Florida’s Independent Colleges and Universities have reason to cheer Governor Rick Scott’s budget proposal. Scott wants to boost the dollar amount of grants Florida students receive to go into those institutions.
Tuition at private colleges and universities is the main source of funding for those schools and isn't subsidized by the state. State grants given to those students are mostly known by the acronyms FRAG and PSAG. Five years ago, those grants were worth about $3,000. Now, they’re at $2,150. Governor Rick Scott wants to increase that amount, and Dr. Ed Moore, President of the Independent Colleges and Universities, says it’s about time.
“We’re getting a pretty good response from the legislature, because what’s occurred, is that enrollment in the FRAG program has dropped," Moore said.
Fewer in-state students have been going to the private schools, leading to the decrease in demand. But when those students attend private schools it results in a cost-savings to the state.
