Private Nonprofit Graduate Fair 46/100

Southeastern University

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Lakeland, Florida

About Southeastern University

Thinking about Southeastern University, a college in Florida where more students graduate in Theology than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Southeastern University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Lakeland, Florida. It enrolls 4,813 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
53%
Graduation
38.2%
Net Price
$31,942
Median Earnings (10yr)
$46,744
Enrollment
4,813
Student : Faculty
26:1

Accreditor Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Fair
46/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 26
Value 5
Affordability 17
Selectivity 56

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Southeastern University admits 53% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.

Acceptance Rate
53%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test Policy Test Optional Applicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Southeastern University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Becoming less selective ↑ 26.1 pts since 2019
48.1%201942.7%202044.9%202160.9%202274.3%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $31,942 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$31,942
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
22%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
28%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees
$32,950
Room & Board (on-campus)
$11,130
Room & Board (off-campus)
$8,920
Books & Supplies
$1,600
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$7,800
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$7,800
Total Cost of Attendance
$49,329

Application fee: $40 (one-time, due at submission)


Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $29,498
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $29,185
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $31,185
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $34,795
  • Over $110,000
    $34,482

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$3,250
10% percentile
$5,500
25% percentile
$21,500
Median percentile
$22,905
75% percentile
$32,966
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $13,765 ↓ $7,735
No Pell $10,594 ↓ $10,906
Dependent students $12,000 ↓ $9,500
Independent students $13,522 ↓ $7,978
Female students $12,608 ↓ $8,892
Male students $11,833 ↓ $9,667
Pell recipients: 18.5% (3,982 students)No Pell: 14.3% (3,065 students)Dependent students: 16.1% (3,471 students)Independent students: 18.2% (3,912 students)Female students: 17.0% (3,647 students)Male students: 15.9% (3,423 students)Overall Median$21,500
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $8,250, less than completers ($21,500), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

38% of students who start here finish within six years, and 71% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
38%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
71%
Returning for their second year
What this means: Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $46,744 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$46,744
Earning > $25K
73%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$35,000$38,000$42,000$45,000$48,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$32,700

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$43,900

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$35,300

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$36,100

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$41,700

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $11,200, about 26% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 24.3 pts across 6 years
61.1%1yr66.4%3yr75.1%5yr85.3%7yr
What this signals: Excellent. 85% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 4,813 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 35% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
4,813
Part-Time
12%
First-Generation
35%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 53.0% 2,550
Hispanic 23.1% 1,113
Black 11.1% 536
Other 5.2% 250
International 2.5% 119
Asian 1.7% 81
White: 53.0% (2,550 students)Hispanic: 23.1% (1,113 students)Black: 11.1% (536 students)Other: 5.2% (250 students)International: 2.5% (119 students)Asian: 1.7% (81 students)Total4,813

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Southeastern University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Midsize City Lakeland, Florida
Housing
Partly residential 1,806 beds available
Adult Learners
9% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)
Designation
Religiously affiliated

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Business graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Southeastern University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 77 distinct programs across 19 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

11 Programs
11 Programs
6 Programs
2 Programs
2 Programs
4 Programs
4 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 26 students for every instructor here: high, so expect big lectures and to work harder for one-to-one time.

Student : Faculty
26:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$48M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$68,720
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

129 instructional faculty across 6 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 45 35% $86,546
Associate Professors 39 30% $66,750
Assistant Professors 38 29% $54,805
Instructors 4 3% $49,351
Lecturers 2 2% $36,524
No Rank 1 1% $13,979

Pros & Cons of Southeastern University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Southeastern University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • No clear stand-out strengths in the data.
CONS
  • Above-average net price
  • Larger class sizes than typical
  • Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
  • Modest first-year retention
  • Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families

Frequently Asked Questions about Southeastern University

The questions families ask most about Southeastern University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Southeastern University hard to get into?
Admissions at Southeastern University are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 53%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Southeastern University?
53% of applicants are admitted. Around half get in, so a solid application has a real chance. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Southeastern University cost?
Budget around $31,942 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Southeastern University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $46,744 a year against a net price of $31,942, about 1.5 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Southeastern University known for?
Mostly Theology, Business Administration, Theology. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Southeastern University graduates earn?
About $46,744 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Southeastern University accredited?
Yes. Southeastern University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Southeastern University?
4,813 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Southeastern University?
38% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Southeastern University a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Southeastern University located?
Southeastern University is located in Lakeland, Florida.
What programs does Southeastern University offer?
77 different programs, most commonly Theology, Business Administration, Theology. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Southeastern University?
26 students per instructor. On the high side, so expect big classes and to seek out contact time yourself. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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