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Florida Southern College
Florida Southern College says yes to 64.4% of applicants. Focus less on getting in and more on what's below — starting with the $55,294 median earnings.
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Florida Southern College sits in Lakeland proper — a private campus woven into the city rather than walled off from it. The school maintains its United Methodist affiliation, which threads through campus life to a degree that varies by program.
Its highest-earning path is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, where graduates median $93,335 four years out. 28.1% of undergraduates carry Pell grants — a plain read on who the campus actually serves. With 2,656 undergraduates and a residential core, weekends happen on campus — and 80% of first-years come back for a second year.
Submitters admitted here typically landed between 1170 and 1310 — above the FL middle for four-year schools. Put your own practice estimate on Florida Southern College's range with the SAT calculator, or bring a saved GPA from the grade tools.
Admissions
In the Fall 2023 cycle, Florida Southern College received 10,874 applications and admitted 6,423 (59.1%), with 640 enrolling.
Florida Southern College is test-optional: scores are considered when submitted but not required. The 1170–1310 range below describes admitted students who chose to submit — typically Florida Southern College's stronger testers — so treat it as the higher end of what gets in.
| Score | 25th | 50th | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Reading & Writing | 590 | 630 | 660 |
| SAT Math | 580 | 610 | 650 |
| ACT Composite | 25 | 27 | 30 |
Percentiles are among students who submitted scores (Fall 2023 admissions cycle).
How Florida Southern College compares
| Florida Southern College | Florida median | National median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 64.4% | 64.8% | 77.2% |
| Tuition (in-state) | $44,040 | $19,975 | $19,591 |
| Median earnings (10 yr) | $55,294 | $48,082 | $53,781 |
Earnings data favors Florida Southern College: $55,294 median at year ten, versus $48,082 across Florida institutions.
Cost, size & completion
Tuition runs $44,040 regardless of where you're from. At Florida Southern College, that sticker is a starting point for aid talks — not what the median family pays.
At 2,656 undergrads, Florida Southern College is a mid-sized campus by U.S. standards.
70.5% of Florida Southern College students finish a bachelor's within six years — 15.7 points above the national 54.9% — and the single best predictor that the $44,040 price above buys a degree, not just enrollment.
Top majors by earnings at Florida Southern College
| Bachelor's program | Median earnings, 4 yrs after completion |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $93,335 |
| Computer Science | $82,328 |
| Accounting and Related Services | $72,480 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $65,104 |
| Biology, General | $58,782 |
| Political Science and Government | $57,128 |
| Psychology, General | $53,344 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | $52,796 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | $51,925 |
| Criminology | $49,829 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $49,315 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | $43,549 |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | $38,358 |
Median earnings for these 13 Florida Southern College programs come from a different federal cohort than the campus-wide $55,294 above — compare rows to each other, not to that 10-year figure. 36 additional Florida Southern College programs have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA and test scores do you need for Florida Southern College?
Among admitted students who submitted scores, the middle 50% scored 1170–1310 on the SAT. There's no published GPA cutoff — pair these ranges with the 64.4% admission rate to judge your odds.
What is Florida Southern College's acceptance rate?
59.1% in the Fall 2023 cycle — 6,423 admitted from 10,874 applicants.
How much does Florida Southern College cost?
At Florida Southern College, published tuition is $44,040 — net price after aid usually comes in lower. That number is Florida Southern College's ceiling, not a quote.
What do Florida Southern College graduates earn?
Federal data puts median earnings at $55,294 ten years after enrolling. The table above breaks this down by major.
Similar colleges in Florida
- Florida College — 69.7% admitted
- Flagler College — 80.8% admitted
- Florida Atlantic University — 66.1% admitted
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach — 64.8% admitted
Run your own numbers
Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Jun 2026), IPEDS ADM2023/HD2024. Retrieved 2026-09-01. Figures reflect the latest federal cohorts, which lag the current admissions cycle.