Florida State Board of Education voted to bar undocumented students from state colleges and adult education programs

On June 30, 2026, the Florida State Board of Education voted in a telephone-only meeting to require all applicants to the state's 28 public colleges to prove U.S. citizenship or lawful immigration status, barring undocumented students from the Florida College System. Colleges must require applicants to attest to their status before admission and provide documentation before enrolling. Both measures passed with one dissenting vote.

At the same meeting, the board approved a rule issued by the Florida Department of Education banning undocumented immigrants from adult general education programs — courses designed to help students earn a high school diploma equivalency or learn English. Board member Daniel Foganholi cast the sole vote against the adult education piece.

The vote came after the Florida Legislature declined to pass similar bills during the 2026 legislative session. The Joint Administrative Procedures Committee, a legislative oversight body, sent a letter to the Florida Department of Education in the days before the vote questioning whether the agency had statutory authority to issue the adult education ban. Florida had already removed in-state tuition eligibility for undocumented students in 2025. The new rules are expected to take effect during the 2027–28 school year; it was not immediately clear how they would affect students already enrolled.