Florida Resident Access Grant (FRAG)
Fact Sheet
The William L. Boyd, IV Florida Resident Access Grant (FRAG) provides tuition assistance to resident students attending nonprofit colleges and universities located in the state. The program is administered by the Florida Department of Education pursuant to Florida statutes and administrative rules adopted by the State Board of Education. Each participating eligible institution administers the program for and on behalf of the eligible students it enrolls. Funds for support of the Florida Resident Access Grant are contingent each year o the appropriations made by the Florida Legislature.
1. Eligibility Criteria
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Applicants must submit applications each year to the participating
eligible postsecondary institution by the established deadline.
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An applicant must be a Florida resident for twelve (12)
consecutive months prior to the first day of class of
the academic term for which assistance was requested. The
primary intent of establishing residence in Florida must
not be for the purpose of obtaining an education. An individual
who comes to Florida as an out-of-state resident to enroll
in a Florida postsecondary educational institution will not
meet the Florida residency requirement for state financial
aid purposes, regardless of the length of time enrolled.
Dependent students may take the residency of either parent who meets the Florida residency requirements, even if claimed as a dependent by a nonresident parent. A parent is either a natural or adoptive parent or legal guardian. A dependent applicant will be considered to have met the requirements for Florida residency if the applicant has lived for the past five years with a relative who has had day-to-day supervision of the individual, and the relative meets all the requirements for Florida residency.
For the purpose of residency, an independent applicant must not be eligible to be claimed as a tax exemption by a parent and must meet the federal definition of an independent student for Title IV purposes.
Residents of Florida stationed out-of-state on active military duty, and their spouses and dependent children, will retain Florida residency status.
Active-duty members of the armed forces stationed in Florida, their spouses and dependent children, and full-time instructional and administrative personnel of state public schools, colleges and universities, and their spouses and dependent children are classified as Florida residents.
An applicant receiving funds through this program, who subsequently loses Florida residency status, may be eligible to continue to receive funds for a period of twelve (12) months.
Applicants who have questions regarding residency status should contact the financial aid office of the institution they plan to attend.
- Applicants must be enrolled in a first bachelor's degree program
at an eligible independent Florida college or university.
- Students must be classified by NSU as an undergraduate student
for financial aid purposes. If you are enrolled in a program
that indicates you are considered a graduate student after 90
credits, you will not be eligible for the FRAG.
- Applicants must enroll each semester for a minimum of twelve
(12) credits (9 credits for nursing) by the end of the first 8-week
drop/add period.
- Recipients must not owe a repayment under any state or federal
grant or scholarship program.
- Recipients must not be in default of any Federal Title IV or
state student loan program unless satisfactory arrangements to
repay have been made.
- Students shall be eligible to receive financial aid for a
maximum of nine (9) semesters or fourteen (14) quarters. However,
students participating in college preparatory instruction, students
requiring additional time to complete the CLAST, or students
enrolled in a five-year undergraduate degree program shall be
eligible to receive financial aid for a maximum of ten (10) semesters
or fifteen (15) quarters. Five-year eligibility does not extend
to a program that leads to the simultaneous award of a graduate
degree and an undergraduate degree.
- Applicants who are in the program for the first time are not
required to have a minimum grade point average.
- Renewal applicants shall have earned a minimum cumulative grade
point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale and have earned twelve (12)
credits per term (9 credits for nursing) or the equivalent for
the number of terms for which aid was received.
- Reinstatement applicants must have earned a minimum cumulative
grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- Applicants who fail to earn the minimum number of credits
required shall lose their eligibility for renewal period equivalent
to one (1) academic year. However, they may apply for reinstatement
during a subsequent period and may be eligible for an award if
they have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of
2.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- The cumulative grade point average and the number of credit
hours earned for a renewal or reinstatement of an award will
be determined at the end of the second semester or third quarter.
- A student who earns the minimum number of credits required
for renewal but who fails to meet the minimum 2.0 grade point
average, may be granted a probationary award for up to the equivalent
of one (1) academic year, and shall be required to earn a cumulative
grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale by the end of the probationary
period to be eligible for subsequent renewal.
- A student who fails to meet the probationary requirements
for renewal of an award shall be eligible to apply for restoration
with the postsecondary institution after 2 semesters or 3 quarters. The
student may be eligible for restoration if he or she has earned
a grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale at the end of the
second semester or third quarter of the academic year for which
he or she was ineligible.
- A student who receives Florida Resident Access Grant and subsequently
fails to meet academic progress requirements due to verifiable
illness or another emergency beyond the student's control may
be granted an exception from the academic requirements. Such
a recipient shall make a written appeal to the institution within
30 days of receiving notice of ineligibility. The appeal shall
include a description and verification of the circumstances. Verification
of the illness or other emergency may include, but not be limited
to, a written statement of a physician, parent, or college official. The
institution shall recommend each exception and submit necessary
documentation to the Office of Student Financial Assistance,
Florida Department of Education. The department may accept or
deny a recommendation for exception from the institution.
- Applicants must be making satisfactory academic progress as
defined by the college or university in which they are enrolled.
- Each Florida Resident Access Grant shall be awarded for one
(1) academic year or, in some cases, one term. The access grant
issued to a full-time student shall:
- Be no more than the maximum amount as specified in the General Appropriation Act
- Be paid on a prorated basis each quarter or semester
- Be adjusted when the amount of other scholarships and grants designated for tuition and fees, combined with the access grant, exceeds the cost of tuition and fees.
2. Awards
The amount of the award is based on the amount established in the General Appropriations Act. The student will be notified by the institution of the amount of the award. Awards are made to eligible students by the institution each academic term, excluding summer terms.
3. Payments
Payments are made by the Florida Department of Education directly to the approved institution on behalf of and to the credit of each eligible student certified and invoiced to the Department of Education by the established deadline. Payments are made each academic term.
Questions regarding specific individual circumstances will be answered by the authorized official of the educational institution the student is attending. Each participating institution makes decisions with respect to student eligibility and qualifications for this program.
4. Appeals
An applicant who believes financial aid has been wrongly denied has certain rights to appeal:
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An applicant may appeal if he or she believes the Florida
Department of Education erred determining eligibility or in
failing to transfer an award.
- If aid is denied for failure to meet state academic progress requirements, an applicant may appeal the denial to the institution by providing proof of illness or other emergency beyond the applicant's control.
A Department appeal is to be filed within thirty days of the date of the notice of ineligibility. An institutional academic progress appeal is to be filed by the date established by the institution's financial aid office.
USE OF APPLICANT'S SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER/NONDISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
The Privacy Act of 1974 requires state agencies to inform applicants of the reasons for requesting their Social Security numbers (SSN). The Florida Department of Education requests an SSN on all applications for student financial assistance in order to correctly identify applicants, match each applicant's financial aid record with the student record at the postsecondary institution the applicant attends, and help coordinate state student aid programs with federal student aid programs.
An applicant will not be denied financial assistance for failure to disclose the SSN. Without an SSN, correct identification of an applicant's record cannot be assured and this may result in an error in the award amount or a delay in the disbursement of an award.
Pursuant to Florida Statute 228.2001, state student financial assistance is provided to eligible applicants without discriminating on the basis of race, sex, national origin, marital status, or handicap. Minority status will be considered when it is required by law as a condition of eligibility or selection.
