By Clearing, College Bound Counseling, Miami

For decades, New College of Florida filled a role no other public school in the state did. It was a tiny honors college in Sarasota with no letter grades, self-designed programs of study, and a student body known for being independent, intellectual, and proudly unconventional. It also ranked, at one point, as the top public liberal arts college in the country. When we had a student who fit that mold, New College was often the first name we brought up.

That school no longer exists in the form most families remember. Whether the school that replaced it belongs on your list depends far more on your student than on your politics.

What actually changed

In January 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed six new members to New College's Board of Trustees with instructions to remake the institution. His office pointed to Hillsdale College, the private classical school in Michigan, as the model. The new board removed the sitting president and installed former Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, first on an interim basis and then permanently.

The changes since then have touched nearly every part of campus life.

Curriculum. New College now runs a classical core built around the Western canon. Every student, regardless of major, takes a required foundational course on Homer's Odyssey, spending seven weeks on a single text. The gender studies program was eliminated. The diversity, equity and inclusion office was dissolved. Dozens of new faculty have been hired, some with backgrounds in classical education or openly conservative institutions, bringing the faculty to roughly 125.

Faculty turnover. More than 40 percent of the faculty left by fall 2023, and more followed the next year. The administration says most of those departures were retirements and sabbaticals that were already planned. Departed professors describe an exodus. Either way, the practical effect is the same for an applicant: many long-tenured professors are gone, and much of the current faculty is new to the institution.

Athletics. A campus that never had varsity sports now fields teams in baseball, basketball, beach volleyball and more, and recruits athletes heavily. In one recent class, athletes made up more than a third of incoming students.

Enrollment and money. Enrollment has grown from about 660 students in 2021-22 to 881 in 2024-25, still short of the stated goal of 1,200. Scholarship spending helped drive that growth, rising from roughly $6.5 million in 2022-23 to more than $11.3 million in 2024-25. For the right family, New College may be one of the most generously funded public options in Florida. A state efficiency audit has also flagged the cost of the project, noting that operating expenses per student now run well above those at UF.

Reputation. U.S. News dropped New College about 24 spots among liberal arts colleges after the overhaul, though it still sits among the top public liberal arts colleges in the country. The college has also aligned itself with federal higher education initiatives favored by the current administration, which keeps it in the national news on a regular basis.

Two readings of the same facts

Supporters call the new New College a rescue. In their telling, a financially struggling school received real investment, a rigorous great-books curriculum, growing enrollment, and a campus culture they consider more intellectually balanced than before.

Critics call it a takeover. In their telling, programs were eliminated for ideological reasons, academic freedom suffered, veteran faculty were pushed out, and the rankings and per-student costs prove the point.

You will hear both versions, often from people who care about your student. We don't think our job is to referee that argument. Our job is to make sure you evaluate the school that exists in 2026, not the 2019 version and not the version in anyone's op-ed.

The questions we'd ask before applying

Does the curriculum excite this particular student? A required classical core is a gift to a kid who wants to read Homer, Plato, and the Federalist Papers in small discussion classes. It's a poor match for a student drawn to the old New College precisely because it let them design everything themselves.
How does your student handle a campus in transition? New faculty, new programs, new traditions, and a steady stream of national attention. Some students find that energizing. Others want a school that already knows what it is.
What does the money look like? With aid budgets up sharply and enrollment targets still unmet, merit offers can be substantial. Families weighing cost should take a serious look, and should also ask direct questions about long-term stability while they visit.
Also, visit. A 2022 tour, a cousin's experience, or a cable news segment will not tell you what fall 2026 feels like on this campus. Sarasota is a day trip from Miami. Take it before you decide anything.

Our advice

New College is the most closely watched experiment in American public higher education right now. Your student's four years are too important to be decided by which channel your household watches. Judge it the way you'd judge any school: curriculum, community, cost, and fit for the actual kid sitting at your kitchen table.

That's the conversation we have with every family. If New College is in the mix for yours, we'd be glad to have it together.

Clearing is a private college counseling practice in Miami. Schedule a consultation at clearingcbc.com.