APOPKA, Fla. — A proposal in the Florida Senate is threatening to revoke in-state tuition for undocumented students.

What You Need To Know

  • Senate Bill 90, sponsored by Republican State Sen. from Brevard County Randy Fine, would seek to eliminate a decade-old law that allows some undocumented immigrant students to receive in-state tuition rates at Florida universities and colleges

  • According to the American Immigration Council, more than 40,000 undocumented students attend Florida colleges and universities

  • In 2014, Florida passed a law that allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates across its public colleges if they attended their last three years of high school in the state and enroll in higher education within two years of graduation

  • The 2025 legislative session kicks off in March

Senate Bill 90, sponsored by Republican State Sen. from Brevard County Randy Fine, wants to eliminate a decade-old law that allows some undocumented immigrant students to receive in-state tuition rates at Florida universities and colleges.

The difference between what students pay for in-state and out-of-state tuition can be large. For example, at the University of Central Florida, in-state tuition is $5,954 while out-of-state tuition is $20,980.

“For 15 years of my life, I was undocumented. So, I know firsthand what it’s like to actually graduate from high school and not have access to in-state tuition,” Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet, an immigrant from Brazil, said.

Sousa-Lazaballet moved to Miami when he was 14 years old. 

He says he had to pay four times as much as everyone else for tuition despite having good grades. 

“The level of anxiety and uncertainty of not knowing if you can finish your degree simply because of the cost, it’s unbearable,” he said.

He now works as the executive director of the Hope Community Center in Apopka, helping immigrant students graduate high school and access higher education. 

“We support them in every step of the way so they can apply for college, get ready for FAFSA, apply for scholarships, including our own, and then we help them get into college,” Sousa-Lazaballet said.

According to the American Immigration Council, more than 40,000 undocumented students attend Florida colleges and universities. 

In 2014, Florida passed a law that allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates across its public colleges if they attended their last three years of high school in the state and enroll in higher education within two years of graduation.

But a new bill from State Senator from Brevard County Randy Fine would repeal that law.

“I don’t think it’s fair to ask hardworking Floridians who are struggling to make ends meet, to spend $45 million subsidizing the education of people who shouldn’t even be here. It’s simple common sense,” Fine said.

If Fine’s bill becomes law, DACA recipients, along with other undocumented students in Florida, would have to pay out-of-state tuition.

Democratic State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani expressed her concerns about this bill.  

“They’re young people who only know the United States as home, are trying to contribute back to our society by going to our state college. And I believe firmly that their contributions are valid and valuable, and it is important for us to ensure they have a path forward with in-state tuition,” Eskamani said.

Sousa-Lazaballet said no matter the outcome, their organization will continue helping students navigate these challenges. 

“Immigrants are not the problem. Immigrants are actually part of the solution,” he said. “As a matter of fact, what we want to do is to go to college, become educated and enter the labor force, and be able to support our economy and our community at every level. We want simply an opportunity.”

The 2025 legislative session kicks off in March.

If this bill is signed into law, it will take effect on July 1, 2025.