Dr. Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Education | https://www2.ed.gov/news/staff/bios/cardona.html#:~:text=Miguel%20A.,in%20the%20mainland%20United%20States.
Dr. Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Education | https://www2.ed.gov/news/staff/bios/cardona.html#:~:text=Miguel%20A.,in%20the%20mainland%20United%20States.
Of the 14 institutions in the county, five provided detailed enrollment data at the time, including Florida Polytechnic University, Warner University and Florida Southern College.
At least 20,118 people applied to Polk County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.
NCES data shows that among them, around 26,172 students enrolled in the universities, including 24,225 in undergraduate and 1,947 in graduate programs. Only 4.7% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.
The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of white (51.3%) and Hispanic (23.7%) students.
Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, Southeastern University stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 10,044 students.
U.S. college enrollment has been in a downward trend since peaking at around 18.1 million students in 2010. Recent increases offered some relief, but experts project a steeper decline in 2025.
This decline is likely due to two main factors. First, the pool of young adults is shrinking as birth rates have fallen nearly 23% between 2007 and 2022. Second, the rising cost of higher education, including skyrocketing student loan debt. A 2023 Wall Street Journal report shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year degree is not worth the cost.
NCES shows that enrollment data was not available for three institutions in Polk County, including NUC University - Florida Technical College - Lakeland, Maynard A. Traviss Technical College - Central Florida Aerospace Academy and Keiser University-Lakeland.
Some educational data is based on estimates. Shifting demographics among student populations can sometimes result in gender totals which do not equal 100%.
| Institution | # of Applicants | # of Admitted Students | Total Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artistic Nails and Beauty Academy-Lakeland | -- | -- | 234 |
| Warner University | 1,372 | 755 | 849 |
| Florida Southern College | 11,120 | 6,338 | 3,281 |
| Empire Beauty School-Lakeland | -- | -- | 103 |
| Polk State College | -- | -- | 8,180 |
| Ridge Technical College | -- | -- | 403 |
| Florida Polytechnic University | 2,779 | 1,556 | 1,593 |
| Maynard A. Traviss Technical College - Central Florida Aerospace Academy | -- | -- | -- |
| Southeastern University | 2,182 | 1,331 | 10,044 |
| Keiser University-Lakeland | -- | -- | -- |
| Traviss Technical College | -- | -- | 337 |
| Webber International University | 2,665 | 1,306 | 1,133 |
| NUC University - Florida Technical College - Lakeland | -- | -- | -- |
| Ruben's Five Star Academy | -- | -- | 15 |
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