Best Legal Studies Schools Near Clearwater, FL (2026)

Updated August 31, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Clearwater, Florida has 1 accredited school offering legal studies programs, with tuition ranging from $32,950 to $49,329 per year for indexed programs. Clearwater has a population of about 117,075. Median household income is $64,440 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 32.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area, the top-earning legal studies-related role is Lawyer at a median $127,490 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer legal studies programs near Clearwater, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Clearwater 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 Clearwater. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

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#1

Southeastern University

Lakeland, FL 51.6 miles from Clearwater
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
32.6 BOC Score
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: 74

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

#2

University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL 104.3 miles from Clearwater
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
80.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 40%
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,308
Avg net price $10,411/yr
Tuition
In‑state$6,368
Out‑of‑state$22,467
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 130

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Florida Institute of Technology

Melbourne, FL 130.6 miles from Clearwater
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
46.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,137
Avg net price $35,639/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 73

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Jacksonville University

Jacksonville, FL 178.3 miles from Clearwater
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,010
Avg net price $25,180/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 78

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Palm Beach Atlantic University

West Palm Beach, FL 188.2 miles from Clearwater
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
39.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,232
Avg net price $28,354/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 58

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale, FL 202.2 miles from Clearwater
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
52.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 40%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,696
Avg net price $30,498/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 69

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Nova Southeastern University

Fort Lauderdale, FL 202.7 miles from Clearwater
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
55.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,209
Avg net price $30,371/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 131

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Florida National University-Main Campus

Hialeah, FL 209.7 miles from Clearwater
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
47.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $33,928
Avg net price $23,043/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 33

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Clearwater is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area (BLS area code 45300). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Florida statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Paralegal and Legal Assistant$60,150Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL$59,613
Lawyer$127,490Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL$126,353
Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant$47,510Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL$47,086

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.

Clearwater at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population117,075Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$64,440Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+32.5%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)100.9 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Frequently Asked Questions

Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering legal studies programs near Clearwater. The closest is Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL (51.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Southeastern University (51.6 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying legal studies-related roles near Clearwater are: Lawyer ($127,490), Paralegal and Legal Assistant ($60,150), Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant ($47,510). 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 Dunedin instead of Clearwater?

Dunedin, FL is 4.0 miles from Clearwater and has its own set of local legal studies programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Clearwater’s median household income of $64,440 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Clearwater 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.

Other Programs Available in Clearwater

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

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 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.

Back to Best Legal Studies Schools in Florida: Online Programs (2026)