Photo: DanTD · CC BY-SA 4.0Polk State College is 5.6 miles from Lake Hamilton
No college sits inside Lake Hamilton’s boundary, but Polk State College’s campus in Winter Haven, with 4,687 students on campus, is 5.6 miles from the center of town, and Valencia College is 33.9 miles away in Orlando. About 1% of Lake Hamilton’s residents are enrolled in college, below Florida (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Lake Hamilton. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Lake Hamilton
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Lake Hamilton
It is public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Lake Hamilton.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $48–75k, where Lake Hamilton’s median household income ($60,486) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Lake Hamilton: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.
Questions about college near Lake Hamilton
Is Lake Hamilton a college town?
No. About 1 of every 100 Lake Hamilton residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below Florida (6). The nearest campus, Polk State College, is 5.6 miles away in Winter Haven.
What colleges are near Lake Hamilton?
Within 15 miles: Polk State College (5.6 miles, 4,687 students on campus).
What is the closest community college to Lake Hamilton, and what does it cost?
Valencia College in Orlando, 33.9 miles away. Tuition and fees are $2,664 a year for Florida residents; the federal net price, $12,037, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Polk State College cost if we live in Florida?
Tuition and fees are $2,694 a year in-state and $9,817 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $9,446 (under $30,000 income) to $7,464 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Lake Hamilton. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →