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.
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
More selective than 82% · #13 most selective of 49 in Florida
Higher than 27% · #43 of 62 in Florida
Higher than 30%
Higher than 29% · #34 of 60 in Florida
Cheaper than 12% · #50 cheapest of 62 in Florida
Lower than 63%
Lower than 14%
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
- Undergraduate4,81378%
- Graduate1,33822%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lakeland 2, FL US station (6.4 mi from campus).
What Southeastern University 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 Southeastern University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Southeastern University side by side →
Bard College
Annandale-On-Hudson, New York · Fringe rural · 44 mi to Albany
- Students
- 2,414
- Admission
- 52%
- Net price
- $35k
- SAT
- 1380
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $47k
Florida Institute of Technology
Melbourne, Florida · Small city · 56 mi to Orlando
- Students
- 3,404
- Admission
- 58%
- Net price
- $36k
- SAT
- 1225
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $43k
Tuskegee University
Tuskegee, Alabama · Distant town · 35 mi to Montgomery
- Students
- 2,630
- Admission
- 49%
- Net price
- $35k
- SAT
- 1120
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $50k
Touro University
New York, New York · Large city · 3 mi to New York
- Students
- 4,040
- Admission
- 61%
- Net price
- $30k
- SAT
- 1348
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $53k
Anderson University
Anderson, South Carolina · Small city · 27 mi to Greenville
- Students
- 3,183
- Admission
- 55%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1202
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $42k
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Steubenville, Ohio · Small city · 33 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 2,901
- Admission
- 58%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1220
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $50k
Colleges near Southeastern University
Florida Southern College
Lakeland, FL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,656 students
Artistic Nails and Beauty Academy-Lakeland
Lakeland, FL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 185 students
Traviss Technical College
Lakeland, FL · Public · Certificate · 460 students
Empire Beauty School-Lakeland
Lakeland, FL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 145 students
Florida Polytechnic University
Lakeland, FL · Public · Bachelor's · 1,689 students
Polk State College
Winter Haven, FL · Public · Associate · 7,180 students
UR Beauty & Barber Academy-At True Family Barber Academy
Winter Haven, FL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 13 students
Ridge Technical College
Winter Haven, FL · Public · Certificate · 407 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.











