The Board of Governors of the Florida State University System approved unanimously on Thursday (3) a decision that prevents undocumented students from enrolling in the state's 12 public universities. The measure establishes that students who are in the United States without legal immigration status will not be admitted to the institutions that are part of the state public system.
The decision comes shortly after another measure adopted by the State of Florida against undocumented students. In June, the State Board of Education approved a rule that began requiring verification of immigration status for students seeking to enroll in the 28 institutions of the Florida College System. In 2025, Florida also eliminated benefits related to in-state tuition charges for certain immigrant students, revoking a 2014 law that allowed some undocumented students who met certain requirements to pay the same tuition charged to residents.
The analysis cited by the Independent Florida Alligator points out that approximately 50,000 undocumented immigrants were participating in Florida's higher education system, while about 8,000 undocumented students graduate from high school in the state each year. For many of these students, university represents the possibility of obtaining professional training and expanding job opportunities.
Organizations dedicated to immigrant advocacy had already criticized the previous restrictions imposed by Florida, classifying them as harmful to undocumented students. The decision places Florida among the states that have adopted measures to restrict undocumented students' access to public higher education, in a context of intensification of immigration policies both in the state and in the federal government.
