Schools and Admissions
Q: What universities and community colleges are covered in the Program?
A: All 11 state universities and all 28 public community colleges are participating in
the Florida Prepaid College Plan. See Approved Colleges.
The value of the tuition contract may also be transferred to an independent, accredited, not-for-profit, four-year, degree-granting college or university in Florida.
Q: What happens if the beneficiary chooses to attend an out-of-state institution?
A: If the beneficiary attends a qualified
out-of-state college, public or private, the Florida Prepaid College
Plan will transfer an amount equaling the current rates paid to a
public university in Florida. More than 1,700 colleges and
universities have been approved for the out-of-state transfer of
Florida Prepaid benefits.
See Approved Colleges.
Click here to view the Transfer Form.
Q: What happens if the beneficiary chooses to attend an in-state private institution?
A: If the beneficiary attends an accredited, not-for-profit,
four-year, degree-granting independent college or university in
Florida, the Florida Prepaid College Plan will transfer an amount
equal to the value of the prepaid plan(s) at the time of college
enrollment.
Click here to view the Transfer Form.
Q: What happens if the beneficiary chooses not to attend college?
A:
Prepaid benefits are valid for 10 years after the
beneficiary graduates from high school. Since many
students do not enroll in college immediately after high
school graduation, the account owner may want to keep
the contract while the student sorts out his or her
postsecondary options. If the beneficiary does not
attend college, the account owner may cancel the
contract and request a refund. In this case, the account
owner will receive a full refund of payments made to the
plan minus a cancellation fee of $50 or 50 percent of
moneys paid in, whichever is less, and any outstanding
fees. (This cancellation fee is waived if the account
owner has held the contract for more than two years.)
The contract may also be transferred to a “family
member” of the original beneficiary. Please see
“Account Owner Eligibility” for
guidelines.
Q: Does the purchase of a tuition contract guarantee the beneficiary admission to a state university?
A: No. The purchase of a Florida Prepaid College Plan
contract can not guarantee beneficiaries admission to the state university of their choice. State universities have differing admission standards, depending on the number of spaces available for incoming freshmen and number of applications submitted for those spaces. All applicants to state universities compete with one another on the basis of high school grades and scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or American College Test (ACT).
Every student who earns a high school diploma or the equivalent may enroll in a public community college. In addition, once the student earns an Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree, he or she may transfer to the State University System without having to take any additional basic studies courses (unless they are prerequisites to the major program of study).
Q: Do participants receive priority in their choice of a specific school?
A: No. Participants do not receive priority admission to their choice of state university.
Q: What happens if the public university system is overcrowded at the time my beneficiary is ready to enroll?
A: The Florida Legislature has adopted policies to address state university enrollment. State universities are regarded as limited access institutions, compared to the open door policy that enables anyone with a high school diploma or the equivalent to enroll in a public community college. The Associate of Arts degree is automatically accepted for transfer to a state university, although the student may have to compete for admission for specific limited-access majors. The Florida Prepaid College
Plan does not anticipate any overcrowding problems that are a result of the popularity of the
Plan.
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