Some undocumented students could be allowed to attend public universities after all
By Ana Goñi-Lessan - News Service of Florida
November 11, 2026 at 6:53 AM EST
Two months after the students were blocked, the state Board of Governors will vote whether to admit them under certain conditions.
Two months after blocking undocumented students from attending the state’s public universities earlier this year, Florida’s higher education leaders are poised to let some of them in after all.
On Friday, the State University System Board of Governors will consider admitting undocumented students into the state’s public universities if they were enrolled in a state college before spring 2027.
In September, the board approved a rule that would bar any person “who is present in the United States unlawfully,” making them ineligible for enrollment in any public university beginning in the 2027-2028 academic year.
But current Florida law guarantees students who graduate from one of the state’s 28 public colleges with admission to one of the state’s 12 public universities. Florida’s Statewide Articulation Agreement, also known as the 2+2 program, ensures a 60-credit transfer toward a bachelor’s degree from a college to a university.
When the BOG approved the rule change to block undocumented students, Republican leaders praised the move. Lt. Gov. Jay Collins called it “common sense.”
ALSO READ: Professor wonders how ban on undocumented students will affect investment in the next generation
“Florida’s public universities are for students who are here legally. Period,” said Collins. “Florida taxpayers should not be expected to subsidize opportunities for people who broke our laws to come here.”
Education Commissioner Henry Mack, who leads the Florida Department of Education, said in a post on X he was proud to support the BOG’s decision.
“Taxpayers built these campuses. They are not a prize for unlawful presence,” Mack wrote.
The Board of Education has also passed several other immigration enforcement-related rules this year, including blocking undocumented students from attending the state’s postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) programs.
While there were several attempts during the 2026 legislative session to block undocumented students from attending higher education institutions in Florida, none of them gained traction in the Legislature.
A bill (SB 1052) sponsored by Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, to prohibit all higher education institutions from admitting any non-citizen who wasn’t legally present in the country, was never heard in committee this year.
Another measure (HB 721) by Rep. Berny Jacques, R-Seminole, which would have required schools to limit the number of enrolled students who are citizens of foreign countries and who are not permanent U.S. residents, received one hearing and never made it to the House floor.
ALSO READ: Some university leaders not happy with Legislature's enrollment oversight
Former Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, told the News Service of Florida she was pleased to see the BOG reconsider the rule change and add a carve out for Florida College System graduates.
“We stressed many times as members of the Legislature that this was never direction that came from our body, and that the Board of Governors and the Board of Education were operating way beyond their jurisdiction in crafting new policy that was targeting immigrant students,” Eskamani said. “It does not surprise me that they are creating this carve out because it ignored state law.”
Eskamani, who is running for mayor in Orlando in 2027, said anti-immigration policies are unpopular in Florida and across the county and hopes Governor-elect Byron Donalds directs the board to repeal the rule entirely.
“Ultimately, both the BOG and the Board of Education should repeal the new rules completely and allow all students, regardless of their origin story, to attend a public university or college that they’ve been accepted to attend.”
The BOG will meet Friday at Florida International University in Miami.
On Friday, the State University System Board of Governors will consider admitting undocumented students into the state’s public universities if they were enrolled in a state college before spring 2027.
In September, the board approved a rule that would bar any person “who is present in the United States unlawfully,” making them ineligible for enrollment in any public university beginning in the 2027-2028 academic year.
But current Florida law guarantees students who graduate from one of the state’s 28 public colleges with admission to one of the state’s 12 public universities. Florida’s Statewide Articulation Agreement, also known as the 2+2 program, ensures a 60-credit transfer toward a bachelor’s degree from a college to a university.
When the BOG approved the rule change to block undocumented students, Republican leaders praised the move. Lt. Gov. Jay Collins called it “common sense.”
ALSO READ: Professor wonders how ban on undocumented students will affect investment in the next generation
“Florida’s public universities are for students who are here legally. Period,” said Collins. “Florida taxpayers should not be expected to subsidize opportunities for people who broke our laws to come here.”
Education Commissioner Henry Mack, who leads the Florida Department of Education, said in a post on X he was proud to support the BOG’s decision.
“Taxpayers built these campuses. They are not a prize for unlawful presence,” Mack wrote.
The Board of Education has also passed several other immigration enforcement-related rules this year, including blocking undocumented students from attending the state’s postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) programs.
While there were several attempts during the 2026 legislative session to block undocumented students from attending higher education institutions in Florida, none of them gained traction in the Legislature.
A bill (SB 1052) sponsored by Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, to prohibit all higher education institutions from admitting any non-citizen who wasn’t legally present in the country, was never heard in committee this year.
Another measure (HB 721) by Rep. Berny Jacques, R-Seminole, which would have required schools to limit the number of enrolled students who are citizens of foreign countries and who are not permanent U.S. residents, received one hearing and never made it to the House floor.
ALSO READ: Some university leaders not happy with Legislature's enrollment oversight
Former Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, told the News Service of Florida she was pleased to see the BOG reconsider the rule change and add a carve out for Florida College System graduates.
“We stressed many times as members of the Legislature that this was never direction that came from our body, and that the Board of Governors and the Board of Education were operating way beyond their jurisdiction in crafting new policy that was targeting immigrant students,” Eskamani said. “It does not surprise me that they are creating this carve out because it ignored state law.”
Eskamani, who is running for mayor in Orlando in 2027, said anti-immigration policies are unpopular in Florida and across the county and hopes Governor-elect Byron Donalds directs the board to repeal the rule entirely.
“Ultimately, both the BOG and the Board of Education should repeal the new rules completely and allow all students, regardless of their origin story, to attend a public university or college that they’ve been accepted to attend.”
The BOG will meet Friday at Florida International University in Miami.