The Florida Linkage Scholarship program ended permanently on July 1, 2026, due to a new law in Florida (HB 905) recently signed by Governor DeSantis. The new law eliminates all scholarships associated with the Florida Linkage Scholarship programs throughout the state of Florida for both continuing students and new student applicants as of July 1, 2026. Unfortunately, this means that there will be no more out-of-state waivers issued to continuing or new applicants to the Florida Brazil Linkage Scholarship Program at UF, or any other linkage program in the state of Florida after July 1, 2026.
History of the FBLI
The Florida Legislature created the International Linkage Institute Program in 1986 to help strengthen the state’s foreign relations and to promote business, educational, cultural and scientific exchange between Florida and select foreign countries and regions. The Florida-Brazil Linkage Institute united the resources of the 11 universities of the State University System and the 28 institutions of the Division of Florida Colleges with those of state government and business to forge a network of partnerships with Brazilian educational, government and private-sector institutions. The FBLI was housed at the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Florida and was co-administered with Miami Dade College.
