As an International Baccalaureate (IB) student, you thrive on academic rigor and embrace intellectual challenges. You’re motivated, self-directed and driven to succeed. You belong at New College of Florida.
IB students find themselves exceptionally well-prepared for the original research built into each year of New College of Florida’s academic program. New College finds IB students ready and eager to think outside the box and across disciplines in pursuit of new ideas, perspectives and solutions. New College provides a natural extension to the IB education, challenging students to synthesize ideas, think critically and work closely with faculty on original research. The January term is reserved for independent study projects, and students frequently customize their studies with semester tutorials to focus on research topics of particular interest. Ultimately, this leads to the senior capstone project. Similar to work on the Extended Essay, New College students work on their project with their faculty capstone adviser. Then they present the project and answer questions from their faculty committee in the baccalaureate exam.
“There is no better primer for New College than IB’s required course “Theory of Knowledge.” My Pensacola High School academic counselor looked at my file and, when she saw I was an IB student, she implored me to look no further than New College of Florida. My IB coordinator and teachers all agreed.”
Thomas Jay Brown, ’99
What do IB Students at New College Have to Say?
“I think New College really helped me foster this idea of constantly learning and engaging, and not being afraid to try new things (even if I won’t do as well as I think I will). Because of my experience at New College, I just really encourage students now to pursue interdisciplinary education in that way.”
Giulia Heyward is currently a fellow at The New York Times.
“Having had experience with project management after completing my extended essay, CAS project, and more, I came into college well-equipped to manage my time and find ways to balance my academics with my other interests. One project that I’ve been working on at NCF has been a genomics-based study that I’ve been a research assistant for. I’ve had the opportunity to learn new data analysis tools and present this work at two conferences! It’s been super rewarding to see how far this work has come from the beginning to now. This work has also helped to inform my senior capstone project!”
Daria Paulis is currently a Biology/Neuroscience student at New College.
“The IB experience was truly life-changing, in similar ways to NCF. Both taught me to value independence and self-reliance, but also to strongly value community, and in both I developed amazing communities of colleagues who I stay close with to this day. IB taught me to “level up” from what would be expected of me academically. The program also taught me to actually THINK and not simply regurgitate material and sound bites. The group projects and the extended essay forced me to expect more out of myself. This segued well into New College, where all these skills served me well. The independence, problem solving and self-motivation (taught in IB) was demanded for success at New College. The New College experience provided me an experience of self-directed learning, but also taught when to ask professors for needed support.”
Vijay Sivaraman, class of ’01, is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences at North Carolina Central University.
10 Reasons IB Students Choose NCF!
#1
New College is a values-driven environment. Students are expected to embrace a just, diverse, equitable and inclusive community.
#2
IB Students can earn up to 45 semester hours of unduplicated IB credit toward their degree including credit for both the Extended Essay and the Theory of Knowledge course. (SL & HL scores of ‘4’, EE & TOK Diploma grades of ‘C’)
#3
Located on Sarasota Bay, the 110-acre campus boasts a model faculty-student advisory system, focused on careers.
#4
New College is Ranked #5 in public liberal arts colleges in the U.S. and is a “Best Value School.” (U.S. News and World Report)
#5
Competitive tuition and fees, with over 90% of students assigned a New College scholarship. 2022-2023 annual estimated costs (before scholarship) – Florida resident tuition: $6,916. Room and board: $10,892. Out-of-state tuition: $29,944.
#6
The student-to-faculty ratio is 6:1 – average class size of 11 students. Learner engagement and collaboration with world-class faculty is promoted.
#7
Unique undergraduate programs with the flexibility for students to customize their education.
#8
Through the senior capstone project, students present and defend original work in their major to a faculty baccalaureate committee.
#9
The academic contract – a comprehensive, individualized study plan – provides a framework for regular reflection and flexible planning.
#10
New College assists students with putting knowledge and discovery to action in intensive Independent Study Projects (ISPs).
Frequently Asked Questions
Our maximum for unduplicated exam credit is 45 hours. This makes graduation possible within 2 ½-3 years to earn the equivalent of
at least 79 more hours, but you may take additional hours, and a fourth year if needed.
NCF assigns credit hours for IB exam scores of 4 and higher (and C and higher grades for TOK and Extended Essay on the IB Diploma).
We also assign fulfillment of general education requirements as they apply.
Learn more about IB Credit Transfer
Professors decide course placement and substitutes for major requirements, so prepare to talk with your faculty. Bring your IB
course syllabi to these discussions! For work in languages, math, and some of the sciences, faculty may also use placement exams.
The most important factor for renewing scholarships and other financial aid is to complete your work satisfactorily and on time.
Most students will receive scholarship funding. For NCF scholarships, and for most State of Florida scholarship programs, you may
receive up to 8 semesters of scholarship funding (this allows funding for 4 full years, even with IB credit.)
For any federal aid and need-based aid, transfer credit applies to the maximum limit of 186 hours for attempted work. So if you
have federal or need-based financial aid, keep a special eye on the number of hours you attempt.