The Bill Young Waiver — In-State Tuition for Veterans, and for Anyone Using VA Education Benefits
The Congressman C.W. "Bill" Young Veteran Tuition Waiver Act gives an honorably discharged veteran the Florida resident tuition rate with no waiting period. It also reaches any person entitled to and using VA educational assistance who physically resides in Florida while enrolled — which includes Chapter 33 transferees and Chapter 35 dependents and survivors. Reserve and National Guard discharges qualify.
Verified August 27, 2026
What this benefit is
An honorably discharged veteran gets the Florida resident tuition rate immediately, with no waiting period and no need to establish twelve months of residency first.
What it's worth: The difference between out-of-state and in-state tuition
- Shown as a range because the out-of-state premium differs at every institution. It is excluded from your annual total for that reason.
- The statutory name is the Congressman C.W. "Bill" Young Veteran Tuition Waiver Act. Institutions use that name on their forms, so search for it rather than for a description.
- The second eligible population is any person entitled to and using U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs educational assistance who physically resides in Florida while enrolled — Chapter 33 transferees and Chapter 35 dependents and survivors among them. They need not be veterans themselves.
- Reserve and National Guard discharges qualify.
- The statute caps the charge: tuition and fees may not exceed those charged a resident student.
Who is entitled to it
- An honorably discharged veteran.
- Enrolled at or applying to a Florida public college or university.
Not sure whether that describes you?
Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.
How to claim it
Deadline: Set by your institution- 1Present your DD214 to admissions and ask for the §1009.26(13) resident rate.
- File with
- Your institution's admissions or veteran services office
- Documents you will need
- dd214
- Apply each term
- Your institution re-checks this every term.
Common mistakes that cost people this benefit
- Paying out-of-state rates for a term while trying to establish residency. You do not have to wait.
Questions people ask
- What is it worth?
- The gap between in-state and out-of-state tuition, which differs at every institution — commonly somewhere between $8,000 and $15,000 a year. Because that range is so wide we show it as a range and keep it out of any savings total.
Sources
- authority · statuteFla. Stat. §1009.26(13)
Why only one source type: The statute is the authority. Operating terms are set per institution.
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.