DeSantis Plans Dramatic New College Expansion

Governor Ron DeSantis proposed transferring the University of South Florida’s (USF) Sarasota-Manatee campus to New College of Florida (NCF), which would significantly expand the state’s smallest institution.

The proposal, released last week as part of his 2026–27 budget, resurrects a plan from earlier this year that failed to gain momentum.

As part of the deal, New College would receive more than 32 acres of land and facilities that include new residence halls and a laboratory under construction. NCF has struggled to house students in recent years; many have been placed in hotels due to structural issues with dorms. New College would also absorb debt related to the facilities, but would not inherit any USF employees or students, who would be able to finish their degrees at USF under a teach out proposal. USF’s Sarasota-Manatee campus enrolls about 2,000 students.

The deadline for the handover is Oct. 30, 2026, according to the proposed budget, which still needs to be passed by the state legislature.

The plan is the governor’s latest attempt to reshape New College, an effort that began in early 2023 when he appointed a swath of conservative trustees and tasked them with reimagining the small liberal arts college as a conservative institution. The board later hired former Republican lawmaker Richard Corcoran (and multiple other GOP figures) to drive such changes.

DeSantis is seeking to expand New College even as critics have decried his efforts. NCF, which enrolls some 900 students, has the highest number of administrators per student among all Florida’s public universities. It also spent the most per student—$83,207—in fiscal year 2024, outpacing others in the state by tens of thousands of dollars.

Despite significant state investment, retention rates have slipped at NCF and the college has plummeted in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, falling 59 spots since the takeover.