FloridaHB 5601E2026EHouseWALLET

Higher Education

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

12 provisions identified: 6 benefits, 2 costs, 4 mixed.

Tuition waivers for qualifying Florida students

Qualifying Florida residents get a 100% waiver of remaining tuition and fees for eligible upper-level courses after other gift aid. Students must earn 60 degree credits within two academic years after first enrolling at a Florida public college or university. Eligible programs include 10 designated high-demand programs—eight STEM and two critical-workforce programs—and two teacher preparation programs developed in 2023–24. Coverage is limited to 110% of required degree credits. The waiver ends at graduation, withdrawal from the eligible program, exceeding the credit limit, or the program's end.

Existing students keep local campus access

New College must provide South Florida enough academic and student-support space, without charge, for eligible students to finish degrees locally. Students admitted to South Florida before July 1, 2026, get highest priority for classroom and related educational space. They must remain continuously enrolled. The protected completion period cannot exceed four full academic years after initial enrollment.

Student tuition caps removed, enrollment monitored

The law removes the 15% yearly adjustment cap for graduate and professional tuition and nonresident fees; state approval remains required. Nonresident charges are intended to cover full teaching costs, and approval is routine unless the system exceeds its nonresident undergraduate enrollment limit. Each university must project its nonresident undergraduate share for four academic years and report the prior year's actual share annually. When actual enrollment exceeds its projection, the Board of Governors must require corrective action. Options include revised plans, an enrollment-reduction plan, or lower undergraduate out-of-state fees; no specific tuition increase is set.

Campus renters keep leases and exit rights

Existing temporary-residence leases on the Sarasota/Manatee campus transfer to New College. New College must honor their terms, length, and price until at least August 15, 2027. For leases in place before the housing facility transferred, renters can leave early by choice without cancellation fees or remaining rent.

Florida gains disaster training center

Florida International University houses a statewide Disaster Preparedness Center with the Florida Division of Emergency Management. It provides disaster training, simulations, multiagency exercises, certifications, research, and technical help. The center may offer scholarships, research assistantships, and fellowships for students pursuing disaster-related careers. Government agencies may cooperate and share information while following confidentiality and security rules. Funding can come from state appropriations, grants, donations, contracts, and university resources; the law sets no amount or guaranteed student award.

Democracy institute supports regional leaders

The law reenacts the Institute for Freedom in the Americas at Miami Dade College's Freedom Tower. It holds democracy-focused workshops and conferences and provides learning opportunities for regional leaders. It partners with the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom on coursework and programs. The law specifies no direct household payment or funding amount.

University funding recognizes paid work programs

University performance funding now counts four-year and adjusted graduation rates for first-time college students in approved cooperative work programs. These measures join the existing engineering graduation measures. Universities identify the programs, and the Board of Governors approves them. Programs combine study with up to four semesters of related paid work before graduation. The Board must set benchmarks and minimum funding requirements, which cannot change after performance data arrive; no student payment amount is set.

Campus transfer limits civil claims

The law shields the South Florida and New College boards from civil liability tied to following the campus-transfer requirements. It also covers their officers, trustees, employees, attorneys, and agents. The shield includes transfers required by, or directly resulting from, those requirements. This limits civil claims available to people affected by covered transfer actions.

New students lose Sarasota campus choice

Newly enrolled South Florida students cannot choose Sarasota/Manatee as their home campus when their first admission offer came after July 1, 2026. The restriction is based on the first admission offer date, not just the enrollment date. The law sets no direct fee change for these students.

State boards review general education courses

The Articulation Coordinating Committee must submit approved general education course lists by December 1, 2024, and each December 1 thereafter. The State Board of Education reviews the lists for Florida College System institutions. The Board of Governors reviews the lists for state universities. Each board must approve, reject, or change its lists; the law does not name specific course changes.

New College takes campus and debt

New College receives the University of South Florida Sarasota/Manatee campus, related contracts, leases, and liabilities by July 1, 2026. It takes on facility operating and upkeep costs at transfer and must assume outstanding facility debt by December 31, 2026. Until debt assumption is complete, New College must pay South Florida $166,617 monthly from its own sources, not South Florida funds. Failure to make required payments or complete the required transfer invalidates the transfer and returns the facilities to South Florida. The Board of Governors must resolve unresolved transfer issues by September 30, 2026; the section expires July 1, 2028, preserving completed transfers.

University reserves must support campus repairs

Universities keep unspent operating funds for the next year and must prepare spending plans with estimated costs and completion timelines. When annual reserves exceed the 7% minimum, universities must commit 12% of prior-year state operating funds carried forward. That money must support deferred building maintenance or a listed capital project with prior funding that needs more money to finish. Plans must name the project and amount. Other allowed uses include mission-related operations, renovations, disaster repairs, emergency reserves, and facility health and safety work.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

Demi Busatta
Republican • House

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 220 • No: 56

House vote • 5/29/2026

House Floor Vote

Yes: 76 • No: 28

Senate vote • 5/29/2026

Senate Floor Vote

Yes: 32 • No: 2

House vote • 5/12/2026