The proposal would admit undocumented students into public universities if they were enrolled in a state college before spring 2027. The September rule barred anyone "present in the United States unlawfully" from enrolling in any public university beginning with the 2027-2028 academic year.

The carve-out responds to a conflict with existing state law. Florida guarantees admission to one of its 12 public universities for graduates of its 28 public colleges, a pathway known as the Statewide Articulation Agreement or 2+2 program, which allows students to transfer 60 credits toward a bachelor's degree. The September ban left that guarantee in tension with the new enrollment restriction.

When the board approved the ban, Republican leaders praised it. Lt. Gov. Jay Collins called the move "common sense" and said, "Florida's public universities are for students who are here legally. Period." He added that "Florida taxpayers should not be expected to subsidize opportunities for people who broke our laws to come here." Education Commissioner Henry Mack, who leads the Florida Department of Education, wrote on X that he was proud to support the decision, saying, "Taxpayers built these campuses. They are not a prize for unlawful presence."

The Board of Education has also adopted rules this year blocking undocumented students from postsecondary career and technical education programs.

Legislative efforts to write the ban into law stalled during the 2026 session. A bill by Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, that would have prohibited all higher education institutions from admitting non-citizens without legal status never received a committee hearing. Another measure by Rep. Berny Jacques, R-Seminole, which would have capped enrollment of foreign citizens who are not permanent U.S. residents, got one hearing but never reached the House floor.

Former Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, told the News Service of Florida she was glad to see the board revisit the rule and add an exception for Florida College System graduates. "We stressed many times as members of the Legislature that this was never direction that came from our body, and that the Board of Governors and the Board of Education were operating way beyond their jurisdiction in crafting new policy that was targeting immigrant students," she said. "It does not surprise me that they are creating this carve-out because it ignored state law."

Eskamani, who is running for Orlando mayor in 2027, said she believes the immigration policies are unpopular in Florida and nationwide, and she urged Governor-elect Byron Donalds to direct the board to repeal the rule entirely. "Ultimately, both the BOG and the Board of Education should repeal the new rules completely and allow all students, regardless of their origin story, to attend a public university or college that they've been accepted to attend," she said.

Friday's meeting will determine how far the board is willing to go in softening a policy that has drawn sustained pushback from immigrant advocates and some lawmakers, and whether students who followed the state's own college-to-university pathway will be allowed to finish their degrees.