Polk State vs Gulf Coast State College (GCSC)

Polk State College and Gulf Coast State College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to students seeking a transformative college journey. Polk State, nestled in the heart of Central Florida, boasts an acceptance rate of 100%, welcoming students from diverse backgrounds to pursue their academic aspirations. Gulf Coast, situated along the scenic Gulf Coast of Florida, maintains a slightly more selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 98%. While Polk State's student body predominantly comprises females, Gulf Coast's student population is more evenly balanced between genders. Both colleges offer a wide range of academic programs, with popular majors including Business, Health Professions, and Education. Polk State takes pride in its high graduation rate of 44%, while Gulf Coast's graduation rate stands at 38%. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we present a comprehensive comparison table highlighting the key differences between these two exceptional institutions.

	Gulf Coast State College	Polk State College
Overview
Location	Panama City, Florida	Winter Haven, Florida
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate		67.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees	$20
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT)		Not required
High school GPA	N/A	N/A
Recommendation letters	N/A	N/A
High school transcript	N/A	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $16,812 Out of state: $23,077	In state: $17,401 Out of state: $26,307
Average net price	$4,163	$8,227
Tuition	In state: $1,750 Out of state: $7,065	In state: $2,483 Out of state: $9,933
Room & board
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	88.0% Average amount $6,690	54.0% Average amount $5,400
Students receiving federal student loan	6.0% Average amount $5,026	7.0% Average amount $4,728
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $10,300	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,377 Men 34.4% Women 65.6%	9,044 Men 34.4% Women 65.6%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	5.6%	0.3%
International students	0.4%	1.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	N/A	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Florida Georgia Alabama Texas Wisconsin	Florida California Georgia Iowa Mississippi

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Law Enforcement and Firefighting Computer and Information Science Engineering Technologies	Liberal Arts Health Professions Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Education
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	63.5%	33.2%
Dropout rate	25.8%	51.4%
Transferred out	7.4%	11.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,546 Year 2: $54,970 Year 3: $59,211 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $41,085 Year 2: $43,240 Year 3: $46,525 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $43,708 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $37,111 Year 2: $39,729 Year 3: $38,370 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $37,144 Year 2: $34,847 Year 3: $34,954 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $22,941 Year 2: $22,420 Year 3: $23,782 Culinary Arts and Related Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,824 Year 3: N/A Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,673 Year 3: N/A Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,114 Year 2: $50,270 Year 3: N/A Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $31,385 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,310 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $68,291 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $57,694 Year 2: $53,001 Year 3: $52,096 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $39,742 Year 2: $48,198 Year 3: $49,605 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,427 Year 2: $35,274 Year 3: $40,565 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $47,233 Year 2: $41,007 Year 3: $40,265 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,616 Year 2: $34,660 Year 3: $39,777 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $23,837 Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: $29,385 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $21,337 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $17,510

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Polk State vs Gulf Coast State College (GCSC)

Gulf Coast State College

Polk State College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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