David Brown | Staff Writer
Florida’s state university system Board of Governors in a unanimous vote ruled to ban undocumented students from attending all of the state’s public universities and state colleges.
The 17-member board, 14 of whom were appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, voted Sept. 3 to block Florida’s 12 public universities from offering admissions to undocumented students starting for the 2027-2028 academic school year.
According to the approved amendment to Board of Governors Regulation 6.001, General Admissions, the ban will apply to all students who are “present in the United States unlawfully”.
The policy does not apply to students who are legally present in the United States, including those studying in the country on valid F-1 and J-1 visas.
The decision is set to affect more than 57,000 undocumented students, now requiring entering students to provide proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful presence in the United States for admission to the Florida State University System.
The decision will also affect currently enrolled students for the next academic year.
Previously on June 30, the board voted on amendments to Rule 6A-10.0240 and Rule 6A-6.014, effectively barring undocumented students from admission to Florida’s 28 state colleges by requiring the same criteria.
“FIU is the largest Hispanic-Serving Institution in the state of Florida, so this decision is going to hit us pretty hard,” said SIPA Senator Alicia Bolton. “It shouldn’t be a matter of documentation when it comes to education. It should be about merit. If someone is highly intelligent and capable enough, they should be able to seek an education. I detest how our education system is being used as a political pawn.”
The policy comes as Florida continues to implement restrictions on undocumented immigrants in higher education after increased competition in admissions to State Universities.
For undocumented students currently pursuing higher education in Florida, the change could force some students to reconsider where they will continue their education.
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