Criminal Justice Administration Schools Near Lakeland, FL

Updated August 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Lakeland, Florida has 22 accredited schools offering criminal justice administration programs, with tuition ranging from $2,506 to $33,770 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 criminal justice administration-related role is First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives at a median $100,020 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Administration Schools to Lakeland

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice administration 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.

#1

Southeastern University

Lakeland, FL 2.8 miles from Lakeland BOC Score 32.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 53%
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,744
Avg net price $31,942/yr
Tuition
In‑state$32,950
Out‑of‑state$32,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Florida schools on the Florida criminal justice administration page.

Criminal Justice Administration 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)
First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives$100,020Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL$103,007
First-Line Supervisor of Correctional Officers$55,620FL statewide$57,281
General and Operations Manager$96,220Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL$99,094
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$66,700Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL$68,692

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 Criminal Justice Administration Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice administration schools are near Lakeland, FL?

Our directory has 22 accredited schools offering criminal justice administration programs near Lakeland. The closest is Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL (2.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is South Florida State College (43.2 miles). 10 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice administration roles near Lakeland?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice administration-related roles near Lakeland are: First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives ($100,020), General and Operations Manager ($96,220), Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer ($66,700). 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 criminal justice administration 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 criminal justice administration?

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 Criminal Justice Administration Programs

Other Programs Available in Lakeland

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

Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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