Fee Discounts, Exemptions, Reductions & Waivers

In accordance with Florida Statute 1009.25 and Rule 6A-10.087 Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.), “students experiencing homelessness” means individuals who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. This definition includes:

• Individuals who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals;
• Individuals who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
• Individuals who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings;
• Migratory children who qualify as homeless for the purposes of 42 U.S.C. Sections 11431-11435; and
• Individuals who would otherwise meet this definition but for their residence in college dormitory housing. 

High school graduating seniors who enroll in the fall term immediately following high school graduation may provide McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act documentation from their high school liaison.

To petition for the homelessness exemption, students must complete Eastern Florida State College’s verification for tuition and fee exemption. Please contact the EFSC homeless student liaison for this verification, who is Doreen Erickson, the Collegewide Director of Admissions, available via email at ericksond@easternflorida.edu or by phone at 321-433-7247.

Students will be notified via their Titan student email account about the approval or denial of the exemption.

Tuition shall be waived for any student for whom the state of Florida is paying foster care, is a ward of the state, or who is adopted from the Department of Children & Family Services after May 5, 1997. The exemption remains valid until the student reaches 28 years of age in accordance with Florida Statute 1009.25 (1) (d).

Fee exemptions are offered to students if any of the following apply:

• They are or were, at the time they reached age 18, in the custody of the Department of Children and Families.
• They were adopted from the Department of Children & Families after May 5, 1997.
• They are or were, at the time of reaching age 18, in the custody of a relative or non-relative under s. 39.5085, F.S.
• They were placed in a guardianship by the court after spending at least 6 months in the custody of the Department of Children & Families after reaching 16 years of age.

Assistance with Applying for the DCF Exemption

For questions regarding eligibility or how to obtain a Tuition and Fee Exemption form, CF-FSP 5220, contact your local Community-Based Care Lead Agency or the Office of Continuing Care at 1-850-300-HOPE (1-850-300-4673).

Students will find additional resources at the website for Florida’s Independent Living Resource Center. It serves as a free information and referral clearinghouse to address all areas of Independent Living in Florida for youth, adoptive parents, students who aged out of foster care, teachers, mentors and social services professionals.

If you have questions during this process, you can also contact EFSC's foster care student liaison Doreen Erickson, Director of Collegewide Admissions, via email at ericksond@easternflorida.edu or by phone at 321-433-7247.

How to Submit the DCF Exemption Request

To petition for the Florida Department of Children and Family Services Exemption students should submit documentation for verification to the College through the Student Document Dropbox.

• Upon verifying the documentation, the College will apply the appropriate exemption for tuition only to the student’s account for the appropriate tuition and fees.
• Students will be notified via their Titan student email account of the approval or denial of the exemption.
• A staff member will reach out to students via their Titan email address to offer additional academic support and student success resources.
• After the initial verification and processing of documentation, students do not need to submit documentation for subsequent academic terms.
• The exemption will remain in place until the student reaches 28 years of age. Note: If a student’s 28th birthday falls prior to the first day of the term, the exemption is no longer valid.

How to Notify Student Accounts You Have a DCF Exemption

Students should provide documentation to Student Accounts to have the DCF exemption applied to tuition and fees, including lab fees.

Since not all costs are covered by the exemption, such as parking fees, students should follow up with the Student Accounts Office every semester, prior to the fee due date, and provide the most recent copy of the waiver. This will allow Student Accounts to help students avoid unpaid balances because of non-exempt charges the student may not be aware of.

Per F.S. Section 1009.265, EFSC will waive tuition for state employees to enroll for up to 6 credit hours of courses per term on a space-available basis. For purposes of this waiver, employees of the State include employees of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of state government, except for persons employed by a state university.

Guidelines & Procedure

• State employees are responsible for paying the one time non-refundable admissions application fees.
• State employees must complete all admissions requirements, including the application for admission, placement testing, transcripts, proof of prerequisites, etc.
• State employees using the waiver must register online on or after the first day of classes for the term and by the term's published deadline to add classes. Registration is for classes on a space available basis only.
• The tuition waiver is only valid when State employees register on or after the first day of classes for the term, and no later than the last day to add a class, with any changes made by the deadline to drop a class with a refund, as published in the EFSC Academic Calendar.
• State employees are responsible for submitting the signed State employment verification form to Student Accounts to receive the waiver and pay any applicable fees. Outstanding fees may cause the State employee to be dropped from courses. Students Accounts offices are available on the Melbourne and Cocoa Campuses, with a secure dropbox for payments in the students services area of the other campuses.
• The State employee tuition & fee waiver is valid for a maximum of six credits per semester. Waiver is for college credit or clock-hour courses only; it is not applicable to non-credit (continuing education) courses. State employees are responsible for any additional fees such as lab fees, parking permits, citations, fines, and Access fee.

Per F.S. Section 1009.26(10), EFSC will waive tuition for Florida classroom teachers to enroll for up to 6 credit hours of courses per term on a space-available basis. For purposes of this waiver, classroom teachers are defined as “staff members assigned the professional activity of instructing students in courses in classroom situations, including basic instruction, exceptional student education, career education, and adult education.”

Guidelines & Procedure

• Florida classroom teachers are required to complete an application for admission, pay the one time non-refundable application fee, and complete the Florida Residency for Tuition Purposes Declaration.
• Florida classroom teachers must complete all admission requirements for their chosen degree prior to registering for classes. Teachers enrolling in a degree-seeking program (A.A., A.S., etc.) must provide official transcripts from all institutions previously attended. Teachers enrolling in a non-degree seeking major are not required to provide transcripts.
• Florida classroom teachers using the waiver must register online on or after the first day of classes in the term and by the term's published deadline to add classes.
• Registration is for classes on a space available basis only. This waiver is not valid for summer term.
• Florida classroom teachers must complete the Florida Classroom Teacher Tuition Waiver form and submit, with the school principal's signature, to the Admissions and Records office on their local campus. A new letter must be submitted each term the teacher will take classes.
• Students must submit the tuition waiver form to the Admissions/Records office. The form can be uploaded in the online Student Document Dropbox. The student is responsible for paying any applicable fees.
• The tuition waiver is only valid when teachers register on or after the first day of classes for the term, and no later than the last day to add a class, with any changes made by the deadline to drop a class with a refund, as published in the EFSC Academic Calendar.
• The Florida classroom teacher tuition waiver is valid for a maximum of six credits per semester. Waiver is limited to specific undergraduate courses approved by the Florida Department of Education. Student is responsible for any additional fees such as lab fees, parking permits, citations, fines and Access fee. This Florida Department of Education document contains the Course Prefix Listing approved for the teacher waiver.

Per Florida Statute, EFSC will waive tuition for survivors of Firefighters (FS 121.191) or Law Enforcement Officers (FS 112.19) killed in the line of duty.  

Guidelines & Procedure

• Survivors must complete all admissions requirements, including the application for admission, placement testing, transcripts, proof of prerequisites, etc.
• Survivors are eligible for the application fee and tuition waiver with supporting documentation.
• Tuition is waived until the child’s 25th birthday. Surviving spouse must start within 5 years after the death, and tuition will be waived until the 10th anniversary of that death.
• Survivors must submit documentation to Student Accounts by fee due date each term published in the EFSC Important Term Dates. Student is responsible for other fees not waived.
• Students must remain in good standing.