Gov. Scott lays out strict guidelines for any state university seeking a tuition hike this year - John Kennedy, Palm Beach Post

As Florida Atlantic University and other schools proposed dramatic cuts, Gov. Rick Scott laid out strict guidelines Tuesday for any state university seeking a tuition hike this year. Staggered by a $300 million cut in the state budget signed last week by Scott, Florida universities have been planning to ask the State University System's Board of Governors in June for tuition increases of as much as 15 percent to help offset the loss of state money. FAU also proposed last week closing its downtown Fort Lauderdale and Treasure Coast campuses . The University of Florida suggested possible deep cuts in its college of engineering. Most of the state's 11 universities are beginning to partially retrench. Scott, though, said Tuesday that he wants to see the bar set high for any school seeking a tuition increase this year. Tuition at five state schools has spiked roughly 60 percent over the past four years, and about 45 percent at six others, including FAU, records show.