See How Lakeland Universities Rank Nationally

POLK COUNTY, FL — High school seniors searching for a top-ranked college or university to attend need look no further than their own back yard.

On Monday, U.S. News & World Report released its 2023 Best Colleges rankings, and this year 71 colleges and universities in Florida made the list, including four in Polk County.

Among the schools ranking in the "national universities" category was Southeastern University in Lakeland. It ranked 331 among 443 national universities for its performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence. This category consists of schools that offer undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees with an emphasis on faculty research or professional practice doctorates.

Ranking in the "regional colleges" category were Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland, ranked No. 3 overall, Florida Southern College in Lakeland, ranked No. 8, and Warner University in Lake Wales, ranked at No. 103.

Now in its 38th year, the latest edition of U.S News & World Report's 2023 Best Colleges was compiled after more than 1,500 U.S. bachelor's degree-granting institutions were assessed on 17 measures of academic quality.

This year's rankings also considered graduation and retention rates; graduate indebtedness; social mobility; class size; faculty salaries; peer assessments by other universities; financial resources; student performance on standardized tests; number of minority and veterans enrolled and alumni giving.

In these subcategories, Florida Polytechnic University excelled on three counts, ranking No. 1 in the country for Best Colleges for Veterans, tying at No. 3 for Best Regional Colleges in the South and No. 30 for Best Value Schools.

Florida Southern College also received high scores in subcategories, ranking No. 8 for Best Regional Colleges in the South, No. 11 in Best Value Schools and No. 16 in Most Innovative Schools.

Southeastern University ranked No. 105 in Top Performers on Social Mobility, which measures how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell Grants (those typically coming from households whose family incomes are less than $50,000 annually).

Warner University ranked No. 23 as a regional Top Performer on Social Mobility.

Other Florida colleges and universities making the 2022-2023 Best Colleges rankings include:

National Universities Category

• University of Florida, Gainesville, ranked 29.
• Florida State University, Tallahassee, ranked 55.
• University of Miami, Coral Gables, ranked 55.
• University of South Florida, Tampa, ranked 97.
• University of Central Florida, Orlando, ranked 137.
• Saint Leo University, St. Leo, ranked 331.

Regional Universities Category

• Rollins College, Winter Park, ranked 1.
• University of Tampa, Tampa, ranked 21.
• Florida College, Temple Terrace, ranked 68.

National Liberal Arts Colleges Category

• New College of Florida, Sarasota, ranked 76.
• Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, ranked 130.

Read more about schools are ranked.