Did New College of Florida’s enrollment grow under conservative leadership?

New College of Florida has seen enrollment numbers increase.

In 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed new conservative members to the school’s Board of Trustees. The new board then ousted the president to align the college with “classical” education and away from “far-left” ideologies. 

Enrollment at New College has since rebounded from pandemic lows. There were 881 students enrolled during the 2024-25 academic year, which was an increase from the 732 in 2023-24. That jump, though, coincided with a sharp increase in financial incentives. Scholarship awards rose considerably — from nearly $6.5 million in 2022-23 to more than $11.3 million in 2024-25.

The previous administration saw gains before the conservative takeover— from 659 students in 2021-22 to 689 in 2022-23 — but the largest increase was after current president Richard Corcoran was sworn in.

Editor’s Note: This brief was updated to include scholarship information.