New College Ranked #3 on US News & World Report List of “Colleges that Offer Small Classes on a Budget”

For prospective students who think that only the Ivy League colleges offer small classes with plenty of personalized attention, the editors of U.S. News & World Report say, “Think again.”

In a just-released list based on findings from the magazine’s 2009 edition of “America’s Best Colleges,” New College of Florida is ranked #3 among what U.S. News refers to as “30 well-regarded and affordable colleges with lots of small classes.”

The list, which was compiled by writer Kim Clark and which is currently featured on the U.S. News & World Report website, features a broad selection of institutions, ranging from major research universities like the University of California–Berkeley, UCLA, University of Colorado–Boulder and University of Iowa to a host of smaller public colleges and universities like New College, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and the University of Montana–Western. SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry topped the list with 77% of their offerings being taught in small class settings.

All of the colleges and universities on the list are ranked by their percentage of classes with 19 or fewer students. Information is also included as to each school’s total number of undergraduates, its percentage of faculty who are full-time, its level of selectivity (ranging from Most Selective to Less Selective, as determined by U.S. News & World Report), and the cost of attendance for both in-state and out-of-state students.

In total, five of the 30 colleges ranked by U.S. News & World Report as offering small classes at a value price are members of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC), of which New College is a member.

New College fairs well on all counts measured with 66% of classes featuring 19 or fewer students, 83% of faculty serving full time and a “More Selective” rating.  New College’s undergraduate tuition for in-state residents also placed it in the top five of all colleges included on the list.

For more information, contact the New College Office of Public Affairs at (941) 487-4150 or email [email protected].