U.S. News & World Report ranked New College of Florida the No. 5 public liberal arts college in their 2013 rankings of the Best National Liberal Arts Colleges released today. Among all liberal arts colleges, public and private, New College ranked in the top tier coming in at No. 87, up seven spots from last year.

In a list of schools whose students graduated with the least debt, U.S. News placed New College in the 11th spot among America’s public and private liberal arts colleges. Only 32 percent of New College’s 2011 graduates left college with any debt, an average among them of $14,172. The national average is $20,467 according to a 2012 study by the Institute for College Access & Success.

The 2013 ranking marks the eighth consecutive year New College has been ranked one of the nation’s top 100 liberal arts colleges overall by U.S. News & World Report. It also marks the eighth year in a row New College has been ranked in the top six among public liberal arts colleges, with military academies in the top four spots this year. New College is the only liberal arts college in Florida to be listed in the nation’s top 100.

The 2013 edition of U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges guidebook is available on newsstands September 18 and online at usnews.com/colleges.

U.S. News & World Report
The Top 10 Public Liberal Arts Colleges

1. U.S. Naval Academy (MD)
2. U.S. Military Academy (NY)
3. U.S. Air Force Academy (CO)
4. Virginia Military Institute
5. New College of Florida
5. St. Mary’s College of Maryland
7. University of North Carolina–Asheville
8. University of Minnesota–Morris
9. Purchase College–SUNY
10. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

New College of Florida is a national leader in the arts and sciences and is the State of Florida's designated honors college for the liberal arts. Consistently ranked among the top public liberal arts colleges in America by U.S. News & World Report, Forbes and The Princeton Review, New College attracts highly motivated, academically talented students from 40 states and 25 foreign countries. A higher proportion of New College students receive Fulbright awards than graduates from virtually all other colleges and universities.