Children of undocumented immigrants can now qualify for in-state tuition in Florida.
House Bill 851, signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott on Monday, grants in-state tuition to undocumented students who have attended a Florida high school for at least three years and plan to enroll in college within 24 months of graduation.
For students like Jose Abastida, this means a $22,278 drop in yearly tuition.
When Abastida visited UF in high school, he fell in love with the campus. But as an undocumented immigrant, he knew he couldn’t afford the out-of-state tuition.
“But with this bill passing, everything fell into place,” he said. “It was perfect timing.”
Now that HB851 is law, the 22-year-old will attend UF in the Fall as a political science junior.
His sister can now afford to be a full-time student, he said. Before, she was limited to one to two classes per semester.
Jose Miranda, former president of the Hispanic Student Association, said this is a big deal for Florida because this state has the third largest population of undocumented immigrants, following California and Texas.
However, the students granted the lower fee are ineligible for state financial aid.
The 21-year-old UF alumnus said he has been fighting for this bill for years.
“Seeing this bill come to fruition is really rewarding,” Miranda said. “For a long time, we thought we were going to lose the fight.”
He said similar bills have been debated, but none have landed on the governor’s desk until now.
This will affect many of the members of HSA, Miranda said.
“I hope it opens the door for ambitious students to attend UF,” he said.
The decision is effective July 1, allowing students who qualify for this bill to begin in the Fall semester.
“This is a small step that the governor can take to address a significant issue for young Latinos and Latinas who could contribute a lot to the state,” said Latin American expert and UF religion department chair Manuel A. Vásquez.
UF Student Body President Cory Yeffet said Student Government helped the bill move forward by traveling to Tallahassee numerous times to show its support.
“Student Senate was very integral in passing the resolution for this bill,” said the 21-year-old UF real estate graduate student.
He said UF is pleased with the governor’s decision.
“It shows how students can come together for the cause,” he said.
[A version of this story ran on page 1 - 4 on 6/10/2014 under the headline "In-state tuition passes for undocumented students"]
Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons, a UF assistant professor and activist, supports Graduate Assistants United at the rally against tuition fees on Thursday at Tigert Hall.
