The Florida Legislature is making college even more affordable for thousands of Florida students, increasing the amount of financial aid available and translating into lower tuition rates for the 2018-19 academic year.

State lawmakers recently passed the Florida Excellence in Higher Education Act, which:

• Increases the Florida Resident Access Grant or FRAG from $3,300 to $3,500 for the upcoming 2018-19 academic year. The grant, which is being renamed the Effective Access to Student Education, or EASE, is available for all Florida students who provide proof of Florida residency and attend an in-state private university, like Stetson University.
• Renews the Florida Academic Scholars Award (FASA) for $211 per credit hour plus a flat award of $300 per semester, totaling $7,352 for the academic year (16 credit hours per semester), under the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship.
• Increases the Florida Medallion Scholarship to about $158 per credit hour, totaling about $5,056 for the academic year (16 credit hours per semester), under Florida Bright Futures. The actual amount will be available this summer — watch for future announcements.

The new legislation also makes Summer Study more affordable. Stetson tuition already is lower in the summer, and now the Florida Academic Scholars Award and the Florida Medallion Scholarship will be available for the Summer 2019 term.

The Pell Grant is available for summer as well. A full semester award, up to $2,960, is available if a student is taking three classes. Partial awards are available based on the number of classes and Pell eligibility.

For more information, please contact Stetson’s Office of Student Financial Planning at 386-822-7120 or [email protected].