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Private college and university leaders said Monday they are worried about potential cuts in the state Effective Access to Student Education, or EASE, program, which provides $3,500 annual grants to undergraduates at those private schools. Under the proposed Florida House budget, which will go before the House on Wednesday, private schools would be required to meet several metrics for their students to qualify for EASE. The metrics include overall costs of attendance, student retention rates and graduation rates. Bob Boyd, president of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, said the House proposal could affect more than 21,000 students at half of the state’s 30 private schools. “The purpose of EASE was to create access for students to go into our institutions, because the public schools can’t serve every student in Florida, and they can’t produce every degree that Florida needs,” Boyd said. After the House and the Senate pass their proposed budgets this week, negotiations can formally start on a final spending plan for the fiscal year that will start July 1.
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