Private nonprofit · University

Southeastern University

Lakeland, Florida · Midsize city

53.0%
Admit rate
$31,942
Avg net price
43%
Graduation rate
$46,744
Median earnings

Southeastern University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Lakeland, Florida (midsize city setting), enrolling 4,813 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). It has a Assemblies of God Church religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 4,813 undergradsMidsize citySelective · 53% admitNAIA Division I · The Sun ConferenceMild winters

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
33 miles to Tampa, FL
To the ocean
32 miles
Nearest airport
7 miles to Lakeland Linder (LAL)

How Southeastern University compares

Selectivity53.0%

More selective than 82% · #13 most selective of 49 in Florida

Graduation rate43%

Higher than 27% · #43 of 62 in Florida

First-year retention70%

Higher than 30%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$46,744

Higher than 29% · #34 of 60 in Florida

Average net price$31,942

Cheaper than 12% · #50 cheapest of 62 in Florida

Median debt at graduation$21,500

Lower than 63%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 14%

Undergraduate enrollment4,813

Larger than 77%

Percentiles compare Southeastern University 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

6,151students
  • Undergraduate4,81378%
  • Graduate1,33822%

Undergraduates by gender

4,813undergrads
  • Women2,68956%
  • Men2,12444%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White53%
  • Black11%
  • Hispanic23%
  • Asian1.7%
  • Other or multiracial11%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,813
Graduate enrollment
1,338
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
22%
First-generation students
35%
Students over 25
9%
Median family income
$39,372
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$63,369
Endowment
$10,946,366

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
53.0%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$32,950
Room & board
$11,130
Books & supplies
$1,600
Total cost of attendance
$49,329
Average net price
$31,942

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)
43%
Graduated on time (4 years)
35%
First-year retention
70%
Transferred to another college
29%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$36,314
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$46,744
Median debt at graduation
$21,500
Students with federal loans
28%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
48%

About 8% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
35%
Low-income (Pell)
42%
First-generation
40%

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
1,806
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
38%
Housing charge (year)
$5,600
Meal plan (year)
$5,420
Application fee
$40
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Football conference
The Sun Conference
Varsity athletes
627 (420 men · 207 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 (12)

Football133
Track and Field (Indoor)86
Track and Field (Outdoor)86
Soccer70
Baseball55
Wrestling48
Cross Country36
Basketball32
Golf21
Tennis21
Softball20
Volleyball19

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
16
Property offenses (2022–2024)
22

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 24 campuses (11,510 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.

13reported offenses a year
5.3 violent a year7.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
4.3
Fondling
3.0
Motor vehicle theft
3.0
Rape
1.3
Aggravated assault
0.7
Robbery
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
$29,498
$30–48k
$29,185
$48–75k
$31,185
$75–110k
$34,795
$110k+
$34,482

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
$133,150

$31,185/year × about 4.3 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.

65%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$15,407
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 65% — get grant money from Southeastern University itself, averaging $15,407, which softens the sticker price.

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 1,055 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)
$46,744
Typical debt at graduation
$21,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
46%
Out-earn a HS grad
54%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.6 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
$42,638
Men
$51,429

Men out-earn women by $8,791 (21%) 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 (6.4 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 Southeastern University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Southeastern University side by side →

Colleges near Southeastern University

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.