by our College Data Analytics TeamMost students will not be asked to pay the full sticker price of a school. Rather, they are offered a financial aid plan that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The price tag of going to Polk State College can appear overwhelming, but bear in mind that many students obtain some kind of financial aid.
What financing options does Polk State offer you, and what will you qualify for? Keep scrolling for more information. Read on to discover what amount of financial assistance could be accessible to you.
The amount of financial aid and scholarships you are eligible for will vary depending on your family’s income. Use the information below to understand how much financial assistance you may get from Polk State College.
Through a mix of loans, grants, work-study and scholarships, schools bring down the effective cost so more students can attend. Bear in mind that not all aid is equal, and the amount any one student receives can vary widely.
For incoming first-year students at Polk State College, 77% of new full-time first-years were awarded at least some aid approximately 343 first-years).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 72% | $3,305 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 5% | $1,440 |
| Federal Pell grants | 56% | $3,019 |
| State/local grants | 30% | $1,070 |
| Federal student loans | 8% | $3,303 |
The best aid is gift aid: grants and scholarships that carry no repayment obligation. At Polk State, roughly 48% of undergraduate students received gift aid averaging $2,472 (across roughly 3890 students).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 48% | $2,472 |
| Federal Pell grants | 32% | $3,009 |
| Federal student loans | 6% | $3,546 |
Title-IV recipients living on campus saw average grant aid of $4,024.
Need-based aid means lower-income families typically pay far less than the sticker price suggests.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $8,590 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $9,582 |
| Over $75,000 | $8,377 |
Each amount is the average cost remaining once grant aid is subtracted, by income band.
After grants and scholarships come off the published price, what remains is the net price — the best estimate of true out-of-pocket cost.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $9,427 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $9,027 |
To project your own net price, use Polk State’s online cost calculator: www.polk.edu/NetPriceCalculator/npcalc.htm.
The median student at Polk State graduates with $6,500 in federal loans.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $6,500 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $10,076 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $106.82/mo |
That monthly figure reflects the median graduate debt repaid on a standard 10-year federal schedule.
The numbers below show the full range, not just the middle of the distribution. Use the percentiles below to see the debt range at Polk State.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,000 |
| 75th percentile | $14,196 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $25,875 |
The figures below break down median federal debt by income tier, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $6,781 |
| Middle income | $6,095 |
| High income | $6,532 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $6,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $6,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Students
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,370 |
Federal data publishes pre-calculated indicators that summarize debt outcomes. Polk State.
Stafford loans make up the bulk of federal direct lending to undergraduates. The totals below capture Stafford lending at Polk State:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 9010 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $100,489,424 |
GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the two federal aid programs targeted at military-affiliated students.
GI Bill volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 178 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $598,416 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $3,362 |
DoD Tuition Assistance activity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 14 |
| Total DoD amount | $10,375 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $741 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.