Allowing tuition raises will not resolve budget issues - the Oracle

The House approved a measure Tuesday that would allow universities that meet certain requirements to raise tuition with no limits. Currently, only University of Florida and Florida State University meet at least the minimum 11 of 14 requirements necessary to qualify. The Florida Senate has already approved the measure, but the bill still needs to be approved by both full chambers and signed off by Gov. Rick Scott, who has adamantly opposed tuition increases. The bill, which allows for what senators are calling "market-rate tuition," attempts to keep Florida universities competitive with other big-name research universities. However, the ability to raise tuition above the yearly maximum of 15 percent will not only weed out the less competitive students, but also those with fewer economic means. One of the requirements that could qualify universities to be exempt from the 15 percent rule includes having an incoming freshman class with an average GPA of 3.8, according to the Miami Herald, but it doesn't matter how impressive a student's GPA is if they cannot afford to attend school.