Florida’s universities are off-limits for anyone in the US ‘unlawfully’

Florida's Board of Governors voted Thursday to bar students unlawfully in the country from enrolling at the state's universities, a measure that received zero board debate and passed on the consent agenda after June's preliminary approval. Public comment was the only forum for opposition, where instructor Roberto Garcia argued the policy tells qualified students their grades and effort don't matter because of their status.

The rule doesn't ban such students outright; it makes them ineligible only at institutions that, for the past two years, didn't admit all academically qualified applicants. A similar policy for the state's 28 Florida College System institutions, including adult education and GED courses, sailed through in June with the same lack of debate.

Gov. Ron DeSantis voiced full support, framing it as prioritizing Florida-raised residents. Roughly 8,000 undocumented students graduate Florida high schools annually, many having attended since childhood, and a 2014 law signed by Gov. Rick Scott previously let them pay in-state tuition.

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