Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) has the largest number of dual enrollment students out of all of the technical colleges in the state of Georgia according to the 2013 End of Year Enrollment Report issued by the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG).
The report shows that GNTC had 708 dual enrollment students, the second highest was West Georgia Technical College with 547 students, and Moultrie Technical College was third with 467 students.
Dual enrollment provides high school students with the opportunity to gain college credit while still in high school.
This program offers students a preview of college, credits earned towards a degree before they graduate high school, and even helps with some of the financial cost of a college education.
“We are very proud of the partnerships we share with our area high school systems,” said Stuart Phillips, vice president of Student Affairs at GNTC. “Providing the opportunity for students to receive college credit while still in high school not only enhances the students’ high school experience, it paves the way for their future by exposing them to possibilities they might not otherwise have explored.”
Many dual enrollment courses also offer students the opportunity to earn an industry certificate, so students have the option of either entering the workforce upon graduation from high school or continuing their education. Either way, they begin their selected career path with a head start.
“I am so excited about the dual enrollment opportunities we are able to offer high school students in our service area,” said Carol Dugger, director of High School Initiatives at GNTC. “We have developed strong partnerships with all of the school systems and we continue to explore ways to support seamless education wherever possible.”
The Dual Enrollment program is a collaborative effort between the Georgia Department of Education (DOE) and the TCSG. Students may also earn associate degree-level credit hours as they simultaneously meet their high school graduation requirements through the ACCEL program, another dual enrollment option.
“The transfer agreement between the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia has enabled us to create more than 20 new ACCEL classes and locate them on the high school campuses to accommodate scheduling and transportation challenges,” said Ms. Dugger.
Georgia Northwestern Technical College serves Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Murray, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield counties in Georgia with campuses located in Floyd, Gordon, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield counties. Approximately 22,000 people benefit from GNTC’s credit and noncredit programs, making it the largest college in Northwest Georgia and the fourth largest technical college in Georgia.