Florida France Linkage Institute

Tuition Exemption

The Legislature of the State of Florida has created 11 international linkage institutes to assist in the development of strong economic and social ties between Florida and countries considered important to Florida's future. One of these Institutes, the Florida-France Linkage Institute, was established in 1989.

The Legislature took an additional step to further the interaction of students from countries represented by the Linkage Institutes, and authorized the exemption of out-of-state tuition fees for up to 25 full-time equivalent French students to attend Florida's public universities and community colleges.

APPLICATION DEADLINES

Summer: April 1
Fall: July 15
Spring: November 1

TUITION EXEMPTION GUIDELINES

  • Only French citizens are eligible to apply for the Florida-France Institute's out-of-state tuition exemption.

  • Tuition exemptions can be awarded only upon certification of student's current enrollment in, or admission to, a publicly supported university or community college in Florida. Applicants for graduate tuition exemptions also must verify acceptance by the college/department of the university.

  • Students awarded tuition exemptions are required to return to their home country after their studies for a length of time equal to their exemption period.

  • Exemptions may be awarded at the undergraduate, graduate, and vocational levels for degree programs of study. Out-of-state tuition exemption will only be given to degree-seeking students. Applicants will be considered only before the deadline. These exemptions do not apply to no-credit intensive English study.

  • Tuition waiver awards are competitive! Selections will be made primarily on the academic merit of the students (cumulative GPA), and in relation to the Institute's program priorities. Completion of the application and inclusion of all requested materials is NOT a guarantee that the applicant will receive a tuition exemption. The files of each applicant will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and only those applications whose qualifications are deemed high enough by the selection committee and the co-director will be chosen to receive exemptions. Relevant factors considered by the committee and co-director include, but are not limited to: grade point average (GPA), quality of the statement of purpose, type of degree program, and demonstration of progress towards a degree with the intent to graduate. To be considered for a tuition exemption, a minimum GPA of 3.0 is required.

  • It is IMPERATIVE for the applicant to include all materials requested on the checklist page. Applications received without current official transcripts, copies of both French passport and French identity card, statements of purpose, letters certifying acceptance or current enrollment at applicant's institution, or any other required documents, will be placed in an incomplete application file. Any applicant whose files are still incomplete by the application deadline will not receive the tuition exemption, and his/her file will be closed. Due to the heavy volume of applications that must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, no exceptions can be made to this rule. If an applicant is unable to include any of the supporting documents by the deadline date, a detailed explanation for the omission must be given in a letter to accompany that application. The Florida-France Linkage Institute office will determine if alternate documentation may be substituted in order to qualify the applicant.

  • Exemptions will be granted for up to 12 undergraduate credit hours, or up to 9 graduate level credit hours of study per semester. There is no guarantee that the requested number of hours will be granted to the applicant, and in no case will an award be given which is greater than the maximum amount.

  • Exemptions are granted on a semester-by-semester basis. Therefore, students must submit an application for each semester.

PLEASE NOTE!

Your application will be considered incomplete if you fail to include any of the above documentation. Any student whose file is still incomplete by the deadline will not receive a tuition exemption. NO EXCEPTIONS CAN BE MADE TO THIS RULE. Please notify the Florida-France Linkage Institute of any address changes to avoid any future miscommunication.