About
Polk State College (PSC) is a public college based in Winter Haven, Florida, United States, and is part of the Florida College System. Established in 1964, PSC operates its main campuses in Winter Haven and Lakeland, with additional education centers in Bartow and Lake Wales. The college offers both associate and bachelor’s degrees.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Overall completion
35%
Overall completion
35%
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 51 Title IV programs, 11 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 39 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Total programs
51
Passing
11
21.6% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
2.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
2.0%
+1.4pp vs 0.6% national
Pass / fail distribution
51programs
- Passing11 · 21.6%
- No Data39 · 76.5%
- Failing1 · 2.0%
Severity spectrum
Critical
0
Severe
1
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
11
No data
39
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Program
Typical
Benchmark
EP gap
Human Development Family Studies and Related Services
Associate Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
$28,739
$32,488
Same-State HS Median
-11.5%
−$3,749
Human Development Family Studies and Related Services
Associate Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
-11.5%
$28,739 vs $32,488
Computer Software and Media Applications
Associate Degree · Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
$41,443
$32,488
Same-State HS Median
+27.6%
+$8,955
Computer Software and Media Applications
Associate Degree · Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
+27.6%
$41,443 vs $32,488
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
$43,940
$32,488
Same-State HS Median
+35.2%
+$11,452
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+35.2%
$43,940 vs $32,488
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Associate Degree · Security And Protective Services
$48,056
$32,488
Same-State HS Median
+47.9%
+$15,568
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Associate Degree · Security And Protective Services
+47.9%
$48,056 vs $32,488
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
$52,404
$32,488
Same-State HS Median
+61.3%
+$19,916
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+61.3%
$52,404 vs $32,488
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
$53,932
$32,488
Same-State HS Median
+66.0%
+$21,444
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+66.0%
$53,932 vs $32,488
Business Administration Management and Operations
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
$54,431
$32,488
Same-State HS Median
+67.5%
+$21,943
Business Administration Management and Operations
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+67.5%
$54,431 vs $32,488
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
$55,634
$32,488
Same-State HS Median
+71.2%
+$23,146
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
+71.2%
$55,634 vs $32,488
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Program
Median debt
Median earnings
Debt burden
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
$18,250
$52,404
35%
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
$18,250 debt · $52,404 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
$15,227
$55,634
27%
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
$15,227 debt · $55,634 earn
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
$13,094
$53,932
24%
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
$13,094 debt · $53,932 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
$19,444
$94,269
21%
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
$19,444 debt · $94,269 earn
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
$13,359
$69,815
19%
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
$13,359 debt · $69,815 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
$6,592
$43,940
15%
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
$6,592 debt · $43,940 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
$11,000
$79,660
14%
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
$11,000 debt · $79,660 earn
Air Transportation
Associate Degree · Transportation And Materials Moving
$5,500
$83,657
7%
Air Transportation
Associate Degree · Transportation And Materials Moving
$5,500 debt · $83,657 earn
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Accredited since 1967Next review Dec 2026
Programmatic accreditations · 6
Action history · 12
- Aug 2025Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) - Programs leading to an associate degree
- Oct 2023Accreditation Reaffirmed: Probation RemovedAmerican Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PTA) - Programs for the physical therapist assistant
- May 2023Grant Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Oct 2022Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: DenialAmerican Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PTA) - Programs for the physical therapist assistant
- Nov 2021Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Show CauseAmerican Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PTA) - Programs for the physical therapist assistant
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$110k+—
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Avg net price
$9,027
+$2,326vs Baccalaureate median $6,702
Federal loans
6.9%
In-state tuition
$3,366
Out-of-state
$12,272
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 4,447 students received $18.7M in Pell grants, alongside $6.2M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients
4,447
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$18.7M
$18,710,246 total
Direct Loans
$6.2M
1,628 loan awards
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
4k’20
4k’21
4k’22
4k’23
4k’24
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Subsidized$2.7M
827 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.5M
795 loan awards
Parent PLUS$25K
6 loan awards
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 944 borrowers who entered repayment, 37 (3.9%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate
3.9%
+1.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
944
Defaulted
37
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard
Default rate vs national, by cohort
2016
10.1%+0.8
2017
11.2%+2.0
2018
10.1%+3.1
2019
3.9%+1.6
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Polk State College
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Distinct CIP programs47
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered
Top program families by completions
1,462 total completions
01Liberal Arts
79454.3%
01Liberal Arts
79454.3%
02Health Professions
25717.6%
02Health Professions
25717.6%
03Business
22715.5%
03Business
22715.5%
04Security/Protective
654.4%
04Security/Protective
654.4%
05Transportation
412.8%
05Transportation
412.8%
06Education
332.3%
06Education
332.3%
07Computer Sciences
332.3%
07Computer Sciences
332.3%
08Family/Consumer Sci
70.5%
08Family/Consumer Sci
70.5%
09Engineering Tech
50.3%
09Engineering Tech
50.3%
10Mechanic
00.0%
10Mechanic
00.0%
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Fall total
10,318
12-mo unduplicated
13,744
Undergraduate
13,744
Graduate
0
Gender split
Men
37%5,025
Women
63%8,719
Race / ethnicity composition
White
42.3%
Hispanic
29.6%
Black
19.0%
Two or more
3.4%
Asian
2.8%
Non-resident
1.5%
Unknown
1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.2%
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Athletes
92
40 M · 52 W
Women athletes
56.5%
Athletic aid
$328K
Total student aid
Budget
$1.6M
Total expenses
Men vs women · spending splits
Athletic student aid
$135K
$194K
Recruiting expense
$1K
$2K
Head-coach salaries
$66K
$58K
Men Women
Sport-by-sport · 5
Sport
Men
Women
Expenses
Baseball
25
—
$352,809
Baseball
25 M · —
Soccer
—
23
$313,262
Soccer
— · 23 W
Softball
—
16
$294,698
Softball
— · 16 W
Basketball
15
—
$286,266
Basketball
15 M · —
Volleyball
—
13
$297,148
Volleyball
— · 13 W
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 8,180 students
3-year trend
0.102 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
1
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0
Criminal offenses by type
No criminal offenses reported.
By location
0total
VAWA offenses
0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons10
Drugs10
Liquor10
Residence-hall fires
No residence-hall fires reported.
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Student-to-faculty
19.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
158
Polk State College vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Polk State College selected for federal comparison reporting.
This institutionPeer median
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectPolk State College | 35% | — | 10,318 | $9,027 | Baccalaureate |
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College | — | — | 6,510 | $12,851 | Community College |
Bluegrass Community and Technical College | — | — | 12,965 | $5,920 | Community College |
Broward College | — | — | 30,728 | $20,077 | Baccalaureate |
Cape Fear Community College | — | — | 14,082 | $5,416 | Community College |
Central Piedmont Community College | — | — | 20,375 | $3,660 | Community College |
Chattanooga State Community College | — | — | 7,623 | $5,702 | Community College |
Delgado Community College | — | — | 12,712 | $11,926 | Community College |
Eastern Florida State College | — | — | 14,053 | $5,939 | Baccalaureate |
Fayetteville Technical Community College | — | — | 11,755 | $3,723 | Community College |
Forsyth Technical Community College | — | — | 9,099 | $6,342 | Community College |
Georgia State University-Perimeter College | — | 90.8% | 17,437 | $10,102 | Community College |
Greenville Technical College | — | — | 11,999 | $6,246 | Community College |
Guilford Technical Community College | — | — | 11,485 | $13,926 | Community College |
Hillsborough Community College | — | — | 21,483 | $4,929 | Community College |
Hinds Community College | — | — | 8,859 | $3,158 | Community College |
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College | — | — | 8,681 | $4,553 | Community College |
Jefferson Community and Technical College | — | — | 13,429 | $6,058 | Community College |
Jefferson State Community College | — | — | 9,240 | $9,024 | Community College |
John C Calhoun State Community College | — | — | 9,119 | $7,336 | Community College |
Midlands Technical College | — | — | 9,226 | $5,462 | Community College |
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College | — | — | 8,694 | $7,372 | Community College |
Northern Virginia Community College | — | — | 56,457 | $8,554 | Community College |
Northwest Mississippi Community College | — | — | 7,867 | $7,665 | Community College |
Palm Beach State College | — | — | 25,916 | $9,832 | Baccalaureate |
Pellissippi State Community College | — | — | 9,399 | $5,252 | Community College |
Pensacola State College | — | — | 9,491 | $2,254 | Baccalaureate |
Pitt Community College | — | — | 7,684 | $7,150 | Community College |
Santa Fe College | — | — | 12,758 | $11,154 | Baccalaureate |
Seminole State College of Florida | — | — | 15,390 | $3,119 | Baccalaureate |
Southwest Tennessee Community College | — | 100.0% | 7,004 | $4,588 | Community College |
State College of Florida-Manatee-Sarasota | — | — | 8,750 | $21,433 | Baccalaureate |
Tidewater Community College | — | — | 16,884 | $7,991 | Community College |
Trident Technical College | — | — | 13,552 | -$3,220 | Community College |
University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College | — | — | 4,478 | $15,000 | Community College |
Valencia College | — | — | 47,425 | $10,399 | Baccalaureate |
Virginia Peninsula Community College | — | — | 6,410 | $6,468 | Community College |
Wake Technical Community College | — | — | 24,609 | $6,935 | Community College |
| Peer group median | 35% | 95.4% | 11,620 | $6,702 |
Polk State College Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
Office
Office of Institutional Research
Reports to Institutional Effectiveness, Accreditation and Research
Phone
(863) 297-1000
Address
Winter Haven Campus, Administration Building (WAD) corridor
The office coordinates data submissions for external reporting, publishes data in the annual FactBook, and provides various college and higher education data to support decision-making at the institution.
Visit IR office pageTeam
10 members
- Mary ClarkVice President, Institutional Effectiveness, Accreditation and Research
- Vijay BomminiResearch Specialist
- Daniel BraunResearch Specialist
- Erin MartinezDirector of Grants Development and Administration
- Natasha MohamedGrants Coordinator
- Alby ReyesAdministrative Assistant III
- Gregory RogersDirector
- Mary Ellen SchmittGrant Writer
- Gary SmithAssessment Specialist
- Elizabeth WemlingerDirector
Reports & documents (2)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planPolk State College Strategic Plan 2023-20282023Polk State College's Strategic Plan for 2023-2028 focuses on strengthening student success through innovative academic and support programs. It aims to align graduate skills with labor market needs, while also enhancing institutional resources and regional engagement. The plan further commits to transformational change by prioritizing operational excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.polk.edu
Notable alumni of Polk State College (16)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Frank Attkisson
- Mark Brisker
- TC Clements
- Neil Combee
- Destin Damachoua
- Shaheed Davis
- Robert GilchristAthletics
- Denise Grimsley
- Kenny Howes
- Lance Jeter
- Grady Judd
- Dominick Nelson
Showing 1–12 of 16
1 / 2
Frequently asked questions about Polk State College
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Polk State College.
What is the graduation rate at Polk State College?
Polk State College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 35% per the latest IPEDS.
How many students attend Polk State College?
Polk State College reports a total enrollment of 10,318 students per the latest IPEDS.
What is the average net price at Polk State College?
The average net price at Polk State College is $9,027 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.
Where is Polk State College located?
Polk State College is located in Winter Haven, Florida 33881-4299.
Who runs Institutional Research at Polk State College?
Polk State College's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research, which reports to Institutional Effectiveness, Accreditation and Research.
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