Area colleges offer in-state tuition to Puerto Rican students

Puerto Ricans who move to Central Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria will be eligible for in-state tuition at the region’s three largest colleges and universities.

The University of Central Florida, Valencia College and Seminole State College said Wednesday they would offer the Florida resident tuition rate to new students from Puerto Rico, which was slammed by the historic storm last week.

Osceola County School Board Chairman Kelvin Soto called the colleges’ decision “incredibly thoughtful and considerate.”

“I can imagine that being able to pursue their studies here and not having to pay out-of-state tuition is really going to benefit and help them make the decision about coming here, to Central Florida,” said Soto, a Puerto Rican who moved to the region in 2005. “I think that’s going to have a big impact, a very big impact.”

Many Puerto Rican highschool graduates go on to attend college on the island, Soto said, and they’re now left in limbo. Young adults, in particular, may be interested in coming to Florida to start and even complete college

here. He said he thinks 70,000 Puerto Ricans could arrive in Central Florida over the next year.

UCF also said in-state tuition will be available to about 120 current students who list Puerto Rico residences for this semester and in the spring. The Board of Trustees will address the possibility of offering in-state tuition for additional semesters in the future.

“This is a compassionate way to help our students, and I fully support it,” UCF President John Hitt said, according to a news release.

The move could save students thousands of dollars: Tuition for a full-time, in-state UCF student is about $3,200 per semester. For an out-of-state student, it’s about $11,200.

Florida anticipates an influx of people from the island of 3.5 million. Gov. Rick Scott asked on Tuesday for universities and state colleges to offer in-state tuition to Puerto Ricans.

“We have received support from many of our state colleges and universities,’’ Scott spokeswoman Kerry Wyland said Wednesday. “The governor appreciates UCF’s support for Puerto Rico’s students.”

Rep. Rene Plasencia, R-Orlando, was in Puerto Rico on Wednesday helping with recovery efforts.

“I think that was a great gesture by our governor and by our state colleges and universities,’’ said Plasencia, who is of Puerto Rican descent. “We’re all in this together and we all need to make certain accommodations to make sure that we greet our brothers and sisters ... so that they feel welcome in our state.”

Miami-Dade College also announced it will allow Puerto Rican students to pay in-state tuition and St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens has offered free room and board through spring 2018 to students from Puerto Rico and Caribbean Islands affected by the storm.

Seminole State College went even further, saying displaced residents of Houston and the U.S. Virgin Islands also will be eligible for in-state tuition there for up to 12 months from the date they apply, or through the spring 2019 term.

“Many of those affected were enrolled in institutions of higher learning and have had their lives completely changed,” said Geoff Fortunato, associate vice president of Student Services at Seminole State, according to a news release. “We are making every effort to welcome those students who are displaced.”

Valencia College also extended the offer to students from the U.S. Virgin Islands for a yet-to-be-determined time period.

Carol Traynor, a spokeswoman for the college, said Valencia expects to see students signing up during the next few months for the spring 2018 semester.

“We think that might not be the first thing they need to address,” she said, but adding, “Once they get established, they will start thinking about the future and education or job prospects.”