Local college students excited for tuition hike veto

The majority of students have left the University of North Florida's campus by now with the semester over but those who remain are excited to hear that Governor Scott will likely veto a proposed three percent tuition hike for state universities.

"Sounds awesome!" says sophomore Daniel Gonzales.

Gonzales says he isn't too worried about his debt situation right now because his tuition is covered by his pell grant, but he adds that if tuition went over his pell grant amount he'd be in trouble.

"It'd have to start coming out of my personal finances because I'm married and have daughters," says Gonzales.

He says he knows plenty of students who live in the dorms and on campus who are concerned they might not be able to come back because they already are having trouble affording tuition, and he says a tuition raise would make their lives even more difficult.

Another student, Raven, tells me in her junior year she's not sweating post-college debt because she's paid as she's gone along but she says she has friends who are freshmen that are really worried about how much debt they'll have when they graduate. She says if the tuition hike is vetoed, she plans to use the money on something that is a burden every current and former college student knows all too well.

"Textbooks....yes, oh my gosh yes because that's the killer right there."

One doctoral student says this is a big help for him and his fellow Ph.D candidates because the doctorate program is more expensive than undergrad is and for someone with a family, it's important to save whenever you can.

"Fortunately I don't have any debt for undergrad but I'm going to have a lot coming out of the doctroal program for sure."

Governor Scott has made education a priority of his this fiscal year.