Student FAQs:
Applying for Florida Residency
What are the differences between being a Florida resident and being a Florida resident for tutition purposes?
You are considered a Florida resident by residing in the state. However, being a Florida resident for tuition purposes has more stringent requirements. In-state tuition is granted to persons who have a bona-fide domicile rather than residing here for the purpose of enrolling at an institution of higher learning.
Why?
The State of Florida subsidizes about two-thirds of the full cost per credit hour for students who qualify for in-state tuition rates.
Who sets the criteria?
Residency for tuition purposes is controlled exclusively by laws enacted by the Florida Legislature. For the purpose of assessing tuition, residency and nonresidency status shall be determined as provided in Classification of Students Florida or Non-Florida (Section 6A-10.044, Florida Administrative Code), Section 240.1201.
Who makes the determination?
The residency review staff members in the UF Office of the Registrar have the responsibility to review documentation and render a classification decision.
Who is eligible to apply for residency?
All US citizens may apply. Non-US citizens such as resident aliens, parolees, asylees, refugees, or other permanent status persons (for example, persons who married US citizens and temporary permanent residents), who have applied to and have been approved by the US Immigration And Naturalization Service for indefinite stay and employment are eligible.
Are there additional categories?
Members of the US Armed Forces and their dependents on military orders to Florida or with Florida as their home of record are eligible for residency. Persons in the visa categories A, E, G, H-1, H-4, I, K, L, N, O-1, O-3, R, and NATO-1-7 are eligible to be considered for Florida residency. Further, citizens of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, beneficiaries of the Family Unity Program, individuals granted temporary protected status, and some others categories listed in the UF Graduate Catalog, available online on this website, are eligible to apply.
How do I qualify to be a Florida resident for tuition purposes?
Applicants are required to demonstrate legal ties to the State of Florida for the preceding 12 months prior to the start of classes and to relinquish those legal ties from other states that cannot be held concurrently. Generally, these primary documents include a Florida driver's license, car registration, voter's registration and county declaration of domicile. Additional supporting documents may include verification of employment, rental lease, and bank accounts. However, supporting documents cannot replace the primary documents if they are not dated at least 12 months prior.
Where do I obtain this documentation?
A list of drivers license and motor vehicle offices in the State of Florida are available online here:
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
Voter registration can be done when obtaining a driver's license, or at the Alachua County Courthouse located in downtown Gainesville, or at any US post office. Declarations of domicile can be filed at Florida county courthouses as well.
What if I don't drive or own a car?
You can obtain a declaration of domicile from the county courthouse. This document by itself is not sufficient proof of residency for tuition purposes, but it can be submitted along with other documents that are also dated 12 months prior.
I'm less than 24 years old and claimed by my parents as a dependent on their federal income tax return. What documentation do I submit?
As a dependent, your parents' residency applies. You will need to provide (1) a copy of their 1040 tax return that will verify dependents, (2) Florida driver's license, (3) Florida car registration, and (4) voter registration as primary documentation. Supporting documentation, listed above, can also be submitted, if necessary.
My parents claim me on their income tax, but I have a job and consider myself independent. Can I apply using my own documentation?
As long as your parents claim you as a dependent, you cannot apply as an independent.
I'm less than 24 years old, but I am not claimed by my parents on their income tax. What documentation do I submit?
To prove your independent status, you will need to provide a copy of their 1040 tax return to document that you were not claimed. Then submit your own primary documentation.
I was originally classified as a non-resident when I enrolled. Will my classification be reviewed again after 12 months?
The law and rules presume that students who are initially classified as nonresident will not be reclassified as residents merely by being enrolled for one year. Physical residence in Florida, by itself, is not sufficient to obtain reclassification.
I'm on a University of Florida appointment with a tuition waiver. Why should I consider applying for Florida residency for tuition purposes?
For US citizens and permanent residents, students beginning their second year of enrollment are encouraged to submit the appropriate documentation with the UF Office of the Registrar before the end of the drop/add period.
What does that mean?
This means that the student may have to provide the additional cost of non-resident (out-of-state) tuition from his or her own funds.
I am a US citizen or permanent resident on appointment as a teaching assistant or graduate assistant, and was denied reclassification to Florida residency status. Is there an appeals process if I am assigned the additional cost?
The opportunity to petition the out-of-state tuition fee is available after the student receives notice that he/she is not in compliance with this policy and is charged the out-of-state fee. The petition must be submitted by the student's college office to the UF Office of the Provost.
How do I apply for reclassification?
A student wishing to establish residency should pick up the Request for Change in Residency Status Form from the UF Office of the Registrar (222 Criser Hall). Then submit (at least) your primary documentation, dated 12 months prior.
Is there a deadline for submission?
The deadline to be considered for the current semester is usually the same as the deadline for fee payments. This deadline is published in the UF Graduate Catalog and UF Graduate Student Handbook, available in print or online on the website (listed in the menu of the left of this webpage).
I was denied Florida residency for tuition purposes. Is there an appeals process?
An appeal may be requested to the UF Residency Appeals Committee for review. If your request is denied by this committee, the next step is to request a hearing from the Court of Appeals, located in downtown Gainesville.
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