Choosing which university or college to attend can be a challenging task. For Josiah Manners, it all came down to which school would leave him with the least financial burden.
Originally from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Manners considered several schools, including out-of-state options, but ultimately chose to study finance at Barry University. His decision was driven by a desire to maximize scholarship and grant opportunities at a smaller university that offered strong career preparation and personalized support.
“If it’s a smaller university, there tends to be more resources going around which is why Barry stood out,” he said. “Once I got in, there was a significant weight that was lifted, because being raised by a single parent, I didn’t want to put my family in a bind financially.”
(Courtesy Josiah Manners)
Josiah Manners, Barry University Honors Program Student and EASE funding recipient./
Manners was interested in Barry’s Certified Financial Planner certificate program that provides the knowledge and skills for a financial planning career.
“The program captured my attention because it’s hands-on while also being rigorous in research,” he said, and explained how he is part of a student management investment fund committee that helps manage a portion of the university’s endowment.
Manners is a recipient of Florida’s Effective Access to Student Education (EASE), a scholarship that has supported Florida residents for over four decades. This vital $3,500 award given to Florida residents each academic year, totaling $14,000 over four years, has empowered them to pursue higher education at private, nonprofit universities, providing direct support that follows each student to the institution of their choice.
EASE funding is now jeopardized under the Florida House’s new budget proposal. It threatens to strip nearly 22,000 students in 15 of Florida’s private colleges and universities, including Barry University, of tuition assistance.
The proposed Florida House budget for the upcoming fiscal year, set at $113 billion, is $4.4 billion less than the Senate’s plan and includes significant funding cuts, most notably to the EASE grant.
The funding cuts would disqualify private schools that fail to meet new performance benchmarks, such as graduation and affordability rates, which now must be met nearly perfectly to remain eligible for EASE scholarships.
The 15 schools that didn't qualify for EASE funding are made up of six faith-based schools, all three Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and every independent college and university in Miami, including the University of Miami.
On April 9, both the Senate and House approved their respective budget proposals, but unlike the House, the Senate’s version does not include the new performance metric requirements for schools to qualify for EASE funding.
IMPOSSIBLE METRICS
(Courtesy of Barry University)
Mike Allen, President of Barry University.
The Biscayne Times spoke with Mike Allen, president of Barry University and Bob Boyd, president of Independent Colleges and Universities in Florida (ICUF). Both emphasized that the newly imposed metrics overlook a school’s academic achievements and rely on a one-size-fits-all approach.
“It is genuinely an impossible exercise to find a set of metrics that would make sense for the eclecticness of our schools within ICUF,” said Allen. “We all have a value that comes in different forms, in terms of experience and opportunities that we provide students.”
One of the metrics favors institutions with lower tuition rates, disproportionately impacting most private universities, Boyd said.
“All of our schools fail on the cost of tuition because we are all tuition-driven institutions,” he said. “We need to pay our faculty to keep the lights on.”
Despite rising higher education costs nationwide, Barry University has kept students’ net costs below a threshold over the past decade, Allen said.
“The reality for us in Barry is that the net cost for students, what they actually pay out of pocket has stayed either flat or going down in the last five to 10 years, none of that is captured in these metrics,” he said.
Data from the National Center for Education Statistics reveals that tuition and fees at private higher education institutions in Florida have risen by 8% from the 2012–13 academic year to the 2022–23 academic year.
RIPPLING EFFECTS
Allen cautioned that the removal of EASE funding could lead to a sharp drop in enrollment at private institutions like Barry, threatening their ability to maintain academic programs and services.
“Making students or universities pay the difference can certainly impact enrollment rates, which would have a profound effect on our ability to continue providing a high-quality education for our students,” he said.
He adds how removing EASE from institutions disempowers students in choosing the best school for their academic pursuits.
“EASE is about student choice,” said Allen. “Removing it from schools would mean limiting a student’s choice to attend the school that is best for them, and having them choose out of selected schools. It doesn’t track with the priorities around school choice that have been made very clear.”
Manners said removing EASE could affect a student’s choice to attend in-state schools.
“It means students making decisions between staying in the state of Florida and getting a Florida-based education or going halfway across the country or halfway around the world just to get better education, at a cheaper price or more affordable,” he said. “That's something we have to consider.”
AIDING WORKFORCE DEMANDS
(Courtesy of ICUF)
Bob Boyd, President and CEO of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida.
In Florida, there is a strong demand for workers in nursing and education, said Boyd. EASE works as a sustainable program that can empower private institutions to help build the workforce the state needs.
According to data from the U.S. Department of Education, ICUF schools produce 30% of all nursing degrees and 25% of all teaching degrees in Florida, when compared to public institutions.
If the state aims to cut costs without sacrificing the talent that employers rely on, EASE remains the most effective solution, said Boyd, adding how EASE generates enough tax revenue to pay for itself.
“EASE has a 14.5 to 1 ROI,” he said. “Every dollar spent on EASE generates $3.83 dollars in tax revenue, making it one of the most effective educational programs in Florida.”
Boyd added that ICUF institutions support more than 321,000 jobs and help generate $555 million in state and local taxes.
“For $3,500 a student, you produce degrees at a much lower rate than it costs the state to produce those degrees at a public institution which are limited in space and location,” said Boyd.
The Florida House and Senate are negotiating the 2025–2026 state budget, including EASE funding. While the House proposes major cuts, the Senate does not. Lawmakers must finalize the budget by April 29 to meet the May 2 session deadline.
“I’d say 90% of every member (Florida House) I’ve talked to in both parties really support EASE,” said Boyd. “I think this is coming down to a budget issue, and I think once they are educated and understand how important this is with regard to workforce and student tuition going up we will prevail on those issues.”
For students like Manners, whose academic trajectory revolves around financial assistance such as EASE, the sudden removal of it would affect their academic momentum.
“Receiving EASE gives me a bit more peace of mind knowing, that if next application cycle I don't get a scholarship from the university or additional source of funding, I know that I'll have the EASE grant as a financial safety net to offset those costs,” he said. “That can make or break my experience because it determines whether or not I need to take out a loan or having to figure out how can I work on the weekends while studying all week long or putting that burden on my family.”