Warner Robins, Georgia—Central Georgia Technical College (CGTC), one of the state’s largest two-year colleges, ended the Fall 2021 semester with a record single-term enrollment of 9,614 students. The College recorded more than 18 percent growth for credit students from Fall 2020 to Fall 2021. And, in comparison to pre-pandemic levels, the College was up by 16 percent over Fall 2019.
Much of the College’s growth can be attributed to the expansion of online course offerings, interest in the Dual Enrollment program, and innovative programs to help fund students’ college experiences.
CGTC was recently recognized by Newsweek and Statista as one of “America’s Best Online Learning Schools of 2022.” The College was included on the list of only 150 institutions nationwide and was the only two-year college out of five Georgia institutions to make the list. Nationwide, CGTC was one of only seven public technical colleges to receive this recognition.
The rankings are based on surveys among 9,000 students across the country who have used online learning to earn an academic degree, and professional or personal development. Newsweek is a news magazine and website that has been delivering news around the globe for over 80 years. Statista is a provider of market and consumer data.
In addition to growth in online offerings, CGTC’s Dual enrollment program, which allows students who are in high school to pursue college credit that satisfies curriculum requirements at both levels, has witnessed its own measurable growth in Fall 2021. This population of students at CGTC grew by almost 85 percent from Fall 2020, most of which was spurred by an innovative initiative in Houston County. Dubbed the Power of 15, eligible students in Houston County’s high schools can earn transferable college credit from CGTC prior to high school graduation without ever leaving the high school campus. During the Fall term, the College enrolled more than 4,000 dual enrollment students service-area wide, making CGTC the largest provider of this program in the state among both Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) and University System of Georgia (USG) institutions.
Not only does CGTC serve students in the middle Georgia area, but also provides education and training across Georgia in Department of Corrections facilities through its Re-Entry Services program. This credit education program allows incarcerated citizens to take advantage of training in high-demand career programs which helps inmates earn a marketable skill and reduce recidivism rates. In 2020, the College was approved by the Department of Education as an experimental site to offer Federal Pell Grants through the Second Chance Pell (SCP) program to incarcerated students. This additional funding opportunity has aided in enrollment growth for this program.
While the SCP program is unique to incarcerated students, many students who attend CGTC can do so at little to no out-of-pocket cost and graduate with no debt. In addition to state and federal aid programs, students who choose high-demand career programs receive additional funds to cover tuition and most other costs through the HOPE Career Grant. Additional funding is available to all students to assist in covering out of pocket expenses such as college fees.
Central Georgia Technical College offers a variety of traditional and distance learning options, including on campus, face-to-face courses, online courses, hybrid courses that encompass both online and face-to-face instruction, and Teleflex courses, which is a blended learning platform that allows students to either attend a class or review recorded full course lectures at any time online. In addition, the eCampus platform at CGTC allows students across the state to enroll in courses offered by any of the colleges in the Technical System of Georgia.
Spring semester at CGTC begins January 10, 2022. Students can apply online or in person at any location. For more information about CGTC and funding options available to you, visit www.centralgatech.edu/321Go.