West Georgia Technical College’s spring semester enrollment is up by 6 percent from last year to 6,588 students, the college announced.

This enrollment number makes WGTC the third-largest technical college in Georgia by enrollment. The number of Move On When Ready students taking classes at WGTC also increased this spring – by 31 percent.

The spring enrollment number marks the fourth consecutive semester of growth for WGTC.
Dr. Tonya Whitlock, vice president of student affairs, said faculty and staff members at the college are all responsible for the continued enrollment growth.

“We continue to work together to expand our strategic enrollment efforts and redirect resources to markets where there are growth opportunities,” Whitlock said. “This is truly a group effort, and something we’re proud to see happening at West Georgia Tech.”

President Steve G. Daniel said enrollment numbers rising means more students are taking advantage of the technical education offered at WGTC to prepare for careers that are in demand across the college’s seven-county service area.

Enrollment at the college’s five campuses is evenly divided, with each campus having more than 1,000 students enrolled.

“We are proud of the broad growth we’re seeing across all five of our main campuses, with some significant growth in our Move On When Ready program,” Daniel said. “We have a good number of brand new students to our college, and it’s clear that students are coming to West Georgia Tech to receive the quality, hands-on education we’re known for.”

The number of high school students taking WGTC classes through the state’s Move On When Ready program is up 31 percent over last spring to 1,218 students.

Move On When Ready proves to be the brightest spot in the report. After legislative changes in the 2015 session of the Georgia General Assembly, more high school students than ever are taking advantage of free college courses.

“We believe Move On When Ready will continue to be a growth area for us going forward,” Daniel said.