Ready to Use Your Prepaid Plan?
So you’ve been faithfully making your Prepaid Plan payments — all while not quite believing your child will ever be old enough to graduate high school, of course. But the day inevitably comes. So now what?
First, know that Florida Prepaid is going to make this easy on you. You will receive alerts both in the spring and summer of your child’s waning senior year, noting that your plan will be eligible for use starting as soon as that summer and for up to 10 years thereafter. You’ll be directed to take a few easy steps:
- If you haven’t already created an account, you’ll be asked to do so. Both account owners and beneficiaries can create an online account to access benefit usage details and receive important information throughout the year.
- Then visit the “Your Documents” section of your online account to review the “First Time In College” communication, which provides important information on how to use your Prepaid Plan benefits.
- Attending an in-state public institution? Super easy. Florida’s 12 State Universities and 28 Florida Colleges will bill Florida Prepaid directly. As long as you notify the institution that you have a Florida Prepaid College Plan, then no other action is required on your part at this time. Also, remember that a college plan can be used at a university, and a university plan can be used at a college — in each situation, we just pro-rate the value.
- Going out of state or attending a private college? No problem. Prepaid Plan benefits can be used at any eligible private or out-of-state institution, and the Plan will pay the same amount as it would pay at a public college or university in Florida. Just submit a Transfer Authorization online. Florida Prepaid will use the current Florida tuition rates to determine the benefit amount that can be paid per credit hour from your Plan to an out-of-state or private postsecondary institution.
- If your child receives a scholarship, congratulations! You have several options. Prepaid Plans work great alongside scholarships, and you can use them together to cover even more college expenses. And rest assured that Bright Futures and Prepaid Plans work great together too. In most cases, the Florida College or University will bill Florida Prepaid first, and then any Bright Futures awards can help cover the remaining expenses that are not covered under the Prepaid Plan (such as housing, books, transportation or lab fees).
Also, if your student receives a full scholarship, you have several great options. You have the option to get a scholarship refund each semester for the same amount as the plan would pay a public college or university in Florida based on your plan type. Or, the value of Prepaid Plan benefits can also be applied to graduate or professional schools nationwide.
If your student graduates from high school early, just give us a call. We can modify your plan to allow for early usage.
If you have questions about the fees covered by your Prepaid Plan, our Tuition & Fees page is a great resource. If you have a university dormitory plan and would like to learn more, see our dormitory FAQs.
For any additional information, please see our Frequently Asked Questions or contact our customer service team at 1-800-552-GRAD. We’re here to help.
Have questions? We’ve got answers! Click here to learn more about our Prepaid Plans and Savings Plan. And click here to start your savings now!
