Polk State College
Polk State College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
About Polk State College
According to Wikipedia, Polk State College, formerly Polk Community College, is a public college in Winter Haven, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System. The college changed its name from Polk Community College in 2009 to reflect its first Bachelor's degree program. Originally named Polk Junior College, it began classes in 1964. The main campus is located in Winter Haven, a second campus is located in nearby Lakeland. Smaller centers exist in Bartow, Lake Wales, Winter Haven, and two in Lakeland.
Polk State College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Graduation Rate |
|---|
| 33% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Polk State College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $2,694 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $6,825 |
| 30K - 48K | $6,927 |
| 48K - 75K | $7,234 |
| 75K - 110K | $8,782 |
| 110K+ | $10,420 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Polk State College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Polk State College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $44,710 a year, and 86% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Polk State College's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads |
|---|---|
| 13,744 | 13,744 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Polk State College?
Polk State College is located at 999 Avenue H NE, Winter Haven, FL 33881-4299.
How Safe is Polk State College?
Polk State College reported 0.2 violent and property offenses on campus per 1,000 students in 2024, fewer than most large commuter campuses. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.
Relative to its enrollment, Polk State College has a violent crime rate of less than 0.01% and a property crime rate of 0.02%. Winter Haven has a violent crime rate of 0.24% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 1.55%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Polk State College Known For?
Polk State College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
Polk State College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Polk State College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Polk State College ranks #814 in the U.S. and #1527 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
criminal-justice DegreesPolk State College ranks #1209 in the U.S. and #5201 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesPolk State College ranks #1639 in the U.S. and #6082 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesPolk State College ranks #1706 in the U.S. and #8405 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesPolk State College ranks #2258 in the U.S. and #8447 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesPolk State College ranks #2543 in the U.S. and #9011 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesPolk State College ranks #3051 in the U.S. and #8402 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing Degrees