Florida Residency Guidelines

Listing a Florida address on your admissions application or attending a Florida high school is not sufficient proof for you to be charged “in-state” tuition rates. All Florida students are responsible for submitting documentation demonstrating a minimum of 12 months of Florida residency before the start of the academic term. If you don’t provide appropriate documentation, you will be charged higher “out-of-state” tuition rates in accordance with Florida law.  

If you’re a Florida resident, please follow the steps below to declare residency.

If you’re unsure of your Florida residency or have a unique situation, please scroll to the bottom or click one of these links to learn more about exceptions to the 12-month requirement, out-of-state tuition waivers, other approved processes for documentation and special help for certain family situations.

 

Steps to Declare Florida Residency

Step 1: Declare Residency on Your Admissions Application 

Complete your Palm Beach State College admissions application, indicating your intent to claim Florida residency. After submitting your application, you'll receive a notification in your Workday student portal to complete the Florida Residency Declaration for Tuition Purposes Questionnaire. 

If you’re a current student who was initially classified as an out-of-state resident and you believe you’re now eligible to be classified as an in-state resident, you may submit a request for reclassification through the Workday student portal.

 

Step 2: Determine Your Independent/Dependent Status

Independent Students 

Independent students meet any of the following criteria: 

• 24 years of age or older by the first day of classes 
• Married 
• Have children or other dependents who receive more than half of their support from you 
• Veteran or active-duty member of the U.S. Armed Forces 
• Both parents are deceased, or you were a ward/dependent of the court until age 18 
• Studying for a master's or doctoral degree 

 

Who provides residency documentation?  

Independent students must provide their own documentation to prove Florida residency. 

 

Dependent Students

If you don't meet any of the above criteria for independent students, you're likely a dependent student.  

Who provides residency documentation?  

Your parent or legal guardian must provide documentation to prove Florida residency. 

 

Step 3: Gather Required Documentation 

You'll need to provide at least two forms of documentation. For dependent students, documents should be in the parent or legal guardian's name. For independent students, documents should be in the student's name.

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Tier 1 Documents (at least one required)

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• Florida driver's license or State ID card 
• Florida vehicle registration 
• Florida voter registration card 
• Proof of permanent home in Florida occupied as your primary residence 
• Proof of homestead exemption in Florida 
• Official Florida high school transcript for multiple years (if diploma earned within last 12 months) 
• Proof of permanent full-time employment in Florida (30 hours/week for 12 months)

Tier 2 Documents (may be used with Tier 1)

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• Florida professional or occupational license 
• Florida incorporation documents 
• Proof of membership in Florida-based charitable or professional organizations 
• Utility bills and proof of 12 consecutive months of payments 
• Lease agreement and proof of 12 consecutive months of payments 

Step 4: Submit Your Documentation 

Upload your residency documentation through your Workday account. Ensure all documents are clear, legible and show proof of residency for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the start of the term. 

 

Step 5: Await Verification 

Our Admissions team will review your documentation and determine your residency status. You'll be notified of the decision through your Workday inbox. 

 

Step 6: Appeal Process (if necessary) 

If your residency claim is denied and you believe you qualify for in-state tuition, you may submit an appeal through the Residency Appeal Committee by completing the Appeal of Florida Residency Classification Questionnaire in Workday. 

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Exceptions 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. 

 

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Out of State Tuition Waivers

Florida High School Out of State Tuition Waiver

Palm Beach State College shall waive allowable out of state tuition for those degree-seeking students meeting the following criteria: 

• Attended a Florida High School (private or public) for 3 consecutive years before graduating from a Florida High School (paper transcript required). 
• Submitted an admission application to any Florida Higher Education Institution within 24 months of high school graduation. 
• Student does NOT have 3rd attempt courses waived. 
• Student has NOT received more than 110% of their program courses waived. 

Eligible students will need to submit the High School Verification (Out of State) Waiver Form for each term the waiver is sought.

 

Veteran/Dependent Out of State Tuition Waiver Program 

Palm Beach State College shall waive allowable fees for each recipient who is eligible for a Veteran or Veteran Dependent where: 

• Student is enrolled full-time or part-time in a program that provides a degree or certificate. 
• Student does NOT have 3rd attempt courses waived. 
• Student has submitted appropriate documentation to the Registrar's Office. 
  • Form DD-214. 
  • They have been honorably discharged. 
  • They physically reside in Florida. 
• Student is entitled and is electing to use educational assistance provided by authorized VA benefits (Veteran or Veteran Dependent) 

Eligible students will need to submit the Veteran/Dependent Out of State Tuition Waiver Program Form for each term the waiver is sought.

NOTE: Approved waivers are based on your schedule at the time the waiver is submitted.  Courses not listed on your form will revert to the out of state rate. Please be sure your schedule is finalized prior to submission of your waiver!

 

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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 receiving the in-state tuition benefits. 

 

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Special 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 state. 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).