New College of Florida landed the No. 1 liberal arts college ranking in the state in Niche's 2027 college rankings, a placement the Sarasota school called a historic high.

The college also ranked No. 3 among small Florida colleges, No. 9 among Florida public universities and No. 12 among Florida colleges overall, according to WWSB. Nationally, New College placed No. 59 among liberal arts colleges.

Niche gave the school a B+ overall grade and A grades for academics, diversity and professors, according to the college. The Niche profile page, however, lists an A-minus for professors. The academics category accounts for 35% of Niche's overall ranking.

The college said Niche added an "Institutional Success Score" to its methodology this year. The new metric accounts for 5% of a school's ranking and assesses institutions alongside peers with similar missions.

New College, the state's designated public honors college, sits on Sarasota Bay and enrolls about 850 undergraduates, Florida Politics reported. According to Niche, the school has a 73% acceptance rate and a 67% graduation rate.

Not every number climbed. In Forbes' 2027 rankings, New College placed No. 80 among colleges in the South, down from No. 64 a year earlier, according to Florida Politics. The school did place No. 82 among public colleges nationwide, a result the college called a historic high in a press release.

New College President Richard Corcoran said in a statement that the school focuses on substance over standings.

"We do not chase rankings; we chase excellence," Corcoran said. "We ask our students to defend their ideas, conduct original research, and master the art of critical thinking."

He called the Niche and Forbes placements "simply a byproduct of an institution that has reclaimed its mission and demands the absolute best from its students and faculty."

The rankings follow nearly four years in which New College has been at the center of state political battles. In early 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed several new trustees to the college's board as part of an effort to reshape the school.

DeSantis and his allies said the college should be refocused on a more traditional curriculum, according to Florida Politics. The new board replaced the college's president and brought in Corcoran, a former Florida House speaker. Many students and faculty described the overhaul as a hostile takeover and an attack on academic freedom, Florida Politics reported.

Niche also gave New College a B for value, a C for athletics and a C- for its campus, according to Florida Politics.