What is it?

Pursuant to Florida Statute 1009.21, graduate students who are citizens from Latin America and the Caribbean (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) who have been awarded a non-duty scholarship of a minimum of $500 per academic year (Fall and Spring semesters) from the federal government or the State government may be eligible to be designated as Latin American - Caribbean Scholarship recipients.

A Latin American - Caribbean Scholarship recipient will be classified as a Florida resident for tuition purposes only. LAC Scholarship recipients must be awarded an additional $500 scholarship in order to retain Florida resident status for the summer terms.

In summary, FSU now requires that a $500 non-duty scholarship be awarded to each eligible student every semester. E & G funds must be used by departments and units to award this scholarship with the provision that matching funds from private sources can also be utilized. (US Federal Awards are also allowed.)  Details are provided in the link above. 

Note: The process for awarding the Latin American Caribbean Scholarship (LACS) is done by the graduate student's department and questions regarding eligibility should be directed to the student's graduate coordinator or program director. 

*All LAC questions should be directed to the student's Department/Unit or Academic Dean's Office.

* Departmental Use Only!* Click here for the Latin American Caribbean Eligibility/Payment Form

For your information the link to the new Florida BOG rule can be found here. 

Citizens from the following countries are eligible

Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Cayman, Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Martin, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, Uruguay, Venezuela, U.K. Virgin Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands.

LAC Scholarship Criteria

LAC Scholarship recipients must be registered graduate students in good academic standing at Florida State University or a prospective graduate student who has been admitted to the University. Each awarding unit may set additional criteria for new and renewal scholarships. Full time enrollment status (12 hours for purposes of the LAC Scholarship) must be maintained. Under-enrollment must meet immigration requirements and must be approved by the academic dean and the FSU Office of the Registrar.

Note: Graduate or research assistantships do not fulfill the definition of scholarship. Recipients who change majors or graduate and begin a second degree program must reapply for the LAC scholarship. Students who, for any reason, lose their LAC scholarship status will revert to out-of-state tuition classification. If a LAC recipient withdraws from the University, the scholarship is cancelled.

Full-Time Enrollment for LAC Scholarship

The University must follow state statutes and federal regulations regarding state and federal funding eligibility, therefore the University defines full-time enrollment for the purposes of the LAC Scholarship to be the following:

• 12 hours for the fall and spring terms
• 12 hours if enrolled in only session C for the summer term (12 weeks)
• 6 hours if enrolled in only session A for the summer term (6 week 1)
• 6 hours if enrolled in only session B for the summer term (6 week 2)
• 6 hours if enrolled in only session F for the summer term (8 week)
• 6 hours if enrolled in a combination of the above sessions for the summer term