Private for-profit · Community college
Empire Beauty School-Lakeland
Lakeland, Florida · Midsize city
- 0%
- Transfer rate
- $17,086
- Avg net price
- 59%
- Grad / completion
- $23,589
- Median earnings
Empire Beauty School-Lakeland is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Lakeland, Florida (midsize city setting), enrolling 145 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. In 1823, the United States and the various tribes in Florida signed the Treaty of Moultrie Creek, which created a reservation in central Florida that included what is now Polk County. The Lakeland History Room is a special collections archive established in 1987 housed within the Lakeland Public Library's main branch. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Certificate
- Nearest big city
- 31 miles to Tampa, FL
- To the ocean
- 30 miles
- Nearest airport
- 9 miles to Lakeland Linder (LAL)
How Empire Beauty School-Lakeland compares
Higher than 47% · #139 of 211 in Florida
Higher than 42%
Higher than 13% · #144 of 171 in Florida
Cheaper than 43% · #96 cheapest of 207 in Florida
Lower than 45%
Lower than 12%
Larger than 36%
Percentiles compare Empire Beauty School-Lakeland with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Florida.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women13895%
- Men75%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White39%
- Black23%
- Hispanic25%
- Other or multiracial14%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 145
- Student–faculty ratio
- 25 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 62%
- First-generation students
- 49%
- Students over 25
- 32%
- Median family income
- $14,725
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 67 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Florida99%
- Other U.S. states1.5%
Most first-years stay in state — Empire Beauty School-Lakeland draws overwhelmingly from Florida.
Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- —
- Room & board
- —
- Total cost of attendance
- —
- Average net price
- $17,086
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated
- 59%
- First-year retention
- 69%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $21,743
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $23,589
- Median debt at graduation
- $10,231
- Students with federal loans
- 56%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 19%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- $125
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 23% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $366. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 74 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $23,589
- Typical debt at graduation
- $10,231
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 43%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 27%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Women out-earn men by $1,369 (6%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 92°F
- Winter low
- 51°F
- Annual rain
- 56.8″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lakeland 2, FL US station (8.4 mi from campus).
What Empire Beauty School-Lakeland graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Empire Beauty School-Lakeland
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Empire Beauty School-Lakeland side by side →
American Academy of Cosmetology
Orange Park, Florida · Large suburb · 17 mi to Jacksonville
- Students
- 122
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $24k
Empire Beauty School-Tampa
Tampa, Florida · Large suburb · 7 mi to Tampa
- Students
- 111
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $24k
Hollywood Institute
Margate, Florida · Large suburb · 33 mi to Miami
- Students
- 215
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $22k
Empire Beauty School-West Palm
West Palm Beach, Florida · Large suburb · 3 mi to West Palm Beach
- Students
- 96
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $25k
Hollywood Institute of Beauty Careers
Hollywood, Florida · Large suburb · 17 mi to Miami
- Students
- 218
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $21k
North Florida Cosmetology Institute
Tallahassee, Florida · Midsize city · 3 mi to Tallahassee
- Students
- 91
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $24k
Colleges near Empire Beauty School-Lakeland
Artistic Nails and Beauty Academy-Lakeland
Lakeland, FL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 185 students
Florida Southern College
Lakeland, FL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,656 students
Southeastern University
Lakeland, FL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 4,813 students
Florida Polytechnic University
Lakeland, FL · Public · Bachelor's · 1,689 students
Traviss Technical College
Lakeland, FL · Public · Certificate · 460 students
Polk State College
Winter Haven, FL · Public · Associate · 7,180 students
Ridge Technical College
Winter Haven, FL · Public · Certificate · 407 students
UR Beauty & Barber Academy-At True Family Barber Academy
Winter Haven, FL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 13 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.