Florida Proposal Would Revoke In-State Tuition for Undocumented College Students
Credit: Joe Raedle / Staff / Getty Images News- Nonresident Floridians currently can attend public institutions paying the in-state tuition rate.
- This tuition waiver passed with bipartisan support in 2014.
- Republicans have since attempted to revoke this waiver, claiming it pushes costs onto taxpayers.
Undocumented Floridians may soon be forced to pay out-of-state tuition in the state for the first time in about a decade.
State Sen. Randy Fine, a Republican who previously served in the state House of Representatives for eight years, proposed revoking a tuition waiver for nonresident students on Monday. The bill, SB 90, would reverse a law passed in 2014.
The 2014 law allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition in Florida if they meet these requirements:
- Attended high school in Florida for at least three consecutive years before graduating
- Graduated from a Florida high school within the past two years of enrolling in a public college or university in Florida
- Submits an official high school transcript from a Florida high school
Fine says the waiver subsidizes tuition rates, costing taxpayers an estimated $45 million in 2021. He also touted the proposal as a way to increase state revenue.
“This is a no-brainer way to reduce the size of government and free up resources to help Floridians in need,” Fine said in a statement. “While blue-collar Floridians are struggling to make ends meet, it is not fair to require them to pay $45 million a year to subsidize sweetheart deals for college degrees to those who should not even be here.”
This isn’t the first time Florida Republicans have floated the idea to revoke this out-of-state tuition waiver.
In March 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis introduced a similar bill, but it failed to gain traction in the state Legislature. Former Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who signed the waiver into law in 2014, pushed back on that repeal effort. He told the Florida Phoenix at the time that he “would sign again today” if given the chance.
The Higher Ed Immigration Portal estimates there are over 43,000 undocumented students in Florida colleges and universities currently. The majority (86%) are not eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
Out-of-state tuition in Florida is roughly three times higher than in-state tuition.
Undocumented college students are not eligible for federal financial aid. This makes funding a college education difficult for most undocumented students, and higher tuition costs could prevent many of these students from enrolling or continuing their degree programs.
Time will tell if Fine’s proposal will gain traction in the state Legislature.
Fine, for his part, will resign from the state Senate effective March 31 to run for a newly vacated U.S. House of Representatives seat. Florida’s legislative session won’t start until March, so Fine likely won’t hold state office to ferry his bill through the Senate.