal year may be carried forward unexpended to the following fiscal year. However, funds collected prior to July 1, 1989, and placed in an endowment fund may not be considered part of the balance of funds carried forward unexpended to the following fiscal year.

(c) Up to 25 percent or $600,000, whichever is greater, of the financial aid fees collected may be used to assist students who demonstrate academic merit; who participate in athletics, public service, cultural arts, and other extracurricular programs as determined by the institution; or who are identified as members of a targeted gender or ethnic minority population. The financial aid fee revenues allocated for athletic scholarships and any fee exemptions provided to athletes pursuant to s. 1009.25(2) must be distributed equitably as required by s. 1000.05(3)(d). A minimum of 75 percent of the balance of these funds for new awards shall be used to provide financial aid based on absolute need, and the remainder of the funds shall be used for academic merit purposes and other purposes approved by the boards of trustees. Such other purposes shall include the payment of child care fees for students with financial need. The State Board of Education shall develop criteria for making financial aid awards. Each college shall report annually to the Department of Education on the revenue collected pursuant to this paragraph, the amount carried forward, the criteria used to make awards, the amount and number of awards for each criterion, and a delineation of the distribution of such awards. The report shall include an assessment by category of the financial need of every student who receives an award, regardless of the purpose for which the award is received. Awards that are based on financial need shall be distributed in accordance with a nationally recognized system of need analysis approved by the State Board of Education. An award for academic merit requires a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent for both initial receipt of the award and renewal of the award.

(d) These funds may not be used for direct or indirect administrative purposes or salaries.

(9) Any Florida College System institution that reports students who have not paid fees in an approved manner in calculations of full-time equivalent enrollments for state funding purposes shall be penalized at a rate equal to two times the value of such enrollments. Such penalty shall be charged against the following year’s allocation from the Florida College System Program Fund and shall revert to the General Revenue Fund.

(10) Each Florida College System institution board of trustees is authorized to establish a separate fee for technology, which may not exceed 5 percent of tuition per credit hour or credit-hour equivalent for resident students and may not exceed 5 percent of tuition and the out-of-state fee per credit hour or credit-hour equivalent for nonresident students. Revenues generated from the technology fee shall be used to enhance instructional technology resources for students and faculty. The technology fee may apply to both college credit and developmental education. Fifty percent of technology fee revenues may be pledged by a Florida College System institution board of trustees as a dedicated revenue source for the repayment of debt, including lease-purchase agreements, not to exceed the useful life of the asset being financed. Revenues generated from the technology fee may not be bonded.

(11)(a) Each Florida College System institution board of trustees may establish a separate fee for capital improvements, technology enhancements, equipping student buildings, or the acquisition of improved real property which may not exceed 20 percent of tuition for resident students or 20 percent of the sum of tuition and out-of-state fees for nonresident students. The fee for resident students shall be limited to an increase of $2 per credit hour over the prior year. Funds collected by Florida College System institutions through the fee may be bonded only as provided in this subsection for the purpose of financing or refinancing new construction and equipment, renovation, remodeling of educational facilities, or the acquisition and renovation or remodeling of improved real property for use as educational facilities. The fee shall be collected as a component part of the tuition and fees, paid into a separate account, and expended only to acquire improved real property or construct and equip, maintain, improve, or enhance the educational facilities of the Florida College System institution. Projects and acquisitions of improved real property funded through the use of the capital improvement fee shall meet the survey and construction requirements of chapter 1013. Pursuant to s. 216.0158, each Florida College System institution shall identify each project, including maintenance projects, proposed to be funded in whole or in part by such fee.

(b) Capital improvement fee revenues may be pledged by a board of trustees as a dedicated revenue source to the repayment of debt, including lease-purchase agreements, with an overall term of not more than 7 years, including renewals, extensions, and refundings, and revenue bonds with a term not exceeding 20 annual maturities and not exceeding the useful life of the asset being financed, only for financing or refinancing of the new construction and equipment, renovation, or remodeling of educational facilities. Bonds authorized pursuant to this subsection shall be requested by the Florida College System institution board of trustees and shall be issued by the Division of Bond Finance in compliance with s. 11(d), Art. VII of the State Constitution and the State Bond Act. The Division of Bond Finance may pledge fees collected by one or more Florida College System institutions to secure such bonds. Any project included in the approved educational plant survey pursuant to chapter 1013 is approved pursuant to s. 11(f), Art. VII of the State Constitution.

(c) Bonds issued pursuant to this subsection may be validated in the manner provided by chapter 75. Only the initial series of bonds is required to be validated. The complaint for such validation shall be filed in the circuit court of the county where the seat of state government is situated, the notice required to be published by s. 75.06 shall be published only in the county where the complaint is filed, and the complaint and order of the circuit court shall be served only on the state attorney of the circuit in which the action is pending.

(d) A maximum of 15 percent may be allocated from the capital improvement fee for child care centers conducted by the Florida College System institution. The use of capital improvement fees for such purpose shall be subordinate to the payment of any bonds secured by the fees.

(e) The state does hereby covenant with the holders of the bonds issued under this subsection that it will not take any action that will materially and adversely affect the rights of such holders so long as the bonds authorized by this subsection are outstanding.

(12)(a) In addition to tuition, out-of-state, financial aid, capital improvement, student activity and service, and technology fees authorized in this section, each Florida College System institution board of trustees is authorized to establish fee schedules for the following user fees and fines: laboratory fees, which do not apply to a distance learning course; parking fees and fines; library fees and fines; fees and fines relating to facilities and equipment use or damage; access or identification card fees; duplicating, photocopying, binding, or microfilming fees; standardized testing fees; diploma replacement fees; transcript fees; application fees; graduation fees; and late fees related to registration and payment. Such user fees and fines shall not exceed the cost of the services provided and shall only be charged to persons receiving the service. A Florida College System institution may not charge any fee except as authorized by law. Parking fee revenues may be pledged by a Florida College System institution board of trustees as a dedicated revenue source for the repayment of debt, including lease-purchase agreements, with an overall term of not more than 7 years, including renewals, extensions, and refundings, and revenue bonds with a term not exceeding 20 years and not exceeding the useful life of the asset being financed. Florida College System institutions shall use the services of the Division of Bond Finance of the State Board of Administration to issue any revenue bonds authorized by this subsection. Any such bonds issued by the Division of Bond Finance shall be in compliance with the provisions of the State Bond Act. Bonds issued pursuant to the State Bond Act may be validated in the manner established in chapter 75. The complaint for such validation shall be filed in the circuit court of the county where the seat of state government is situated, the notice required to be published by s. 75.06 shall be published only in the county where the complaint is filed, and the complaint and order of the circuit court shall be served only on the state attorney of the circuit in which the action is pending.

(b) The State Board of Education may adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to administer this subsection.

(13) The State Board of Education shall specify, as necessary, by rule, approved methods of student fee payment. Such methods shall include, but not be limited to, student fee payment; payment through federal, state, or institutional financial aid; and employer fee payments.

(14) Each Florida College System institution board of trustees shall report only those students who have actually enrolled in instruction provided or supervised by instructional personnel under contract with the Florida College System institution in calculations of actual full-time equivalent enrollments for state funding purposes. No student who has been exempted from taking a course or who has been granted academic or career credit through means other than actual coursework completed at the granting institution shall be calculated for enrollment in the course from which he or she has been exempted or granted credit. Florida College System institutions that report enrollments in violation of this subsection shall be penalized at a rate equal to two times the value of such enrollments. Such penalty shall be charged against the following year’s allocation from the Florida College System Program Fund and shall revert to the General Revenue Fund.

(15) Each Florida College System institution may assess a service charge for the payment of tuition and fees in installments and a convenience fee for the processing of automated or online credit card payments. However, the amount of the convenience fee may not exceed the total cost charged by the credit card company to the Florida College System institution. Such service charge or convenience fee must be approved by the Florida College System institution board of trustees.

(16)(a) Each Florida College System institution may assess a student who enrolls in a course listed in the distance learning catalog, established pursuant to s. 1006.735, a per-credit-hour distance learning course user fee. For purposes of assessing this fee, a distance learning course is a course in which at least 80 percent of the direct instruction of the course is delivered using some form of technology when the student and instructor are separated by time or space, or both.

(b) The amount of the distance learning course user fee may not exceed the additional costs of the services provided which are attributable to the development and delivery of the distance learning course. If a Florida College System institution assesses the distance learning course user fee, the institution may not assess any other fees to cover the additional costs. By September 1 of each year, each board of trustees shall report to the Division of Florida Colleges the total amount of revenue generated by the distance learning course user fee for the prior fiscal year and how the revenue was expended.

(c) If an institution assesses the distance learning fee, the institution must provide a link to the catalog within the advising and distance learning sections of the institution’s website, using a graphic and description provided by the Complete Florida Plus Program, to inform students of the catalog.

(17) Each Florida College System institution that accepts transient students, pursuant to s. 1006.735, may establish a transient student fee not to exceed $5 per course for processing the transient student admissions application.

(18)(a) The Board of Trustees of Santa Fe College may establish a transportation access fee. Revenue from the fee may be used only to provide or improve access to transportation services for students enrolled at Santa Fe College. The fee may not exceed $6 per credit hour. An increase in the transportation access fee may occur only once each fiscal year and must be implemented beginning with the fall term. A referendum must be held by the student government to approve the application of the fee.

(b) Notwithstanding ss. 1009.534, 1009.535, and 1009.536, the transportation access fee authorized under paragraph (a) may not be included in calculating the amount a student receives for a Florida Academic Scholars award, a Florida Medallion Scholars award, or a Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award.

(19) The State Board of Education shall adopt a rule specifying the definitions and procedures to be used in the calculation of the percentage of cost paid by students. The rule must provide for the calculation of the full cost of educational programs based on the allocation of all funds provided through the general current fund to programs of instruction, and other activities as provided in the annual expenditure analysis. The rule shall be developed in consultation with the Legislature.

(20) Each Florida College System institution shall publicly notice and notify all enrolled students of any proposal to increase tuition or fees at least 28 days before its consideration at a board of trustees meeting. The notice must:

(a) Include the date and time of the meeting at which the proposal will be considered.

(b) Specifically outline the details of existing tuition and fees, the rationale for the proposed increase, and how the funds from the proposed increase will be used.

(c) Be posted on the institution’s website and issued in a press release.

History.—s. 402, ch. 2002-387; s. 6, ch. 2004-271; s. 117, ch. 2004-357; s. 1, ch. 2005-247; s. 8, ch. 2007-246; s. 3, ch. 2007-329; ss. 3, 4, ch. 2008-109; s. 3, ch. 2008-148; s. 4, ch. 2008-163; s. 8, ch. 2009-60; s. 2, ch. 2009-92; s. 13, ch. 2009-228; s. 4, ch. 2010-219; s. 118, ch. 2011-5; s. 12, ch. 2011-63; s. 21, ch. 2012-134; s. 28, ch. 2013-51; s. 23, ch. 2014-56; s. 3, ch. 2014-62; ss. 12, 36, ch. 2016-62; s. 4, ch. 2016-236; s. 16, ch. 2018-4.