First Time in College Students

First-Time-in-College Students

Admission may be granted to those who have:

• Graduated with a standard high school diploma or International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma from a secondary school, including Florida public and private schools and out-of-state schools, in accordance with Florida statutes.

• Earned a General Education Development (GED) diploma through any state Department of Education or the military, as long as the test was administered in the English language.

• Completed a Home Education Program pursuant to the requirement of Florida Statutes 1002.41 and 1003.43. The student must submit a Home School Affidavit signed by a parent or legal guardian.

Some additional high school diplomas qualify for college admission under the Florida state guidelines. For information on other high school diploma completion codes, students may contact the Admission and Registrar’s Office at 863.297.1000.

Polk State offers a robust first-year experience for incoming students.  Upon application, students are advised to follow the admission steps found on the website.  These steps include a pre-advising session to teach students how to make the most of the student services resources available to them, how to work with an advisor in degree planning and what to expect from their first year at college. All students who are attending college for the first time since high school graduation must attend, even if previously dual enrolled. 

Students seeking and Associate in Arts degree are required to take the first-year seminar, which they will learn about in the pre-advising session.  For more information go to the website here.