In the near future, UF students may be able to take as many credit hours as they’d like without paying an additional fee.
Filed Jan. 11 by Sen. Bill Galvano, Florida State Senate Bill 2 would require all 12 state universities to charge a flat tuition rate, regardless of the number of credit hours students take.
Block tuition would allow students to take as many hours as they want, helping them to graduate on time, said Katie Betta, a spokesperson for Senate President Joe Negron.
Negron worked closely with Galvano on the bill, Betta said.
“President Negron’s priority is to elevate the national reputation of Florida’s university system, the overall goal being flexibility for the students,” Betta said.
An identical bill was filed in Florida’s House of Representatives on Jan. 27. If passed, both bills will go into effect July 1.
Each university would develop an individual plan that best fits its student population, which would later be reviewed and approved by the Florida Board of Governors, Betta said.
At UF, four-year graduation rates are at 67 percent while six-year graduation rates are at 88 percent, UF spokesperson Janine Sikes said.
“We are certainly interested in measures to help improve graduation rates, and block tuition is believed to be one way to do that,” Sikes said. “We are considering some options to bring to the legislature.”
Although the details of UF’s block tuition have yet to be finalized, student Chloe Flynt likes the idea.
“From my personal point of view, I think they should definitely have a base rate,” the UF health science sophomore said.
Flynt, 19, said although she hasn’t been charged for taking additional credits, she knows many people who have.
“Thirteen is the most that I can take,” Flynt said. “But some people, if they’re really school-focused, they should take 15 hours and shouldn’t be charged extra for that.”
However, not all students think block tuition is a good idea.
Ashley Bennett, 18, said students should be focusing on having fun in college, not killing themselves with too much classwork, so taking extra credits shouldn’t be a priority.
“In college, you shouldn’t go out and party every single night, but just enjoy it while it lasts,” the UF marketing freshman said. “You’ll be able to have a job for the rest of your life.
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