Establishing Florida Residency
- Residency for Tuition Purposes
- Qualifying for In-State Residency
- Helpful Terminology
The rules are the same for all persons whether you are claiming Florida residency on your initial application or whether you are attempting to change your residency status in hopes of qualifying for in-state tuition after you have been admitted.
Florida statute requires the claimant (the student or dependent student's parent/legal guardian who is claiming residency) to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. The student or guardian 'resident' must have established and maintained a legal Florida residence at least 12 months before the first day of the semester for which in-state status is sought.
In-state status is only for those residents who reside in the state permanently with established legal domicile in Florida. Permanent Florida residency is demonstrated by the absence of ties to any other state and establishment of a bona fide domicile in Florida. An out-of-state permanent address on pertinent records is not indication of established legal domicile in Florida.
Permanent residence is evaluated for the domicile year associated with the initial term of entry to UF or the term for which you are seeking reclassification. In most cases, a copy of a federal income tax return substantiating residency and dependent or independent student status will be required.
Students are either dependent or independent. In rare cases, a student may qualify for temporary in-state status by qualifying under an exception category.
If you are attempting to change your residency status, you must be admitted to the university, have completed one term of enrollment as a non-Florida resident and provide documentation of 12 months of legal residence in Florida. If you feel you have satisfied these basic qualifications, you can submit the Request for Residency Change.