Private nonprofit · College

Florida Southern College

Lakeland, Florida · Midsize city

64.4%
Admit rate
$28,551
Avg net price
71%
Graduation rate
$55,294
Median earnings

Florida Southern College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Lakeland, Florida (midsize city setting), enrolling 2,656 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,656 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 64% admitNCAA Division II without footballMild winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Florida Southern College's admitted students.

Admit rate
64.4%
SAT (mid 50%)
1150–1330
Avg GPA (est.)
3.56

Enter a test score to see where you land against Florida Southern College's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Florida Southern College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

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
Graduate
Nearest big city
32 miles to Tampa, FL
To the ocean
30 miles
Nearest airport
5 miles to Lakeland Linder (LAL)

How Florida Southern College compares

Selectivity64.4%

More selective than 71% · #24 most selective of 49 in Florida

SAT average1252

Higher than 71%

Graduation rate71%

Higher than 79% · #15 of 62 in Florida

First-year retention80%

Higher than 63%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$55,294

Higher than 55% · #20 of 60 in Florida

Average net price$28,551

Cheaper than 19% · #42 cheapest of 62 in Florida

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment2,656

Larger than 65%

Percentiles compare Florida Southern College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Florida.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

3,185students
  • Undergraduate2,65683%
  • Graduate52917%

Undergraduates by gender

2,656undergrads
  • Women1,82169%
  • Men83531%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White64%
  • Black6.7%
  • Hispanic18%
  • Asian2.4%
  • Other or multiracial9.3%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,656
Graduate enrollment
529
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
28%
First-generation students
28%
Students over 25
4%
Median family income
$66,112
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$81,279
Endowment
$130,587,373

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 640 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Florida62%
  • Other U.S. states36%
  • International2.2%

A regional draw: about 62% of first-years come from Florida, the rest from elsewhere.

2% came from outside the U.S. 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.

Admissions

Admission rate
64.4%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1150–1330
SAT average
1252
SAT reading
590–680
SAT math
560–650
ACT composite
25–30
Average GPA (estimated)
3.56

Cost

In-state tuition
$44,040
Room & board
$14,360
Books & supplies
$1,250
Total cost of attendance
$60,768
Average net price
$28,551

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 (within 6 years)
71%
Graduated on time (4 years)
65%
First-year retention
80%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$47,749
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$55,294
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Students with federal loans
54%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
61%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
65%
Low-income (Pell)
66%
First-generation
64%

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
Yes
Dorm capacity
2,267
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
85%
Housing charge (year)
$8,300
Meal plan (year)
$5,500
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
589 (335 men · 254 women)

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%.

Varsity sports (11)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)138
Lacrosse124
Soccer76
Baseball74
Swimming42
Basketball30
Tennis27
Softball23
Golf20
Volleyball18
Beach Volleyball17

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
7
Property offenses (2022–2024)
8

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,211 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

5.0reported offenses a year
2.3 violent a year2.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.7
Rape
1.0
Fondling
1.0
Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Aggravated assault
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

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.

< $30k
$23,624
$30–48k
$21,385
$48–75k
$25,830
$75–110k
$29,044
$110k+
$33,706

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.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$106,637

$25,830/year × about 4.1 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

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.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$22,887
average award, among those who get one

Florida Southern College discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $22,887. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

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 752 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)
$55,294
Typical debt at graduation
$25,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
45%
Out-earn a HS grad
66%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

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
$52,793
Men
$60,776

Men out-earn women by $7,983 (15%) 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

HighLow
40°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.04.59.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lakeland 2, FL US station (4.9 mi from campus).

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 Florida Southern College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Florida Southern College side by side →

Colleges near Florida Southern College

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.