FL H1273

State universities must waive out-of-state fees beginning in the 2022-2023 academic year for nonresident students with a grandparent who is a legal resident of Florida, a comparable high school diploma, and an SAT score at or above the 89th national percentile (or equivalent ACT or CLT scores).

Eligible students must enroll full-time in the fall academic term immediately following high school graduation, and the waiver covers up to 110 percent of required credit hours for their degree program.

Students or parents must provide a written declaration under penalty of perjury attesting to the grandparent relationship and other required documentation; universities are not required to independently verify statements but may refer suspected fraudulent declarations to law enforcement.

State universities must prioritize enrollment of fee waiver recipients over other out-of-state students with substantially similar academic credentials, with a maximum of 350 fee waivers granted systemwide per academic year.

The 2021-2022 academic year is the final year for out-of-state students to be eligible for initial Benacquisto Scholarship awards; the act takes effect July 1, 2021.