Florida is one of five states that has had a student share of less than 20% for students attending public four-year institutions since the start of the SHEF sector-level data collection in 2019, and the only state to have had a four-year student share under 20% across that entire five-year period. In fiscal year (FY) 2024, Florida had the lowest student share for students attending four-year institutions, reaching only 12.2%. To attain this low percentage of revenue coming from students and families in 2024, the state reduced the student share for students attending four-year universities in four of the last five years, totaling a decrease of 6.1 percentage points since 2019.
Several efforts in recent years resulted in Florida attaining the lowest four-year student share in the nation in FY 2024. First, the state legislature, which sets tuition rates, has not raised tuition for students at public four-year universities since 2013. The state has also increased state appropriations over time including a 12.6% single-year increase to four-year universities in FY 2024. In part, the state has increased education appropriations in recent years to replace tuition dollars waived for students enrolled in undergraduate majors deemed eligible under the Programs of Strategic Emphasis Waiver. This program that the legislature established in 2021 waives tuition for in-state residents in upper-division courses to complete a baccalaureate degree in an academic program the Board of Governors identifies as a state priority. Finally, the average cost to students is a metric in the state’s performance-based funding model, further incentivizing universities to maintain low tuition and fees.