Mar 19, 2024  
Catalog/Handbook 2016-2017 
    
Catalog/Handbook 2016-2017 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Admission - Procedures and Requirements


Polk State College maintains an open-door policy for admission to the College. Prospective students with qualifying high school diplomas or an equivalency are eligible to apply. Generally qualifying students have earned a standard high school diploma, General Education Development (GED) diploma, or a college placement test-eligible certificate of completion. For information on other completion codes on high school diplomas, students should contact the Admission and Registrar’s Office. Students must submit official transcripts to the College. Home-schooled students who have met the school attendance policy as defined in Florida Statute 1002.41 and have completed all curriculum requirements for graduation as defined by Florida Statute 1003.43, must submit a completed Home School Affidavit. All newly admitting students are strongly advised to use the Admission Steps to Polk State available at polk.edu under Admission and Aid. Guides are also available at all campuses and centers. There is a checklist in the Admission Steps that all offices use to help the student walk through the steps to admission.

Students may not qualify for financial aid and may not use the developmental education exemption without official high school transcripts.  A high school transcript is required unless the student has an associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s degree.

Students can apply for admission at any time and may begin taking courses in the fall, spring, or summer sessions. Correspondence concerning admission, student records, or registration may be addressed to registrar@polk.edu or:

Admission and Registrar’s Office
Polk State College
999 Avenue H, N.E.
Winter Haven, FL 33881-4299

Transcripts from all previously attended post secondary institutions are required, unless the school is in a foreign country.  Foreign college-level credentials are required if students wish to transfer credit.  If the student has a degree from a regionally-accredited institution or its equivalent, the high school transcript is not required.Transfer and baccalaureate students should submit all requirements six weeks before open registration for the term in which they expect to attend classes. See Academic Calendar for registration dates.

Determination of placement in courses and the necessity of prerequisite classes are based on scores earned on the SAT and/or ACT (these must be less than two years old), or on a college placement test such as the P.E.R.T. administered at an authorized location, qualification for placement exemption, and/or on previous college course work.

 

General admission procedures for Bachelor, Associate’s in Arts, and Associate’s in Science degree programsAdvanced Technical and College Credit certificate programs; Applied Technology diploma programs; and non-degree seeking students include the following steps.


Students apply for admission online at polk.edu. Students should read the information online under the Admission and Aid links and Admission Steps to Polk State.

There is no application fee to apply for admission to Polk State College. Applicants are notified of their application status by their primary e-mail account and their newly assigned Polk State College institutional e-mail account at my.polk.edu which is activated within 48 hours of application. All forms, transcripts, and residency documentation may be submitted in the following ways:

  • In-person at the Winter Haven or Lakeland campus or at the JD Alexander Center;
  • Faxed to 863-297-1023
  • Mailed to Polk State College, 999 Avenue H, N.E., Winter Haven, FL 33881-4299;
  • Scanned and emailed to registrar@polk.edu
  • Imaged via smart phone and emailed to registrar@polk.edu
     

  Admission requirements are:

 

 

  • Submit official transcripts: It is the student’s responsibility to request that official transcripts be sent directly to the Admission and Registrar’s Office from a high school or state GED office and from all colleges attended. Students may be admitted without official transcripts, but may not be placed into college-level courses until official transcripts have been received and evaluated. Students may also not exercise exemption from developmental education until official high school transcripts are received and evaluated. Students must provide all transcripts before the registration of the second term of enrollment. Without submission of all transcripts at that time, students may not continue enrollment.

 

  • Take Orientation. Students new to Polk State College, including dual-enrolled students, must complete an Orientation once the application is submitted online. A detailed admission letter with admission procedures is sent to the student immediately upon submission of an application. The applicant’s admission letter is sent to the personal email address entered on the application. The letter is used as a testing ticket for those required to take college placement tests. Testing is available at the following campuses: Winter Haven, Lakeland, or JD Alexander/Lake Wales. Based on test results, students are placed into appropriate level courses in English, reading, and mathematics. Testing, if required, must be done prior to Orientation. Polk State encourages all students who have not taken college-level English and mathematics to take the placement test as it is an inventory of what concepts the student has mastered and will guide the student in making an informed decision about reading, writing, and mathematics. Transfer students may be exempt from the testing requirement if they have successfully completed college-level English and mathematics. The Admission Steps is available in the Admission and Registrar’s Office at all campuses and centers with further details about admission. All students should refer to the Admission Steps to Polk State.

 

  • Students whose first language is not English must provide documentation of English proficiency. The International and Visa Student section of the catalog provides more details regarding this requirement.

 

  • All students complete academic advising prior to registration. No appointment is required to see an advisor. The Advising Services section of the catalog and the Admission Steps list the hours of operation.

 

  • Students take the Polk State College Orientation for an introduction to College resources, for an interpretation of college placement test scores, for assistance in developing a personalized educational plan, and to learn how to search and register for classes online. There is no cost for the Orientation session.

 

  • Students should consult the College’s Academic Calendar for important registration dates.

 

For additional information, students should visit the Polk State College website at polk.edu.