TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Carlie, a senior at the University of Central Florida, anticipated cherishing her final year on campus. Instead, she finds herself at home, engaging in online courses while fearing detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). A few months earlier, Carlie aimed to support nonprofits for students like herself, having left Haiti at the age of 13. In-state tuition and private scholarships enabled her to live a life she had dreamed of, but recent state legislative changes have severely impacted her educational journey.
Florida lawmakers recently revoked a law from 2014 that allowed residents in the country illegally to qualify for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. Carlie is among the thousands of impacted students whose education has been disrupted. As of July 1, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signing a bill to rescind the tuition waiver program, more than 6,500 students who relied on this financial support have been left struggling to afford education.
The financial implications are staggering. For instance, at the University of Florida, in-state students are projected to pay approximately $6,380 in tuition for the 2025-2026 academic year, while nonresident students face fees of around $30,900. Additional expenses such as housing and transportation can increase the overall cost by over $17,000. Universities in Florida do not specifically track the enrollment of undocumented students, but advocates anticipate reduced attendance or, for many, total abandonment of college aspirations.
Diego Dulanto Falcon utilized the waiver to earn his bachelor’s degree in psychology. Now, as he pursues a master’s in public health at the University of South Florida, he notes the consequences of losing in-state tuition for undocumented students, who he claims face limited options. As he explained, "Fully undocumented students have absolutely no options. They either work under the table or they just don’t work at all."
Another student, identified only as David for fear of deportation, was poised to enter college as a radiologist or physical therapist after excelling in high school in Miami. Now, he works at McDonald’s instead, stating, "When you come into this country and your parents make the sacrifice, all they tell you is focus on school. I did just that." Without the tuition waiver, he feels attending college is no longer feasible.
Nationally, programs that once granted in-state tuition rates to undocumented immigrants are facing increasing criticism from Republican lawmakers. The Trump administration has argued that these benefits are unconstitutional and is currently pursuing legal actions to eliminate various state tuition breaks, beginning with states like Texas, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Oklahoma.
Rosie Curts, a math teacher in Dallas, expresses concern regarding her students' motivation in learning math skills if they believe higher education is out of reach. Citing a Texas law that previously granted in-state tuition to undocumented students and was recently blocked by a federal judge, she remarked on the discouraging effect such changes have on education.
For Carlie, a private scholarship covering in-state tuition has now become meaningless. She managed to enroll online at Purdue Global University; however, the transition has not been smooth, as some credits did not transfer, forcing her to alter her major and delay her graduation. After multiple colleges, including UCF, signed agreements with ICE for immigration enforcement on their campuses, attending in-person classes became too risky for her.
As she navigates this complicated situation, Carlie states, "I chose online school because I simply don’t feel safe." Living alone and distanced from her family, her fears regarding potential deportation loom large. She expressed her longing to get her life back on track while acknowledging, "I can’t stay home forever."
