Higher Education in Florida: Change is coming
New policies might trim $50 million from the Bright Futures budget, while tuition costs will likely increase
Leah Arnold
Issue date: 4/21/09 Section: News
The Florida Bright Futures program, a popular scholarship awarded to over 160,000 students, will undergo significant changes soon.
New legislation would require students reimburse the state for dropped classes, take more college credits per year, and pay for any tuition increases or fees that are implemented by their university.
Two bills proposing changes in the credit hour requirements and the class-dropping policy are currently in the Senate (SB 1364) and the House (HB 719).
The bills will increase the renewal standards by requiring students to enroll in 24 credits per academic year. Currently, Bright Futures students only have to enroll in 12 credits per year. These new standards will save the state an estimated $20 million.
However, if a student loses their scholarship due to insufficient credit hours, all is not lost.
According to the Senate Higher Education Committee, after one year the student would be eligible for restoration if they have taken the correct amount of credits and earned the required GPA.
The bills also require the reimbursement of classes that are dropped after the designated drop/add period.
According to HB 719, "Award recipients may be less likely to drop or withdraw from courses and, therefore, complete their programs of study in a timely manner." State officials claim that over $30 million is spent each year on dropped classes.
In addition to these changes, FCCJ students who plan to transfer to state universities will likely pay more out-of-pocket tuition in the future.
Universities may soon have the ability to raise base tuition fees, along with charging an additional "tuition differential," to offset budget woes.
Florida's in-state tuition currently ranks among the lowest in the nation. With new legislation, these costs could increase by 15 percent annually until they reached the national average for public university tuition fees.
The increase in tuition and fees would not be covered by Bright Futures. This enables universities to raise much-needed revenue without overburdening the Bright Futures scholarship program.
According to a Quinnipiac poll released on April 15, 65 percent of Floridians surveyed opposed cuts to Bright Futures. Fifty percent opposed raising the scholarship's standards. Whether or not the public will be welcoming of the proposed changes has yet to be seen.
Hiroki Dionne, a business major at South Campus, said that he can "see a lot of pros" to saving money through increased credit requirements or dropped class policies.
"It's the raising of tuition - that's what people are going to fight about," he said.
Nathan Sauder, a South Campus engineering and psychology major, agreed. "The tuition, I think, would be a problem," he said.
New legislation would require students reimburse the state for dropped classes, take more college credits per year, and pay for any tuition increases or fees that are implemented by their university.
Two bills proposing changes in the credit hour requirements and the class-dropping policy are currently in the Senate (SB 1364) and the House (HB 719).
The bills will increase the renewal standards by requiring students to enroll in 24 credits per academic year. Currently, Bright Futures students only have to enroll in 12 credits per year. These new standards will save the state an estimated $20 million.
However, if a student loses their scholarship due to insufficient credit hours, all is not lost.
According to the Senate Higher Education Committee, after one year the student would be eligible for restoration if they have taken the correct amount of credits and earned the required GPA.
The bills also require the reimbursement of classes that are dropped after the designated drop/add period.
According to HB 719, "Award recipients may be less likely to drop or withdraw from courses and, therefore, complete their programs of study in a timely manner." State officials claim that over $30 million is spent each year on dropped classes.
In addition to these changes, FCCJ students who plan to transfer to state universities will likely pay more out-of-pocket tuition in the future.
Universities may soon have the ability to raise base tuition fees, along with charging an additional "tuition differential," to offset budget woes.
Florida's in-state tuition currently ranks among the lowest in the nation. With new legislation, these costs could increase by 15 percent annually until they reached the national average for public university tuition fees.
The increase in tuition and fees would not be covered by Bright Futures. This enables universities to raise much-needed revenue without overburdening the Bright Futures scholarship program.
According to a Quinnipiac poll released on April 15, 65 percent of Floridians surveyed opposed cuts to Bright Futures. Fifty percent opposed raising the scholarship's standards. Whether or not the public will be welcoming of the proposed changes has yet to be seen.
Hiroki Dionne, a business major at South Campus, said that he can "see a lot of pros" to saving money through increased credit requirements or dropped class policies.
"It's the raising of tuition - that's what people are going to fight about," he said.
Nathan Sauder, a South Campus engineering and psychology major, agreed. "The tuition, I think, would be a problem," he said.
