Best Online Liberal Arts Programs in Lakeland, FL (2026)

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

Lakeland, Florida has 1 accredited school offering liberal arts 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 Florida, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Technical Writer at a median $86,240 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Lakeland

The 1 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 1 schools in our directory that offer liberal arts programs near Lakeland. Distances are calculated from Lakeland city center.

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.

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Visit website

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

Liberal Arts 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.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Public Relations Specialist	$57,720	Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL	$59,444
Management Analyst	$79,990	Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL	$82,379
Technical Writer	$86,240	FL statewide	$88,816
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist	$58,730	FL statewide	$60,484
Editor	$80,360	Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL	$82,760
Training and Development Specialist	$58,900	Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL	$60,659
Human Resources Specialist	$62,970	Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL	$64,851

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

Metric	Value	Source
Population	117,030	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$60,947	Census 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
Liberal Arts-related employment in Polk County	1,093 workers, 96 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Lakeland-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs

Plant City, FL – 10.5 mi away (38,200 pop)
Winter Haven, FL – 15.7 mi away (231,412 pop)
Zephyrhills, FL – 18.8 mi away (74,712 pop)
Haines City, FL – 21.0 mi away (23,454 pop)
Temple Terrace, FL – 25.9 mi away (26,515 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited liberal arts schools are near Lakeland, FL?

Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Lakeland. The closest is Florida Southern College in Lakeland, FL (1.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Florida Southern College (1.9 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying liberal arts roles near Lakeland?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Lakeland are: Technical Writer ($86,240), Editor ($80,360), Management Analyst ($79,990). 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 liberal arts 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 liberal arts?

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 Liberal Arts Programs

Other Programs Available in Lakeland

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

Data verified: June 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.

Back to Best Online Liberal Arts Programs in Florida (2026)

Return to Best Online Liberal Arts Programs in Florida (2026)