Best Computer Engineering Schools Near Lakeland, FL (2026)

Lakeland, Florida has 5 accredited schools offering computer engineering programs, with tuition ranging from $3,165 to $22,859 per year for indexed programs. Lakeland has a population of about 117,030. Median household income is $60,947 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 27.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro area, the top-earning computer engineering-related role is Computer Network Architect at a median $139,150 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Computer Engineering Schools to Lakeland

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer computer engineering programs near Lakeland, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Lakeland city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Lakeland. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score โ€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Florida Polytechnic University

Lakeland, FL 9.3 miles from Lakeland
  • 4 year
46.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 52%
Avg net price $11,853/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 14

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Florida schools on the Florida computer engineering page.


Computer Engineering Wages Near Lakeland

Lakeland is part of the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro area (BLS area code 29460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Florida statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Computer Hardware Engineer$134,160FL statewide$138,167
Electronics Engineer$101,720Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL$104,758
Software Developer$122,200Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL$125,850
Computer Network Architect$139,150Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL$143,306

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Lakeland at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population117,030Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$60,947Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+27.7%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)97.1 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Lakeland-Area Cities With Computer Engineering Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited computer engineering schools are near Lakeland, FL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering computer engineering programs near Lakeland. The closest is Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland, FL (9.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is South Florida State College (43.2 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying computer engineering roles near Lakeland?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying computer engineering-related roles near Lakeland are: Computer Network Architect ($139,150), Computer Hardware Engineer ($134,160), Software Developer ($122,200). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Florida statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Plant City instead of Lakeland?

Plant City, FL is 10.5 miles from Lakeland and has its own set of local computer engineering programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Lakeland an affordable place to study computer engineering?

Lakeland’s median household income of $60,947 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lakeland while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Florida public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Computer Engineering Programs

Other Programs Available in Lakeland

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Lakeland:

Data verified: August 31, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.