Undocumented students banned from enrolling in Florida public universities after board vote
By Pattrik Perez
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ORLANDO, Florida (WESH) — Undocumented students will no longer be eligible to enroll in Florida’s public universities after a vote Thursday by the Florida Board of Governors.
The ban, which takes effect with the 2027-28 academic year, applies to initial enrollment, meaning it does not appear to affect undocumented students who are currently enrolled. It will, however, affect students hoping to attend state universities in the future.
For Alexander Vallejos, an undocumented student at the University of Central Florida, the news was devastating.
“Heartbroken,” Vallejos said. “I can’t imagine it. It seems so unreal.”
Vallejos was brought into the U.S. by his parents when he was 1 year old. He attended Palm Beach State College and is expected to graduate from UCF next spring.
Thursday’s ruling doesn’t affect him, but he worries about undocumented students who are younger and now won’t be able to pursue higher education at Florida’s public colleges or universities.
“I feel lucky, but I do feel really bad,” he said.
The vote comes just a few months after a similar decision impacting state colleges. In June, the State Board of Education passed a rule requiring that all students admitted to the Florida College System, which includes Valencia College, be citizens or lawfully present in the U.S.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis praised Thursday’s board decision in a post on X.
“Glad to see the Board of Governors ratify the prohibition on illegal alien students at our colleges and universities. Always need to put Floridians — and Americans — first,” DeSantis wrote.
Lt. Gov. Jay Collins also voiced his support for the ban.
“Florida’s public universities are for students who are here legally. Period,” Collins wrote, in part, on X. “Florida taxpayers should not be expected to subsidize opportunities for people who broke our laws to come here. I will never apologize for putting Florida and American citizens first.”
Vallejos said he hopes people understand what students like him are seeking.
“At the very least, I wish people knew that we’re not asking for much. We’re not asking for handouts or anything. We just want an opportunity, and that’s it, and we’ll work our way from there,” he said.
WESH 2 reached out to UCF for comment on the board’s decision, but a spokesperson declined to comment at this time.
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