Colleges in Polk County, Florida
Polk County is a county in Florida. According to Census data, the population is 302,284 (estimated). For the academic year 2024-2025, twelve colleges are active for serving college programs in Polk County, Florida. In addition, there are 20 colleges located within 30 miles from Polk County.
By school type, there are four public and seven private schools. By school level, there are six 4-years (or high) schools, one 2-4 years schools (community colleges), and four less than 2 years schools (career, technical, or vocational schools) based on the IPEDS data.
Eleven schools offer undergraduate programs and five schools offer graduate programs. The 2025 average tuition & fees of the schools in Polk County, Florida is $14,879 for Florida residents and $20,378 for out-of-state students.
The average acceptance rate is 57.43% and the average SAT score is 1,133. A total of 30,099 students enrolled in schools in Polk County, Florida, of which 8,846 students enrolled in online degree programs exclusively. The average student to faculty ratio is 17 to 1.
Comparison Between Colleges in Polk County, Florida
The following table lists 12 colleges located in Polk County and 9 schools near Polk County, Florida ordered by distance from Polk County. The "-" value in other columns means that the corresponding data has not been reported or the school does not have programs for the values.
You can sort the table by column by clicking/touching column titles.
| College Name | Distance From Polk County | Undergraduate Tuition & Fees | Population | Graduation Rate | Student to Faculty Ratio | Graduate Tuition & Fees | Acceptance Rate | SAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artistic Nails and Beauty Academy-Lakeland Lakeland, FL Private, Less than 2 years valid | 0.47 miles | $9,672 | 185 | 76% | 13 to 1 | - | - | - |
| Florida Southern College Lakeland, FL Private, 4 years four-years | 1.65 miles | $44,040 | 3,211 | 71% | 11 to 1 | $18,825 | 64.4% | 1,220 |
| Southeastern University Lakeland, FL Private, 4 years four-years | 2.84 miles | $32,950 | 11,510 | 43% | 19 to 1 | $10,659 | 53.0% | - |
| Empire Beauty School-Lakeland Lakeland, FL Private, Less than 2 years valid | 3.82 miles | $16,320 | 145 | 59% | 25 to 1 | - | - | - |
| Traviss Technical College Lakeland, FL Public, 2-4 years valid | 5.61 miles | $760 | 741 | 90% | 16 to 1 | - | - | - |
| Florida Polytechnic University Lakeland, FL Public, 4 years four-years | 9.31 miles | $21,004 | 1,769 | 55% | 17 to 1 | $19,998 | 57.5% | 1,260 |
| Polk State College Winter Haven, FL Public, 4 years four-years | 14.90 miles | $9,818 | 10,318 | 35% | 19 to 1 | - | - | - |
| Ridge Technical College Winter Haven, FL Public, Less than 2 years valid | 18.37 miles | $10,530 | 407 | 99% | 20 to 1 | - | - | - |
| UR Beauty & Barber Academy-At True Family Barber Academy Winter Haven, FL Private, Less than 2 years valid | 18.38 miles | - | 13 | - | 25 to 1 | - | - | - |
| Ruben's Five Star Academy Lake Wales, FL Private, Less than 2 years valid | 21.92 miles | $15,300 | 22 | 59% | 5 to 1 | - | - | - |
| Aparicio-Levy Technical College Tampa, FL Public, Less than 2 years valid | 23.50 miles | $1,527 | 329 | 81% | 17 to 1 | - | - | - |
| Herzing University-Tampa Tampa, FL Private, 4 years four-years | 23.92 miles | $13,450 | 251 | - | 14 to 1 | $9,190 | 89.7% | - |
| Empire Beauty School-Tampa Tampa, FL Private, Less than 2 years valid | 24.72 miles | $16,320 | 111 | 54% | 23 to 1 | - | - | - |
| Strayer University-Florida Tampa, FL Private, 4 years four-years | 25.08 miles | $13,920 | 1,303 | 100% | 47 to 1 | $15,135 | - | - |
| Florida College Temple Terrace, FL Private, 4 years four-years | 26.21 miles | $20,360 | 728 | 54% | 14 to 1 | - | 69.7% | 1,090 |
| Saint Leo University Saint Leo, FL Private, 4 years four-years | 26.83 miles | $30,000 | 9,692 | 45% | 25 to 1 | $12,870 | 78.4% | - |
| Warner University Lake Wales, FL Private, 4 years four-years | 26.87 miles | $29,992 | 900 | 42% | 13 to 1 | $6,718 | 42.8% | 920 |
| University of South Florida Tampa, FL Public, 4 years four-years | 28.00 miles | $17,324 | 49,622 | 77% | 22 to 1 | $21,126 | 43.2% | 1,220 |
| Artistic Nails and Beauty Academy-Tampa Tampa, FL Private, Less than 2 years valid | 28.35 miles | $9,672 | 253 | 77% | 15 to 1 | - | - | - |
| Erwin Technical College Tampa, FL Public, 2-4 years valid | 29.67 miles | $4,779 | 581 | 80% | 20 to 1 | - | - | - |
| Webber International University Babson Park, FL Private, 4 years four-years | 29.84 miles | $33,770 | 878 | 28% | 17 to 1 | $22,910 | 69.4% | - |
| Average | - | $20,378 | 30,099 | 60% | 17 to 1 | $15,822 | 57.4% | 1,133 |