by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Polk State? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 70% students making it past their freshmen year, Polk State has freshmen retention rates similar to the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Florida, the average is 70.38%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Polk State | 70% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Florida | 70.38% |
Of the 801 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
After four years 26% of the cohort graduated. After six years 25% had completed their degree, and 27% after eight years.
The official graduation rate of Polk State is 25%. This is the percentage of students who completed their degree within 150% of the published time. That means six years for a standard bachelor's degree program.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 658 | 21% |
| Six Years | 801 | 25% |
| Eight Years | 43 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 2,318 | 73% |
Approximately 2318 students or 73% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 2318 students who did not complete their degree?
0 are still enrolled.
678 transferred to another institution.
Polk State lost contact with the remaining 1563 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.0% |
| Transferred | 678 | 29.2% |
| Dropped Out | 1,563 | 67.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 50% |
| Asian | 47% |
| Black / African-American | 24% |
| Hispanic | 33% |
| International | 20% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 14% |
| Unknown | 35% |
| White | 35% |
Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.
Traditional Students:
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25.
Non-Traditional Students:
Any student that is not first-time, full-time, and under the age of 25.
The majority of students at Polk State are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of specific cohorts shown below will be more revealing than the overall statistics shared above.
First-time / full-time students at Polk State College represent 44% of the students in the class of 2015, and 52.06% of Polk State bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 26%, first-time students in the Polk State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Polk State graduation rate was 30%, and by the eight year mark, 32% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| First-Time / Full-Time Completions | Polk State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 26% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 30% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 32% | 47.82% |
949 first-time / full-time students or 68% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
305 transferred to another institution.
Polk State lost contact with the remaining 616 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 305 | 32.14% |
| Dropped Out | 616 | 64.91% |
First-time / part-time students at Polk State College represent 44.75% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 18%, first-time, part-time students in the Polk State class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 19%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, 23.72% after eight years.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | Polk State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 13% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 18% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 19% | 23.72% |
1143 first-time / part-time students or 81% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
46 are still enrolled.
283 transferred to another institution.
Polk State lost contact with the remaining 814 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 46 | 4.02% |
| Transferred | 283 | 24.76% |
| Dropped Out | 814 | 71.22% |
102 Polk State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 3.21% of the students in the class of 2015.
Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.
With a six year graduation rate of 38%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 41%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Returning / Full-Time Completions | Polk State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 38% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 41% | 55.07% |
60 non first-time / part-time students or 59% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
23 transferred to another institution.
Polk State lost contact with the remaining 37 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 23 | 38.33% |
| Dropped Out | 37 | 61.67% |
255 Polk State students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 8.04% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 34%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 35%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.03% after six years, 36.03% after eight years.
| Returning / Part-Time Completions | Polk State | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 34% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 35% | 37.80% |
166 non first-time / part-time students or 65% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
67 transferred to another institution.
Polk State lost contact with the remaining 96 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 1.81% |
| Transferred | 67 | 40.36% |
| Dropped Out | 96 | 57.83% |
