In a stunning reversal of what was previously voted on and accepted, the Florida state legislature changed the guidelines for what is a “preeminent university” on Friday night, and possibly shut USF out of over $10 million in funding.
The change in legislative language via public hearing altered one of the twelve standards regarding the graduation rate for incoming freshmen. The old standard was a 70% graduation rate in six years, and though USF stands currently at 67%, the class that just graduated yesterday would have put it over 70%.
The legislature decided to amplify the need for students to graduate in four years, so both the Florida House and Senate voted earlier this session to change it to a 50% graduation in a four-year cycle.