Community colleges

Polk State College

Winter Haven, FL Β· Public Β· 7,180 undergrads Β· website β†—

Does anyone get out?

The point of starting here is finishing somewhere else. This is how often that happens.

18.6%

of students transfer to a four-year institution

Completed after transferring
1.2%

had finished a degree by year 2

Still enrolled after transferring
2.8%

still progressing at year 2

What it costs

Household incomeAvg net price / year
Under $30,000$9,446
$30,000 – $48,000$9,203
$48,000 – $75,000$9,502
$75,000 – $110,000β€”
Over $110,000$7,464
All incomes (average)$9,427

Sticker tuition and fees: $2,694 in-state β€” before aid, from the same earlier College Scorecard release as the net prices above.

These are averages. For an estimate for your family, use Polk State College's own net price calculator β€” every college that takes federal student aid must publish one.

Net price calculator β†—

Other costs of attendance, 2025–26

The college's own estimate for a full-time undergraduate for the year, before aid, from the October 2026 College Scorecard. It is a newer year than the tuition and net prices above, so don't add the two together.

Housing and meals, off campus (not with family)$12,186
Books and supplies$2,698
Other expenses, off campus$3,964

Outcomes

Completion rate
35%

at this college

Students with Pell grants
32%
Earnings @ 10yr
$40,624

after entering

Median debt
$10,076

at graduation

Admission and teaching

SAT/ACT policy
Open admission

Admits any student who applies (fall 2024)

Application fee
None

undergraduate, 2023–24

Students per faculty member
19 to 1

undergraduates, fall 2024

Faculty who are full-time
39%

fall 2024

What students study

Health & Nursing19%
Business16%
Criminal Justice13%
Education3%
Computer Science2%

Earnings and debt by field of study

Median annual earnings of graduates who received federal student aid and were working, not studying: one year after completing (graduates of 2020–21 and 2021–22) and four years after (2017–18 and 2018–19), measured in 2022 and 2023 and shown in 2024 dollars. Median debt is federal Direct and Grad PLUS loans borrowed at this college by 2022–23 and 2023–24 graduates; it leaves out Parent PLUS and private loans. β€œNational” is the median for the same field and credential across all US colleges.

Associate degrees (9)

Field of studyDegrees awarded 2023–24Earnings, 1 yr afterEarnings, 4 yrs afterMedian federal debt
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities794$29,583$43,940national $44,125$9,359
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing132$75,110$79,660national $80,813$10,500
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions48$65,159$69,815national $65,389$8,111
Criminal Justice and Corrections32$38,377$48,056national $46,706β€”
Business Administration, Management and Operations31$50,329$54,431national $48,733β€”
Air Transportation16β€”$83,657national $75,495β€”
Computer Software and Media Applications15β€”$41,443national $41,737β€”
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services7$28,150$28,739national $34,184β€”
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services7$45,235$53,932national $42,269β€”
Undergraduate certificates (3)
Field of studyDegrees awarded 2023–24Earnings, 1 yr afterEarnings, 4 yrs afterMedian federal debt
Criminal Justice and Corrections195$57,879$58,912national $57,702β€”
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions39β€”$75,539national $57,584β€”
Health and Medical Administrative Services31$37,650$44,127national $35,447β€”
Bachelor's degrees (5)
Field of studyDegrees awarded 2023–24Earnings, 1 yr afterEarnings, 4 yrs afterMedian federal debt
Business Administration, Management and Operations192$49,699$52,404national $68,257$13,549
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing70$84,637$94,269national $88,910$10,000
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods33$48,277β€”national $47,382$10,152
Criminal Justice and Corrections32$41,312$55,634national $55,378$17,409
Air Transportation25$51,653β€”national $85,825β€”

A dash means the Department of Education suppressed the figure because too few graduates were measured β€” not zero. 24 more programmes at this college have every figure suppressed and are not listed.

Best transfer rates elsewhere in FL

Contact and accreditation

Address
999 Avenue H NE, Winter Haven, FL 33881-4299
Phone
(863) 297-1000
Institutional accreditor
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Where would you transfer to?

Find four-year colleges ranked by what they'd cost your family and what graduates earn β€” then check which of your credits they accept before you commit.

Find four-year matches β†’

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. College Scorecard, October 2026 release: net price calculator link, mission flags and religious affiliation (2025–26), enrolment shares, test policy, SAT/ACT ranges and student-to-faculty ratio (fall 2024), cost-of-attendance components (2025–26), and earnings and debt by field of study. IPEDS Institutional Characteristics 2023–24 for the application fee and the IPEDS 2024 directory for the phone number. All are U.S. Department of Education data in the public domain. Transfer rate is the share of entrants transferring to a four-year institution; it is published for roughly a third of community colleges, and a blank means unpublished rather than zero. Which specific credits transfer is set by agreements between individual institutions and is not published nationally β€” confirm with both colleges before enrolling.

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