Florida Residency Guidelines

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Print the Florida Residency Guide

Here you can find answers to the following questions:

Who must declare Florida Residency - ALL students?
What does it means and how will it affects my tuition cost?
What must I do when completing my application to Palm Beach State College?
How can I tell if I am an Independent or Dependent Student?
What are acceptable vs non-acceptable documents for proof of residency?
Are there special cases of documentation?
Can I claim exemption and do I qualify for the 12 months requirements?

Every Student Must

According to Florida law, in order to pay “in-state” tuition, provide a declaration of residency and appropriate documentation prior to the first day of the term for which Florida residency is sought.

To qualify for in-state tuition, a student must be:

A U.S. citizen
A permanent resident alien
A legal alien

What This Means

It is your responsibility to prove you are a Florida resident.

Even if you’ve attended elementary, middle school and high school in the state of Florida.

You will need to provide PROOF of residency.

Palm Beach State College will determine your status based on the documentation you provide.

What You Must Do

When applying to Palm Beach State you must provide residency documentation on the Florida Residency Declaration for
Tuition Purposes section of the College application.

When applying to PBSC, you also need to provide documentation to support any application for in-state tuition on the basis of legal residence for statutory exemption.

Why Is It Important?

You may be charged out-of-state tuition if you do not supply this information by the start of classes.

Step 1: Dependent or Independent Student

The documentation necessary may be different for “dependent” and “independent” students. Dependent students normally use their parent/legal guardian’s documentation for residency, whereas independent students use their own documentation.

Independent Students

A student who PROVIDES EVIDENCE of any one of the following criteria shall be classified as an independent student for the determination of residency for tuition purposes:

The student is 24 years of age or older by the first day of classes of the term for which residency status is sought at a Florida institution.
The student is determined an unaccompanied homeless by a school district homeless liaison, emergency shelter or transitional housing program
Both of the student’s parents are deceased, or the student is or was (until age 18) one of the following:
- ward/dependent of the court or
- in foster care.
The student is a veteran of the United States Armed Forces or is currently serving on active duty in the United States Armed Forces for purposes other than training
The student has other dependents who live with and receive more than half of their support from the student
The student has children who receive more than half of their support from the student
The student is married
The student is working on a master’s or doctoral degree during the term for which residency status is sought at a Florida institution.
Evidence that the student meets one of these criteria will be requested by the higher education institution.

Dependent Students

All students who do not meet the definition of an independent student shall be classified as dependent students for the determination of residency for tuition purposes.

Your parent/guardian is the claimant.

For the dependent student, the parent or legal guardian is the “claimant” of residency.

Step 2: Residency Status

The College application includes a Residency Declaration which must be completed to determine residency for tuition purposes.

Students who do not complete the Residency Declaration or provide incomplete documentation on or in conjunction with the Residency Declaration will not be classified as a resident for tuition purposes, and will have to present additional information.

All information must be submitted by the first day of classes of the term.

If a student indicates“non-resident” on the Residency Declaration, there is no requirement to“prove” such status or to submit supporting documentation, and the student is automatically considered out-of-state for tuition purposes.

WHO: ALL Students seeking In-State Tuition Status

DEADLINE: Before the first day of class for the term

WHY: You MAY be charged out of State tuition

Step 3a: Acceptable Documents For In-State Tuition

First Tier Documents

(at least one of the two documents submitted must be from this list)

A Florida voter’s registration
A Florida driver’s license or a Florida identification
Florida vehicle registration
Proof of a permanent home in Florida which is occupied as a primary residence by the individual or by the individual’s parent if the individual is a dependent
Proof of a homestead exemption in Florida
Transcripts from a Florida high school for multiple years (2 or more years) if the Florida high school diploma or GED was earned within the last 12
Proof of permanent full-time employment in Florida for at least 30 hours per week for a consecutive 12-month

Second Tier Documents

(may be used in conjunction with one document from First Tier)

A Florida professional or occupational license
Florida incorporation
A declaration of domicile in (Must have a notarized stamp 12 months prior)
A document evidencing family ties in Florida
Proof of membership in a Florida-based charitable or professional organization
Any other documentation that supports the student’s request for resident status, including, but not limited to:
1. utility bills and proof of 12 consecutive months of payments
2. a lease agreement and proof of 12 consecutive months of payments; or
3. Official state, federal, or court document evidencing legal ties to Florida.

Step 3b: Documents Not Acceptable For In-State Tuition

Hunting & Fishing License
Library Cards

Shopping Club cards
Rental Club cards

Birth Certificate
Passport

Step 4: Exceptions Or Qualifications To The 12 Month Requirement

Florida Statutes also permit certain applicants who do not meet the 12-month legal residence requirement to be classified as Florida residents or “temporary residents” for tuition purposes. Documentation in support of the exceptions is required; however, the student does not have to show 12 months of residence in Florida prior to qualifying. These exceptional categories are as follows:

Qualified beneficiaries under the Florida Pre- Paid Postsecondary Expense (Pre-Paid ID Card Required.)
Persons who were enrolled as Florida residents for tuition purposes at a Florida public institution of higher education, but who abandon Florida residency and then re-enroll in Florida within 12 months of the abandonment – provided that he/she continuously maintains the re-established domicile during the period of (This benefit only applies one time.)
Dependent children residing continuously with a legal resident adult relative other than the parent for at least three years immediately prior to the first day of classes of the term which Florida residency is sought.
Active duty members of the Armed Services of the United States residing or stationed in Florida (and spouse/ dependent children); active duty members of the Florida National Guard (and spouse/dependent children) who qualify under 250.10(7) and (8); or military personnel not stationed in Florida whose home of record or state of legal residence certificate, DD Form 2058, is Florida (and spouse/dependent children).
Active duty members of the Armed Services of the United States and their spouses / dependent children attending a public community college or university within 50 miles of the military establishment where they are stationed, if such military establishment is within a county contiguous to Florida.
United States citizens living on the Isthmus of Panama, who have completed 12 consecutive months of college work at the Florida State University Panama Canal Branch, and their spouses and dependent children.
Full time instructional and administrative personnel employed by the State public school system, community colleges and institutions of higher education (and spouse/dependent children).

Students from Latin America and the Caribbean who receive scholarships from the federal or state The student must attend, on a full-time basis, a Florida institution of higher education.
Southern Regional Education Board's Academic Common Market graduate students attending Florida's state
Full-time employees of state agencies or political subdivisions of the state when the student fees are paid by the state agency or political subdivision for the purpose of job- related law enforcement or corrections training.
McKnight Doctoral Fellows and Finalists who are United States citizens.
United States citizens living outside the United States who are teaching at a Department of Defense Dependent School or in an American International School and who enroll in a graduate level education program which leads to a Florida teaching certificate.
Active duty members of the Canadian military residing or stationed in this state under the North American Air Defense (NORAD) agreement, and their spouses and dependent children, attending a public community college or university within 50 miles of the military establishment where they are
Active duty members of a foreign nation's military who are serving as liaison officers and are residing or stationed in this state, and their spouses and dependent children, attending a community college or state university within 50 miles of the military establishment where the foreign liaison officer is stationed.
Linkage Institute participants receiving partial or full exemptions.

Step 5: Other Approved Processes For Documentation

For students in state custody, the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) may facilitate residency determinations by providing the college or university with documentation evidencing parental or legal guardian residence in Florida for the qualifying period.

The DJJ Address Verification Form is acceptable documentation for residency determinations in conjunction with additional information that demonstrates the parent or legal guardian has maintained legal residence in this state for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the first day of classes of the term for which residency status is sought.

For example, see Appendix C of the State statutes online at www.FloridaShines.org

Students who have tuition and fees waived or exempted according to the following sections of Florida Statutes shall be classified as Florida residents and shall not be required to submit additional residency documentation for tuition purposes for the duration of the exemption or waiver eligibility period:

1009.25(2)(c) and (d): Custody of Department of Children and Families, in the care of a relative or adopted from the Department of Children and Families,
1009.25(2)(f): Homeless,
961.06(1)(b): Wrongful incarceration,
112.191(3): Dependents or spouses of firefighters killed in the line of duty, and
112.19(3): Dependents or spouses of law enforcement, correctional, or correctional probation officers killed in the line of duty.

After eligibility for the waiver or exemption has expired, the student must prove Florida residency for tuition purposes to continue re- ceiving the in-state tuition benefits.

Specific Help for Certain Family Situations as Related to Legal Residency.

Florida Statutes provide clarification on protections for certain family situations as related to legal residency.

The legal residence of a dependent individual whose parents are divorced, separated, or otherwise living apart will be considered Florida if either parent can show legal residence in this State – regardless of who claims the dependent individual for federal income tax purposes.

For a dependent individual, the legal residence of his/her parents is prima facie evidence (i.e., evidence that establishes a fact if uncontested) of the individual’s legal residence; however, the individual may provide evidence to refute this.
An individual will not be precluded from establishing or maintaining legal residence in Florida by reason of marriage to a person domiciled outside this state provided the individual maintains legal residence in this An individual will not automatically qualify for residency based solely on marriage to a Florida resident.
For a dependent individual, the legal residence of an individual whose parents are domiciled outside this state is not prima facie evidence (i.e., evidence that establishes a fact if uncontested) of the individual’s legal residence if that individual has lived in this state for five consecutive years prior to enrolling or re-registering at a higher education
An individual shall not lose his or her resident status solely by reason of his/her service or parent’s service in the Armed Forces outside this state.
An individual who has been properly classified as a resident for tuition purposes but who, while enrolled, loses resident tuition status because he/she or his/her parents established domicile elsewhere shall have the benefit of in- state tuition for a 12-month grace period from the date on which domicile change was official (extended to the end of the term in which the 12 months is reached).