Florida Board of Governors voted to bar undocumented students from the state's 12 public universities

On September 3, 2026, the Florida Board of Governors -- the 17-member body that oversees the State University System's 12 public universities -- voted unanimously to bar admission of any person "present in the United States unlawfully," beginning with the 2027-2028 academic year. The board approved the rule without discussion as part of its consent agenda during a meeting in Fort Myers, after a 15-minute public comment period. Current students are not affected; the rule applies only to new enrollment.

The vote follows a series of state actions restricting undocumented immigrants' access to Florida's public higher-education system. The Florida State Board of Education -- a separate policymaking body that oversees the state's 28 public colleges rather than its universities -- had already barred undocumented students from those colleges and from adult-education and GED programs on June 30, 2026. During the 2026 legislative session, Republican lawmakers filed bills to impose a similar admission ban across Florida's higher-education institutions, but the measures died in committee without passing. Florida had already ended in-state tuition eligibility for undocumented students in 2025.

Lt. Gov. Jay Collins called the rule "common sense" in a social media post, saying Florida's public universities "are for students who are here legally" and that taxpayers "should not be expected to subsidize opportunities for people who broke our laws to come here." Robert Cassanello, president of the United Faculty of Florida, said the rule "stymies growth and closes doors that have helped our communities" rather than expanding the university system's capacity. During public comment, Florida Gulf Coast University associate professor Maria Barbero said the policy "sends a message of exclusion, not access" and noted that the students it excludes were admitted on the basis of merit.

The State University System does not currently track how many enrolled students lack lawful immigration status. Roughly 60,000 undocumented immigrants are enrolled in Florida higher education overall, and about 8,000 undocumented students graduate from Florida high schools each year, according to reporting on the vote.