FGCU among Florida schools closing doors to undocumented students in 2027

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK)—A new Florida rule is closing the door to state universities for students without legal immigration status.

The new rule applies to all 12 public universities across Florida. It comes just months after a similar move affecting the state's public colleges.

The Florida Board of Governors voted Thursday unanimously to change its general admissions rule. That means students who are in the United States without legal immigration status will not be allowed to enroll at any of Florida's 12 public universities, including Florida Gulf Coast University.

This is only the latest change to public higher education in Florida. On June 30, the State Board of Education approved a separate policy affecting Florida's 28 public state colleges.

That policy requires students to be U.S. citizens or lawfully present before they can enroll. The new restriction takes effect for the 2027-28 academic year, making Florida the largest state in the nation to close publicly funded higher education to undocumented students.

WINK News spoke with students near FGCU about the new policy and how it could impact them and people they know.