HCC Homeless Tuition Exemption Procedure

Revised 9/28/21

Per Florida Statute 1009.25(1)(f) The following students are exempt from the payment of tuition and fees, including lab fees, at a school district that provides workforce education programs, Florida College System institution, or state university.  A homeless student is defined by statute as “A student who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence or whose primary nighttime residence is a public or private shelter designed to provide temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized, or a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.”

Students are required to meet with an HCC Counselor to request the homeless tuition exemption.   Counseling will assist students in reviewing the certification checklist and documentation needed to submit a request.  Exemption requests must be submitted by the payment deadline due date for the term the exemption is sought. No exemption request will be reviewed after the start of the term.  Failure to meet these requirements or submit the exemption request by the deadline could result in denial of the request and classes being dropped for non-payment.  

Students must meet all of the following requirements to be eligible for the homeless tuition exemption. 

Initial Eligibility (Effective July 1, 2021)

  • Must have completed the enrollment process and be registered for classes in the term exemption is sought.
  • Must be degree seeking and taking courses required for the selected degree program
  • Applied for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
  • Must not have a prior financial balance
  • Must provide supporting documentation from a temporary housing facility or other organization regarding your housing status.  Hawks Landing is an apartment complex and does not qualify as temporary housing such as a college dormitory or residence hall.
    • The Federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act states that children and youth
      (Pre K-12) who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence are considered homeless. For postsecondary students (graduated high school), the McKinney-Vento form on its own does not make a student eligible to receive the homeless exemption. Students are able to use the homeless exemption waiver based on the Federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act only the initial term of transition from high school to HCC. Postsecondary students will need to submit additional documentation to prove their housing status included but not limited to the following.
      • A letter from a government agency on official letterhead stating homeless status
      • A letter from a pastor on official letterhead stating homeless status
      • Additional documentation as deemed appropriate by an HCC Counselor
      • Doubled-up
        • Doubled-up is the informal wording used to describe a concept included in the McKinney-Vento Act’s definition of homeless.  It refers to shared living arrangements, some of which may be considered homeless, while others may not be, depending on various factors.
  • Students must be Florida residents for the purposes of tuition and fees.

Continued Eligibility (Effective Fall term 2022)

  • Must meet all initial requirements for eligibility
  • Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for each term of enrollment using the homeless tuition exemption.
  • Must meet with an HCC Counselor a minimum of two times during the term you are enrolled using the exemption to complete the following.
    • A Hawk GPS Plan
    • An action plan to transition from homelessness 
  • The homeless tuition exemption request must be submitted with supporting documentation each term you are enrolled
  • Students are required to take classes that are applicable to their degree program to remain eligible to receive the homeless exemption.  Students’ academic records will be reviewed each  term to ensure successful progress to degree.

For assistance with homeless certification tuition exemption, please contact an HCC Counselor. 

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