Students who don’t have a high school diploma right now could be college students by August, thanks to a newly expanded program from West Georgia Technical College.

West Georgia Tech has expanded its GED-to-college program – which allows students enrolled in Adult Education classes to apply to certificate and diploma classes at the college – from only four eligible programs to approximately 100 programs, now including almost all of the college’s certificate and diploma classes.

The only exceptions are West Georgia Tech’s competitive selection programs, Vice President of Adult Education Karen Kirchler said.

“We are so excited to be able to offer another opportunity for our students who are working to change their lives,” Kirchler said. “If they get started right away, they can embark on the next step of their lives much sooner than they probably anticipated.”

To be eligible to apply, students must be enrolled in one of West Georgia Tech’s Adult Education classes, have passed two of the four GED subtests and have met the entrance (Accuplacer) requirements of the program to which they’re applying.

“This is all about having complete and total faith in our students being college material and college-ready once they complete our program,” Kirchler said. “Not only can they enroll in college, they will also be eligible for financial aid through the HOPE grant and many of them may be eligible for other aid through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.”

Once they’ve been accepted to West Georgia Tech, students can work on completing their final two GED subtests simultaneous to attending college.

“They’ll have two semesters to complete their GED from that point, and we’ve found that’s actually plenty of time for most students,” Kirchler said. “Our classes are designed to get them through to the next part of their education or career as quickly as possible.”

Kirchler said the program was expanded to reflect the college’s continued investment in students.

“This means that students can begin Adult Education classes with us this month and conceivably start college in August,” Kirchler said.

Final May registrations are coming up at all locations over the next two weeks.