Florida Prepaid's tuition differential fee plan has raised its price for newborns.
It increased from about $4,600 in 2008 to about $20,000 in 2009, according to Susan James, the director of external affairs for the Florida Prepaid College Board.
Jones wrote in an e-mail that the increase in the plan stems from the Florida Legislature's efforts to boost Florida state universities' tuition until it reaches the national average.
The legislation allows state universities to increase the total of their tuition and tuition differential fees by up to 15 percent each year, she wrote.
Bill Edmonds, spokesman for the Florida Board of Governors, said the legislature raised tuition by 8 percent. Likewise, Florida's 11 state universities mandated a 7 percent tuition differential fee, which brings in money for hiring new professors and creating smaller class sizes.
He said students with prepaid plans purchased on or before Jan. 31, 2007 do not have to pay the differential tuition fee.
Bright Futures covers tuition but not the tuition differential, he said.
UF freshman Ajla Fatkic has a Florida Prepaid plan. She moved to the U.S. from Bosnia when she was 4 years old. She said her dad knew tuition would rise but wanted her to go to college.
"His biggest thing was he wanted his kids to have the American dream," Fatkic said.
She questioned whether the increase in the plan was worth it.
Ruth Harris, the associate controller for University Financial Services, said she does not think the plan's rise in price will deter many families from purchasing prepaid plans. She said families who want to purchase the plans and have the ability to do so will continue to participate in the program.
"The beauty of this whole thing is you're still paying today's costs for tomorrow's prices," Harris said.
She said some families may find it harder to afford the plan after the increase, especially given the state of the economy.
However, Harris said UF remains a low-cost institution.
Edmonds agreed. He said UF still has the third-lowest tuition and fees in the country, with only Wyoming and Louisiana charging less.
