The Florida Senate

1009.24  State university student fees.--

(1)  This section applies to students enrolled in college credit programs at state universities.

(2)  All students shall be charged fees except students who are exempt from fees or students whose fees are waived.

(3)  Within proviso in the General Appropriations Act and law, each board of trustees shall set university tuition and fees. The sum of the activity and service, health, and athletic fees a student is required to pay to register for a course shall not exceed 40 percent of the tuition established in law or in the General Appropriations Act. No university shall be required to lower any fee in effect on the effective date of this act in order to comply with this subsection. Within the 40 percent cap, universities may not increase the aggregate sum of activity and service, health, and athletic fees more than 5 percent per year unless specifically authorized in law or in the General Appropriations Act. A university may increase its athletic fee to defray the costs associated with changing National Collegiate Athletic Association divisions. Any such increase in the athletic fee may exceed both the 40 percent cap and the 5 percent cap imposed by this subsection. Any such increase must be approved by the athletic fee committee in the process outlined in subsection (11) and cannot exceed $2 per credit hour. Notwithstanding the provisions of ss. 1009.534, 1009.535, and 1009.536, that portion of any increase in an athletic fee pursuant to this subsection that causes the sum of the activity and service, health, and athletic fees to exceed the 40 percent cap or the annual increase in such fees to exceed the 5 percent cap shall not be included in calculating the amount a student receives for a Florida Academic Scholars award, a Florida Medallion Scholars award, or a Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award. This subsection does not prohibit a university from increasing or assessing optional fees related to specific activities if payment of such fees is not required as a part of registration for courses.

(4)  A university that has a service area that borders another state may implement a plan for a differential out-of-state fee.

(5)  Students who are enrolled in Programs in Medical Sciences are considered graduate students for the purpose of enrollment and student fees.

(6)  A university board of trustees is authorized to collect for financial aid purposes an amount not to exceed 5 percent of the tuition and out-of-state fee. The revenues from fees are to remain at each campus and replace existing financial aid fees. Such funds shall be disbursed to students as quickly as possible. A minimum of 75 percent of funds from the student financial aid fee for new financial aid awards shall be used to provide financial aid based on absolute need. A student who has received an award prior to July 1, 1984, shall have his or her eligibility assessed on the same criteria that were used at the time of his or her original award. The State Board of Education shall develop criteria for making financial aid awards. Each university shall report annually to the Department of Education on the revenue collected pursuant to this subsection, the amount carried forward, the criteria used to make awards, the amount and number of awards for each criterion, and a delineation of the distribution of such awards. The report shall include an assessment by category of the financial need of every student who receives an award, regardless of the purpose for which the award is received. Awards which are based on financial need shall be distributed in accordance with a nationally recognized system of need analysis approved by the State Board of Education. An award for academic merit shall require a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent for both initial receipt of the award and renewal of the award.

(7)  The Capital Improvement Trust Fund fee is established as $2.44 per credit hour per semester. The building fee is established as $2.32 per credit hour per semester.

(8)  Each university board of trustees is authorized to establish separate activity and service, health, and athletic fees. When duly established, the fees shall be collected as component parts of tuition and fees and shall be retained by the university and paid into the separate activity and service, health, and athletic funds.

(9)(a)  Each university board of trustees shall establish a student activity and service fee on the main campus of the university. The university board may also establish a student activity and service fee on any branch campus or center. Any subsequent increase in the activity and service fee must be recommended by an activity and service fee committee, at least one-half of whom are students appointed by the student body president. The remainder of the committee shall be appointed by the university president. A chairperson, appointed jointly by the university president and the student body president, shall vote only in the case of a tie. The recommendations of the committee shall take effect only after approval by the university president, after consultation with the student body president, with final approval by the university board of trustees. An increase in the activity and service fee may occur only once each fiscal year and must be implemented beginning with the fall term. The State Board of Education is responsible for promulgating the rules and timetables necessary to implement this fee.

(b)  The student activity and service fees shall be expended for lawful purposes to benefit the student body in general. This shall include, but shall not be limited to, student publications and grants to duly recognized student organizations, the membership of which is open to all students at the university without regard to race, sex, or religion. The fund may not benefit activities for which an admission fee is charged to students, except for student-government-association-sponsored concerts. The allocation and expenditure of the fund shall be determined by the student government association of the university, except that the president of the university may veto any line item or portion thereof within the budget when submitted by the student government association legislative body. The university president shall have 15 school days from the date of presentation of the budget to act on the allocation and expenditure recommendations, which shall be deemed approved if no action is taken within the 15 school days. If any line item or portion thereof within the budget is vetoed, the student government association legislative body shall within 15 school days make new budget recommendations for expenditure of the vetoed portion of the fund. If the university president vetoes any line item or portion thereof within the new budget revisions, the university president may reallocate by line item that vetoed portion to bond obligations guaranteed by activity and service fees. Unexpended funds and undisbursed funds remaining at the end of a fiscal year shall be carried over and remain in the student activity and service fund and be available for allocation and expenditure during the next fiscal year.

(10)  Each university board of trustees shall establish a student health fee on the main campus of the university. The university board of trustees may also establish a student health fee on any branch campus or center. Any subsequent increase in the health fee must be recommended by a health committee, at least one-half of whom are students appointed by the student body president. The remainder of the committee shall be appointed by the university president. A chairperson, appointed jointly by the university president and the student body president, shall vote only in the case of a tie. The recommendations of the committee shall take effect only after approval by the university president, after consultation with the student body president, with final approval by the university board of trustees. An increase in the health fee may occur only once each fiscal year and must be implemented beginning with the fall term. The State Board of Education is responsible for promulgating the rules and timetables necessary to implement this fee.

(11)  Each university board of trustees shall establish a separate athletic fee on the main campus of the university. The university board may also establish a separate athletic fee on any branch campus or center. Any subsequent increase in the athletic fee must be recommended by an athletic fee committee, at least one-half of whom are students appointed by the student body president. The remainder of the committee shall be appointed by the university president. A chairperson, appointed jointly by the university president and the student body president, shall vote only in the case of a tie. The recommendations of the committee shall take effect only after approval by the university president, after consultation with the student body president, with final approval by the university board of trustees. An increase in the athletic fee may occur only once each fiscal year and must be implemented beginning with the fall term. The State Board of Education is responsible for promulgating the rules and timetables necessary to implement this fee.

(12)  Each university board of trustees is authorized to establish the following fees:

(a)  A nonrefundable application fee in an amount not to exceed $30.

(b)  An orientation fee in an amount not to exceed $35.

(c)  A fee for security, access, or identification cards. The annual fee for such a card may not exceed $10 per card. The maximum amount charged for a replacement card may not exceed $15.

(d)  Registration fees for audit and zero-hours registration; a service charge, which may not exceed $15, for the payment of tuition in installments; and a late-registration fee in an amount not less than $50 nor more than $100 to be imposed on students who fail to initiate registration during the regular registration period.

(e)  A late-payment fee in an amount not less than $50 nor more than $100 to be imposed on students who fail to pay or fail to make appropriate arrangements to pay (by means of installment payment, deferment, or third-party billing) tuition by the deadline set by each university. Each university may adopt specific procedures or policies for waiving the late-payment fee for minor underpayments.

(f)  A fee for miscellaneous health-related charges for services provided at cost by the university health center which are not covered by the health fee set under subsection (10).

(g)  Materials and supplies fees to offset the cost of materials or supplies that are consumed in the course of the student's instructional activities, excluding the cost of equipment replacement, repairs, and maintenance.

(h)  Housing rental rates and miscellaneous housing charges for services provided by the university at the request of the student.

(i)  A charge representing the reasonable cost of efforts to collect payment of overdue accounts.

(j)  A service charge on university loans in lieu of interest and administrative handling charges.

(k)  A fee for off-campus course offerings when the location results in specific, identifiable increased costs to the university.

(l)  Library fees and fines, including charges for damaged and lost library materials, overdue reserve library books, interlibrary loans, and literature searches.

(m)  Fees relating to duplicating, photocopying, binding, and microfilming; copyright services; and standardized testing. These fees may be charged only to those who receive the services.

(n)  Fees and fines relating to the use, late return, and loss and damage of facilities and equipment.

(o)  A returned-check fee as authorized by s. 832.07(1) for unpaid checks returned to the university.

(p)  Traffic and parking fines, charges for parking decals, and transportation access fees.

(q)  An Educational Research Center for Child Development fee for child care and services offered by the center.

(r)  Fees for transcripts and diploma replacement, not to exceed $10 per item.

(13)  Each university board of trustees is authorized to establish a nonrefundable admissions deposit for undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs in an amount not to exceed $200. The admissions deposit shall be imposed at the time of an applicant's acceptance to the university and shall be applied toward tuition upon enrollment. In the event the applicant does not enroll in the university, the admissions deposit shall be deposited in an auxiliary account of the university and used to expand financial assistance, scholarships, and student academic and career counseling services at the university. A university board of trustees that establishes an admissions deposit pursuant to this subsection must also adopt policies that provide for the waiver of such deposit on the basis of financial hardship.

(14)  Each university may assess a service charge for the payment of tuition and fees in installments. Such service charge must be approved by the university board of trustees.

History.--s. 403, ch. 2002-387; s. 3, ch. 2003-392; s. 1, ch. 2004-352.