Florida Senate - 2025 SB 244
By Senator Fine
19-00826-25 2025244__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to postsecondary education; creating
3 s. 1004.072, F.S.; prohibiting Florida College System
4 institutions and state universities that meet
5 specified criteria from accepting the application of
6 or admitting an individual who is undocumented for
7 federal immigration purposes; amending s. 1007.263,
8 F.S.; conforming a provision to changes made by the
9 act; making technical changes; amending s. 1009.26,
10 F.S.; deleting provisions relating to the waiver of
11 out-of-state fees for certain students; providing an
12 effective date.
13
14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16 Section 1. Section 1004.072, Florida Statutes, is created
17 to read:
18 1004.072 Admission of undocumented individuals prohibited.
19 A Florida College System institution or a state university with
20 an acceptance rate less than 85 percent may not accept the
21 application of or admit an individual who is undocumented for
22 federal immigration purposes.
23 Section 2. Section 1007.263, Florida Statutes, is amended
24 to read:
25 1007.263 Florida College System institutions; admissions of
26 students.—Each Florida College System institution board of
27 trustees is authorized to adopt rules governing admissions of
28 students subject to this section, s. 1004.072, and rules of the
29 State Board of Education. These rules shall include the
30 following:
31 (1) Admissions counseling must shall be provided to all
32 students entering college or career credit programs. For
33 students who are not otherwise exempt from testing under s.
34 1008.30, counseling must use the tests or alternative methods
35 established by the State Board of Education under s. 1008.30 to
36 measure achievement of college-level communication and
37 computation competencies by students entering college credit
38 programs. Counseling must measure achievement of basic skills
39 for career education programs under s. 1004.91. Counseling
40 includes providing developmental education options for students
41 whose results, determined under s. 1008.30, indicate that they
42 need to improve communication or computation skills that are
43 essential to perform college-level work.
44 (2) Admission to associate degree programs is subject to
45 minimum standards adopted by the State Board of Education and
46 must shall require:
47 (a) A standard high school diploma; a State of Florida high
48 school equivalency diploma awarded under s. 1003.435(2); a high
49 school equivalency diploma issued by another state which is
50 recognized as equivalent by State Board of Education rule and is
51 based on an assessment recognized by the United States
52 Department of Education; previously demonstrated competency in
53 college credit postsecondary coursework; or, in the case of a
54 student who is home educated, a signed affidavit submitted by
55 the student’s parent or legal guardian attesting that the
56 student has completed a home education program pursuant to the
57 requirements of s. 1002.41. Students who are enrolled in a dual
58 enrollment or early admission program pursuant to s. 1007.271
59 are exempt from this requirement.
60 (b) A demonstrated level of achievement of college-level
61 communication and computation skills.
62 (c) Any other requirement requirements established by the
63 board of trustees.
64 (3) Admission to other programs within the Florida College
65 System institution must shall include education requirements as
66 established by the board of trustees.
67 (4) A student who has been awarded a certificate of
68 completion under s. 1003.4282 is eligible to enroll in
69 certificate career education programs.
70 (5) A student with a documented disability may be eligible
71 for reasonable substitutions, as prescribed in ss. 1007.264 and
72 1007.265.
73
74 Each board of trustees shall establish policies that notify
75 students about developmental education options for improving
76 their communication or computation skills that are essential to
77 performing college-level work, including tutoring, extended time
78 in gateway courses, free online courses, adult basic education,
79 adult secondary education, or private provider instruction.
80 Section 3. Subsection (12) of section 1009.26, Florida
81 Statutes, is amended to read:
82 1009.26 Fee waivers.—
83 (12)(a) A state university, a Florida College System
84 institution, a career center operated by a school district under
85 s. 1001.44, or a charter technical career center shall waive
86 out-of-state fees for students, including, but not limited to,
87 students who are undocumented for federal immigration purposes,
88 who meet the following conditions:
89 1. Attended a secondary school in this state for 3
90 consecutive years immediately before graduating from a high
91 school in this state;
92 2. Apply for enrollment in an institution of higher
93 education within 24 months after high school graduation; and
94 3. Submit an official Florida high school transcript as
95 evidence of attendance and graduation.
96 (b) Tuition and fees charged to a student who qualifies for
97 the out-of-state fee waiver under this subsection may not exceed
98 the tuition and fees charged to a resident student. The waiver
99 is applicable for 110 percent of the required credit hours of
100 the degree or certificate program for which the student is
101 enrolled. Each state university, Florida College System
102 institution, career center operated by a school district under
103 s. 1001.44, and charter technical career center shall report to
104 the Board of Governors and the State Board of Education,
105 respectively, the number and value of all fee waivers granted
106 annually under this subsection. By October 1 of each year, the
107 Board of Governors for the state universities and the State
108 Board of Education for Florida College System institutions,
109 career centers operated by a school district under s. 1001.44,
110 and charter technical career centers shall annually report for
111 the previous academic year the percentage of resident and
112 nonresident students enrolled systemwide.
113 (c) A state university student granted an out-of-state fee
114 waiver under this subsection must be considered a nonresident
115 student for purposes of calculating the systemwide total
116 enrollment of nonresident students as limited by regulation of
117 the Board of Governors. In addition, a student who is granted an
118 out-of-state fee waiver under this subsection is not eligible
119 for state financial aid under part III of this chapter and must
120 not be reported as a resident for tuition purposes.
121 (d) A state university, a Florida College System
122 institution, a career center operated by a school district under
123 s. 1001.44, or a charter technical career center shall, within
124 the nonresident student enrollment systemwide, prioritize the
125 enrollment of a veteran who is granted an out-of-state fee
126 waiver pursuant to the Congressman C.W. “Bill” Young Tuition
127 Waiver Act over a student who is granted an out-of-state fee
128 waiver under this subsection.
129 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.