For Immediate Release: May 9th, 2025
Contact: Fermin Vasquez at [email protected]
TheDream.US Calls on Florida Legislature to “Grandfather In” Current College Students Affected By Recent In-State Tuition Repeal
Washington, DC – The Florida legislature recently announced it would extend its legislative session through June 6. In response, TheDream.US is calling on lawmakers to “grandfather in” the 6,000 current Dreamer college students who will, absent of a fix, be forced out of college after July 1, 2025 due to the legislature’s earlier repeal of the in-state tuition waiver.
Gaby Pacheco, Miami-based President and CEO of TheDream.US, the nation’s largest largest college and career success program for Dreamers, stated:
“Florida’s state lawmakers now have another month to do the right thing for Dreamers and Florida’s future: ‘grandfather in’ the 6,000 Dreamers who will be forced out of college in July and instead allow them to finish their college degrees. Among TheDream.US Scholars alone, there are more than 70 students in Florida who are less than one year from completing their degrees.
It’s unfair to students who were promised one tuition rate at the start of their education, only to be told midway that they must now pay four times more. These students worked hard, earned their place in Florida institutions, and have demonstrated their potential. They should have the chance to afford and complete their higher education and contribute to Florida’s future. Our state has already invested in their K-12 education and some of their college education. Let’s not waste that investment – let them graduate and contribute by adding new ‘grandfathering’ language to the in-state tuition law.”
In April, following the repeal of in-state tuition, TheDream.US mobilized their Scholars, Alumni, and allies for a three-day “Freedom Ride for Tuition Fairness” journey from Miami to Tallahassee. The Ride made key stops along the way to highlight the importance of affordable higher education and to begin the call for lawmakers to “grandfather in” the more than 6,000 Dreamers (learn more HERE in a detailed fact sheet].
The recent Tuition Fairness campaign followed on the heels of a similar 2023 effort that helped delay the passage of the in-state tuition repeal until this year. One TheDream.US Scholar who joined that 2023 campaign was Britney, who spoke out against that earlier attempt to repeal in-state tuition and just this month was able to graduate with a degree in business marketing from University of Central Florida. (see some pictures of Britney’s graduation here).
Concluded Pacheco, “We hope to celebrate more graduations like Britney’s after lawmakers add in new, grandfathering language in the coming weeks.”
Florida Dreamers Give Back
Additional Resources
- TheDream.US fact sheet about in-state tuition in Florida and why “grandfathering in” is the smart and the right thing to do (read fact sheet here)
- Read the op-ed in the Tallahassee Democrat from Miami-based TheDream.US President & CEO Gaby Pacheco on the broader importance of Florida’s in-state tuition policy (read op-ed here)
About TheDream.US
TheDream.US is the nation’s largest college and career success program for undocumented immigrant students, having provided more than 11,000 college scholarships to Dreamers attending close to 80 partner colleges in 20 states and Washington, DC. We believe everyone, regardless of where they were born, should have equitable access to a college education, a meaningful career, and opportunities to contribute to the communities they call home. For more information on TheDream.US, visit www.thedream.us.
Read TheDream.US 10-year impact report: “From Dreams to Destinations: A Decade of Immigrant Achievements and the Future Ahead.” Filled with never-released data and snapshot profiles of some of the organization’s 4,000-plus Alumni, the report documents how increased access to higher education and career opportunities catalyze social mobility and positive outcomes for individual Dreamers, as well as their families, workplaces, and broader communities.
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