Out-of-state university students could face tuition hikes in Florida
Out-of-state students attending Florida universities could see a 10 percent increase in tuition this fall and an additional hike the following school year, under a rule unanimously adopted by the state university system's Board of Governors on Wednesday.
Tuition hikes for out-of-state students would have to be approved by university boards of trustees and schools would have to maintain their current ratio of in-state students to out-of-state students.
If increases are approved for the 2025-2026 school year, they would be the first tuition hikes in more than a decade for out-of-state students, according to documents distributed before Wednesday's Board of Governors vote.
None of the state's 12 universities has raised tuition since 2012, and Florida State University hasn't had an increase since 2004, the documents said.
Florida has the nation's third-lowest tuition and fees for out-of-state students, at an average of $21,690 in 2023-2024. That was about 28 percent lower than the national average of $30,140.
Nearly 33,000 undergraduate students from outside the state — about 12 percent of all students — attend Florida's public universities. Roughly 25,000 of the state's 76,000 graduate students, or 33 percent, are nonresidents.
Balancing financial impacts and educational access
Board of Governors member Alan Levine, who proposed the increase, noted that "our total cost of a degree is one of the lowest in the country for students."
Levine said in a text message to The News Service of Florida that the proposal would allow increases of up to 10 percent this fall and up to 15 percent in fall 2026. He said his "strong suspicion is it will end up being less than 10% this year as trustees try to minimize impact on current students."
A hike over two years would give out-of-state students more leeway to plan their finances, Levine suggested during the meeting. Florida law caps annual tuition increases for in-state and out-of-state students at 15 percent.
"We want to make sure we don't create sticker shock for students that are here currently," Levine said.
Maintaining ratios of in-state and out-of-state students would ensure that Floridians don't lose slots in schools to higher-paying applicants.
"We do not want to see universities raising their nonresident enrollment rates to increase revenues, particularly at the expense of in-state students," Levine said.
Tuition increases approved by university boards of trustees would have to be shared with university system Chancellor Ray Rodrigues.
An across-the-board 5 percent tuition increase for out-of-state undergraduate students at all of the state's universities would generate nearly $24.2 million annually, according to the document presented to the board. A 15 percent hike would bring an extra $72.5 million to the state.
Tuition for out-of-state students varies throughout universities. For undergraduates, the University of South Florida offers the lowest per-credit hour rate for nonresidents, at $346.50. The University of Florida weighs in as the highest, at $707.21. The average statewide is $491.90.
Debating compliance and institutional priorities
Board of Governors member Eric Silagy tried to link the proposed increases to part of Florida law that says tuition for out-of-state students should offset the cost of providing education to such students. Silagy said three schools in the system — New College of Florida, Florida A&M University, and Florida Polytechnic University — don't meet the requirement.
"I don't think we should be allowing the board of trustees to go up to the maximum 15% because these three schools have an obligation, not a choice, an obligation, to be in compliance with state law," Silagy said.
Silagy, who has harshly criticized New College in the past, argued that schools where Florida taxpayers are "subsidizing" out-of-state students shouldn't be allowed to increase the number of nonresident students.
According to Silagy, the state is spending more than $82,000 per student for New College, which has 802 students, including 90 who aren't Florida residents. As a comparison, the state spends roughly $19,000 per student at the University of Florida.
Silagy's remarks drew fire from New College President Richard Corcoran, a former state House speaker who was recruited by Gov. Ron DeSantis to remake the Sarasota liberal-arts school into a conservative higher-education institution.
Corcoran called Silagy's comparisons of New College to other Florida universities "odious."
"When we, the new board, came onto the scene, here's the rhetoric that we were told: 'Be the Hillsdale of the South. Grow your prestige to what you were in the past,'" Corcoran said, referring to the conservative Hillsdale College in Michigan.
New College is "just not like the rest" of Florida's public universities, Corcoran argued.
"I mean, we took over an absolute failed institution, had it been not publicly funded, would have closed a decade ago, without question," he said. "The question is, do you want to build, for the Legislature and the governor, a world-class liberal-arts institution? If the answer is yes … we can't be graded or evaluated in that same context."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
34 minutes ago
- Fox News
Eric Dane celebrates the wins following ALS diagnosis
All times eastern FOX News Radio Live Channel Coverage WATCH LIVE: Sen Sanders holds 'Fighting Oligarchy' rally in McAllen, Texas
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
JD Vance wades into the immigration thicket: From the Politics Desk
Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team's latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. Happy first day of summer! In today's edition, Jonathan Allen explores the challenges awaiting Vice President JD Vance as he lands in Los Angeles. Plus, we dive into President Donald Trump's penchant for a giving a two-week timetable on big issues. And Dylan Ebs answers this week's reader question on ranked choice voting. Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here. — Adam Wollner Vice President JD Vance is wading into the immigration thicket today by traveling to Los Angeles, where Marines and National Guard forces have been deployed to provide backup for federal agents executing raids. For Vance, it's tricky territory because President Donald Trump keeps changing his mind — or at least his rhetoric — on immigration enforcement. On one hand, Trump is anxious to fulfill a campaign promise to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. The MAGA base demands it. And Vance, who hopes to inherit the MAGA base, seldom strays far from its orthodoxy. But on the other hand, Trump has wavered on parts of his own mass deportation plan. After Trump said that workers in certain sectors — farming, hotels and restaurants — would not be targeted in raids, he quickly reversed that policy. Vance finds himself taking on a more visible role just as the MAGA movement is feeling the strain of a president torn between ideology and popularity. It's nothing new for a vice president to land in the middle of a vexing issue. Kamala Harris had the border portfolio in Joe Biden's administration. If Trump's immigration policies end up being a success, Vance will no doubt profit from it. But if they don't, he may suffer. Read more: Appeals court says Trump can keep control of California National Guard troops, by Dennis Romero President Donald Trump's two-week timeline to decide on whether the U.S. will strike Iran's nuclear sites is a familiar one. 'Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,' he said in a statement issued through White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Since the beginning of May, Trump has promised action on questions or decisions in 'two weeks' around 10 times — and he used the same timeline repeatedly during his first term in office. 'We're going to be announcing something, I would say over the next two or three weeks, that will be phenomenal in terms of tax and developing our aviation infrastructure,' Trump said of tax overhaul plans on Feb. 9, 2017. He released a one-page outline of the plan 11 weeks later, according to a Bloomberg review that year. He went on to repeatedly cite the time frame for impending actions on health care and infrastructure that never materialized during his first four years in office. Trump's use of the timing prediction has accelerated in recent weeks — and he's used it on items ranging from trade deals and tariffs to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Much of what he's predicted hasn't come to pass, with questions he's said he'd answer remaining unanswered. Read more on Trump's frequent two-week timeline → Catch up on our latest reporting on the Israel-Iran conflict: Trump is relying on a small circle of advisers as he weighs Iran strikes, by Courtney Kube, Carol E. Lee, Garrett Haake and Dan De Luce What could happen if Trump does decide to bomb Iran's main nuclear site, by Alexander Smith Iran not sure it can trust America after Israeli attack, Iran's foreign minister tells NBC News, by Dan De Luce 'She's wrong': Trump breaks with Gabbard on Iran assessment, by Vaughn Hillyard Follow live updates → Thanks to everyone who emailed us! This week's question comes from Thomas Gysegem: 'Will there be ranked voting in the New York City mayoral primary? Please explain how ranked voting works.' To answer that, we turned to our intern, Dylan Ebs, who just put together a helpful explainer on the process. Ranked choice voting, which New York is utilizing for next week's mayoral primary election, is a system that lets voters rank candidates in order of preference rather than pick just one. The number of candidates voters can rank depends on the specific rules in an area. In New York City, voters can rank up to five in one race. Voters don't have to fill their ballots, though. A voter whose heart is set on only one candidate can pick just one. But if that candidate doesn't get the most votes, that voter won't have a say in later rounds of counting. After the votes are tabulated, the last-place candidate is eliminated. Ballots from voters who supported that candidate then have the next choice counted. If no candidate has hit 50%, then counting continues, eliminating another last-place candidate and counting the next-ranked choices on all those ballots in the next round. The process continues until a candidate reaches majority support and wins. ⚖️ In the courts: A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to release pro-Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil from immigration custody. Read more → ⚖️ In the courts, cont.: A federal judge in Massachusetts again blocked the government's attempt to revoke Harvard's ability to enroll international students. Read more → ⚖️ SCOTUS watch: The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that victims of terrorism can sue Palestinian entities in U.S. courts. Read more → ⚖️ SCOTUS watch, cont.: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson criticized her colleagues in a scathing dissent in a case involving vehicle emissions regulations. Read more → 🚗 Road rage arrest: An Ohio man who allegedly ran GOP Rep. Max Miller off the road while waving a Palestinian flag and hurling antisemitic threats has been arrested. Read more → 🗽 Big Apple showdown: Progressive candidates in New York City's mayoral election are banding together in an effort to stop former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's comeback tour. Read more → ➡️ Split screen: Trump did not formally mark Juneteenth yesterday and said the U.S. has 'too many non-working holidays,' while his predecessor, Joe Biden, celebrated the occasion at a Black church in Texas. Read more → 🗳️ Running it back: Trump called for a special prosecutor to investigate the 2020 election, which he lost to Biden more than four years ago. Read more → That's all From the Politics Desk for now. Today's newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Dylan Ebs. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@ And if you're a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up here. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Fox News Poll: Voters distrust Biden administration on president's mental fitness
Voters say they were aware of former President Joe Biden's decline, and believe the administration lacked honesty and transparency about his mental fitness, with many wanting Congress to investigate the matter. A new Fox News survey finds more than half, 52%, think it is important to investigate whether Biden advisors used an autopen without the president's awareness, while 46% say it's time to move on. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer is pursuing investigations against former Biden administration staff for allegedly covering up Biden's mental decline and using an autopen for executive actions. Views are split on whether advisors should be scrutinized for making key presidential decisions on behalf of Biden (50% investigate vs. 49% move on), while a majority opposes investigating whether Biden advisors covered up his decline (44% investigate vs. 55% move on). Fox News Poll: Voters Think Iran Poses A Real Threat To Us Security, But Split Oj Israel's Strike Among Democrats, one in five supports investigating whether there was a cover-up, while roughly one in four feels that way about using the autopen and making presidential decisions. Read On The Fox News App Overall, 68% of voters believe the previous administration was dishonest about Biden's condition, including 52% of Democrats, 75% of Independents, and 81% of Republicans. Fox News Poll: Economic Pessimism Abates Slightly As Voters Reflect On The Economy Yet, while a majority agree there was a cover-up, they weren't fooled. Nearly 7 in 10 say they were aware of Biden's cognitive condition even before his jaw-droppingly bad debate performance in June 2024. Some 28% say they knew he was in decline as soon as he took office, 21% say a couple of years into his term, and 19% after he started running for re-election. Another 20% knew of Biden's decline after his debate with Donald Trump. Fewer than 1 in 10 say he wasn't in decline (9%). These numbers are consistent with what voters said throughout Biden's term. As early as November 2021, only one year after Biden was elected, Fox News surveys found that a 53% majority thought his age was interfering with his job as president, including more than one-quarter of Democrats. By the 2022 midterms, our Fox News Voter Analysis election survey found 57% of voters felt Biden lacked the mental capability to serve and, by July 2024, that grew to 65%. "Somewhat lost in the kerfuffle about the exact timing of Biden's decline is the fact that most knew he was losing it and had factored this into their vote choice long before the presidential debate," says Daron Shaw, a Republican who conducts the Fox News survey along with Democrat Chris Anderson. "Still, Biden's reputation and legacy are clearly taking a hit as the real history of his administration is revealed." Biden's current personal favorability is underwater by 13 points (43% favorable, 56% unfavorable), compared to -19 points in January. During the early days of his presidency, his ratings were net positive by 10 points (54% favorable, 44% unfavorable, April 2021). Today, 75% of Democrats have a positive view of Biden, down from 95% four years ago. CLICK HERE FOR Crosstabs AND Topline Conducted June 13-16, 2025, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,003 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (149) and cellphones (566) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (288). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data. Fox News' Victoria Balara contributed to this article source: Fox News Poll: Voters distrust Biden administration on president's mental fitness
