Programs of Strategic Emphasis Waiver

Overview

The Programs of Strategic Emphasis Waiver Program was created by the Florida Legislature and takes effect in the Fall 2021 semester. Under this program, resident undergraduate students who are enrolled in eligible programs will receive a tuition waiver for portions of their tuition and fee invoice under certain circumstances. This program is often referred to as the "buy-one-get-one" waiver, meaning that for each course for which a student enrolls they receive another course of equal or lesser value at a discount. For example:

• If an eligible student is enrolled in six credit hours (2 three hours courses) their tuition and fees for the second three credit hours will be reduced.
• If an eligible student is enrolled in seven credit hours (1 three hours and 1 four hour course) their tuition and fees for the three credit hours will be reduced.

To maximize this benefit for students and to ease the administrative burden for schools, the Florida Board of Governors guided schools to apply this waiver as a 50% discount to the applicable fees for all eligible classes, rather than as a buy-one-get-one discount. The biggest difference is that eligible students enrolled in an uneven number of classes (or even enrolled in only one class) receive greater and immediate benefit under the 50% off model.  

Student Eligibility

In order to qualify for the Programs of Strategic Emphasis Waiver Program, students must be certain eligibility criteria:

1. Students must be Florida residents for tuition purposes (in-state residency).
2. Students must have earned at least 60 semester credit hours toward a baccalaureate degree within 2 academic years after initial enrollment at a Florida public post-secondary institution.
   1. Initial enrollment is defined as the first registration in a public post-secondary institutions after earning a high school diploma.
   2. The 60 semester credit hours must be earned/granted at a Florida public post-secondary institution.
   3. Dual-enrollment from high school credits earned at a Florida public post-secondary institution count towards the 60 credit requirement as long as the student begins initial enrollment at a Florida public post-secondary institution.
3. Students must be enrolled and accepted into one of eight Programs of Strategic Emphasis as adopted by the Board of Governors. This program must be the student's primary major.

Program Eligibility

The Florida Board of Governors has identified ten programs of strategic emphasis, they are:

Course Eligibility

Courses may be taken in the fall, spring, or summer terms, but courses which are not required for the degree program will not count for the waiver. In general, courses must be:

1. Upper division courses required to complete the academic program, including required electives and required courses offered by other departments, for up to 110% of the number of required credit hours.
   1. An upper division course is defined as a 3,000 or 4,000-level course required for the degree using the common course numbering designation.
   2. An equivalent course is defined as a 3,000 or 4,000-level course required for the degree using the common course numbering designations.
   3. The 110% will be based on the number of credit hours required at the time that a student is admitted to the major, regardless of whether the number of hours required increases or decreases at a later point in time.
2. Eligible courses must be taken by the student during the same semester. Students will not be allowed to "bank" waiver credits for use in future terms.
3. Courses cannot be classified as Non-Fundable or Market Rate.

Applicable Fees

The Programs of Strategic Emphasis Waiver program will not waive all tuition and fees, but does offer a steep discount toward eligible 3,000 or 4,000-level undergraduate courses. If granted, the waiver will cover 50% of:

1. Tuition
2. Student Financial Aid Fee
3. Capital Improvement Fee
4. Health Fee (Health, Health +, Counseling Center)
5. Athletic Fee
6. Activity & Services Fee
7. Technology Fee
8. Tuition Differential Fee
9. Transportation Access Fee
10. Distance Learning Fees
11. Student Facilities Use Fee
12. Auxiliary Fees, Lab Fees, Material & Supply Fees, and Equipment Fees

The waiver will not cover:

1. Tuition and Fees for Ineligible Courses (like Non-Fundable, Market Rate, or Courses not within the 3,000 or 4,000-level) 
2. Excess Hours Tuition or Repeat Course Fees
3. FSUCard Term Fee
4. Fees for Books and Supplies
5. Other non-Tuition related fees not explicitly stated in the covered areas above

Policies for the Programs of Strategic Emphasis Waiver are maintained by the Board of Governors of the State University System.

Frequently Asked Questions