Florida-France Linkage Institute
The Florida-France Institute operates on funds provided by the Governor's Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development (OTTED) and by the French Ministry of Education. It is supported by its sponsoring academic institutions: The Florida State University, University of South Florida, and Miami-Dade Community College.

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The Legislature of the State of Florida has created eleven International Linkage Institutes to assist in the development is strong economic and social ties between Florida and countries considered important to Florida's future. One of these Institutes, the Florida-France Linkage Institute was established in 1986.

The Legislature took an additional step to further the interaction of students from countries represented by the Linkage Institutes, and authorized the exemption of out-of-state tuition fees for up to 25 full-time equivalent French students to attend Florida's public universities and community colleges.

• Only French citizens are eligible to apply for the Florida-France Institute's Out-of-State Tuition Exemption.

• Tuition exemptions can be awarded only upon certification of student's current enrollment in, or admission to, a publicly supported university or community college in Florida. Applicants for graduate tuition exemptions also must verify acceptance by the college/department of the university.

• Students awarded tuition exemptions are required to return to their home country, after their studies, for a length of time equal to their exemption period.

• Exemptions may be awarded at the undergraduate, graduate, and vocational levels, for degree, non-degree and certificate programs of study. Priority will be given to degree-seeking students. Applicants will be considered only after the deadline. These exemptions do not apply to no-credit intensive English study.

• Tuition waiver awards are competitive! Selections will be made primarily on the academic merit of the students (cumulative GPA), and in relation to the Institute's program priorities. Completion of the application and inclusion of all requested materials is NOT a guarantee that the applicant will receive a tuition exemption. The files of each applicant will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and only those applicants, whose qualifications are deemed high enough, by the selection committee and the co-director, will be chosen to receive exemptions. Relevant factors considered by the committee and co-director include, but are not limited to: grade point average (GPA), quality of the statement of purpose, type of degree program, and demonstration of progress towards a degree with an intent to graduate (if the applicant is degree seeking student). To be considered for a Tuition Exemption, a minimum GPA of 3.0 is required.

• It is IMPERATIVE for the applicant to include all materials requested on the checklist page. Applications received without current official transcripts, copies of both French passport and identity card, statements of purpose, letters certifying acceptance or current enrollment at applicant's institution, or any other required documents, will be placed in an incomplete application file. Any applicant whose files are still incomplete by the application deadline will not receive the tuition exemption, and his/her file will be closed. Due to the heavy volume of applications that must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, no exceptions can be made to this rule. If an applicant is unable to include any on of the supporting documents by the deadline date, a detailed explanation for the omission must be given in a letter to accompany that application. The Florida-France Linkage Institute office will determine if alternate documentation may be substituted in order to qualify the applicant.

• Exemptions will be granted for up to 12 undergraduate credit hours, or up to 9 graduate level credit hours of study per semester. There is no guarantee that the requested number of hours will be granted to the applicant, and in no case will an award be given which is greater than the maximum amount.

• Exemptions are granted on a semester-by-semester basis. Therefore, students must submit an application for each semester.

Your application will be considered incomplete if you fail to include any of the above documentation. Any student whose file is still incomplete by the deadline will not receive a tuition exemption. NO EXCEPTIONS CAN BE MADE TO THIS RULE. Please notify the Florida-France Linkage Institute of any address changes to avoid any future miscommunication.

APPLICATION DEADLINES
Summer - April 16th
Fall - July 30th
Spring - November 15th

1. Completed application form.
2. Copy of letter of acceptance from the university or community college, or certification of current enrollment.
3. Statement of Purpose, parts A and B.
4. A sealed official current transcript. Unofficial transcripts that do not indicate current GPA will not be accepted; the same applies to photocopies of recent grade reports or report cards.
5. Copy of French passport and copy of French ID.

Submit this application with your most current transcripts.

ONLY if it is the first semester that you have received the tuition exemption and do not have transcripts to turn in for next semester's application, you may turn in a progress report signed by all your teachers.