Higher Education Opportunity

About the HEO

We are excited to announce The University of Florida’s Higher Education Opportunity (HEO) program expansion to include out-of-unit faculty for the 2026 HEO Drawing cycle! 

As of the 2026 HEO Drawing cycle, HEO program provides children of full-time staff and *out-of-unit faculty employees with the opportunity of tuition assistance for undergraduate education at the University of Florida. The 2026 HEO Drawing will continue to select up to 150 eligible staff applicants and, up to100 eligible faculty applicants to receive the HEO scholarship for their child.

For each selected child, the university will pay the in-state matriculation fees, for a maximum of 132 credit hours toward an undergraduate degree at the University of Florida or a Florida public college (i.e., SF College or equivalent), in the event the child is not admitted to the University of Florida. Please visit the HEO policy page for more information about program eligibility and coverage.

* Note: This benefit is not currently available to in-unit faculty. Bargaining unit contracts are under negotiation for future participation in this scholarship benefit.

Bright Futures Scholarship

For children receiving the Bright Futures scholarship, the full amount of the Bright Futures scholarship award will be subtracted from the amount the student can receive from the HEO. If your child is, or you expect your child to be, a Bright Futures scholar, please visit the HEO policy page, Financial Obligations section and FAQ.

Program Coverage

This program only covers at the University of Florida or Florida public colleges (i.e., SF College or equivalent), in the event the child is not accepted to UF. The HEO does not cover private institutions, out of state institutions, or other Florida universities (i.e., UCF, UNF, FSU, etc.).

The HEO covers the in-state matriculation fees (the actual instruction portion of tuition fees). Student responsibility fees include housing, books, activities, transportation, health, services, athletic fees, late registration, late payment, materials, lab fees, supplies, etc. Please visit the HEO policy page, Financial Obligations for more program coverage detail.

Non-Transferable

The HEO scholarship is not transferable. Once a drawing applicant is selected, their scholarship cannot be transferred to another applicant, who was not selected. If a selected applicant later decides not to accept the HEO scholarship for their child, the scholarship will be withdrawn and closed.

HEO Drawing Eligibility

Exclusions

• • This benefit is not currently available to in-unit faculty. Bargaining unit contracts will determine future participation in this scholarship benefit.  
  • The HEO is not available to OPS positions, or part-time (less than 1.0 FTE) staff or faculty employees.

Parents

Must be full-time (1.0 FTE) staff or out-of-unit faculty employed at the University of Florida.

• • Staff: Full time (1.0 FTE) TEAMS employee, or LEON, LEOE (UPD police officers, sergeants and lieutenants). 
  • Out-of-unit Faculty: (1.0 FTE) full faculty employee, FA09, FA10, FA12, or FACM.

Children

Must meet the following conditions:

• • The child must be the natural, adopted, step, foster, or any other child for which legal guardianship can be documented, of a full-time (staff or faculty) employee.
  • The child must be under 26 to be entered into the drawing. The child will continue to be eligible for the program (if selected) through the end of the calendar year in which the child turns 26 years of age.
  • The child must graduate high school before the (Fall semester) 2026 academic year begins.

Eligible Children

Meeting the below criteria may be submitted for HEO drawing consideration.

• • A child who is attending UF.
  • A child who will be an incoming college freshman.
  • A child who would like to transfer to UF.
  • A child who would like to attend a public state of Florida college (i.e., SF College or equivalent) if they are not accepted to UF after applying for admission.

HEO-eligible Institutions

• • UF and public state of Florida college (i.e., SF College or equivalent).
  • The HEO does not cover private institutions, out-of-state institutions, or other Florida universities (i.e., UCF, UNF, FSU, etc.).

HEO Drawing Deadlines

Both the parent and child must meet the deadlines below to participate in the 2026 HEO Drawing.

Parent’s deadline: Expires1159PM, November 3, 2025.

• • Parents must submit the online HEO Drawing application (near the bottom of this page) before the deadline expires, to enter their child into the 2026 HEO Drawing.

Child’s deadline: Expires 1159 PM, January 15, 2026.

• • Must apply for admission to the University of Florida, Office of Admissions by the “regular decision” Freshman deadline, regardless of academic status.
  • If the child is already an active UF student/attending UF, they do not need to re-apply to UF to meet this HEO drawing requirement.

Please contact heo@admin.ufl.edu if you or your child needs assistance with meeting HEO Drawing deadlines. 

Parent – HEO Drawing Application Requirement  

The eligible (staff or faculty) employee must notify Training and Development in the Office of Human Resources that they wish to enter their child into the HEO drawing for the coming academic year by submitting the online HEO Application Form (near the bottom of this page) by the established deadline, 1159 PM, November 3, 2025.

• • Each eligible full-time (staff or faculty) employee may submit one eligible child’s name per year for entrance into the HEO drawing.
  • More than one eligible employee may enter the same eligible child’s name for consideration in this drawing, provided that the eligible child meets the eligibility criteria for each full-time (staff or faculty) employee.
  • If the eligible employee has a child currently participating in the HEO program, the child should not be reentered unless the parent has lost employment eligibility to participate in the HEO.
  • Each eligible employee may enter a different eligible child’s name in subsequent years, provided that the subsequent eligible child meets the eligibility criteria.

Child – UF Admissions Application Requirement  

If the child is already an active UF student/attending UF, they do not need to re-apply to UF to meet this HEO drawing requirement.

The following (children) students are required to apply with UF Office of Admissions by January 15, 2026, to be entered into the HEO drawing:

• • Transfer students
  • Students who have entered their high school senior year
  • Students applying as freshman
  • Students who are currently attending OR desire to attend another (HEO eligible) Florida public college (i.e., SF College or equivalent) institution

UF Admissions eligibility (for HEO drawing purposes) is based upon the number of college credits completed after high school graduation. Based on this guideline, the following students are eligible to apply for admission to UF (and therefore required to do so for the HEO benefit):

• • Students with 11 semester hours or less (earned following high school graduation)
  • Students with 60 semester hours or more (earned following high school graduation)
  • Note: This is a guideline and should not be solely used to determine if the child should submit the UF Admissions application for drawing purposes.

All UF admissions-related inquires (including confirmation of the status of your child’s UF Admissions application, or your child’s eligibility to submit the UF Admissions application) should be directed to and confirmed by UF Office of Admissions.

• • HEO Drawing applications will be disqualified if the child does not complete the UF Admissions application by 1159 PM, January 15, 2026.
  • The child applying to UF Admissions is an HEO Drawing participation requirement. Regardless of where the child is currently attending or where the child wants to attend, the child must apply for admission to the University of Florida for HEO drawing purposes, by the UF Admissions deadline, January 15, 2026, to be considered for drawing participation.
  • If the child is not admitted to UF, only then will the child have the option of attending a state of Florida college or community college (i.e., SF College or equivalent) instead.
  • The HEO does not cover private institutions, out-of-state institutions, or other Florida universities (i.e., UCF, UNF, FSU, etc.).

Waiving the UF Admissions – HEO Drawing Requirement 

If the child is already an active UF student/attending UF, they do not need to re-apply to UF to meet this HEO drawing requirement.

• • To waive the HEO Drawing’s UF Admissions application requirement, the (child) student must be confirmed by the UF Office of Admissions as “ineligible to submit” the UF Admissions application by January 15, 2026, based upon the number of college credits earned after high school graduation. See HEO Policy for more detail.
  • Students confirmed by the UF Office of Admissions as “ineligible to submit” the UF Admissions application by January 15, 2026, based upon the number of college credits earned after high school graduation), must provide the following documentation to the UFHR office (upon request) to be included in the HEO drawing:

1. 1. 1. Documentation from UF Office of Admissions confirming the child was not eligible to submit the UF Admissions application by January 15, 2026, based upon the number of college credits earned after high school graduation.
      2. Or, transcripts showing all college credit hours earned after high school graduation, confirmed by UF Admissions, the child’s ineligibility to submit the UF Admissions application by January 15, 2026.

Drawing Application Submission – Coming Soon!

October 1, 2025 – November 3, 2025

Drawing Selection and Acceptance Process

Each March, UFHR begins the vetting process for the submitted drawing applications, including but not limited to, verifying eligible (staff and faculty) employee applications were submitted by the HEO deadline, confirming with the UF’s Director of Admissions, children eligible to submit UF Admissions applications met the January 15, deadline, and qualifying child and parent dependency verification. Up to 150 eligible staff applications will be selected and up to 100 eligible faculty applications will be selected.

• • In the event greater than 150 staff applicants are confirmed eligible, to ensure fairness, the 150 names will be selected at a public drawing to take place each spring.
  • In the event greater than 100 faculty applicants are confirmed eligible, to ensure fairness, the 100 names will be selected at a public drawing to take place each spring.
  • In the spring, a public drawing coordinated by Training and Development in the Office of Human Resources will be held to select 150 staff names from the pool of eligible staff HEO applicants, and or 100 faculty names from the pool of eligible staff HEO applicants eligible who have applied for admission to the University, as verified by the Office of Admissions. All eligible HEO applicants and their qualifying parents will be given appropriate notice of the date, time, and location of the drawing.

Parents of the children selected for the HEO scholarship will be notified by the UFHR HEO Coordinator after the drawing selection has concluded.

• • The children selected from the drawing pools, who meet admissions requirements to the University of Florida, will be offered admission to the University, conditional upon receipt of their high school diploma before the date of entry into the University offered by the Director of Admissions.
  • If selected for the HEO and offered admission to the University, the HEO recipient must attend the University to receive the benefit of the HEO.
  • Please note that the University of Florida reserves the right to make changes based on administrative errors.
  • Those children selected from the drawing pools who do not meet admissions requirements to the University, who receive a high school diploma before the beginning of the academic year and who wish to continue in this program must enroll at a Florida public college (i.e., SF College or equivalent).

The HEO benefit will be activated by the following:

• • Receipt of a completed online HEO Acceptance form, submitted by the eligible parent.
  • Receipt of a completed online HEO Status Verification form, submitted by the student and enrollment by the HEO student at the institution indicated on the HEO Status Verification form. Enrollment must occur for the fall semester of the first academic year of the student’s eligibility. If the student does not take courses that fall semester, the student will lose the HEO benefit.
  • Enrollment must occur for the fall semester of the first academic year of the student’s eligibility. If the student does not take courses that fall semester, the student will lose the HEO benefit.

Continued Eligibility

To maintain eligibility in the program each semester:

• • The student’s parent or legal guardian must be a full-time eligible staff or faculty employee on the first day of classes each semester
  • The student must be no older than 26 years of age. 
  • The student’s cumulative GPA (for all college work attempted) must be 2.75 or higher.

See the HEO Policy page for more detail about continued eligibility requirements, requesting Funding, HEO FERPA Release, and GPA Performance Reporting requirements.

 HEO Contact Information

Program Coordinator heo@admin.ufl.edu or 352-273-0149