The "American Students First Act" seeks to amend the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 by imposing new restrictions on federal funding for public higher education institutions. Its primary goal is to prevent public colleges and universities from receiving federal financial assistance if they extend certain benefits to individuals not lawfully present in the United States. Specifically, a public institution of higher education would become ineligible for federal financial assistance if it charges undocumented immigrants tuition at a rate less than or equal to that offered to U.S. citizen residents of the State. Additionally, providing State-based financial aid to these individuals would also trigger the loss of federal funding. The Secretary of Education would be responsible for determining an institution's ineligibility for the subsequent fiscal year, thereby enforcing these new provisions.