Polk State College
Polk State College is a public college in Winter Haven, FL, with about 4,687 students on campus and 3,276 more studying only online.
The short version on Polk State College
Most students study part-time
65% of undergraduates attend part-time. The graduation rate counts only first-time, full-time students, so it covers a minority of the people studying here. The students ↓
What you study here makes a big difference to pay
Among Polk State College’s biggest bachelor’s programs, nursing graduates earn a median $94,269 four years out. Business administration graduates earn $52,404. Majors ↓
Polk State College focuses on liberal arts
43% of the degrees Polk State College awards are in liberal arts; the next biggest field, health professions, is 19%. Majors ↓
Rent in Winter Haven is below the state median
Median rent in Winter Haven is $1,246 a month, 25% below the state median. Living in Winter Haven ↓
This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard; price, graduation and earnings include online students; graduation rates count only first-time, full-time students.
The students
7,180 degree-seeking undergraduates.
By race and ethnicity
Women and men
How hard is it to get into Polk State College?
anyone with a high school diploma can enroll
Test scores of admitted students
No SAT or ACT ranges reported. Polk State College is likely test-optional.
The sticker price, and what families really pay
Sticker price: $13,451 a year
Before any grants · out-of-state tuition $9,817
After grants, the average family on aid pays $9,427.
Your family’s price
Average net price after grants, by family income
About $38,008 over 4 years · 29% off the sticker price
Do students finish, and does it pay off?
Debt vs. the paycheck
The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting
$107 a month against about $2,967 a month in pay.
Paying back loans
Federal student loans, this college
of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 30% of U.S. colleges.
Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).
Earnings by family background
Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment
What students study, and what it pays
Share of degrees by field
Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates
And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).
Living in Winter Haven
5% of Winter Haven’s 62,313 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Winter Haven pages.
Other colleges within 30 miles
Straight-line distances from Polk State College; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.
Ask around
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.