The Florida State University System Board of Governors voted unanimously on Thursday to prohibit undocumented students from attending the state’s 12 public universities. Under the newly approved rule, any individual present in the United States unlawfully will be ineligible for enrollment beginning with the 2027-2028 academic year. This decision represents the latest action by Florida's two primary higher education policymaking bodies—the Board of Governors and the Florida Board of Education—to restrict access to public educational institutions based on immigration status.
Legislative Context and Executive Support
Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in August 2025, defended the policy as a matter of fiscal responsibility and legal compliance. In a post on X, Collins stated that Florida’s public universities are intended for students present legally. He emphasized that taxpayers should not be expected to subsidize educational opportunities for individuals who entered the country unlawfully.
The Board's vote follows a series of legislative attempts by Republican lawmakers to restrict higher education access for undocumented immigrants. During the 2026 regular session, legislators filed bills aimed at prohibiting non-citizens from enrolling and limiting enrollment for foreign citizens who are not permanent residents. However, these measures failed to advance through committee.
Parallel Actions Across Education Sectors
The State University System’s decision closely mirrors actions taken by the Florida Board of Education earlier this year. In June, that body voted to bar undocumented students from attending Florida's 24 public colleges and General Educational Development (GED) programs. More recently, Education Commissioner Henry Mack approved a rule blocking undocumented students from postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) programs, as we reported in Florida Proposes New Rules for AI Use at Public Colleges Amid Academic Integrity.
These CTE programs provide training for various industries, including agriculture, health care, energy, transportation, tourism, and construction. The new CTE restriction is scheduled for discussion at the Board of Education meeting on September 16 at Polk State College. Together, these measures effectively restrict undocumented individuals from accessing most levels of Florida's public higher education system, as we reported in Florida University Leaders Oppose Out.
Historical Precedent and Current Tracking
The current policy shifts away from a 2014 law that allowed qualified undocumented immigrants to receive in-state tuition rates at state universities. That earlier legislation was sponsored by Jeanette Nuñez, who served as Florida’s first lieutenant governor under DeSantis before becoming a state House member. The repeal effort gained momentum after Gov. DeSantis pushed lawmakers to overturn the 2014 statute during his administration, according to Washington Post.
Currently, the State University System does not maintain records tracking students based on their lawful or unlawful presence in the United States. The implementation of this new ban will require administrative changes to enrollment processes across all 12 public universities within the state system.
