More than 20,000 Florida students will still be able to attend their private university on state-funded scholarships after funding for the scholarships was spared in the budget.
Earlier in the session, legislators were considering scaling back funding for the Effective Access to Student Education, or EASE, grant program to save money.
Students will still receive their $3,500 dollar scholarships to attend 15 private and religious universities in the state, according to the new fiscal year budget.
Keiser University Chancellor Art Keiser said he is celebrating this win for his students. His school would have been one of the 15 impacted by proposed cuts to scholarships.
“It’s the fact that our students will have support from the state in their educational endeavors. And I think we’re just pleased that the Senate and the Governor saw that this was an important consideration, and I think that they made the right decision for the economy, for the workforce,” said Keiser.
Keiser said there’s a reason the program has been around for decades: it helps educate students in high-demand fields like nursing, which is good for the state and its economy as a whole.
“Well, this is a program that goes back to 1979 and it means that the state recognizes the importance that independent higher education plays in the state’s growth,” said Keiser. “We would like to see other states offer these types of grants to the students.”
In Central Florida, students at AdventHealth, Berry, Bethune-Cookman, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical, and Keiser universities can still qualify to receive these scholarships.
Watch Governor Ron DeSantis sign the budget:
Governor DeSantis Signs the Florida Budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 https://t.co/VneFT8eaIY
Also kept in the education budget for the new fiscal year: grants to fully fund Florida’s AP and IB programs, which the legislature was also considering cutting.
All-in-all, one of the hallmarks of Governor Ron DeSantis’ budget this year is historic funding for K-12 schools and teachers in the state, along with higher education, and very few vetoes where education is concerned.
Here’s a list of some of funding highlights for education in DeSantis’ budget, according to a statement from his office:
