Welcome to the Florida-Costa Rica Linkage Institute!

About

The Florida Costa Rica Linkage Institute (FLORICA) is one of 11 institutes initiated in 1986 by the Florida Legislature. The Linkage Institutes were created "to assist in the development of stronger economic, cultural, educational, and social ties between Florida and select countries through the promotion of expanded public and private dialogue on cooperative research and technical assistance activities, increased bilateral commerce, student and faculty exchange, cultural exchange, and the enhancement of language training skills. The Florida-Costa Rica Linkage Institute was established in 1986 as one of the initial three Institutes. For more information, please click here.

Eligibility & Guidelines

• Be a citizen of Costa Rica.
• Be accepted to a Florida public university or college.
• Be in F-1 student status.
• Must have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher at the time of application and maintain the institutional GPA thereafter.
• Students awarded a tuition exemption must return to Costa Rica within 3 years after their tenure of graduate or undergraduate study for a length of time equal to their exemption period.
• Exemptions will be granted for up to 12 undergraduate credit hours or up to 9 graduate credit hours of study per term.
• Tuition exemption may be awarded at the undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs of study. Priority will be given to degree-seeking students. The exemptions cannot be used for non-credit intensive English study, distance learning courses, or market-rate programs.
• Priority will be granted to continuing applicants. Students completing one degree program and changing to a new degree program will be considered as new applicants and must re-apply for FLORICA in the next application cycle.
• Completion of the application and submission of all requested supporting documents does not guarantee that the applicant will receive a tuition exemption.

Application Requirement (each year - see timelines below)

All applicants are required to submit an application and the supporting documents listed below via the application website each year by the annual application deadline of March 31. 

1. Application form
2. A sealed official transcript including most recent term*
3. Copy of valid Costa Rican passport
4. Copy of valid Costa Rican ID
5. Acceptance letter from Florida public college/university**
6. Copy of valid I-20 (the deadline to submit the I-20 is August 1)

*Please note, transcripts from institutions outside the US must be evaluated by an approved evaluation company and translated to a 4.0-scale. Please see the "Transcript Submission" section below for further information.

**Please note, this item is only required of first-time applicants or continuing applicants who have transferred to a different institution or who have been accepted into a new program (e.g. post-graduate degree).

Ongoing Requirements to Maintain FLORICA Award (each year - see timelines below)

1. Must maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative, institutional GPA,
2. Must complete the credit-used form at the end of the drop/add period every semester by the deadline,
3. Must submit official Fall transcript by the deadline (only applies to students who applied for summer waivers.
4. Must apply for FLORICA waivers each year and submit official transcripts by the deadline.

Application Timeline/Deadlines

Exemptions are granted yearly. Therefore, students must apply each year. Each FLORICA award cycle overlaps with the reporting requirements for the previous year, so if you received FLORICA waivers in Year 1, you will need to complete the Year 1 requirements while at the same time completing the FLORICA application for Year 2.

If you are applying for FLORICA for the first time or if you are applying for a new degree level, follow the deadlines listed in blue during the first year. Continuing applicants should follow the deadlines listed in black.

Transcript Submission

Official transcripts must be sent directly from your institution with the institution's seal.

Electronic official transcripts delivered using a PDF transcript delivery service (e.g. Parchment, Credential Solutions, Maia Learning) over a secure network to the email address, Linkage-FLCR@fsu.edu, as the recipient. This service may or may not be offered at your institution. DO NOT select FSU/Florida State University as the recipient. FLORICA and FSU have separate databases. FLORICA cannot retrieve transcripts sent to Florida State University. You must utilize the email address Linkage-FLCR@fsu.edu as the recipient for electronic transcripts.

Alternatively, sealed official transcripts may be mailed to the following address:

FSU Center for Global Engagement
Attn: Florida Costa Rica Linkage
110 S. Woodward Ave Suite 2100
Tallahassee, FL 32306

Transcript Evaluation

If you have attended an institution outside of the United States, you will be required to submit an evaluated transcript. The transcript evaluation should include a course-by-course evaluation and must include a cumulative GPA calculation. There are several evaluation companies to choose from within NACES | National Association of Credential Evaluation Services. 

If you have any questions about the application process or site, please contact:

Jocelyn Vaughn
Co-Director | Florida-Costa Rica Linkage Institute
Florida State University Center for Global Engagement
Linkage-FLCR@fsu.edu