ORLANDO, Fla. — More than 21,000 Florida college students could lose critical tuition help under a state House budget proposal.

What You Need To Know

  • The Effective Access To Student Education grant (EASE) provides scholarships to Florida residents at some private, not-for-profit institutions to help ease the burden of the cost of a higher education
  • Florida House leadership has proposed steep cuts to the Effective Access to Student Education (EASE) grant

  • More than 21,000 Florida college students from 15 schools could lose critical tuition help

  • Leaders with the Orlando Economic Partnership and the University of Central Florida and other universities will travel to Tallahassee on Monday to lobby for education funds

The Effective Access To Student Education grant (EASE) provides scholarships to Florida residents at some private, not-for-profit institutions to help ease the burden of the cost of a higher education.

Students from Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF) would lose a $3,500 grant.

The proposed cut would impact students at 15 of the 30 schools that fall under this designation.

This includes students from some of Florida’s top private universities including, the University of Miami, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and Keiser University.

It also includes students from Catholic institutions like Barry University and St. Thomas University; and historically Black colleges and universities like Bethune-Cookman University.

The proposed changes to the EASE program will threaten the financial stability of thousands of students and also the future workforce that supports Florida’s economy.

Many of the students who depend on EASE are critical to Florida’s workforce demands — Florida’s independent, nonprofit colleges and universities produce 28% of the state’s nursing degrees and 25% of the teaching degrees, stated Keiser University Associate Vice Chancellor of Public Relations & Senior Department Chief Jeff LaLiberte in a press release.

Cuts to EASE vouchers will impact many of the students pursuing degrees in these high-demand fields, forcing them to pay more for their degrees or leave school altogether. The cuts will also disproportionately impact non-traditional and low-income students who choose to attend independent, nonprofit colleges and universities, LaLiberte added.

Leaders with the Orlando Economic Partnership and the University of Central Florida and other universities will travel to Tallahassee on Monday to lobby for education funds.

They have three key priorities for higher education dollars.

  • They are supporting a $75 million ask from UCF to expand engineering and science programs.

  • They are also asking for $20 million for Seminole State to expand nursing capacity.

  • They are also trying to get leaders to change the allocation of funds to help Valencia College, because out of 28 state schools, Valencia is last in state funding.

Leaders will host a virtual press conference on Monday at 11 a.m. with university presidents from the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida to discuss the devastating changes to the EASE grant.