Enrollment at Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) continues to climb as the college enters winter quarter. Preliminary numbers (official reporting numbers will be available at the end of January) show the college enrolled 5,993 for winter 2010. This is an increase of 839 students (16 percent) over the combined winter 2009 enrollment of 5,154 students for both Coosa Valley Technical College and Northwestern Technical College. The college is only 19 students away from matching their record-breaking fall 2009 enrollment.

Stuart Phillips, vice president of Student Affairs at GNTC, believes there are several reasons the college continues to see enrollment growth. “The continued struggling economy has certainly been a contributing factor,” said Phillips. “I also believe the variety of course offerings we have at GNTC has helped as well. Our commitment to offer programs that prepare students for the workforce is the ultimate factor.”

Phillips added that convenience and cost also play a role in the student’s decision to enroll at Georgia Northwestern. “Convenience, cost, and flexibility make GNTC an attractive choice to students,” he said. “Most of GNTC's students attend tuition free using the Hope Grant and Scholarship. Many also take advantage of the Pell Grant to supplement their educational costs.”

Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s Floyd County Campus has 2,362 students enrolled, 737 at the Gordon County Campus, 280 at the Polk County Campus, and 2,614 at the Walker County Campus.

The college continues to see an increase in the number of students that took advantage of online classes. With approximately 200 classes being offered online this quarter, GNTC has 2,321 students enrolled in at least one online class.

GNTC has 3,143 students enrolled full time and 2,850 enrolled part time at the college.

Phillips says that they have seen students enroll this quarter for a variety of reasons. “We continue to enroll a good mixture of recent high school graduates, displaced or underemployed workers, and those who want to make a career change,” stated Phillips. “The variety of program offerings is attractive to both recent high school graduates as well as those seeking retraining opportunities. Most of the jobs that are available require specialized skills that are taught in the programs at GNTC.”