The Florida State University System Board of Governors voted unanimously on Thursday to prohibit undocumented students from attending the state's 12 public universities. According to the newly approved rule, any individual who is present in the United States unlawfully will not be eligible for enrollment starting with the 2027-2028 academic year. This decision represents the latest action by two key policymaking bodies—the Board of Governors and the Florida Board of Education—that control public higher education institutions across the state.
A Series of Restrictive Measures
This vote follows a similar decision made in June, when the Florida Board of Education barred undocumented students from attending 24 public colleges. More recently, Education Commissioner Henry Mack approved a rule to block these students from postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) programs. These CTE programs train individuals for various industries, including agriculture, healthcare, energy, transportation, tourism, and construction. That specific rule is scheduled for discussion at the Board of Education meeting on September 16 at Polk State College.
Political Support and Legislative Context
Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins defended the decision in a post on X, describing it as "common sense." He stated that Florida's public universities are intended for students who are legally present and argued that taxpayers should not subsidize opportunities for those who broke laws to enter the country. Collins, appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in August 2025, is a former state senator. While Republican lawmakers have attempted multiple times during legislative sessions to restrict non-citizen enrollment through bills, many such measures died in committee without passing, a story we covered in Florida Education Commissioner Blocks Undocumented Students From CTE Programs in.
Impact on State Tuition Laws
The Board's decision aligns with efforts by Gov. Ron DeSantis to repeal a 2014 law that offered qualified undocumented immigrants in-state tuition rates at universities. That earlier law was originally sponsored by Jeanette Nuñez, who served as the state House member and later became DeSantis' first lieutenant governor. Currently, the State University System does not keep track of students who are not lawfully present in the U.S., which may complicate the enforcement of these new eligibility restrictions.
