What is differential tuition?
In June 2007, Governor Charlie Crist signed the differential tuition bill authorizing the state’s five public research universities – the University of South Florida, the University of Florida, Florida State University, University of Central Florida and Florida International University – to charge a supplemental fee, known as differential tuition, to undergraduate students. The differential tuition fee provides the additional funding needed for research universities to continue to provide high level, competitive academic programs for undergraduates. Students as well as the faculty need the best resources and support to realize their full intellectual potential – laboratories, libraries, academic advising, research experiences, and more. Unfortunately, in-state tuition for Florida public universities, which is near the lowest in the nation, does not provide the resources for the infrastructure of a research university. With recent state budget cuts, the per-student state funding for hig
