Hampshire College Invites New College Of Florida Students To Transfer

Hampshire College, the private, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts known for its progressive policies and innovative curriculum, is offering to admit all New College of Florida students in good standing who want to transfer. And, for any students who accept that offer, it will also match their current cost of tuition.

In a March 9 statement, Hampshire College said that it was extending the invitation “in response to the continuing attacks on New College of Florida intended to limit intellectual exploration, turn back progress toward inclusion, and curtail open discussion of race, injustice, and histories of oppression.”

The statement continued, “Hampshire College is proud to stand with students who crave a progressive education. Hampshire will provide a welcoming environment for all who want the freedom to study and act on the urgent challenges of our time, without ideological limits imposed by the state.”

New College of Florida, a small public institution in Sarasota, has captured national headlines in recent weeks as it’s become ground zero in Florida Governor Ron DeSantis attempts to redefine higher education according to his conservative political agenda. DeSantis replaced six of the institution’s board members with his hand-picked appointees, who promptly ousted New College’s president, installed a new one, and voted to curtail all the college’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

The DeSantis takeover of New College is an apparent attempt to turn the institution into a college more like Hillsdale College, a very conservative, Christian college in Michigan. One of the new board members has even suggested it could serve as model for similar takeovers of public institutions in other states.

The assault on New College has sparked outrage among its students, faculty and alumni, and it’s being watched with increasing alarm by higher education advocates across the country who fear that the school is being turned into a culture-war battleground.

To facilitate transfers by New College students, Hampshire College designed a streamlined transfer process aimed at ensuring that students could continue their education without losing any credits and without an increase in their tuition charges.

Admissions for those seeking to transfer will be handled on a rolling basis through August of this year. The offer includes the guarantee that New College transfers to Hampshire will receive sufficient financial aid so that their net tuition for 2023–24 matches their current tuition costs at New College for 2022–23.

The annual published tuition for New College students is $6,916 for Florida residents and $29,944 for out-of-state students. Hampshire College’s published annual tuition is $54,892 for 2023-24, but with its average financial aid package, its total net price is about $30,000 currently. Its enrollment stands at about 500 students.

Like many small liberal arts colleges, Hampshire College has faced serious financial challenges in the recent past, requiring it to mount an aggressive campaign with a goal of raising $60 million in private donations to keep it in operation. Among its most notable alumni are documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, playwright Naomi Wallace, choreographer Mariana Valencia, and Jon Krakauer, the author of the best-selling Into the Wild.

Describing what was happening at New College as “merely the most radical example of increasingly aggressive efforts to suppress meaningful examination of the realities of our society and curb the advancement of democratic ideals, aspirations that should be the mission of higher education,” Hampshire College’s statement of invitation concluded by saying it “believes we should use our influence and resources to help elevate communities that have been disadvantaged, to provide pathways to a better life and more just world.”

Regardless of how many students take up the offer, Hampshire College ‘s proposal was a smart gesture. It may prove to be an effective recruiting tool. And it put into action the sentiments held by many college leaders and students who have watched the ruthless dismantling of New College with dismay. With its outreach to New College’s beleaguered students, Hampshire College sent an important message in defense of progressive ideals. Good for it.