Proving you’re a resident of Florida should be easy, right? After all, you know what the best sandwich is and why it’s the Publix chicken tender sub. You know what a swamp puppy is, when to avoid driving on I-4 (for those not in the know: ALWAYS avoid I-4), and how to find the best beaches that aren’t swarmed with tourists.
Yes, you’re a Floridian through and through, but proving residency for college tuition purposes can get a little complicated. Let’s address the basics, then dive into the nitty-gritty and learn about the documents you may need in special circumstances.
Initially, the first part of the form may sound confusing. Sorry on our behalf; we have to include a lot of legal-ese, but we’re here to break it down for you.
Declaring Florida residency for tuition purposes essentially means you have to somehow prove that you’ve lived here for 12 months and a day before your first term starts. (A caveat here: simply living in Florida does not completely establish legal residency. If you are a dependent with parents who live out-of-state, then you’re a legal resident of that state, not Florida.)
Along with that, you must show you’re one of these:
If none of those classifications apply to you, other limited special categories may apply, authorized by the Florida Legislature. We’ll go over those later in this article.
Listen, I get it: as a college student, you want to say you’re independent. This is your time to break free and go out into the world. (Side note from a geriatric millennial: growing up is overrated. Enjoy this time of your life.) But if you’re a college student under the age of 24 and not married, in this situation, you’re likely considered a dependent.
Jerome Thomas, associate director of customer service at USF, confirmed that any undergraduate applicants below the age of 24 are considered dependent by default unless they prove independence by virtue of income and tax documents. This doesn’t apply to graduate or professional students, though. In those cases, you’re considered independent.
Now, why is this aspect so important for residency? When you fill out the form, you must provide certain documentation to prove you live here in the land of swamps and mosquitos. If you’re a dependent, you need to provide documents that show your parent or guardian's information – not yours. If you’re independent, then you would provide your own documents.
For this article, we’re using “you” and “your” when referring to documents, but again, if you’re dependent, make sure you’re using your parent or guardian’s documents.
There’s another section in the residency form that often trips people up. Make sure this section is filled out by the right person. If you’re independent, you are the claimant and will fill out this section yourself. If you’re dependent (most applicants that are under 24 are dependent), your parent or guardian is the claimant, and they will complete this section along with their signature.
To be considered a Florida resident for tuition purposes, your documents (or parent/guardian’s documents) must show you’ve lived in Florida for at least 12 months and a day before the start of your first term.
So, say your first class starts on August 23, 2024. Your documents must prove that you’ve lived in Florida since August 22, 2023.
“One year, one day prior to the start of the term,” Thomas said. “That’s the number one pain point for people to understand.”
There’s no leeway, either. Even if you previously lived in Florida and moved back a few months before the term started, you would not be considered a resident for tuition purposes.
OK, you’ve determined your independence or dependence. You know you’ve lived long enough in the great state of oranges and Walt Disney World. Now: what do you need to prove your residency?
You need to present two documents as proof - again, the documents must be issued and/or established at least one year prior to your selected first day of class. Most people can use Florida documents like a driver’s license, voter registration card, or vehicle registration. To prove the length of your residency, those must display both the original issue date and the current issue date.
Other documents you can use if you don’t have those handy include:
Now, those are the documents listed in Section A of the Florida residency form. If you can provide two of those, you should be set. All the documents in Section A are considered primary documents or “hard ties” to Florida, Thomas said. “You’re registered to vote here, you have a license to drive…those are hard ties to Florida.” At least one document has to be a "hard tie" from Section A of the residency form.
If you can’t provide more than one of the documents in Section A, then you’ll have to go to the documents listed in Section B. (This feels like singing “Friend Like Me” from Aladdin: “Have some of column A, try all of column B…”)
Thomas said to think of Section B as “soft ties” to Florida, or a secondary document - documents from this section also must be issued and/or established at least one year prior to your selected first day of class. The documents from Section B that you can provide include:
In the USF admissions office, we get a lot of questions about this list of documents. Let’s answer those here the best we can.
You must submit two documents from the list to show you’re a Florida resident. One document must be from Section A, while the second can be from Section A or Section B. To make the process easier for you, we suggest submitting the most straightforward ones, like a driver’s license or voter or vehicle registration.
Remember, you must show you’ve lived in Florida for 12 months and a day before your term starts. If you can present a current lease and the one before that showing that you’ve lived somewhere for 12 consecutive months, as well as 12 months of consecutive rent payments, you should be covered. When submitting documents you are encourage to submit a single PDF as opposed to multiple files.
Typically, high school transcripts are required for students who are considered independent and have graduated within the past two years from the start date of their selected classes. In such cases, official transcripts from a Florida high school spanning two or more years are necessary, provided the Florida high school diploma or GED was earned within the last 12 months.
Additionally, high school transcripts may be necessary for students with special circumstances. “For example, you will have students who are homeless wards of the state,” Thomas said. “They can use their Florida ID and high school transcripts to get residency.”
You can go to your county clerk with the appropriate documentation in hand and obtain a declaration of domicile, which is a form stating you live in Florida. Documentation may vary by county, so check before you go. For example, in Miami-Dade County, you’ll need your identification, a self-addressed stamped envelope, a notarized application, and a $10 recording fee.
The declaration of domicile must also be dated one year and one day before the start of your term, so if this is a document you need, make a plan to ensure you have it filled out in time. Note that there are typically easier documents to use to validate residency, albeit a declaration of domicile can be used in a pinch.
This avenue can be a little more difficult, but it’s possible. A story told by Thomas may shed light on how you can use this for Florida residency:
There was a situation where a student left USF after attending with a football scholarship. He wanted to come back as a former student returning, but he was 24 and considered independent.
Since he was independent, he needed to use his own information. He had a driver’s license but didn’t have a car registration in his name. He hadn’t worked, so he didn’t have any job history in Florida or a professional license. In his case, he was able to use a document evidencing family ties. His mother filled out a notarized document showing her license and voter registration, stating that her son still lived with her.
If you are planning to use a family tie letter to help validate your residency it is recommended that you include the following:
If you’re in a similar situation, you can use a document like this to show family ties, but it typically needs to come from a parent or a guardian – not extended family.
If you’re still unsure, you may be able to qualify for Florida residency a different way. The Florida Statutes outline some exceptions that could help you get residency here.
For example, let’s say you live in Minnesota, but you’re a qualified beneficiary of the Florida Prepaid College Program. Being in Minnesota, you’re not going to have any Florida documents, but the Florida Prepaid program qualifies you to receive Florida resident tuition rates. You simply provide your Florida Prepaid statement to admissions to validate this exception.
Suppose you marry someone who has lived in Florida for the past 12 consecutive months. In that case, you can obtain Florida residency if you provide a copy of the marriage certificate along with any other documents required to establish residency. Your spouse will also complete and sign the residency declaration with their documents.
If you were already enrolled at a Florida state postsecondary institution, you have two possible avenues for declaring Florida residency:
Any active duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their spouses or dependents can be eligible for Florida residency, provided they are either:
If you’re a U.S. citizen who lives on the Isthmus of Panama and you’ve completed 12 consecutive months of college work at the Panama Canal branch of Florida State University, you can qualify for Florida resident status. You’ll need either proof of dependency or a copy of a marriage certificate.
If you, your spouse, or your parent/guardian is a full-time employee of a Florida state public school or institution of higher education, you are eligible for Florida residency.
Students who live in Latin America or the Caribbean who have received scholarships from the federal or state government can get Florida resident rates. You’ll need proof of both the scholarship and your Latin American or Caribbean residency to qualify.
Basically, common markets are agreed-upon tuition discounts between state systems. We’ll let Thomas explain this one further: “Let’s say you live in Rhode Island and you want to do agriculture. Rhode Island may not have agriculture, so you want to go to a school that does offer it so you can get the common market, meaning the tuition rate of Rhode Island at this other state entity.” For this, you’ll need a certification letter from your state’s Academic Common Market coordinator.
If you are a full-time employee of a Florida state agency or political subdivision and your student fees are paid by your employer for job-related law enforcement or corrections training, then you would qualify for Florida resident tuition.
This fellowship program is offered to doctoral students in underrepresented populations. If you qualify, then you’re considered a Florida resident under this program. You will need to provide verification of your graduate studies.
If you’re a U.S. citizen who is currently out of the country teaching at a Department of Defense Dependent School or an American International School and you enroll in a graduate-level education program that leads to a Florida teaching certificate, you can declare Florida residency.
Active duty members of foreign military serving as liaison officers who are residing or stationed in Florida can qualify for Florida residency, along with their spouses and dependents, as long as the institution they plan to attend is within 50 miles of where they’re stationed. The same requirements apply to any active duty members of the Canadian military who are residing or stationed in Florida under the North American Air Defense (NORAD) agreement.
OK, you’ve made it to the end of the form. Congratulations! Sit back and take a deep breath. Go run around the block. Ride a roller coaster (a true Florida resident like you would know that the best ones are at Busch Gardens). Do whatever you need to do to celebrate. Before you sign that form, though, read it again carefully.
Remember earlier when we had to determine if you’re independent or dependent, and who would be the claimant? That same person needs to sign and date this form at the end. A mistake like that may come back to haunt you.
One final important note: don’t provide any false information on the form. Any false or misleading information can subject you or your parent/guardian to penalties outlined in section 837.06 of the Florida Statutes, and in my experience, people tend to not want misdemeanor charges on their record (except Florida Man, apparently).
If there’s something we didn’t address here and you still have questions about your Florida residency form, the USF admissions team is here to help. We can walk you or your parent/guardian through the process to make sure your residency claim goes as smoothly as possible!
Contact admissions@usf.edu or give us a call at (813) 974-3350. We can’t wait for you to become a Bull!