Southeastern University
Private College in Lakeland, FL. Six-year graduation rate 46%. Median 10-year earnings $46,744.
Students who entered Southeastern University land at a median of $46,744 a decade later, close to what most four-year schools deliver. 46% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Graduates carry a median of $21,500 in debt — in line with the national norm.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
Southeastern University admits 53% of applicants and is genuinely selective — roughly one in two applicants are turned away. 4,581 students applied in the most recent cycle — a mid-sized pool drawn mostly from the surrounding region. 49% of admitted students actually enroll, which is a high yield by national standards.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Southeastern University →Academics
Six-year completion sits at 46%, meaning about one in two students who enroll leave without finishing. First-year retention is 70% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. With 31% transferring out, this functions substantially as a stepping stone. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 50% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 4,661 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay $32,334 a year on average after aid, a premium price that the earnings data has to justify. Income makes less difference than usual: $29,498 at $0–30k, $34,482 at $110k+. 89% of students get grant aid averaging $15,355, so the published price is a poor guide to what most pay. 55% of students borrow federally, so debt is the norm rather than the exception.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 942 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $29,498 |
| $30–48k | $29,185 |
| $48–75k | $31,185 |
| $75–110k | $34,795 |
| $110k+ | $34,482 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 2,558 of these 4,661 students, totalling $16,810,481 — an average of $6,572 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Polk County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)