Defining a Florida Resident for Residency Fee Purposes

At Polk State College, Florida residents pay lower fees than out-of-state students. Residency Guidelines have been developed by a state committee to assist colleges in the administration of Florida Statutes.

State law is found in Section 1009.21, Florida Statutes, Rules 6A-10.044, and 6A-20.003, Florida Administrative Code; and the Board of Governors (BOG) Residency Regulation. The guidelines, as maintained by the Statewide Residency Committee, are used to determine residency status for tuition purposes in public colleges and universities. Updated guidelines can be found at www.flvc.org. Polk State College recommends that all new students review these guidelines as there are many ways to meet the residency requirement.

A student who believes that he or she qualifies for a special classification after reviewing the Residency Guidelines should provide documentation to the Admission and Registrar’s Office on the Winter Haven or Lakeland campus, or the JD Alexander-Center. Persons unable to provide documentation according to the state guidelines indicating that they have met the definition of a Florida resident are charged at the non-resident rate. A Residency Committee has been established to hear student appeals to the College’s initial residency evaluation. Appeals are written on the petition section of the Residency Affidavit found in the Admission and Registrar’s offices at all campuses and centers.  The completed Residency Affidavit and all supporting documents are submitted to the Admission and Registrar’s Office.

Note that while the Admission and Registrar’s offices make every attempt to validate residency documentation as entered on the admission application the ultimate responsibility to ensure residency requirements have been satisfied belongs to the student.  Once the drop/add deadline passes residency status cannot be adjusted.