In 2017, when New College of Florida’s student population was around 900, President Donal O’Shea said the school had a goal of growing that figure to 1,200 by 2022.
Things have trended in the other direction since then: At the beginning of the 2020 school year, enrollment is between 700 and 800 students. It’s not just a byproduct of COVID-19, either; the student body began shrinking shortly after the state approved New College’s plans for growth in late 2016.
Chris Kinsley, the vice president for finance and administration at New College, said new state funding metrics created incentives for other schools to target the same high-performing students New College hoped to attract. After the school adjusted its recruitment strategy, state legislators proposed consolidating New College into Florida State University or University of Florida.
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