Florida Board Won’t Appeal Court Ruling Granting In-State Tuition To Children Of Undocumented Immigrants

Florida Immigrant Coalition/flickr

American-born students whose parents are undocumented will now be able to pay in-state tuition in Florida.

The State Board of Education will not appeal a court ruling regarding in-state tuition for students whose parents are undocumented.

Students previously had to prove their parents were in the country legally in order to qualify for Florida residency status.

Five students sued the state, and a judge struck down the rule in October.

Without any debate, the Board of Education has agreed to abide by the judge’s ruling.

Judy Bone, an attorney for the Board, said “The order instructs the defendants to notify college presidents, who will send written notification to potentially affected students for the ability to apply for in-state tuition for the spring term.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center brought the suit on behalf of the plaintiffs and said the ruling could benefit up to up 12,000 students.

At Florida State University, out-of-state students pay $15-thousand more a year than in-state residents. At the University of Florida, the difference is more than $22-thousand a year.