FLORIDA — The Florida State Board of Education voted on July 1, 2026, to bar undocumented students from enrolling in the state's 28 public colleges and adult education programs. The decision requires students to provide documentation of lawful presence in the United States prior to admission.

The board's vote approved two amendments to the Florida Administrative Code, with all but one board member voting in favor. Each college's board of trustees must now implement policies that ensure applicants attest to being a U.S. citizen or lawfully present before being admitted. The new rules also apply to Florida's adult education programs, which include GED preparation.

Board member Daniel Foganholi Sr. voted against the rules. "Our responsibility is to oversee education, and I believe we should remain focused on expanding educational opportunity while leaving immigration enforcement to the appropriate agencies," Foganholi said.

Over 30 individuals spoke in opposition to the new rules during the public comment period. Florida State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith, a member of the Legislature's joint administrative procedures committee, also voiced concerns. "Florida law requires you to maintain an open-door admission policy in our state colleges, which these rules violate," Smith said.

"Our Constitution also requires you to provide for the education of all children within our borders, which makes what you are doing unconstitutional for those dually enrolled minors in the Florida College System classes," Smith said. The joint administrative procedures committee sent a letter to the board on June 26, 2026, requesting legal justification for the amendments.

An estimated 8,000 undocumented students graduate from high school in Florida each year, and over 49,000 undocumented students are currently enrolled in Florida colleges, according to the Higher Ed Immigration Portal. Florida eliminated in-state tuition for undocumented students in 2025 as part of an immigration bill signed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.

The new policy is projected to result in a loss of more than $15 million annually in tuition and fees for Florida College System institutions, based on an analysis by the Florida Policy Institute. The new rules do not affect Florida's 12 public universities, which are governed by the Florida Board of Governors. States like Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina also have policies that limit undocumented students' access to higher education.