UF Trustees Eye 15% Fee Hike for Out-of-State Students This Fall

The University of Florida is weighing a 15% jump in fees for out-of-state students starting this fall, a proposed increase that would land on top of a 10% tuition hike already absorbed just one year ago.

UF trustees are scheduled to vote on the fee proposal at their June 11 meeting. If approved, the change would affect roughly 15,500 out-of-state students — and for Treasure Coast families with college-age children enrolled at the Gainesville flagship, the math gets uncomfortable fast.

Under the proposal, the undergraduate nonresident fee would climb from $777.93 per semester to $894.61. Graduate students would see their nonresident fee rise from $759.23 to $873.11. In-state students would not face any tuition or fee increases.

UF offered a clear rationale. "UF is seeking to increase out-of-state student fees to address rising operational costs and to ensure all students make an equitable contribution toward the world-class educational experience and services expected of Florida's flagship institution," the university said in a notice sent to students. UF added that even with the proposed hike, its cost of attendance would "remain among the lowest in the country for out-of-state students."

The proposed increase comes one year after UF raised out-of-state tuition by 10% — the first such hike in more than a decade. Back-to-back increases in consecutive years mark a significant shift in pricing strategy for a university that long held the line on costs.

But the students hit hardest may be those with the fewest options. Florida Dreamers — young people raised in the United States as children of undocumented immigrants — lost their in-state tuition eligibility last year when the Legislature rolled back a 2014 law that had allowed them to pay Florida resident rates at public universities and colleges. The change was immediate and brutal in financial terms: tuition for many Dreamers tripled or quadrupled overnight as they were reclassified to out-of-state rates.

Gov. Ron DeSantis called in-state tuition for Dreamers "a slap in the face." Others saw it differently. Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia, who is Cuban American, argued during last year's legislative debate that "our Dreamers are hardworking young people who are seeking an opportunity to better their lives through higher education and supercharge our economy through an impactful career."

Now those same students face a second consecutive year of rising costs — this time through fees rather than tuition — with no state relief in sight.

The UF Board of Trustees meets June 11. Treasure Coast families with students enrolled at UF or planning to apply should watch that vote closely: it will signal whether Florida's flagship views out-of-state pricing as a one-year correction or the start of a new trend.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.