Florida considers blocking undocumented students from career programs, technical schools

Florida officials are considering whether to block undocumented students from enrolling in career and technical education programs.

admin September 16, 2026 3 minutes read

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida officials are considering whether to block undocumented students from enrolling in career and technical education programs.

Florida education policy

What we know:

The programs prepare students for careers in fields including information technology, mechanics, HVAC, electrical work, and healthcare support.

The proposal follows new rules restricting undocumented students’ access to Florida’s public universities and colleges.

Earlier this month the state’s University System Board of Governors voted to restrict undocumented students from attending the state’s 12 public universities earlier this month.

The updated policy states that students who are “present in the United States unlawfully” will not be eligible for enrollment in public universities that “did not admit all academically qualified applicants.”

The United Faculty of Florida and the Florida Education Association has criticized the changes, warning they “stymie growth and close doors” as the state faces shortages in healthcare, education and the skilled trades.

The proposed restrictions mark a sharp shift from Florida’s previous approach.

State university restrictions

The backstory:

In 2014, the state moved to allow undocumented students who attended Florida high schools to pay in-state tuition.

Then-Governor Rick Scott signed the measure into law and advocated for the policy.

In 2023 Senator Rick Scott told Fox 13’s Craig Patrick he gave in-state tuition breaks to undocumented students living in Florida when he was governor, because it’s for individuals who grew up in our state. Scott said these undocumented students deserve the same tuition as their peers.

And so did other republican leaders nine years ago— including Gov. DeSantis Lt. Governor Jeanette Nunez, who sponsored in-state tuition for undocumented students in 2014, as well as former Florida governors Jeb Bush and Bob Martinez. That same year, the Republican party of Florida attacked then-Democrat Charlie Crist for opposing discounted tuition for undocumented students.

Now Florida finds itself in a very different climate.

Florida lawmakers repealed the tuition waiver last year.

An attempt in the legislature this spring to ban undocumented students from enrolling in Florida’s public universities and colleges failed to advance beyond committee. Now the Florida Board of Governors, nearly all of which are appointed by DeSantis, is moving to pass the new restrictions on their own.

Board of Education vote

What’s next:

If approved, the new rules would apply to students applying next school year.

The final scope of the career-program restrictions and how schools would implement them remain unclear.

The language in the previously approved rules for colleges and universities appears to leave open the possibility that undocumented students could still attend schools with available space, should they meet academic qualifications for enrollment.