Florida Residency for Tuition Purposes

A Florida resident is a student (dependent or independent) who has established and maintained legal residency in Florida for at least twelve months preceding the first day of classes of the term for which residency is sought. Residence in Florida must be as a bona fide domicile rather than for the purpose of maintaining a residence incident to enrollment at an institution of higher education.

In-state status is only for those residents who reside in the state permanently with established legal domicile in Florida. Permanent Florida residency is demonstrated by the absence of ties to any other state and the establishment of a bona fide domicile in Florida. A student who enrolls in a Florida postsecondary educational institution as an out-of-state resident and continuously enrolls in a Florida institution will not normally meet the Florida residency requirement for in-state tuition, regardless of the length of time enrolled.

Students who depend upon out-of-state parents for support are presumed to be legal residents of the same state as their parents. Students are either dependent or independent. In certain cases, a student may qualify for temporary in-state status by qualifying under an exception category.

Initial Residency Classification for all New Students

All students who wish to claim Florida residency for tuition-paying purposes must complete a residency declaration for tuition purposes form. For all applicants claiming Florida residency for tuition purposes, please note that your residency documentation will only be reviewed if you are offered admission into the university. Depending upon the initial review of your residency declaration form, additional documentation may be required to support your request for residency for tuition purposes.

Instructions

In accordance with Florida Statute S1009.21 and Florida Board of Governors Regulation 7.005, the College of Graduate Studies is required to adhere to specific procedures in making determinations for residency for tuition purposes.

When completing the graduate application, students must indicate whether they intend to seek Florida residency for tuition purposes. Residency requests are only reviewed after admission. If you are admitted and indicated that you will seek Florida residency, a Florida Residency Declaration checklist item will be added to your application status portal.

You must upload the declaration form and all supporting documentation to your application status portal. After review, you will be notified by email if additional documentation is required. Additional documentation may be requested at any time to support your claim.

All communication regarding residency will be sent to the email address listed on your graduate application and your UCF email account. UCF Graduate Studies reserves the right to request any additional documentation necessary to accurately determine residency status.

Once a decision is made, you will be notified by email, and your residency status will be updated in your myUCF account.

Required Documentation

For initial residency, the student or their claimant must provide a minimum of two documents showing they have established and maintained legal residence in Florida for at least twelve months prior to the term for which residency for tuition purposes is sought.

For residency reclassification, documentation submitted must show clear and convincing evidence that supports the student or their claimants’ permanent legal residence in Florida for at least twelve consecutive months immediately prior to the first day of classes for the term for which residency reclassification is sought except as otherwise provided in section 1009.21(6), F.S.

Per section 1009.21(3)(c), F.S., residency determination must include two or more of the documents identified below, unless the document provided is the proof of an approved application for homestead exemption in Florida, which is deemed a single, conclusive piece of evidence proving residency.

A. Approved Homestead Exemption covering the 12-month requisite period. This is the only single document that can be used to prove residency.

If homestead is not used:

B. First Tier (at least one of the two documents submitted must be from this list)

Florida Driver’s license or, for non-drivers, a State of Florida identification card
Florida voter registration card
Florida vehicle registration
Proof of a permanent home in Florida that is occupied as the primary residence of the claimant
Proof of homestead exemption in Florida
Proof of permanent full-time employment in Florida for at least 30 hours per week for a 12-month period

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

A declaration of domicile in Florida (filed date must be 12 months before the start of classes)
Utility bills and proof of 12 consecutive months of payments
Lease agreement and proof of 12 consecutive months of payments
Florida professional or occupational license
Florida incorporation
Document evidencing verifiable family ties to a Florida resident
Proof of membership in a Florida-based charitable or professional organization
Any other documentation that supports your request for resident status
Official state, federal, or court document evidencing legal ties to Florida

Please note: Possessing one of these documents, with the exception of homestead exemption, does not automatically qualify an applicant for Florida residency for tuition purposes.

Independent vs. Dependent Status

Graduate students, regardless of age, are automatically deemed to be independent. This means they are responsible for proving their residency through documentation such as a Florida driver’s license, lease agreement, or voter registration.

Graduate students seeking to establish dependent status through a parent, guardian, or other individual must provide substantial documentation to prove their dependent status. In addition to the required residency documentation, prior year IRS tax returns will be required, listing a student as an eligible dependent.

Reclassification for Currently Enrolled Students

Residency Reclassification

Residency Reclassification is for a student who has been classified as a “non-resident for tuition purposes” at the time of initial admission to the University and wishes to be considered for reclassification as a “Florida resident for tuition purposes” for a subsequent semester. Staff in the College of Graduate Studies cannot make exceptions to the rules set forth by the state, nor can staff make exceptions based on financial hardship or extenuating circumstances.

Things You Need to Know about Residency Reclassification

Under Florida law, there is a difference between being a “Florida Resident” and being a “Florida Resident for Tuition Purposes”.
The burden of proof is on the student to present clear and convincing documentation that supports permanent legal residency in Florida for at least 12 months. Living in Florida for a year or longer DOES NOT automatically qualify an applicant for in-state tuition (Florida residency for tuition purposes).
To be considered a “Florida Resident for Tuition Purposes”, an applicant must prove that the move to Florida was permanent and not temporary as a result of their application and admission to UCF. Therefore, despite the length of time you attend UCF, you may never qualify for “Florida Residency for Tuition Purposes”.

Instructions

Complete a Residency Reclassification Application and Affidavit and submit with required supporting documentation to the College of Graduate Studies. Please find instructions and helpful notes on the first page of the form.
Send to: by mail UCF College of Graduate Studies, 12796 Aquarius Agora Dr., Suite 205A, PO Box 160112, Orlando, FL 32816-0112, deliver in person (Trevor Colbourn Hall, Suite 205A), or by scanned email to GradReclass@ucf.edu.
The deadline for submitting a residency reclassification request is the last day of registration for the applicable term of the semester in question.
Each residency reclassification request is individually reviewed, and a determination is made. This determination will be emailed to you as soon as it is made. If the form is incomplete or if additional documentation is required, you will be notified by your UCF campus email as to what must be done to complete the residency request process.
Inquiries regarding residency reclassification should be directed in writing to the College of Graduate Studies’ Residency Reclassification Department at gradreclass@ucf.edu. Please note that the College of Graduate Studies cannot advise students regarding their ability to reclassify in a future term.

Exceptions and Qualifications

In certain circumstances, Florida Statute 1009.21 permits certain students to be classified as Florida residency for tuition purposes. Verification through supporting documentation is required that a student meets by qualification or exception.

A student should only request residency classification using one of these categories if they do not qualify as either an independent or a dependent student.

Qualified beneficiaries under the terms of the Florida Prepaid College Program
Persons married to legal Florida residents and who intend to make Florida their permanent home, and who relinquish their legal ties to any other state.
Persons previously enrolled at a Florida state postsecondary institution and classified as a Florida resident for tuition purposes and transferring to another Florida state postsecondary institution within 12 months of the previous enrollment.
Persons previously enrolled at a Florida state postsecondary institution and classified as Florida residents for tuition purposes at a Florida public institution of higher education, but who abandoned Florida domicile and has re-established Florida legal residence.
Active duty members of the Armed Services of the United States and their spouses and dependent children, and active drilling members of the Florida National Guard.
Active duty members of the Armed Services of the United States and their spouses and dependents attending a Florida College System institution or state university within 50 miles of the military establishment where they are stationed, if such military establishment is within a country 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 state public schools and institutions of higher education and their spouses and dependent children.
Students from Latin America and the Caribbean who receive scholarships from the federal or state government. 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 universities.
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.
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 Florida College System institution or state university within 50 miles of the military establishment where they are stationed.
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.

Appealing a Residency Decision

If you believe that the decision regarding your residency for tuition purposes for initial residency or residency reclassification was made in error, you have the right to appeal. The appeal is presented to the University Residency Appeals Committee. The University Residency Appeals Committee abides by the Florida State Statutes on residency for tuition purposes, including deadlines. The decision made by the University Residency Appeals Committee for Graduate Students is final, and there are no additional levels of appeal. If you decide to enter the appeals process, all communications concerning your case must remain in writing.

Contact Us

Initial Residency Classification

For questions regarding your initial residency status, please email: gradresidency@ucf.edu.

Residency Reclassification

For inquiries about updating or reclassifying your residency status, contact: gradreclass@ucf.edu.