The University of South Florida’s leadership has voted to raise tuition and fees for students who are not Florida residents, a change that will take effect in the fall of 2026.
At a recent meeting, USF’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved a 15 % hike in non-resident tuition and related charges after receiving approval from the Florida Board of Governors. The increase will apply to both out-of-state and international students, while tuition for in-state students will remain the same.
University officials explained that this change represents the second phase of a state-allowed two-year adjustment strategy. Last year, a 10 % increase for non-resident students was approved and put into place.
Students from outside Florida make up a notable portion of the USF community, with just over 12 % coming from other U.S. states and about 6 % from other countries. That means nearly one-fifth of enrolled students will see higher costs under the new structure.
The university says the extra revenue generated by the tuition increase will be reinvested in academic programs, student support services, and financial aid initiatives, and will help cover rising instructional expenses.
Under the updated rates, the cost per credit hour for undergraduate non-resident students will rise from roughly $381 to about $438. For a typical full-time course load of 15 credits per semester, that amounts to an additional roughly $857 per semester or about $1,715 more each academic year. Graduate and professional programs will also see corresponding increases.
University leaders maintain that even with this increase, USF will still be among the more affordable public universities in the country for out-of-state students, and they emphasized that keeping in-state tuition unchanged was a priority.
