New College of Florida is racing to grow beyond its status as the smallest campus in Florida’s public university system – and it appears to be making headway despite concerns about the rapid expansion plan.
The goal was to top 1,000 students this year, and a look at the tentative enrollment number for this fall shows that the college hit the mark despite many community members and New College stakeholders who are pointing to several concerns – such as high spending amounts and a lack of on-campus housing – as they track the college's efforts.
The college kicked off the fall 2026 semester on Aug. 17 with a total enrollment of 1,015 students on its campus during the first day of classes, which surpassed 1,000 students for the first time in its history.
New College's final official headcount won't be determined until after a drop and add period for class registrations, which typically ends about two to three weeks after the fall semester start date.
New College President Richard Corcoran and other administrators were not made available for interviews. A New College spokesperson instead provided a statement.
"New College is operating with exceptional momentum," it said. "Ultimately, this growth creates a more vibrant campus and positions New College students as a robust pipeline meeting both higher education and immediate workforce needs of the Sarasota community."
But New College's former vice president of strategy and special projects Nathan Allen − who served in the role from 2023 to 2024 under Corcoran− is one of several community members with concerns about the college's plans for future growth.
“Everyone focuses on enrollment numbers, but that is absolutely the wrong thing to focus on," Allen said.
"Colleges can grow with their enrollment numbers and go bankrupt. It happens because it matters what kind of revenue you're driving with those students."
New College's housing shortage amid student enrollment growth plans
New College is the state’s public liberal arts honors college, which was rebuilt as a conservative flagship. It does not issue grades, and the annual in-state tuition cost is $6,916 per year – the highest out of the State University System (SUS) of Florida's 12 public institutions.
In addition, the cost per degree is over three times higher than most of the SUS schools, with the operating expense per student being over $80,000, according to a 2025 Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) report.
Besides the goal that was set for New College to reach 1,000 students, future goals include reaching 1,200 students by 2028 and 1,800 students by 2034, according to the college’s Campus Master Plan.
But while the institution is known as a “residential liberal arts honors college,” New College alumnus and Novo Collegian Alliance President William Rosenberg says it has a dire housing issue.
“I think that Corcoran and the board need to concentrate on services to students, which is their primary mission," Rosenburg said.
"They need to really walk the walk instead of just putting words out there with no action to follow up. They need to seriously undertake building dormitories, which they have not done."
New College has taken the route of acquiring temporary housing since the residence halls on its campus are not enough to house its students.
The college’s plan for this year consists of securing hotel rooms for students, which comes at an estimated cost of $3.9 million from education and general (E&G) funds, according to New College’s business plan.
The school has an estimated 40% of students living off campus, including hotels.
Whether or not there will be enough faculty members to instruct more students is another concern.
"Presumably, more students could mean more graduates, and a certain percentage of them will either stay or leave and come back, and that would benefit the community," former New College Alumni Association President Jono Miller said.
“But as you keep adding students, you’ll need to keep adding faculty, which means adding faculty offices, lab spaces and classrooms. There would be a tremendous need for more space.”
Corcoran has said that the recent deal that transferred control of the University of South Florida’s Manatee-Sarasota campus to New College will address the housing issue.
The transfer will allow the college to take over more than 30 acres, including residence halls and a lab that's now being built, records show.
“All of a sudden we have a lot more building space, so that should help in that regard," Miller said.
"But you can’t just add students without considering the implications of having more students, and I'm not sure we’ve done that very well.”
Community member calls enrollment growth plan 'an experiment'
Besides housing issues, the student demographic at New College is also a concern of some of the college's stakeholders when considering enrollment – particularly when it comes to first-time-in-college (FTIC) learners and student athletes.
New College hasn't surpassed 250 FTIC students on its campus since 2015. The latest recorded data shows that in 2024, 220 students enrolled in college for the first time, according to the college's Institutional Research report.
“The primary driver of a college’s health – especially a small liberal arts college – is FTIC students," Allen said. "If that number is healthy, the college is usually healthy. What I've seen over the last few years is it has not grown much over the last decade at New College."
In addition, with the college's current plans for nearly 40% of its students to be student athletes, former chair of the Ringling Museum Foundation Board Nancy Parrish said the goal is “unhealthy” for the liberal arts honors school and that “a small college can't possibly succeed under those numbers."
As the admission of students goes hand-in-hand with how well colleges and universities are able to retain them, she also says New College's ability to improve its retention rate with an increased student enrollment is critical.
According to the Florida Board of Governors' performance metrics, New College had a 79.1% academic progress rate for 2025-26, which measured the second-year retention of its students with a grade point average above 2.0.
While that’s a 3.5% increase from the year prior, the college has one of the lowest rates out of all the SUS institutions in the category.
“I doubt very seriously that they care about meeting the (enrollment) numbers," Parrish said, referring to the college's leadership team.
"This is more of a self-indulgent program to remake New College, and it's an experiment that has very limited concern about quality of education.”
“I love this community," she added. "Its culture is very important to me, and we're losing that now.”
Supporters say New College's growth is 'key for the business community'
Despite the concerns tied to the college's plans to increase its student enrollment, some of Sarasota's business owners see the expansion plan as a benefit for the community.
Don Borden – owner of Four Winds Technology Group in Sarasota – says his company has had over a dozen interns, and that five New College alumni currently work for him.
“Keeping the talent and diverse skill sets here really helps the community because it keeps businesses and the economy vibrant," he said.
The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce's President and CEO Heather Kasten says she looks forward to the business community in Sarasota continuing its partnership with New College as it works on growing its student headcount.
“What makes for a rich, diverse community is a good mix of people," Kasten said.
"We can't just be a town known for retirees and tourists. The idea of strengthening and growing their enrollment is key for the business community.
"That's gonna be very important as our businesses are gonna need well-trained, educated people to run these companies and fill jobs."
Tarah Jean is the higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida. She can be reached at tjean@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @tarahjean_.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: New College hits 1,000-student enrollment goal amid community concerns
