Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsPrivate nonprofit

Florida Southern College

Lakeland, Florida·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southeast·flsouthern.edu
6-yr Graduation
71%
+6.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Total enrollment
3,211
peer median 2,130
Avg net price
$28,551
+$5.9k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
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About

Florida Southern College is a private college in Lakeland, Florida, United States. In 2019, the student population at FSC consisted of 3,073 students along with 130 full-time faculty members. It offers undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate programs. The institution is home to the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
10,800
10,800 candidates competed
Admitted
6,957
64.4% acceptance rate
Enrolled
762
11.0% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
71%+6.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
4-year graduation
65%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
71%
Full-time retention
80%

Pell equity

5.2pp gap
Pell recipients
67%138 of 207
Non-Pell (all)
72%353 of 489
Subsidized loan, no Pell
70%102 of 146
No Federal Aid
73%251 of 343

Non-Pell students graduate at a 5.2-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 71 Title IV programs, 18 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 53 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
71
Passing
18
25.4% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

71programs
  • Passing18 · 25.4%
  • No Data53 · 74.6%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
2
Safe
16
No data
53

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

18
Physiology Pathology and Related Sciences
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+18.1%
$38,358 vs $32,488
Curriculum and Instruction
Master's Degree · Education
+18.1%
$54,810 vs $46,391
Ecology Evolution Systematics and Population Biology
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+34.0%
$43,549 vs $32,488
Educational Administration and Supervision
Master's Degree · Education
+35.4%
$62,793 vs $46,391
Accounting and Related Services
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+49.2%
$76,905 vs $51,545
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+51.8%
$49,315 vs $32,488
Criminology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+53.4%
$49,829 vs $32,488
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+59.8%
$51,925 vs $32,488

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

16
Physiology Pathology and Related Sciences
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
61%
$23,250 debt · $38,358 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
55%
$27,000 debt · $49,315 earn
Criminology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
54%
$27,000 debt · $49,829 earn
Ecology Evolution Systematics and Population Biology
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
54%
$23,500 debt · $43,549 earn
Educational Administration and Supervision
Master's Degree · Education
49%
$30,750 debt · $62,793 earn
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
48%
$25,000 debt · $51,925 earn
Public Relations Advertising and Applied Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
47%
$25,000 debt · $52,796 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
46%
$24,342 debt · $53,344 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1935Next review Dec 2028

Programmatic accreditations · 6

Action history · 18

  1. Oct 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Jun 2025Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Jun 2025Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Dec 2024Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Dec 2024Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$23,624
$30–48k$21,385
$48–75k$25,830
$75–110k$29,044
$110k+$33,706

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$28,551
+$5,884vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs median $22,668
Federal loans
53.5%
In-state tuition
$44,040
Out-of-state
$44,040

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 1,021 students received $6.2M in Pell grants, alongside $27.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,021
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$6.2M
$6,237,572 total
Direct Loans
$27.2M
3,395 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$5.1M
1,192 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$5.2M
1,438 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$5.2M
251 loan awards
Parent PLUS$9.1M
422 loan awards
Grad PLUS$2.7M
92 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 729 borrowers who entered repayment, 6 (0.8%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.8%
-1.5pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
729
Defaulted
6
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
4.2%
2017
5.8%
2018
4.3%
2019
0.8%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Florida Southern College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs78
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

858 total completions
01Business
23827.7%
02Health Professions
14416.8%
03Biological Sciences
13015.2%
04Psychology
758.7%
05Visual/Performing Arts
758.7%
06Education
546.3%
07Communication
445.1%
08Social Sciences
394.5%
09Computer Sciences
364.2%
10Parks/Recreation
232.7%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
3,211
12-mo unduplicated
3,424
Undergraduate
2,843
Graduate
581

Gender split

Men
35%1,182
Women
65%2,242

Race / ethnicity composition

White
63.9%
Hispanic
17.8%
Black
6.7%
Two or more
4.3%
Non-resident
3.4%
Asian
2.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.3%
Unknown
0.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
495
281 M · 214 W
Women athletes
43.2%
Athletic aid
$5.2M
Total student aid
Budget
$12.8M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$2.6M
$2.6M
Recruiting expense
$31K
$23K
Head-coach salaries
$71K
$60K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 11

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
79 M · 59 W
$530K
Lacrosse
79 M · 45 W
$1.6M
Soccer
35 M · 41 W
$1.1M
Baseball
74 M ·
$1.1M
Swimming
26 M · 16 W
$769K
Basketball
16 M · 14 W
$2.1M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.88
6 offenses · 3,194 students

3-year trend

0.592 yrs ago2.441 yr ago1.88Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
16
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
1
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
2
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
4

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
2
Fondling
2
Rape
1
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

6total
  • On campus6

Includes 3 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Race1
  • Sexual orientation1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons01
Drugs022
Liquor016

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Data quality: 1 report was later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
11.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
160

Florida Southern College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Florida Southern College selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectFlorida Southern College
71%3,211$28,551Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
65%63.4%2,100$21,401Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
69%64.0%2,484$22,320Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
72%86.0%4,454$23,015Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
66%75.8%1,893$38,071Baccalaureate
40%97.5%1,104$19,533Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
60%93.1%1,939$23,093Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
65%83.8%2,146$26,979Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
62%71.6%3,775$19,372Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
64%40.3%11,433$36,211Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
65%77.6%2,114$18,499Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
57%93.3%1,055$18,083Baccalaureate
Peer group median65%77.6%2,130$22,668

Institutions like Florida Southern College

Explore the federal data for institutions in Florida Southern College's comparison group.

Florida Southern College Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Email
ir [at] flsouthern.edu
Phone
863-680-5080
Address
111 Lake Hollingsworth Drive, Lakeland, FL 33801

The mission of the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness is to provide data, research, and analysis in support of the mission and strategic plan of Florida Southern College. The office offers assistance to academic, administrative, and support services units for institutional effectiveness, program assessment, data analysis, and reporting.

Visit IR office page
Team
4 members
  • Victoria Giordano, Ed.D.
    Associate Provost of Institutional Research and Assessment, Associate Professor of Education
  • Megan Herring
    Coordinator of Enrollment Reporting and Compliance
  • Carole Cox
    Senior IR Analyst
  • Aaron Thibodaux
    IR Data Analyst

Reports & documents (1)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Grants & funding (4)

Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.

Notable alumni of Florida Southern College (26)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Lee Janzen
    Athletics
  • Robert M. Blackburn
    Religion
  • Abdallah Salem el-Badri
    International Relations
  • Andrew M. Boss
    Music
  • Emma Cannon
    Athletics
  • Charleene Closshey
    Entertainment
  • Rob Dibble
    Athletics
  • Eric Eisnaugle
    Law
  • Jim France
    Business
  • Robert L. Goulet
    Business
  • Matt Joyce
    Athletics
  • Neal Justin
    Politics
Showing 112 of 26
1 / 3

Frequently asked questions about Florida Southern College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Florida Southern College.

What is the graduation rate at Florida Southern College?

Florida Southern College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 71% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Florida Southern College?

Florida Southern College reports a total enrollment of 3,211 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Florida Southern College?

The average net price at Florida Southern College is $28,551 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Florida Southern College?

Florida Southern College's yield rate is 11.0%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Florida Southern College located?

Florida Southern College is located in Lakeland, Florida 33801-5698.

Who runs Institutional Research at Florida Southern College?

Florida Southern College's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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