Dr. Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Education | https://www2.ed.gov/news/staff/bios/cardona.html#:~:text=Miguel%20A.,in%20the%20mainland%20United%20States.
Dr. Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Education | https://www2.ed.gov/news/staff/bios/cardona.html#:~:text=Miguel%20A.,in%20the%20mainland%20United%20States.
Of the 15 institutions in the county, Florida Gulf Coast University was the only one that provided detailed enrollment data at the time.
At least 15,657 people applied to Lee County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.
NCES data shows that among them, around 33,233 students enrolled in the universities, including 31,290 in undergraduate and 1,943 in graduate programs. In total 5.3% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.
The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of white (47.3%) and Hispanic (29.7%) students.
Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, Florida Gulf Coast University stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 15,969 students.
U.S. college enrollment has been in a downward trend since peaking at around 18.1 million students in 2010. Recent increases offered some relief, but experts project a steeper decline in 2025.
This decline is likely due to two main factors. First, the pool of young adults is shrinking as birth rates have fallen nearly 23% between 2007 and 2022. Second, the rising cost of higher education, including skyrocketing student loan debt. A 2023 Wall Street Journal report shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year degree is not worth the cost.
NCES shows that enrollment data was not available for two institutions in Lee County, including Rasmussen University-Fort Myers and Keiser University-Ft Myers.
Some educational data is based on estimates. Shifting demographics among student populations can sometimes result in gender totals which do not equal 100%.
| Institution | # of Applicants | # of Admitted Students | Total Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Mitchell the School-Fort Myers | -- | -- | 120 |
| The Salon Professional Academy-Ft Myers | -- | -- | 95 |
| Southern Technical College | -- | -- | 578 |
| Fort Myers Technical College | -- | -- | 562 |
| Aveda Institute-Fort Myers | -- | -- | 428 |
| Cape Coral Technical College | -- | -- | 287 |
| Rasmussen University-Fort Myers | -- | -- | -- |
| Hodges University | -- | -- | 443 |
| Florida Gulf Coast University | 15,657 | 11,586 | 15,969 |
| Lee Professional Institute | -- | -- | 5 |
| Cozmo Beauty School | -- | -- | 42 |
| Keiser University-Ft Myers | -- | -- | -- |
| Florida Academy | -- | -- | 356 |
| Florida SouthWestern State College | -- | -- | 14,326 |
| Premiere International College | -- | -- | 22 |
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