(1) School districts and Florida College System institutions may waive fees for any fee-nonexempt student. The total value of fee waivers granted by the school district or Florida College System institution may not exceed the amount established annually in the General Appropriations Act. Any student whose fees are waived in excess of the authorized amount may not be reported for state funding purposes. Any school district or Florida College System institution that waives fees and requests state funding for a student in violation of the provisions of this section shall be penalized at a rate equal to 2 times the value of the full-time student enrollment reported.

(2) A state university may waive any or all application, tuition, and related fees for persons who supervise student interns for a state university.

(3) A university board of trustees is authorized to permit full-time university employees who meet academic requirements to enroll for up to 6 credit hours of tuition-free courses per term on a space-available basis.

(4) A state university may waive any or all application, tuition, and related fees for persons 60 years of age or older who are residents of this state and who attend classes for credit. No academic credit shall be awarded for attendance in classes for which fees are waived under this subsection. This privilege may be granted only on a space-available basis, if such classes are not filled as of the close of registration. A university may limit or deny the privilege for courses which are in programs for which the Board of Governors has established selective admissions criteria. Persons paying full fees and state employees taking courses on a space-available basis shall have priority over those persons whose fees are waived in all cases where classroom spaces are limited.

(5) Any graduate student enrolled in a state-approved school psychology training program shall be entitled to a waiver of registration fees for internship credit hours applicable to an internship in the public school system under the supervision of a Department of Education certified school psychologist employed by the school system.

(6) A university board of trustees may waive the out-of-state fees for nondegree-seeking students enrolled at a state university if the earned student credit hours generated by such students are nonfundable and the direct cost for the program of study is recovered from the fees charged to all students.

(7) The spouse of a deceased state employee is entitled, when eligible for the payment of student fees by the state as employer pursuant to s. 440.16, in lieu of such payment, to a full waiver of student fees for up to 80 semester hours in any Florida College System institution.

(8) A state university, a Florida College System institution, a career center operated by a school district under s. 1001.44, or a charter technical career center shall waive tuition for undergraduate college credit programs and career certificate programs for each recipient of a Purple Heart or another combat decoration superior in precedence who:

(a) Is enrolled as a full-time, part-time, or summer-school student in a program that terminates in an associate or a baccalaureate degree, a college credit certificate, or a career certificate;

(b) Is currently, or was at the time of the military action that resulted in the awarding of the Purple Heart or other combat decoration superior in precedence, a resident of this state; and

(c) Submits to the university, institution, or center the DD-214 form issued at the time of separation from service as documentation that the student has received a Purple Heart or another combat decoration superior in precedence. If the DD-214 is not available, other documentation may be acceptable if recognized by the United States Department of Defense or the United States Department of Veterans Affairs as documenting the award.

Such a waiver for a Purple Heart recipient or recipient of another combat decoration superior in precedence shall be applicable for 110 percent of the number of required credit hours of the degree or certificate program for which the student is enrolled.

(9) Each university board of trustees is authorized to waive tuition and out-of-state fees for purposes that support and enhance the mission of the university. All fees waived must be based on policies that are adopted by university boards of trustees pursuant to regulations adopted by the Board of Governors. Each university shall report the purpose, number, and value of all fee waivers granted annually in a format prescribed by the Board of Governors.

(10) A state university or Florida College System institution may waive tuition and fees for a classroom teacher, as defined in s. 1012.01(2)(a), who is employed full-time by a school district and who meets the academic requirements established by the Florida College System institution or state university for up to 6 credit hours per term on a space-available basis in undergraduate courses approved by the Department of Education. Such courses shall be limited to undergraduate courses related to special education, mathematics, or science. The waiver may not be used for courses scheduled during the school district’s regular school day. The State Board of Education shall adopt a rule that prescribes the process for the approval of courses by the department.

(11) A Florida College System institution may waive any portion of the tuition, the activity and service fee, the financial aid fee, the technology fee, the capital improvement fee, and distance learning fee for the purpose of offering a baccalaureate degree for state residents for which the cost of tuition and the fees specified in this subsection does not exceed $10,000 for the entire degree program. Waivers provided pursuant to this subsection shall be applicable for upper-level courses not to exceed 100 percent of the number of required credit hours of the baccalaureate degree program for which the student is determined eligible.

(12)(a) A state university, a Florida College System institution, a career center operated by a school district under s. 1001.44, or a charter technical career center shall waive out-of-state fees for students, including, but not limited to, students who are undocumented for federal immigration purposes, who meet the following conditions:

1. Attended a secondary school in this state for 3 consecutive years immediately before graduating from a high school in this state;

2. Apply for enrollment in an institution of higher education within 24 months after high school graduation; and

3. Submit an official Florida high school transcript as evidence of attendance and graduation.

(b) Tuition and fees charged to a student who qualifies for the out-of-state fee waiver under this subsection may not exceed the tuition and fees charged to a resident student. The waiver is applicable for 110 percent of the required credit hours of the degree or certificate program for which the student is enrolled. Each state university, Florida College System institution, career center operated by a school district under s. 1001.44, and charter technical career center shall report to the Board of Governors and the State Board of Education, respectively, the number and value of all fee waivers granted annually under this subsection. By October 1 of each year, the Board of Governors for the state universities and the State Board of Education for Florida College System institutions, career centers operated by a school district under s. 1001.44, and charter technical career centers shall annually report for the previous academic year the percentage of resident and nonresident students enrolled systemwide.

(c) A state university student granted an out-of-state fee waiver under this subsection must be considered a nonresident student for purposes of calculating the systemwide total enrollment of nonresident students as limited by regulation of the Board of Governors. In addition, a student who is granted an out-of-state fee waiver under this subsection is not eligible for state financial aid under part III of this chapter and must not be reported as a resident for tuition purposes.

(d) A state university, a Florida College System institution, a career center operated by a school district under s. 1001.44, or a charter technical career center shall, within the nonresident student enrollment systemwide, prioritize the enrollment of a veteran who is granted an out-of-state fee waiver pursuant to the Congressman C.W. “Bill” Young Tuition Waiver Act over a student who is granted an out-of-state fee waiver under this subsection.

(13)(a) There is established the Congressman C.W. “Bill” Young Veteran Tuition Waiver Program. A state university, Florida College System institution, career center operated by a school district under s. 1001.44, or charter technical career center shall waive out-of-state fees for a person who is:

1. An honorably discharged veteran of the United States Armed Forces, the United States Reserve Forces, or the National Guard who physically resides in this state while enrolled in the institution; or

2. Entitled to and uses educational assistance provided by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs for a quarter, semester, or term beginning after July 1, 2015, who physically resides in this state while enrolled in the institution.

(b) Tuition and fees charged to a student who qualifies for the out-of-state fee waiver under this subsection may not exceed the tuition and fees charged to a resident student.

(c) Each state university, Florida College System institution, career center operated by a school district under s. 1001.44, and charter technical career center shall report to the Board of Governors and the State Board of Education, respectively, the number and value of all fee waivers granted annually under this subsection.

(d) The Board of Governors and the State Board of Education shall respectively adopt regulations and rules to administer this subsection.

(e) This subsection may be cited as the “Congressman C.W. ‘Bill’ Young Veteran Tuition Waiver Act.”

(14)(a) A state university, Florida College System institution, career center operated by a school district under s. 1001.44, or charter technical career center shall waive out-of-state fees for a person who is an active duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States residing or stationed outside of this state.

(b) Tuition and fees charged to a student who qualifies for the out-of-state fee waiver under this subsection may not exceed the tuition and fees charged to a resident student.

(c) Each state university, Florida College System institution, career center operated by a school district under s. 1001.44, and charter technical career center shall report to the Board of Governors and the State Board of Education, respectively, the number and value of all fee waivers granted annually under this subsection.

(d) The Board of Governors and the State Board of Education shall respectively adopt regulations and rules to administer this subsection.

(15) A Florida College System institution may waive any portion of the student activity and service fee, the financial aid fee, the technology fee, the capital improvement fee, and any other fees authorized in s. 1009.23 for a person who is an active duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States using military tuition assistance provided by the United States Department of Defense. Each Florida College System institution shall report to the State Board of Education the number and value of all fee waivers granted annually under this subsection.

(16) A Florida College System institution that serves counties directly impacted by a hurricane, and whose enrollment decreases by more than 10 percent as a result of such impacts, is authorized to waive out-of-state fees for the purpose of recruiting students for a period of 3 years, beginning 180 days after the date on which the hurricane directly impacted the counties served by the Florida College System institution.

(a) A student who qualifies for the waiver under this subsection is eligible to receive the waiver for up to 110 percent of the number of required credit hours of the degree or certificate program for which the student is enrolled. However, he or she may not disenroll from the institution for more than one semester.

(b) Each Florida College System institution shall report to the State Board of Education the number and value of all fee waivers granted annually under this subsection.

(c) Out-of-state students enrolled under the fee waiver granted under this subsection may not be included in the enrollment totals for these institutions by the Education Estimating Conference on Florida College System Enrollment.

History.—s. 405, ch. 2002-387; s. 1, ch. 2006-233; s. 134, ch. 2007-217; s. 3, ch. 2009-123; s. 22, ch. 2010-78; s. 1, ch. 2010-219; s. 120, ch. 2011-5; s. 15, ch. 2011-63; s. 56, ch. 2013-27; s. 36, ch. 2014-1; s. 5, ch. 2014-62; s. 1, ch. 2015-76; s. 1, ch. 2016-136; s. 3, ch. 2016-142; s. 1, ch. 2018-8; s. 1, ch. 2019-124.