Since 1988, USF has occupied a joint-use campus in Lakeland with Polk State College. It is located within 20 minutes of the downtown districts of Lakeland, Winter Haven and Bartow and within an hour of international airports in Tampa and Orlando.

Area residents enjoy easy access to metropolitan amenities such as world class entertainment, professional sports (NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL franchises, as well as a host of minor league teams), Big East athletics, varied shopping and dining options, and a superb quality of life.

Polk County was recently named an "All-America County," the only county so designated in 2007.