Recent State of Florida Legislative Changes to Impact UF Students

by Robin Rossie

This year there were several legislative changes that should be of interest to the UF advising community. The top five are highlighted below.

CLAST: Important for you to know and understand so you can assist current and future students with course selection and other means for satisfying the requirement.

Administration of the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) was discontinued as of July 1st, but the level of competence it was meant to measure – the College Level Academic Skills Requirement (CLASR) - remains. Students who have not satisfied CLASR requirements (any combination of earned CLAST scores, exemptions, or waivers) will not have the option of sitting for CLAST. The Registrar’s website includes current standards for satisfying the CLASR as we await final rule revision from the BOG. (Stay tuned – rumor has it there will be another change in the 2010 legislative sessions.)

Excess Credit Hours Fee: Important for you to know and understand so you can explain it to your NEW students.

Effective with and applicable to new admits for the 2009-10 academic year, a student who registers for credits beyond 120% needed for the bachelor’s degree will have to pay a surcharge of 50% of tuition. Included in the calculation of “hours needed for the bachelor’s degree” are UF failed courses, drops, withdrawals (general), and repeats that aren’t three-peats (because they’ve already been assessed a surcharge), plus all accepted transfer credits. Credits excluded from the calculation are all “accelerated mechanism” (AP, IB, dual enrollment, etc.), internship, necessary for certification, withdrawal (medical/hardship), credit hours taken while student is in active-duty military status, credit hours required to achieve a dual major, remedial English or ESL credit hours, and credit hours earned in military science courses if the student is in ROTC. (At the time of this writing the BOG had not clarified if a transfer student who enters UF in the 2009-10 academic year is considered a “new” student for this fee; clarification to follow.)

Bright Futures: Important for you to know when you’re working with students who plan to drop a course or withdraw (other than medical) so they can research the implications in advance.

Effective with 2009-10 awards and renewals, full-time students must earn a minimum of 24 credits at the end of Spring 2010. Students who drop or withdraw (other than medical) must reimburse UF (who then reimburse the Bright Futures Program) the amount of funding for those credit hours. Students will be informed of this directly; these changes are spelled out in the renewal and are noted on the SFA website. (Here’s a tasty tidbit: After reimbursing UF, if a drop brings the student below full-time enrollment, they may be considered part-time funded and not held to the 24-credit rule. Doesn’t that just blow your mind?)

Residency For Tuition Purposes: Important for you to know if you have recommended a petition for reclassification to your undergraduate or graduate students in the past.

Effective July 1st, the standards for reclassification have been more clearly defined. Generally, residency classification will be determined by the University based upon legal residence (12 consecutive months) prior to initial enrollment. After initial enrollment, a student may petition for residency if their parents establish legal residence in Florida (if they’re dependent) or if they marry a legal resident of Florida. Few other scenarios would meet the new standards. (Gone are the days of the sophomore declaring entitlement to residency because they had “been here” for a year.)

Differential Out-Of-State Fee: Important for you to know if you work with current and potential graduate students, and relates to the above change in residency requirements.

Effective July 1st, UF implemented a differential out-of-state fee for non-resident graduate students with a .25 FTE assistantship or a fellowship. If the student meets minimum credit-hour registration and stipend requirements (http://www.hr.ufl.edu/academic/regrequirements.asp), their out-of-state fee is $0, which means they pay the same as an in-state graduate student. (In the past students would have to establish legal residence and petition for a residency reclassification.)

Read it yourself at…
http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2009/Senate/bills/billtext/pdf/s1676er.pdf
CLAST (aka 1007.25(12)(a), Florida Statutes) begins at line 1147.

…and at…
http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2009/Senate/bills/billtext/pdf/s1696er.pdf
• Excess Credit Fee (aka 1009.286, Florida Statutes) begins at line 527.
• Florida Bright Futures (aka 1009.532, FL Statutes) begins at line 680.
• Residency for Tuition Purposes (aka 1009.21, FL Statutes) begins at line 278.
• Differential Out-of-State Fee (aka 1009.24(5), FL Statutes) begins at line 504.