Best Public Administration Schools Near Winter Haven, FL

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

Winter Haven, Florida has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $6,368 to $23,133 per year for indexed programs. Winter Haven has a population of about 52,846. Median household income is $59,604 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 22.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro area, the top-earning public administration-related role is General and Operations Manager at a median $96,220 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Public Administration Schools to Winter Haven

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public administration programs near Winter Haven, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Winter Haven 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 Winter Haven. 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

Strayer University-Florida

Tampa, FL 40.1 miles from Winter Haven
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
38.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,092
Avg net price $16,064/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 19

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of South Florida

Tampa, FL 43.5 miles from Winter Haven
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
81.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 43%
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,743
Avg net price $9,812/yr
Tuition
In‑state$6,410
Out‑of‑state$17,324
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 151

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

#3

University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL 50.9 miles from Winter Haven
  • 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

#4

St Petersburg College

St. Petersburg, FL 59.4 miles from Winter Haven
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,557
Avg net price $1,471/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 75

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Indian River State College

Fort Pierce, FL 91.7 miles from Winter Haven
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
68.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 44%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,315
Avg net price $3,815/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, FL 107.1 miles from Winter Haven
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
68.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 63%
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,560
Avg net price $12,568/yr
Tuition
In‑state$6,118
Out‑of‑state$25,162
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 70

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

#7

Flagler College

Saint Augustine, FL 132.0 miles from Winter Haven
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
44.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,483
Avg net price $30,525/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 38

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Lynn University

Boca Raton, FL 148.5 miles from Winter Haven
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
38.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 73%
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,006
Avg net price $44,089/yr
Tuition
In‑state$44,480
Out‑of‑state$44,480
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • 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 public administration page.

Public Administration Wages Near Winter Haven

Winter Haven 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)
Social and Community Service Manager$70,400Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL$72,503
Urban and Regional Planner$79,370Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL$81,740
General and Operations Manager$96,220Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL$99,094
Management Analyst$79,990Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL$82,379

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.

Winter Haven at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population52,846Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$59,604Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+22.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)97.1 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Winter Haven-Area Cities With Public Administration Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public administration schools are near Winter Haven, FL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Winter Haven. The closest is Strayer University-Florida in Tampa, FL (40.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Indian River State College (91.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public administration roles near Winter Haven?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Winter Haven are: General and Operations Manager ($96,220), Management Analyst ($79,990), Urban and Regional Planner ($79,370). 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 Haines City instead of Winter Haven?

Haines City, FL is 8.5 miles from Winter Haven and has its own set of local public administration programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Winter Haven an affordable place to study public administration?

Winter Haven’s median household income of $59,604 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Winter Haven 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 Public Administration Programs

Other Programs Available in Winter Haven

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

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.

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