A proposal advancing in the Florida House could further limit out-of-state and international student enrollment at Florida’s public universities, potentially altering the demographics of future University of Miami admitted classes.
This bill, HB 1279, would require schools like the University of Florida and Florida State University to ensure that up to 95% of incoming undergraduate students are Florida residents.
UM’s out-of-state and international students make up more than two thirds of its undergraduate population. Since the University of Miami is a private institution, the same policies would not apply. But, UM could still see indirect effects.
If Florida’s top public universities reserve more spots for in-state students, fewer Florida students may choose to apply to UM. At the same time, out-of-state and international students who might otherwise attend UF, FSU or other state schools could view UM as an attractive alternative, potentially shifting application trends and the composition of future admitted classes.
“My decision to apply came from where the university was and if it had a major of my interest,” said Georgina Paez, a sophomore media management major. “However, I was worried about being accepted or not considering the low percentage of in-state students accepted.”
Paez also said “I think there should be an equal amount of students accepted, whether it be in state, out of state, or even international. Everyone deserves an equal opportunity to come here.”
However, some non-Florida students say that the higher non-resident population on campus did not have a major impact on their decision to apply.
“I was aware that admission to U.S. universities is generally highly competitive,” said Miriam Tali, an incoming international student from the class of 2030. “The international acceptance rate did not play a major role in my decision to apply.”
However, Tali did consider submitting an application to UF, but decided to apply ED to UM.
“I initially considered applying to the University of Florida, but ultimately felt that UM was the better overall fit for me,” Tali said
Currently, Florida’s public universities operate under a statewide average cap that limits out-of-state enrollment to 10%.
For example, under the current cap, the average out-of-state acceptance rate across all public Florida universities is around 10%, even though some universities, like UF and FSU, have around 20% out-of-state students. Smaller out-of-state enrollment at universities lie the University of North Florida bring the statewide average down. The University of Florida recently decided to pause admissions for out-of-state transfer students.
UF alumna and Republican Lakeland Representative Jennifer Kincart Jonsson proposed the bill that has passed in the House Budget Committee.
At public universities, out-of-state students pay more in tuition than in-state students. At UF, the in-state tuition for the 2026-2027 school year is $6,380, while out-of-state tuition is $30,900.
According to Jonsson, schools will lose a combined $54 million in the first year after the cap is imposed. However, this is only a small portion of the $17.5 billion the schools receive in funding from the state.